The Christison Boxcar Home: A Railroad Car Turned Family Legacy

The Boxcar House on 3100 South:

The Vernon Christison Family Home

In the heart of Granger on 3100 South once stood one of the area’s most unforgettable pioneer homes — a house made from railroad boxcars, built by Vernon Christison (1909–1992). Born in Eureka and raised in Bountiful and Salt Lake City, Vernon attended Granite High School and married a fellow Granite Farmer Thelma Irene Robinson in 1931.

Following World War II, Vernon purchased an acre of land on 3100 South for just $175, which even included a share of irrigation water — a valuable asset at the time. His goal was to build a house with a basement, but postwar lumber prices made that dream financially impossible.

As fall neared, Vernon’s brother offered a creative solution: a surplus railroad crew car, originally used by rail workers, complete with built-in cupboards and a stove. Vernon bought the railcar for just $25.

To create a foundation, Vernon salvaged eight 55-gallon barrels from a local mill — barrels that had once contained cyanide. He and Thelma hand-mixed 85 wheelbarrows of cement to fill them, setting the railcar on top. Those concrete-filled barrels remained beneath the home for decades.

As the Christison family grew, Vernon continued to expand the structure. He knocked out walls, added a living room platform, and eventually enclosed a back porch using sandstone bricks salvaged from the Old Larkin Mortuary in Salt Lake City. He modestly admitted, “I didn’t put a good enough foundation under the back, but it’s served its purpose.”

The home evolved into something entirely unique. “Our house is a boxcar built on by the lumber from other boxcars,” Vernon proudly said. What began as necessity became a symbol of his resourcefulness, resilience, and ingenuity.

Though the Boxcar House no longer stands, its memory — and the Christison family's creativity and contribution to Granger’s early development — lives on. It serves as a powerful reminder of the humble homes and hardworking families who shaped the west side into what would become West Valley City

1751 west 3100 south

Soon the boxcar was transformed into a warm and welcoming family home.
Lovingly known as Willow Ranch, the Christison home featured a handmade sign out front and grew over the years through resourceful additions and hard work. Below is a photo showing the home after some of those improvements — a testament to the ingenuity and determination that built it.