Lynndyl, Utah

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Lynndyl City is a small isolated community located in Millard County and is home to 106 residents, according to the 2010 US Census. Lynndyl was first established as an unnamed junction for the Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad around 1904. With a depot being constructed and a telegraph line being completed also in 1904, railroad employees began moving into the area around 1907. The name Lynndyl was created in 1904 when the first telegraph operator tried out her new system by sending a message to the next telegraph station. The operator at the other end asked the telegraph woman for her location, she quickly looked at her shoe, which was made in Lynn, Massachusetts, and responded, “This is Lynn.” Lynn Junction was then established and later it was changed to Lynndyl, to distinguish the community from another town in Utah named Lynn (Ekins 551).

According to a May 27, 1993, article in the Millard County Chronicle, the history of Lynndyl’s existence is tied directly to the railroad. The first train tracks within the city were laid in 1879 for the purpose of sending trains to the silver mining town of Frisco, to the south. In 1906 the first section house and round house with 18 stalls was constructed, and each were filled with workman repairing and maintaining locomotives. With the rail industry growing, Lynndyl was one of the largest railroad terminals between Omaha, Nebraska, and Los Angeles, California.

Lynndyl was a rough town full of working men, gambling and bootlegging. Yet, the railroad also kept the town alive and brought work to many of its residents (Hellenbrand). With the coming of water in 1912, farmers began settling the area in 1913. Yet, many became discouraged with turning the barren land into fertile fields and left Lynndyl after a short time. During the years of the Great Depression, the town saw decline, yet still had numerous buildings dedicated to the rail industry and still had hundreds of employees. During World War II, the rail yards saw a boost of activity with soldiers and military equipment coming through the community for supplies. However, this soon changed when the technology of the locomotive was altered. New diesel locomotives were able to run faster and longer without being required to have numerous stops. The need to resupply in Lynndyl was no longer required and the back shops were moved to Provo. By 1950, only 8 passenger trains and 6 freight trains rode through the town on a daily basses. With the loss of jobs, many people moved out of the community to find work elsewhere. As time progressed many structures were abandoned and eventually demolished. In the late 1970s and early 1980s new hope was brought to the small town, when the coal-fired Intermountain Power Project plant was constructed nearby. Other than farming, this is the only industry, and population has not increased.