Last of the Ogden Redcaps, 1970
John Hayes and James West
While it is not exactly known how railroad station porters became known as Redcaps, the first recorded mention of a Redcap was in 1890 when James Williams, a porter in New York, tied a red flannel to his cap to be more easily identified. More porters began doing the same, and soon station porters around the country were wearing red caps to distinguish themselves from other railroad employees who often wore blue. Until desegregation in the 1960s, porters were almost exclusively Black, and these railroad jobs have been credited with helping to create a Black middle class.
During the height of railroad travel in Ogden in the 1940s, there were 25 passenger trains stopping daily at the Ogden Union Station, and the platforms were full of a steady stream of travelers. But by the 1960s, Southern Pacific had reduced their passenger train service to only three times a week. Most of the passengers carried their own luggage, and porters were already starting to retire.
Silas Louden was the first Redcap to retire in Ogden in 1956. He began working on the railroad in 1900 in Rock Island, Illinois. He came to Ogden in 1920 and originally worked in dining cars. Shortly after his arrival, he transferred to become a Redcap.
In 1962 LeRoy Johnson retired as head usher for the Ogden Union Railway and Depot Company. He started with the Oregon Shortline Railroad and worked from 1910 to 1915 when he came to Ogden and began working at the depot. He recalled assisting President Franklin D. Roosevelt, King Emmanuel of Italy and William Jennings Bryan on the trains. In 1968, Roy Goodwin retired after 46 years of service. He started in the dining car service in 1922 and became a Redcap in 1935.
The last two Redcaps retired from the Ogden Depot in 1970. John W. Hayes started his career in 1937, and James West began in 1942. They watched the decline of railroad travel and saw that there was no longer a need for their services.
The last four retirees, Johnson, Goodwin, Hayes, and West, were honored by the NAACP in 1970 for their combined 155 years of service.
Silas Loudan
LeRoy Johnson
LeRoy Johnson, Roy Goodwin, John Hayes, and James West