Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad
Encyclopedia
The Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad (earlier Seattle and Walla Walla Railroad and Transportation Company) was the first railroad in Seattle
, Washington. Despite its ambitious name, actual construction never went beyond King County
, the county of which Seattle itself is the seat.
chose nearby Tacoma
as its western terminus (1873), many thought that this would condemn Seattle to, at best, a secondary role on Puget Sound
. While most of the other towns that were passed over in favor of Tacoma simply accepted their fate, Seattle did not. Selucius Garfielde
proposed a railway east through Snoqualmie Pass
to the grainfields of Eastern Washington
.
The railroad's founding trustees were Arthur Denny, John Collins, Franklin Mathias, Angus Mackintosh, Henry Yesler
, James McNaught, J. J. McGilvra, J. M. Colman, and Dexter Horton
. They ventured to Walla Walla, where they were given a warm welcome, but lacked Seattle's concern for the project: they already had land transport to Portland, Oregon
, not to mention access to the Columbia River
.
Nonetheless, construction began on May 1, 1874, at Steele's Landing in Georgetown
– the present-day intersection of E. Marginal Way S. and S. Lucille St. – which was then near the mouth of the Duwamish River
, later re-channeled and straightened. Twelve miles of track had been completed by October of that year, entirely through volunteer labor by the men of Seattle. The line reached the coal fields of Renton
in 1877, with the first train running on March 7.
J. M. Colman, owner of the Seattle lumber mill founded by Henry Yesler, emerged as the leader of the enterprise. He staked US$20,000 of his own money—a fortune in those days, especially during the slow recovery from the Panic of 1873
—on the condition that other Seattle businessmen would loan the enterprise at least twice that sum. Colman brought in labor contractor Chin Gee Hee
, who organized cheap Chinese labor to continue the construction. (Chin would eventually become a railway entrepreneur in his native China.)
The railroad eventually made it as far as the coal fields of Newcastle
, but never attracted the capitalization that would take it anywhere near the city of Walla Walla
from which it took half its name.
The Seattle and Walla Walla was bought by Henry Villard
's Oregon Improvement Company in 1880 and renamed the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad. The sale was quite profitable for the line's owners, but did little to connect Seattle to the national land transportation grid. The line was renamed the Pacific Coast Railroad in 1916, which itself became a subsidiary, in 1951, of the Great Northern (now part of the BNSF Railway
).
Seattle, Washington
Seattle is the county seat of King County, Washington. With 608,660 residents as of the 2010 Census, Seattle is the largest city in the Northwestern United States. The Seattle metropolitan area of about 3.4 million inhabitants is the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country...
, Washington. Despite its ambitious name, actual construction never went beyond King County
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
, the county of which Seattle itself is the seat.
History
When the Northern Pacific RailwayNorthern Pacific Railway
The Northern Pacific Railway was a railway that operated in the west along the Canadian border of the United States. Construction began in 1870 and the main line opened all the way from the Great Lakes to the Pacific when former president Ulysses S. Grant drove in the final "golden spike" in...
chose nearby Tacoma
Tacoma, Washington
Tacoma is a mid-sized urban port city and the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. The city is on Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, and northwest of Mount Rainier National Park. The population was 198,397, according to...
as its western terminus (1873), many thought that this would condemn Seattle to, at best, a secondary role on Puget Sound
Puget Sound
Puget Sound is a sound in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a complex estuarine system of interconnected marine waterways and basins, with one major and one minor connection to the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Pacific Ocean — Admiralty Inlet being the major connection and...
. While most of the other towns that were passed over in favor of Tacoma simply accepted their fate, Seattle did not. Selucius Garfielde
Selucius Garfielde
Selucius Garfielde was a Delegate from the Territory of Washington.Born in Shoreham, Vermont, Garfielde moved to Gallipolis, Ohio, and later to Paris, Kentucky, where he engaged in newspaper work....
proposed a railway east through Snoqualmie Pass
Snoqualmie Pass
Snoqualmie Pass is a mountain pass that carries Interstate 90 through the Cascade Range in the U.S. State of Washington. The elevation of the pass summit is , and is on the county line between Kittitas County and King County...
to the grainfields of Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington
Eastern Washington is the portion of the U.S. state of Washington east of the Cascade Range. The region contains the city of Spokane , the Tri-Cities, the Columbia River and the Grand Coulee Dam, the Hanford Nuclear Reservation and the fertile farmlands of the Yakima Valley and the...
.
The railroad's founding trustees were Arthur Denny, John Collins, Franklin Mathias, Angus Mackintosh, Henry Yesler
Henry Yesler
Henry L. Yesler was an entrepreneur considered to be Seattle, Washington's first economic father and first millionaire. He arrived in Seattle in 1852 and built a steam-powered sawmill, which provided numerous jobs for those early settlers and Duwamish tribe members...
, James McNaught, J. J. McGilvra, J. M. Colman, and Dexter Horton
Dexter Horton
Dexter Horton was the founder of the first bank in the City of Seattle. Before his founding of the Bank of Dexter Horton in 1870 financial transactions were conducted by merchants....
. They ventured to Walla Walla, where they were given a warm welcome, but lacked Seattle's concern for the project: they already had land transport to Portland, Oregon
Portland, Oregon
Portland is a city located in the Pacific Northwest, near the confluence of the Willamette and Columbia rivers in the U.S. state of Oregon. As of the 2010 Census, it had a population of 583,776, making it the 29th most populous city in the United States...
, not to mention access to the Columbia River
Columbia River
The Columbia River is the largest river in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. The river rises in the Rocky Mountains of British Columbia, Canada, flows northwest and then south into the U.S. state of Washington, then turns west to form most of the border between Washington and the state...
.
Nonetheless, construction began on May 1, 1874, at Steele's Landing in Georgetown
Georgetown, Seattle, Washington
Georgetown is a neighborhood in Seattle, Washington, USA. It is bounded on the north by the mainlines of the BNSF Railway and Union Pacific Railroad, beyond which is the Industrial District; on the west by the Duwamish River, across which is South Park; on the east by Interstate 5, beyond which is...
– the present-day intersection of E. Marginal Way S. and S. Lucille St. – which was then near the mouth of the Duwamish River
Duwamish River
The Duwamish River is the name of the lower of Washington state's Green River. Its industrialized estuary is known as the Duwamish Waterway.- History :...
, later re-channeled and straightened. Twelve miles of track had been completed by October of that year, entirely through volunteer labor by the men of Seattle. The line reached the coal fields of Renton
Renton, Washington
Renton is an Eastside edge city in King County, Washington, United States. Situated 11 miles southeast of Seattle, Washington, Renton straddles the southeast shore of Lake Washington. Founded in the 1860s, Renton became a supply town for the Newcastle coal fields...
in 1877, with the first train running on March 7.
J. M. Colman, owner of the Seattle lumber mill founded by Henry Yesler, emerged as the leader of the enterprise. He staked US$20,000 of his own money—a fortune in those days, especially during the slow recovery from the Panic of 1873
Panic of 1873
The Panic of 1873 triggered a severe international economic depression in both Europe and the United States that lasted until 1879, and even longer in some countries. The depression was known as the Great Depression until the 1930s, but is now known as the Long Depression...
—on the condition that other Seattle businessmen would loan the enterprise at least twice that sum. Colman brought in labor contractor Chin Gee Hee
Chin Gee Hee
Chin Gee Hee , courtesy name Chàngtíng , Cheun Gee Yee, was a Chinese merchant, labor contractor, and railway entrepreneur, who made his fortune in Seattle, Washington before returning to his native village in Taishan, Guangdong province, which sources variously refer to as...
, who organized cheap Chinese labor to continue the construction. (Chin would eventually become a railway entrepreneur in his native China.)
The railroad eventually made it as far as the coal fields of Newcastle
Newcastle, Washington
Newcastle is an Eastside city in King County, Washington, United States. Its population was 10,380 at the 2010 census.Although Newcastle was not incorporated until 1994, it has been an important settlement and town since the late 19th century and played a major role in the development of Seattle...
, but never attracted the capitalization that would take it anywhere near the city of Walla Walla
Walla Walla, Washington
Walla Walla is the largest city in and the county seat of Walla Walla County, Washington, United States. The population was 31,731 at the 2010 census...
from which it took half its name.
The Seattle and Walla Walla was bought by Henry Villard
Henry Villard
Henry Villard was an American journalist and financier who was an early president of the Northern Pacific Railway....
's Oregon Improvement Company in 1880 and renamed the Columbia and Puget Sound Railroad. The sale was quite profitable for the line's owners, but did little to connect Seattle to the national land transportation grid. The line was renamed the Pacific Coast Railroad in 1916, which itself became a subsidiary, in 1951, of the Great Northern (now part of the BNSF Railway
BNSF Railway
The BNSF Railway is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc., and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas. It is one of seven North American Class I railroads and the second largest freight railroad network in North America, second only to the Union Pacific Railroad, its primary...
).