Barbara Greenspun remembers 1971: Demolition of railroad station leaves lasting, but mixed, memories

Friday, Dec. 1, 2000 | 11:14 a.m.

When the Union Pacific Railroad station at the west end of Fremont was razed to make way for the new Union Plaza Hotel, could it have been a precursor of Las Vegas history? So much of Las Vegas, as we remember it, has fallen victim to progress. Famous old hotel-casinos are no more as they have been demolished so that even more magnificent structures could be built.

I have mixed emotions about my memories of the old Union Pacific depot. As a young mother I had traveled by train from New York to join my husband and make a future in Las Vegas.

I disembarked from the train wearing a warm, winter coat, with my small baby in my arms and 8 months pregnant. The path from the train to the station was sand and gravel. The weather was very warm and a gusty wind was blowing. Most people getting off the train as I did would have lost no time in turning around and re-boarding.

That was not to be my choice. After being greeted by my enthusiastic husband, I realized that he had firmly planted his roots in this arid, desert town. I think I cried for several months until I finally became acclimated and began to enjoy being a part of the future of Las Vegas. Today I wouldn't change one minute of my life since I walked into that old Union Pacific depot, now a part of the legend of Las Vegas.