Union Pacific's Oregon Short Line

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The Oregon Short Line Railway was incorporated in Wyoming in April 1881 by the Union Pacific to build a line by the shortest route from Wyoming to Oregon. Thus it took on the name, Oregon Short Line. Construction began in May at Granger and the railroad reached Montpelier in August 1882. The railroad reached Pocatello by sharing trackage with the Utah & Northern from McCammon. The U&N operated a narrow gauge (3 foot) railroad between Ogden and Butte, Montana. The OSL simply added a third rail outside the narrow gauge U&N rails. Chief Pocatello of the Shoshone tribe granted the railroad a right of way through the Fort Hall Indian Reservation. The junction where the OSL split from the U&N was given the name Pocatello. The U&N converted its line between Pocatello and Butte to standard gauge on July 25, 1887. The line between McCammon and Ogden was rebuilt and set to standard gauge three years later.

The OSL built through Nampa in October 1883 and reached Huntington, Oregon in February 1884. The Huntington name comes from James M. and John B. Huntington who settled there in 1882 and plotted the town site. The railroad finally reached Portland in January 1885. The Utah & Northern and Oregon Short Line were merged into the Union Pacific in 1886.