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

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.

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