The story
Ruth Evans started the diner in 1930 as Ruth's Hamburgers, in the old Meredith Building at 120 E. 200 South. In 1946 the building was slated for demolition. She bought a retired Utah Light and Traction Company trolley car and moved the business to 1511 W. North Temple. The trolley held eight stools, four booths and a small apartment for her.
In spring 1949 she bought a vacant lot in Emigration Canyon and the trolley was hauled there on a flatbed truck. She was best known for her American terriers, her salty vocabulary, her flowered sundresses and a constant unfiltered cigarette. She lived in a duplex behind the diner, now the restaurant's office, and ran the place alone into her 80s. Then she sold it to Curtis Oberhansly, who ran it for 25 years.
What's There Now
Ruth's Diner still operates from the trolley car in Emigration Canyon.
Everything that was here
- 1930–present · still open
Ruth's DinerRestaurant
Ruth Evans sold hamburgers downtown from 1930, then hauled a retired trolley car up Emigration Canyon on a flatbed in 1949.
See the map in 1931 →
Did you know?
Nearby history
Ute Stadium (Robert Rice Stadium)
Kingsbury Hall
Oak Hills Drive-In
Hires Big H
Bill and Nada's Cafe
Trolley Square (Utah Light and Railway car barns)
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