Echo originated as a stopover along the
Mormon Trail. Susanah Sneath Harker was an early Mormon pioneer who with her Husband, Joseph Henry Harker, gave birth to William Sneath Harker in Echo canyon September 25, 1847 before joining the rest of the of the Mormon pioneers who arrived between July 24 and October 1, 1847. Joseph and Susanah's sons John and Joseph died before the journey west with the pioneers. This left only their son Job as a toddler to travel from Winter Quarters Nebraska to Utah with his father and pregnant mother. October 1 is celebrated by some descendants as Harker Day in the United States. The town served as a junction between the
First transcontinental railroad and a spur line to serve silver mines near
Park City. Since the creation of
U.S. Highways Echo has served as a highway junction, where the main road coming from
Wyoming splits with one branch proceeding towards
Salt Lake City, continuing towards
San Francisco,
California, and the other towards
Ogden, continuing to
Portland, Oregon. Originally the main highway was numbered
U.S. Route 30S and the branch was
U.S. Route 530; the modern freeway equivalents are numbered
Interstate 80 and
Interstate 84.
No. 4014 climbing Echo Canyon in May 2019 Echo was significant to the
Union Pacific Railroad. The town served as a coaling and watering station for trains entering
Echo Canyon. From Echo,
helper locomotives were added, when needed, to push trains up the steep grade to
Wahsatch. A large
coaling tower and many other railroad infrastructures existed in and around the town. Echo saw the most action during World War II. The introduction of diesel power, especially after the war, negated the need for the services previously required by steam. The coaling tower, most trackage, and structures were removed. Echo had faded by the 1960s, yet was still alive by the junction of two major highways. However, the arrival of the interstate relegated the town to a few quaint buildings; some homes, a motel, tavern, restaurant and bus station. Nearby, Echo Canyon is a magnificent spectacle with its high rock sides and colorful scenery. The canyon begins just east of Echo and ends outside of
Wahsatch, Utah. ==Geography==