Dispatch dedicated to tfu tUstoric preservation and/or modeling of the former C^CStfP&T/Mitw. 'Lines "West' Volume 4, Issue No. 2 April 1991 - The MILWAUKEE ROAD - By Art Jacobsen History & Operations South of Tacoma, Washington - Part I - This feature has been de• major port for the region at that time. 1905 as the Chicago, Milwaukee & St. layed from previous issues due (in The NP's charter was amended on Paul Ry. of Washington. part) to a lack of research materials April 13, 1869 allowing the railroad to The NP had already been available on this area. However, - be built from Puget Sound to Portland established south from "Bcoma for MILWEST - member Tom Burg and then eastward up the Columbia over three decades, and the O- provided additional information for Gorge. Two years later 25 miles of WRR&N was not in a financial posi• this Part from various issues of the track had been built between the tion to be of much immediate help. former employee's magazine. There is present site of Kalama and the Cowlitz Therefore, the CM&StP Ry. of Wash• still much that should be covered, and River crossing (south of Vader). The ington had two choices for any poten• any member who has more research following year the track entered the tial connections in that area. The first materials available is encouraged to Yelm Prairie in the Nisqually valley; was to build its own lines, and the contact the Managing Editor for fu• and despite the financial panic and second involved acquiring existing ture "follow-up" items. related labor troubles of 1873, the NP shortlines not already under NP's First some background on was at T&coma by the end of that control. The end result was a combi• this general area - which encompasses year. The track across the Columbia nation of-both, and involved the use of the lines of the former Income East• River from Kalama at Goble, Oregon "front" companies as well. Within a ern RR.(TE), Pacific & Eastern was completed to Portland by Septem• decade of incorporating the CM&StP Ry.(P&E)/Puget Sound & Willapa ber, 1883. Over the next quarter- Ry. of Washington, the Chicago, Mil• Harbor Ry.(PS&WH), and Chicago, century the NP remained as virtually waukee & St. Paul Ry. was firmly Milwaukee & Puget Sound Ry. the only railroad operating between established in T&coma and southwest• (CM&PS) lines south of 'fecoma Portland and the Puget Sound. ern Washington. It and its successors C.1890 - 1912. The geographic cover• The NP's monopoly was would remain there over the next age is roughly from T&coma to Port• eventually ended through a combina• sixty-five years. The first of the moves land and from Mt. Rainier and the tion of efforts by both the Union bringing what became The MILWAU• west slope of the Cascades to Grays Pacific's Oregon-Washington RR & KEE ROAD into this area was the Harbor and Willapa Bay on the Pacific Navigation Co. (O-WRR&N) and the acquisition of the T&coma Eastern Coast. This is an area of dense forests MILWAUKEE ROAD. The UP had RR. interspersed with open meadows and been established in Portland as the The Tacoma Eastern RR. swamps. The area developed into an former Oregon RR & Navigation Co. was incorporated on July 11,1890 and agricultural setting following the de• (which had been under the influence was essentially intended to be and cline of fur trade in the mid-1800's. It of UP interests since 1887-89). The constructed as a logging railroad. The has been the scene of intense logging O-WRR&N attempted to build its first section of track was built south and forest products industries for the own line between Vancouver, Wash• up a dry wash from a connection with past century. ington and Puget Sound in April, 1890 the NP at Tacoma. The line reached The first railroad into the under a subsidiary known as the Port• Bismarck, now known as Hillsdale, but area was the Northern Pacific, which land & Puget Sound Ry. This scheme further construction came to a halt had been chartered on July 2, 1864 to came to an end when the O-WRR&N when the financial Panic of 1893 set build a railway from Lake Superior to ran into financial difficulties the fol• in. Then in 1900 a Wisconsin lumber- the Puget Sound. Portland, Oregon lowing year. The MILWAUKEE ar• rived on the scene on October 13, had already been established as the (Continued on page 2) MilWest Dispatch Page 2 as it had been in a very poor condi• years later the TE built a 2-mile spur MILWAUKEE tion. westerly ft-om T&nwax Jet. at MR 20.8 The following year the tracks on the Ashford/Morton line. This was (Continued from page I) were at Kapowsin, and by 1902 the the last such construction done under man, John Bagley, arrived in T&coma TE was at Clay City (about halfway to the TE as it was absorbed by the and purchased the TE. Eatonville from Kapowsin). By the CM&StP Ry. on December 31, 1918. Construction resumed that middle of 1903 the grade was extend• The CM&PS also provided year and rails reached Clover Creek, ed t)eyond La Grande, on July 4th of access to Seattle for the O-WRR&N seven miles southeasterly of Bismarck, that year the first train ran to Eaton• from T&coma. The O-WRR&N had near the present site of Fredrickson. ville (32.6 mi. from the TE's T&coma been engaged in a long battle to gain The original T&coma - Bismarck sec• station) and back. entry to the Puget Sound, and was in tion was also completely reconstructed One year to the day the first the process of building a paralleling TE train ran to Eatonville, their first route to the NP's Cascade main line train arrived at Elbe. Grading pro• from Villard Jet. (southeast of Pasco) ceeded easterly and by the end of the up the Yakima Valley. Complicating MilWest Management year the 18.5 miles was completed this was the construction of what be• MllWest la a Washington Suie non-proHt corporation founded in October, 1987. It serves to preserve and from La Grande to Ashford. A two came the SP&S and Oregon H-unk promote the history of the (former) CM&PS, CM&StP, mile branch between Kapowsin and Ry.'s. After complex negotiations one CMStP&P. MILW Unes WfcsL of the results was a trackage-rights Annual membership is based on the calendar year, cost Electron was also added that same JiaOO (US), and is due no later than January 1. Please year (1904). By 1905 the TE extend• agreement between NP and the O- make all remittances payable to 'MilWest" and send to ed 4.1 miles south from Park Jet. to WRR&N over the former's Portland - the Secretary. Persons joining during a year will receive "Bcoma line. In return for leasing all issues of the Dispatch for that year. Other back Mineral, and had two lines from that issues are available from the Secretary. latter community in 1906. The first the CM&PS's 26.3 mile T&coma Jet. - was a 6.5 mile extension southwards to Black River Jet. main (effective date The MilWest Dispatch welcomes contributions of non• Jan. 1, 1909), the O-WRR&N leased copyrighted articles, photos, and other reproducible Tilton, and the other a 3 mile spur material for publication, with the understanding that no westerly to Ladd (by way of East the former running rights on the payment of any kind will be made for their use. All Creek Jet.). This latter and the Ash• Grays Harbor line between Helsing material for publication should be sent to the Managing Editor. If possible, please double-space type all manu• ford line were originally built for local Jet. and Aberdeen. This latter 44.5 scripts. coal mine developments. The TE miles of track was built/acquired by added another 2.7 miles between the OWRR&N in 1907-08. The 4.7 Copyright 1991 by MilWest Reproduction in whole or Tilton and Glenavon in 1907. miles of trackage rights over the NP in part by permission only. to Hoquiam came in 1911. If you move, please notify the Secretary of your new While the TE was still under address promptly. construction, Bagley was visiting old The CM&PS was also inter• friends and business associates back in ested in access to the large forest pro• Whom do I contact? his native Wisconsin. At the same ducts operations being developed by time he also paid a visit to the Chica• the Weyerhauser Timber Co. on Matters pertaining to MilWest policy, annual meetings, go, Milwaukee & St. Paul (CM&StP) Willapa (pronounced "WILL-uh-puh") etc., contact the General Manager. Ry.'s headquarters in Chicago. Ap• Bay. • During the same year that the Payment of dues, membership applications and inquiries, parently he obtained additional financ• TE was building into the Tilton River non-receipt of the Dispatch, address changes, back ing for the TE's continuing expansion valley to Glenavon (1907), the first issues, contact the Secretary. in return for an option to the CM&- part of what became the Willapa Har• StP for acquiring the line. This fol• bor line was constructed. This was General Manager, Art Jacobsen lowed the "St. Paul Road's" (as it was built by the Pacific & Eastern Ry.