The Central Washington and SLS&E at Davenport

From the "Lincoln County Times," Davenport, WA.

December 27, 1889

..."People already here were confident and cheerful, however, for the location was such that it was only a question of time until railroad communication would be established, and then a bright future was assured. A year ago last summer the construction of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern road was commenced by a company of capitalists. It was headed westward through a rich farming country. The jealous eyes of the Northern Pacific officials saw that the trade of a vast inland empire was about to be wrested from them by a competitor. A branch of the great transcontinental line must be thrown out to counteract the effect of the building of the other road. To think was to act. Ground was at once broken on the Central Washington, and rapidly two ribbons of steel stretched off into a section that had never echoed to the shriek of the iron monster. The people of Davenport watched anxiously the movements of the rival companies. A year ago this month the sound of the approaching locomotive could be distinctly heard far off to the southeast. In February the Central Washington crew spiked the iron into the corporate limits and connection with the outside world was complete. The advent of this railroad was the cause of much rejoicing and a new impetus was given to the place. By a great mistake the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern was built to withing four miles of town, and there the terminus remained for some months. At last the enterprising citizens raised the necessary amount to grade the roadway into town and then Davenport had the advantage of a competing line with all points east and west, at the same time insuring for its being a railroad center, as no road will be constructed across the state in future years without being compelled to pass through this place."

Approach of The Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern to Davenport

From the "Lincoln County Times," Davenport, WA.

December 7, 1888

     "On every side one sees new buildings under course of construction and the sound of the carpenter's hammer extends far into the night. The new depot is among the principal buildings now in process of erection and around it centers most of the interest of our citizens. Freight from the terminus of the new railroad, but a short distance away, is landed in town daily. Strangers seeking locations in all branches of business select this town as headquarters and all acknowledge that few places in eastern Washington offer the inducements of the Big Bend. The elevator is daily storing large consignments of grain, preparatory to shipping to other points, and freighters' teams make this city their destination instead of surrounding towns. The 'boom' has struck Davenport and will stop with us for some time."

This article was written regarding the approach of the SLS&E to its temporary terminus within a little less than five miles of town in December, 1888. This appeared to be a signal for something approaching the nature of boom times.

Removal of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern

From "History of The Big Bend Country."

1904

The close of the year 1898 marked the removal from Lincoln county of an old landmark--nothing less than a railroad. The Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway, which had created so much enthusiasm among the citizens of the county at the time of its construction, but which was operated only a short time, was of no use to the company which owned it and the rails were taken up and utilized in the extension of branches in Idaho. The destroying hand of time has since erased the embankments, and a few cuts through the barren "scab land" are all that is left to indicate that a railroad ever passed that way.

End of the Seattle Lake Shore & Eastern

From "The History of The Big Bend Country."

1904

The prevailing sentiment existing in Lincoln county concerning the loss of the competing line of railroad, the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway, is voiced in the following extract from the Lincoln County Times of date, July 14, 1896:

     "The Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad, a branch of which was extended from Spokane to Davenport during the winter of 1889, and for which the property holders of the town put up liberally for the purpose of inducing the management to run through, instead of around the place, has just been transferred to the committee of the mortgage bond holders and the deed placed on file in Spokane.

     "This deed conveys the road, commencing in the city of Seattle and running to Sallal Prairie, 62 miles; a line commencing in Woodinville, King county, running to Sumas, 101 miles; a branch known as the Hilron branch, and 18 miles of additional branches and spurs; also the main line in the eastern division, commencing at Spokane and running west to Davenport. The transfer includes all the rights of way, franchise, rolling stock, buildings, etc., and 2,500 shares of stock in the Union Depot Company, at Spokane, and its leasehold estate for 99 years in the depot grounds; also the railroad company's title to tide and shore lands in King County.

     "The company was enjoying an era of unequaled prosperity at the time this road was built through Lincoln county, an the people and the railroads all seemed to have plenty of money. Roads were being built everywhere, and scarcely a week passed that a party of surveyors did not pass through looking up a route for some projected line. It was not hard for them to raise the necessary money to induce the Seattle road to build in, which was believed to be a necessary thing in order to build up the place so that other roads could be controlled that talked of penetrating the Big Bend.  These were thrifty days when people heard little and cared less about free silver and sub-treasury schemes. All went along smoothly enough for two or three years and then a reaction set in. Railroads quit building, money began to get scarce; all sorts of political nostrums were advocated; taking short cuts to ease and fortune, and then the business failures began. No more was heard of projected railroads, and the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern line, after a hard struggle, finally ceased to be operated altogether between Davenport and Spokane, and now reverts to the bond holders. Railroads, as well as individuals, overestimated themselves, strained their credit and now a good many of them have valuable experience but a good deal less money."

Royal Slope Railroad Service Stopped

From "Flimsies Northwest,"  May 1998

Port of Royal Slope commissioners voted to abandon rail service during a meeting in mid April. This will halt operations on the former Milwaukee Road line between Othello and Royal City, WA. Volunteers from the Yakima Valley Rail and Steam Museum had operated the line.

Bad Wreck on the Central Washington Railroad

From the "History of The Big Bend Country."

1904

Tuesday, August 13th, 1895, there occurred a bad wreck on the Central Washington railroad just east of Almira, which resulted in the death of Fireman Prytz and serious injury to Engineer Hobart. The train consisted of fourteen cars of cattle belonging to W.H. Fleet, of Coulee City, en route to Chicago, and one car of horses owned by Griffith Jones, consigned to Wisconsin. The train was coming down grade at a rapid rate, and when the curve was reached, near Almira, the engine and the entire train with the exception of the horse car, a cattle car and the caboose, went over the ditch twenty feet below, piling one car of live stock upon another making a frightful wreck. Of the 314 cattle 150 were either killed or maimed, making their destruction necessary. Fireman Prytz fell under the boiler and was killed almost instantly by scalding water. Conductor Roberts, Brakeman Downs, W. H. Fleet and three or four others were in the caboose and escaped injury.

Great Northern Via Coulee City?

From "History of The Big Bend Country."

1904

The Great Northern Railway was built through Lincoln county in 1892. Preliminary surveys were made all over eastern Washington and many rumors were afloat as to the probable course through Lincoln county. For a period it appeared reasonable that some of the towns in the northern portion of the county would be on the line as it was thought that the crossing of Grand Coulee would be made at Coulee City. In fact the Great Northern Company filed their map in the Waterville land office showing this route. September 30, 1892, the Great Northern was completed to the Columbia river.

Early History of Quincy Area?

From "Birth Of A Town," by Faye Morris

1976

From my collection.

Ninety years or so ago there emerged in this great nation, the little town of Quincy, near the center of the state of Washington. Today’s bustling small city with its vegetable processing plants, controlled atmosphere storage and seed warehouses, has little resemblance to the windswept spot once designated by a sign post with the name Quincy. The Hartline Standard of September 19, 1903 reported: “Two years ago this coming October, Quincy was nothing but a sign board-a-name.” The sign was to indicate the siding where the booster engine could leave the trains after making the climb from the river, seven miles to the west. The name is said to have been chosen by a brakeman from Quincy, Illinois. Another story is told that the daughter of Jim Hill, owner of the Great Northern railroad had picked the name. The GN Co could shed no light on the subject.

     While the railroad had planned for shipping points to the west and the east, the siding called Quincy was for railroad use only. Each siding (a place for trains to pass) was identified by a name attached on a post for easier use by railroad workers. Columbia Siding, Vulcan, Trinidad, Crater, Quincy, Winchester, Naylor and Ephrata in the local area.

     It was back in 1870 that the federal government, wanting to increase their tax income by settlement of the west, contracted to have a railroad built. The Northern Pacific was to receive land along the route from Lake Superior to Puget Sound, every other section for twenty miles on either side of the line, in return for an operating railroad and telegraph line. Building of the railroad had been completed in the Quincy area in 1892. To bring the road from the north rim of the desert down to the river had taken nearly a year. To cross the river at Rock Island was also quite a problem. Late in 1892 a gale toppled the nearly finished bridge into the river with a loss to the contractor of $8,000. One month later a second bridge with the track laying machine went into the river along with seven men killed.

     During the early settlement of the state of Washington, the vast area now known as the Columbia Basin in the Big Bend country was considered an uninviting desert and not a livable land; just a vast cattle range overgrown with sagebrush. Even the Indians by-passed it for there was no water for man or animal.

     By the 1880’s a few stockmen had established headquarters bordering the area. They found that the bunch grass, which grew among the sagebrush of the desert, made excellent winter pasture for their cattle, sheep and horses. With snow on the ground the stock could go without water for some time. Cowboys and sheep-herders roasted jackrabbit over sagebrush fires. A 22 was a necessity to secure a meal or chase away marauding coyotes. Tom (Lord) Blythe of Rocky reach Ford on Crab Creek (of whom there are many colorful stories told) and Senator Helm of Ellensburg (who had a large camp on Lower Crab Creek) ran cattle and Hutchenson brothers had horses at the “Sinks” in between, where Crab Creek ran underground part of the way. Sam was 7’4” tall and his brother Ben 6’8”, a graduate of St Mary’s college in San Francisco. Their sister Bessie a mere 6’. Sam was thrown from a horse and killed in 1906. Other pastured large bands of sheep during parts of the winters. Also, hundreds of wild horses from the Horse Heaven country below Yakima migrated here, feeding on the lush bunch grass of the desert and traveling to Crab Creek of the Columbia River for water.

     After title was received by the N P, the state and county began assessing taxes on this land. Douglas County’s bill alone was around $25,000 a year. (Douglas county was split out of Spokane county in 1885 with only one person in the whole area.) It was in July of 1901 that the N P’s land agent, E F Benson appeared in Ritzville and began a push to sell the railroad land. He talked Ben E Hervey (formerly the manager of a harness and furniture store at Ritzville who had just celebrated his fiftieth birthday) into buying land in the desert. Mr. Hervey formed a partnership for the purpose of buying eighteen sections in the township around the Quincy siding at $3 per acre. James Hawks of Phoenix, New York put up half the money while W C Reeder of Spokane, O R Height of Ritzville, J M Woeher of Freaze, Idaho and Ben Hervey made up the other half. Mr. Hervey to receive $100 for every section he sold. Terms were one third cash and the balance in 1, 2 and 3 years at 6% interest. By 2-12-02 all 18 sections were resold at $7.50 and up per acre, over $70,000 return on their $11,500 investment in six months, and there were many more townships handled in this same manner.

     Township corners had been established every six miles which left settlers to figure out their own locations. Trails used by the early stockmen were the only roads. Several surveys were rejected by the federal government so that some settlers found their buildings and improvements on adjoining land. Blythe had established a corral and butchering scaffold at Willow Springs in the canyon north of the Trinidad siding. Here he prepared meat for the railroad builders. It was at this spring that the railroad built a watering tank to supply the trains steam engines and settlers were allowed to fill their water barrels.

     A post office was established at the Trinidad siding by E F Benson, a partner with Willard H Babcock in the B & B ranch, June 20, 1899. Babcock and Benson were raising sheep at Trinidad Bar which they pastured in the mountains across the river during the summer. Babcock had purchased railroad land on either side of the river during the 1890’s. A section crew and depot were located at the Trinidad siding. Carloads of wool were shipped from here.

     Lord Blythe became the first postmaster at Ephrata in 1900. Here wheat was being hauled from the Waterville country for shipment on the Great Northern. Fifty-one wagons at a time were reported waiting to unload sacks of wheat. One half of a boxcar was used as a depot and the town of Ephrata was platted 7-10-1901, known as Beasley Springs or Two Springs up to this time. In earlier days it had been a stopping place for traveling Indians as well as headquarters for horse roundups for there was water available in the draw west of the town site. When homesteaders encroached on the open range so that cattle raising was no longer profitable, Lord Blythe sold his holdings to Tom and Geo Drumheller of Walla Walla and gave up the Ephrata post office to move to the Methow area.

     Winchester had a section crew and a telegraph office in another half of a boxcar. A post office was not granted until April, 1903. A Ritzville Times Quincy item of November 1902: “Mrs. Jennie Burr has located on a homestead west of Ephrata near the Winchester siding.” (Years later her daughter Nellie Burr Ring remembered her mother tending the clacking telegraph keys at the first Winchester depot. Nellie Ring operated a grocery store at Winchester until a few years ago).

The Great Northern Gets Fined

From the "Big Bend Chief," Wilson Creek, WA.

August 18, 1902

“The Great Northern was fined $5 for failure to stop at all stations where mail is to be exchanged. This will affect Stratford, Krupp & Quincy.”

I'm still looking for the circumstances that brought this up.