The Ontario station is a former train station located in Ontario, Oregon, United States that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot.[1] It was constructed in 1907 by the Union Pacific Railroad (UP) for its subsidiary, the Oregon Short Line Railroad (OSL), to replace an 1885 OSL depot that had been located just to the south and had been a simple wood-frame structure.[2] The building is made of concrete block cast to imitate stone, and with red brick trim and other ornamental features. The City of Ontario purchased the building from UP in 1996, but as of 1999[2] the land remained owned by UP and was being leased to the city. The station was added to the NRHP in 1999.[2][1]

Ontario, OR
Former Amtrak and Union Pacific Railroad inter-city rail station
Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot in 2009
General information
Location300 Depot Lane[citation needed]
Ontario, Oregon 97914
 United States
Owned byCity of Ontario & Union Pacific Railroad
Line(s)Union Pacific Railroad
Platforms1 side platform
Tracks3
Construction
Structure typeAt-grade
AccessibleYes
Other information
Station codeONT (Amtrak)
History
ClosedMay 1997 (for passenger rail service)
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station
Baker City
toward Seattle
Pioneer Nampa
toward Chicago
Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station
Payette
toward Portland
Portland – Granger Arcadia
toward Granger
Cairo
toward Burns
Burns – Oregon Terminus
Cairo
toward Brogan
Brogan – Oregon
Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot
Location300 Depot Lane
Ontario, Oregon
Coordinates44°1′25.2″N 116°57′44.2″W / 44.023667°N 116.962278°W / 44.023667; -116.962278
Built1906–1907[2]
Architectural styleRichardsonian Romanesque, Queen Anne[2]
NRHP reference No.99000950[1]
Added to NRHPAugust 5, 1999[2]
Location
Map

During the station's active years, campaigning politicians sometimes made whistle-stops at the station to give speeches, among them being Harry Truman and Richard Nixon.[2] Senator Robert F. Kennedy passed through just four days before his death.[2]

Amtrak (the National Railroad Passenger Corporation) began service to the station in 1977 with the Pioneer,[3] which originally provided service between Salt Lake City, Utah and Seattle, Washington, but was eventually extended further east and provided daily service from Chicago, Illinois to Seattle. The next eastbound stop on the Pioneer was in Nampa, Idaho and the next westbound station was in Baker City, Oregon.[3]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c "Oregon National Register List" (PDF). Oregon Parks and Recreation Department. June 6, 2011. p. 26. Archived from the original (PDF) on June 9, 2011. Retrieved June 19, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f g h Hartmans, Donna (February 1999). "National Register of Historic Places Registration Form: Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot" (PDF). National Park Service. Retrieved February 26, 2016.
  3. ^ a b Amtrak (June 22, 1977). "Amtrak National Train Timetables". timetables.org. Museum of Railway Timetables. p. 54. Retrieved January 9, 2014.
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