Oregon Portage Railroad Explained

Railroad Name:Oregon Portage Railroad
Locale:South bank of the Cascades canal near the Columbia River, from near Bonneville Dam and Tanner Creek to Cascade Locks
Start Year:1858
End Year:1896
Gauge:[1]
Length:4.5miles
Later extended to 15miles

The Oregon Portage Railroad was the first railroad in the U.S. state of Oregon.[2] It was located on the south bank of the Cascades canal of the Columbia River.[3]

The railroad originally ran 4.5miles[4] [5] from Tanner Creek (near where Bonneville Dam was later built) to the Cascade Locks, which were under construction in the later years of the railroad's operation.[6] [7] [8] It was later extended to a length of 15miles.[9]

Although the Oregon Portage was the first railroad in Oregon, it was not the first along the Columbia River. Francis A. Chenoweth operated a rail line on the river's north bank in present-day Washington in 1851.[10] [11]

History

In 1861, John W. Brazee of the Oregon Portage Company started to build a broad gauge railroad out of a mule-and-wagon road that had been constructed by Col. Joseph S. Ruckle and Harrison Olmstead in 1856 but had been out of service since around 1858. Brazee's conversion of the road cost $50,000 USD, and the line opened on 20 May 1861, still relying on mule power.[12] After one more year, the portage company acquired the Oregon Pony, which became the first locomotive in the Pacific Northwest,[13] debuting for the railroad on 10 May 1862.[14]

The Oregon Portage Railroad was operated by the Oregon Steam Navigation Company, which sold the railroad for $155,000 around the year 1880 as part of the company's sale to the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company.

Restoration of the railroad in 1891, including a conversion to the narrow gauge, was a result of demands from steamboat captains and delays in the construction of the Cascades Locks and Canal. Steamboat captains had voiced concerns because they needed to transport goods and passengers past the Cascades Rapids and were disappointed with the quality of the Cascades Railroad. Once the locks were completed in 1896, however, demand for the Oregon Portage Railroad decreased.[15]

See also

References

45.6507°N -121.9126°W

Notes and References

  1. Book: Hilton, George W.. George Hilton (historian) . American Narrow Gauge Railroads. 1990. 1997. Stanford University Press. 0-8047-1731-1. 481. Palo Alto, California.
  2. Book: Federal Writers' Project. Oregon, End of the Trail. American Guide Series. 1940. US History Publishers. 1-60354-036-9. 71.
  3. Book: Winther, Oscar Osburn. The Old Oregon Country. 1969. University of Nebraska Press. Lincoln, Nebraska . 0-8032-5218-8. 294 .
  4. Web site: Topinka, Lyn. Railroads, Trains and Tracks, etc.. The Columbia River: A Photographic Journey. 19 May 2016.
  5. Encyclopedia: Tucker. Kathy. Oregon Pony. The Oregon Encyclopedia. Portland State University. 23 May 2014.
  6. Web site: Laubaugh, Glenn. McCoy, Ron. The Oregon Steam Navigation Company and its Related Portage Tramways. National Railway Historical Society, Pacific Northwest Chapter. 11 January 2011.
  7. Web site: Strack. Don. Oregon Steam Navigation Co. (OSN): the Oregon Ponies. UtahRails.Net. 14 January 2011. 13 December 2009.
  8. Web site: Oregon History: Emerging Economies. Oregon Blue Book. Oregon State Archives. 14 January 2011.
  9. Book: Potter, Miles F.. Oregon's Golden Years. 1976. The Caxton Printers. Caldwell, Idaho. 0-87004-254-8. 49–50.
  10. Book: Abdill. George A.. This Was Railroading. 1958. Superior Publishing Company. Seattle, WA. 11. B003W03I4U.
  11. News: Terry, John. 27 May 2007. C04. A Little Engine That Couldn't Beat Time. The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon.
  12. Gill. Frank B.. Oregon's First Railway. Oregon Historical Quarterly. Oregon Historical Society. September 1924. 171–235. 25. 3. 20610279.
  13. Strack, Don (13 December 2009). "Oregon Steam Navigation Co. (OSN): Lower Portage (the Cascades)". UtahRails.Net. Retrieved 12 January 2011.
  14. News: Sullivan. Ann. Tiny Steam Engine Tugs at Old Memories. The Oregonian. 7 December 1987. 14 January 2011. D15. Portland, Oregon.
  15. Encyclopedia: Barber. Katrine. Celilo Falls. The Oregon Encyclopedia. Portland State University. 14 January 2011.

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