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Editor's note: This article is a part of a series reviewing Utah and U.S. history for KSL.com's Historic section.
SALT LAKE CITY — What was most certainly trash more than a century ago resulted in quite a treasure for archaeologists.
Construction crews assigned to install a new storm drain at a new Utah Transit Authority Depot District Clean Fuels Technology Center uncovered several intact bottles and ceramics that are believed to date as far back as the late 1800s during the locomotive train heyday, UTA spokesperson Carl Arky said Thursday.
The construction site, which is located near UTA's Salt Lake Central Station, is where the old Denver and Rio Grande Western locomotive shop once stood. The rail company ran operations there from the mid-1880s through the late 1950s.
A crew from Big D Construction and officials from UTA contacted the Utah Division of State History, which is based not far from the site, and the SWCA Environmental Consultants as soon as they discovered the items.
Some of the bottles — in great condition considering their age — were still corked and had hard liquor contents in them like whiskey. Christopher Merritt, the state's historic preservation officer, said he believes there is a strong likelihood the bottles and ceramics were a part of a passenger railcar, which functioned similarly to a movie theater.
"Once the movie was over the crew went in and cleaned out all the trash and these items were deposited," Merrit said, in a statement. "That's really unique. I can't think of any other similar discovery in the United States of what a passenger experience would have been like on the Denver & Rio Grande Western railroad in the 19th century."
The finding adds to existing items tied to the first few decades of the railroad industry in Utah that archeologists have discovered. For instance, they've uncovered many shards from glass and ceramics in western Box Elder County, which once was home to a few thriving railroad communities in the 1800s.
There have also been interesting century-old finds of items from other forms of travel. In May, a storm passing through the Great Salt Lake helped unearth a ship that is believed to have sunk at the turn of the 20th century.
Merritt said it's possible more items from Utah's railroad history are located where the new building is being constructed.
"You do wonder what other surprises might be encountered. Every time we scrape with a backhoe or a bulldozer we're learning something more about our state's past," he said. "In this area, we're just learning about this really cool railroad history. What was it like to ride in a passenger train dining car in the 19th century? What were they drinking and eating? This kind of discovery is our only window into that past."
