Ontario station (Oregon) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Ontario, OR
Former Amtrak and Union Pacific Railroad inter-city rail station
Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot in 2009
Location	550 Southeast 3rd Street Ontario, Oregon 97914  United States
Owned by	City of Ontario & Union Pacific Railroad
Line(s)	Union Pacific Railroad
Platforms	1 side platform
Tracks	3
Construction
Structure type	At-grade
Disabled access	Yes
Other information
Station code	ONT (Amtrak)
History
Closed	May 1997 (for passenger rail service)
Former services
Preceding station Amtrak Following station Baker City toward Seattle Pioneer Nampa toward Chicago Preceding station Union Pacific Railroad Following station Payette toward Portland Portland – Granger Arcadia toward Granger Cairo toward Burns Burns – Oregon Terminus Cairo toward Brogan Brogan – Oregon
Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
Location in Oregon Show map of Oregon Location in the United States Show map of the United States
Location	300 Depot Lane Ontario, Oregon
Built	1906–1907
Architectural style	Richardsonian Romanesque, Queen Anne
NRHP reference No.	99000950
Added to NRHP	August 5, 1999

The Ontario station is an old train station in Ontario, Oregon, United States. It's special because it's listed on the National Register of Historic Places as the Oregon Short Line Railroad Depot. This means it's an important historical building! It was built in 1907 by a big train company called the Union Pacific Railroad (UP). They built it for their smaller company, the Oregon Short Line Railroad (OSL). This new station replaced an older, simpler wooden one from 1885.

The building itself is made of strong concrete blocks that look like real stone. It also has pretty red brick designs and other fancy details. In 1996, the City of Ontario bought the building from Union Pacific. Even though the city owns the building, the land it sits on is still owned by Union Pacific, and the city leases it. The station was officially added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1999.

A Historic Train Station

This station was built in 1907 by the Union Pacific Railroad, a very large train company. It was made for their branch called the Oregon Short Line Railroad. The new station was much stronger and fancier than the old wooden one from 1885. It was built using special concrete blocks that were made to look like real stone. It also had red brick decorations and other cool designs.

Who Owns the Station?

In 1996, the city of Ontario bought the station building from the Union Pacific Railroad. However, the land the station sits on is still owned by Union Pacific. The city now leases the land from the railroad company. In 1999, the station was officially recognized as a historic place. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places, which helps protect important buildings.

Famous Visitors and Train Services

During the years the station was busy, many important people visited. Sometimes, politicians would make "whistle-stops" at the station. A whistle-stop is when a train carrying a politician stops briefly in a town so they can give a quick speech to the people.

Political Whistle-Stops

Two famous politicians who stopped at the Ontario station were Harry S. Truman and Richard Nixon. They both became presidents of the United States. Another important visitor was Senator Robert F. Kennedy. He passed through the station just four days before he died.

Amtrak Passenger Service

Amtrak is the national passenger train company in the United States. They started offering train service to the Ontario station in 1977. The train that stopped here was called the Pioneer.

The Pioneer Train Route

The Pioneer train first traveled between Salt Lake City, Utah, and Seattle, Washington. Later, its route was made even longer. It then provided daily service all the way from Chicago, Illinois, to Seattle.

Nearby Stations

If you were traveling east on the Pioneer train from Ontario, the next stop would be in Nampa, Idaho. If you were traveling west from Ontario, the next stop would be in Baker City, Oregon. The Pioneer train service at Ontario station ended in May 1997.