Boise Union Pacific Depot facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Boise Depot
Former Amtrak & Union Pacific inter-city rail station
View from northeast in 2006
Location	2603 West Eastover Terrace Boise, Idaho United States
Owned by	City of Boise
Line(s)	None
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	1
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	BOI (Amtrak)
History
Opened	April 16, 1925; 100 years ago (1925-04-16)
Closed	May 1997 (for passenger rail service)
Rebuilt	1993 (renovation)
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Nampa toward Seattle Pioneer Shoshone 1981–1997 toward Chicago Mountain Home 1977–1981 toward Chicago Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station Perkins toward Portland Portland – Granger Hillcrest toward Granger
Union Pacific Mainline Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Idaho Show map of Idaho Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Area	8.7 acres (3.5 ha)
Built	1925; 100 years ago (1925)
Architect	Cherdron Construction Company, Carrere, Hastings, Shreve & Lamb
Architectural style	Spanish Colonial
NRHP reference No.	74000730
Added to NRHP	August 7, 1974

The Boise Depot is a historic train station located in Boise, Idaho. It first opened in 1925. This special building is listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's important to American history. The depot sits high up on a hill, offering great views of Capitol Boulevard and the Idaho State Capitol building.

The Depot's Story

Early Train Days

The Boise Depot was built in 1925 by the Union Pacific Railroad. This company ran many trains across the country. The first train service from the depot was called the Portland Rose. It traveled all the way from Chicago, Illinois, to Portland, Oregon. Thousands of people came to celebrate when the station first opened in April 1925.

Another famous train, the City of Portland, also stopped in Boise for many years. It also traveled between Chicago and Portland. However, on May 1, 1971, Union Pacific stopped all its passenger train services. This was the same day that Amtrak, a new national passenger rail company, began operating.

Amtrak Service and Beyond

Six years later, in 1977, Amtrak brought passenger train service back to the Boise Depot. They used a train called the Pioneer. This train first ran between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Seattle, Washington. Later, its route was made longer, offering daily service from Chicago to Seattle.

The Pioneer had different stops over the years. At first, the next stop heading east was Mountain Home, Idaho. But in 1981, that stop was removed, and the next eastbound stop became Shoshone, Idaho. The next stop heading west was always Nampa, Idaho.

A Historic Landmark

The Boise Depot became a recognized historic place on August 7, 1974. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places as the "Union Pacific Mainline Depot."

The last passenger train to use the depot was the Pioneer, which stopped its service in 1997.

What It Is Today

In 1990, a company from Boise called Morrison–Knudsen Corporation bought the depot. They fixed it up and made it look brand new again. In 1996, the City of Boise took over the depot.

Today, the Boise Depot is no longer a train station for passengers. Instead, it is open for tours and special events. You can visit it on Sundays and Mondays from 11:00 AM to 5:00 PM.