Ephrata Depot to Improve

From the "Grant County Daily Journal," Ephrata, WA

May 30, 1920

Sam Doran, the popular agent of the Great Northern at Ephrata, announced today that the company has decided to put in electric lights and install a telephone for the convenience of the patrons of the railroad company.

1912 Lamona

From the "1912 Standard Atlas of Lincoln County."

1912 Govan

From the "1912 Standard Atlas of Lincoln County."

Coulee City Street Scene 1909-1917 Era

Compare to the shots seen in the Difference of Decades post.

Great Northern Oriental Limited Wrecked at Wilson Creek

From the "Grant County Daily Journal," Ephrata, WA

August 6, 1920

The Great Northern Oriental Limited, westbound, ran into an open switch and collided with a work car standing on the siding when pulling into Wilson Creek at 10:15 Monday. The baggage car left the track and the work car was wrecked but the engine and remaining cars stayed in place.

Eight were injured in the accident and were brought to Wenatchee by special train. All were taken to the General hospital and none found to be fatally hurt. Dr. L.S. Easton and wife of Seattle happened to be driving through Wilson Creek at the time of the accident and they helped to give temporary aid to the sufferers. The injured who were brought to Wenatchee were;

Edward Campbell, conductor, Spokane, sprained ankle, arm and wrenched back; M.E. Barrett, Spokane, breakman (sic), leg and back injured; Louis Arbogast, roadmaster, Wilson Creek, internal injuries; George Pegouis, laborer, leg bruised; Nick Mikos, foreman, head and arm bruised; Sam Asheros, laborer, broken leg; John Dama, laborer, internal injuries.

A passenger, J.W. Stetson, pulled the bell cord which applied the air brakes as soon as the collision occurred, which kept the cars on the track.

1912 Almira

From the "1912 Standard Atlas of Lincoln County."

Railroad Brings Fire to Ephrata

From the "Grant County Journal," Ephrata, WA

July 18, 1955

The Ephrata volunteer fire department had two fires delivered to them shortly after 11 o'clock Sunday night.

Two hot boxes developed on a boxcar of wood pulp and a flat car of lumber, 15 cars apart, while an eastbound freight was switching the Ephrata yards. The Great Northern freight crew did some fast switching, cut out the two cars and shunted them down the main line to a spot near the depot, just across the street from eh Ephrata fire station.

Flames from the overheated journal on the lumber car had licked up to chips below the load of lumber and were crawling up the side of the stacked lumber. "The fire was shooting six feet above the top of the car by the time we got here," a trainman said.

Employes at the depot saw the flames and called the fire department as the cars were brought down the line. The hot boxes were on opposite sides of the two cars. The fires were extinguished with only minor damage to the two cars, which were later sidetracked for repairs.

A passenger train scheduled for 11:15 was late. Otherwise, traffic would have been delayed for about half and hour.

Liberty Bell at Wilson Creek

Courtesy of the Wilson Creek museum.

The Liberty Bell traveled through the area on its way to Seattle back in 1915. See photos of it in Harrington and Ephrata.

Photo of the bell being rung while at Wilson Creek.

Northern Pacific Ownership Near Taunton

From the "Standard Atlas of Adams County."

1912

Of note is the railroad being the Chicago Milwaukee & Puget Sound, but land ownership by the Northern Pacific dated back to the checkerboard land grant which gave the NP alternating sections of land for 40 miles in each direction of its line.