Boxcar Rapids
Encyclopedia
The Boxcar Rapids are Class 3 rapids on the Deschutes River, located south and upriver from Maupin
, Oregon
, United States.
turned a curve in the railroad and hit a rock slide. The engine hit it hard, derailing all three locomotives and all twelve boxcars, and because the railroad is built on the side of the steep valley's hills, two cars (one locomotive and one boxcar) tumbled into the river. The boxcar was visible in the middle of the rapid. It took over two weeks to get a line on the engine and another two to pull it out of the Deschutes. The engine, fire car, boxcar, and all of the train crew were lost in the deep, turbulent water, and the crash was one of the worst in the history of the Oregon Trunk Line. Shortly after, the rapids were named the "Boxcar Rapids."
Nearby Wapinitia Rapids (also a Class 3) is named after a Warm Springs
word, the correct spelling of which should be wapinita. The term is difficult to translate, but suggests a location near the edge of something, especially the edge of a desert or cultivated land. Wapinitia Creek empties into the Deschutes south of Maupin.
Maupin, Oregon
Maupin is a city in Wasco County, Oregon, United States. Located on the Deschutes River, much of the city's economy is related to the river through outdoor activities, such as fishing and rafting...
, Oregon
Oregon
Oregon is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States. It is located on the Pacific coast, with Washington to the north, California to the south, Nevada on the southeast and Idaho to the east. The Columbia and Snake rivers delineate much of Oregon's northern and eastern...
, United States.
History
The rapids were named the Boxcar Rapids in 1954, when a train on the Oregon Trunk Line of the Spokane, Portland and Seattle RailwaySpokane, Portland and Seattle Railway
The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway was a United States-based railroad incorporated in 1905. It was a joint venture by the Great Northern Railway and the Northern Pacific Railway to build a railroad along the north bank of the Columbia River....
turned a curve in the railroad and hit a rock slide. The engine hit it hard, derailing all three locomotives and all twelve boxcars, and because the railroad is built on the side of the steep valley's hills, two cars (one locomotive and one boxcar) tumbled into the river. The boxcar was visible in the middle of the rapid. It took over two weeks to get a line on the engine and another two to pull it out of the Deschutes. The engine, fire car, boxcar, and all of the train crew were lost in the deep, turbulent water, and the crash was one of the worst in the history of the Oregon Trunk Line. Shortly after, the rapids were named the "Boxcar Rapids."
The rapids today
Boxcar Rapids is very heavily traveled compared to other rapids, especially from whitewater rafting tours from Maupin. The rapids are turbulent and have large waves, and a small but noticeable drop. There is also a small ledge drop that leads to a hole on the left side.Nearby Wapinitia Rapids (also a Class 3) is named after a Warm Springs
Warm Springs (tribe)
The Warm Springs tribes are several Sahaptin Native American tribes of northern Oregon. They were also known as the Walla Walla . The Warm Springs tribes are the Upper Deschutes , the Lower Deschutes , the Tenino, and the John Day...
word, the correct spelling of which should be wapinita. The term is difficult to translate, but suggests a location near the edge of something, especially the edge of a desert or cultivated land. Wapinitia Creek empties into the Deschutes south of Maupin.
External links
- Boxcar Rapids Train Wreck on www.wasco-history.r9esd.k12.or.us.
- Boxcar Rapids on www.americanwhitewater.org.
- Boxcar Rapids on www.boaterpass.com.