By Tony Edmondson – September 5, 2025
The Oregon Short Line Railroad was organized by Union Pacific Railway in 1881 as an extension of their mainline from Granger, Wyoming to Huntington, Oregon when completed in 1884. Mostly modest wood framed passenger and freight depots were constructed along the way in principal Idaho communities from Montpelier to Weiser, many which were subsequently replaced with more substantial brick structures such as the one at the end of State Street in 1907, owned by the Weiser Architectural Preservation Committee, Inc. since 1987.
By the early twentieth century, small hamlets sprung up along the mainline, some just far enough away from a commerce hub like Weiser or Payette, that small “passenger shelters” were constructed to conveniently service these growing communities. A 1934 OSL property inventory valuation record shows one of these stations at Washoe MP 503 (just south of Payette), Crystal MP512 (south of Weiser near Crystal Lane), and Eaton MP524 (at the west end of the Weiser Flat at Eaton Road). All were built in 1911 following identical designs and we’re lucky enough to have a historic photo of the Crystal shelter (see below)!
In the 1950’s, the UPRR began removing these shelters along with many of their obsolete or abandoned support buildings, including section houses, loading platforms, freight houses, and water towers. By 1987 when the OSL finally merged into the Union Pacific Railroad, a whole generation had already grown up having no knowledge of these important early transportation landmarks. Today, even fewer understand this history of transportation development in Idaho and how they influenced the communities in which we now live.
After more than sixty years since the Eaton Station was removed, a WAPC board member got a phone call in 2015 from Luke Folke whose residence on Eaton Road was adjacent to the rail crossing. He explained they had an old “garden shed” in their backyard they believed to be an old “depot” and wanted it removed to make room for their children’s play equipment. Recognizing the rarity and important role these shelters played in Idaho’s early transportation system, WAPC quickly accepted his donation of the building and immediately put a team together to move it into town. But where? Placing it next to the main Weiser depot would compromise the rural context of its original site, so a spontaneous agreement was reached with the Friends of the Weiser River Trail (FWRT) to place it temporarily on the parking lot of the Weiser trailhead until it could be permanently sited on the trailside.
Though ownership would be retained by WAPC, FWRT eventually negotiated a small grant to undertake restoration which unfortunately took a back seat to other trail priorities. In 2022, WAPC took on the implementation of the restoration project. The Idaho Heritage Trust was contacted to complete a restoration plan and paint specimens were taken to determine original historic colors. Work finally got underway the following year when a concrete pad was laid, and the building finally installed on a permanent foundation through a combination of professional and volunteer labor. The building was stabilized and a new subfloor installed since the original floor had completely rotted away after sitting directly on dirt for so many years.
In 2024, historically correct replacement windows and door were secured, a new cedar shingle roof installed, new vertical grain old growth clear fir flooring was installed, interior benches were refabricated based on a newly discovered relic (more about that below*), and damaged or missing trim replaced. With 2025 being the tenth anniversary of the donation of this building, we’re hoping to complete this phase of restoration. With help from community “Idaho Serve Day” and WAPC volunteers, the exterior was scraped and painted this Spring. The windows and door have been reinstalled, which should mostly complete exterior restoration. A local sign painter has been commissioned to replicate a new roof top sign slated to be installed in July, once again proclaiming “EATON”. We’re hopeful of being granted CEG funding to produce and install an interpretive sign so that the many users of the trail and visitors to our community will better understand this piece of Idaho history.
So, what’s next? A development plan for interior restoration and future use. Though our original plan called for repainting the interior with a historically correct color, preliminary interior scraping of multiple layers of paint have uncovered a lot of graffiti, both carved and written in pencil and pen, some dating as far back as 1913! It’s suggested that rather than paint over these messages from distant travelers, perhaps a simple clearcoat should be applied to preserve them. Whatever the interior finishes will be, our hope is to make the interior accessible to the public in a way which ensures its security. Suggestions include rail-related displays visible through a plexiglass door shield or seasonal uses such as a lemonade or refreshment stand to a bicycle repair/supply shop. There are all kinds of possibilities and if you’ve got a suggestion, please email us at weiserapc@gmail.com.
*In early 2024, a WAPC member spotted an old “garden shed” for sale in Payette that looked uncannily like our Eaton Depot. Could this be the Washoe passenger shelter? A quick trip confirmed it was indeed, though in perilous condition. A rescue plan has yet to be developed by the Payette Preservation community. If prompt action isn’t taken, our Eaton building may be the last of its design in the state of Idaho.
