What Is the Cedar City Depot?
What was once the Cedar City Depot is now the Mandarin restaurant!
What Makes It Historical?
Utah has some beautiful scenery, and it drew a lot of attention in the early 1900s! After Zion National Park was designated in 1919, this part of Utah needed a way to bring in visitors! Enter the Union Pacific and Oregon Short Line Railroads!
Together, they announced on March 5, 1920 that they would build a spur line from Lund, Utah (already a stop on the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad) to Cedar City! It only took three months to lay the 33 miles of track, and the first train made a trial run on June 10, 1923!
This depot, in the charge of architect, W.T. Wellman, serviced its first train on June 27, 1923. Aboard that train were President and Mrs. Harding, who later took a drive to Zion National Park! It officially opened to the public on September 12 of that year. From there, the UP Railroad then took over hotels and set up a bus station in Cedar City to capitalize on the tourist trade, and visitation to Zion National Park rose from 3,692 in 1920 to 55,297 in 1930! This depot is the only remaining building from that transition!
How Can I #HelpTheHelpers?
- Volunteer with the Utah Division of State History!
- Donate to Utah Division of State History!
- Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How Do I Get There?
255 N Main St
Cedar City, UT 84721
(Take Me There!)
When Should I Visit?
Enjoy the exterior whenever you like, though the restaurant is open from 11:00 AM until 9:30 PM (opening at 12:00 on Sundays)!
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