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April 2, 2013 7:32 pm

Banks-Vernonia State Trail

by Rick in Parks

Banks-Vernonia State Trail

The Banks-Vernonia State Trail is an official Oregon State Park. In fact it’s the first “linear” state park in the system originally acquired in 1974 as part of Oregon’s Rails to Trails program. It can be argued that the trail is more popular then the rail ever was!

The original railway has a long but fairly typical history. United Railways was incorporated in 1906 with the plan to build an interuban electric railroad all the way from Portland to San Francisco via Hillsboro.

Construction began in 1907 to hook to an existing line between Forest Grove and Hillsboro. To compete with the Oregon-Electric line who were already working on a more direct line over the West Hills via Garden Home, the United Railway went from North Portland to the Tualatin Valley via Cornellius Pass. Unfortunately this route was expensive, needing several large trestles and a tunnel. The Cornelius Pass tunnel was finished in 1911, and plans were in place to go all the way to Tillamook on the Coast. Unfortunately plans were halted with the rail way reached Banks due to a lack of adequate harbors in Tillamook.

In 1919, The Eccles Interests of Utah, purchased large amounts of timber land around Vernonia, and incorporated the Portland, Astoria and Pacific Railroad. They planned to extend the railroad from Banks to Vernonia to take advantage of a proposed sawmill being built there. The new company planned to purchase the entire length of of the United Railway, which had been in turn purchased by the Spokane, Portland and Seattle railroad in 1909.

Economic hardships slowed construction and plans. It wasn’t until the Oregon-American Company built a sawmill outside of Vernonia in 1924 that it started to really take off. By this time the line extended past the Vernonia sawmill to a point several miles west of the town of Keasey. The railway barely survived the Great Depression, but was revived by World War II.

The Long Bell Company purchased the Oregon-American Companies’ Vernonia Sawmill in 1953 and used it to process timber from around Keasey and Camp Olsen. Unfortunately most of the timber was gone by 1957 and the mill closed. The rails were abandoned north of Vernonia.

Locals started the Vernonia South Park and Sunset Steam Railroad in 1961, but didn’t start operating until 1964 when they could repair two of the trestles still remaining. The SP&S actually ran the train, using the lines to service a few reaming customers until 1969 at which time the remaining customers were gone and the line fully abandoned.

The rails were pulled up in 1973, allow the Oregon Department of Transportation to purchase the right of way in 1974. They later transferred the line to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department in 1990 who used it as the first Rails to Trails Park. The opening of L.L. Stub Stewart Park in 2007 helped get the trail finished in 2011.

These days the 21 mile route serves walkers, hikers, bikers and horse riders. Several access points and parking service the trail. Bikes can be rented in Banks for those who need them. One of the trestles is still in use as part of the trail and provides an awesome view. Funny enough, another railroad now parallels part of the trail!

I haven’t had the chance to explore the entire length of the trail yet, but this link is pretty popular with bicyclists now and is a major point of tourism for Washington County.

tags: Banks, Bike, hike, Horseback, Oregon, state park, trail, Vernonia

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September 16, 2012 7:20 pm

Sheridan State Park

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by Rick in History,History Signs

Sheridan State Park

Among the many locations lost to time in the Columbia Gorge is Sheridan State Park. At one time this was a wayside along the Columbia River Highway, but was made inaccessible by the building of I-84 in 1960.

Luckily the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail allows us to once again visit this gorgeous location. It’s located roughly half way between Eagle Creek Overlook, and Cascade Locks. The park was named after Civil War General Philip H. Sheridan who, as a Lieutenant, was stationed in Oregon at Fort Yamhill. He played a leading role in the 1856 Cascades Massacre, which took place across the Columbia River, and this park was one of many local features named after him.

The history sign here says:

“Sheridan State Park; fragments of the PAST”

“Increased traffic and larger, faster automobiles were too demanding of the Columbia River Highway. The Highway – once seen as a road ahead of its time – was soon too narrow, too slow, and too dangerous. The public clamored for a wider, faster route.”

“Construction of a water-level route through the gorge began in the 1930s. By the 1960s, Interstate 84, had replaced the Historic Columbia River Highway as the primary route through the gorge. With construction of the new road, portions of the old highway slowly fell to pieces – tunnels were backfilled and bridges were destroyed.”

“Today, thanks to a revival of interest in the historic highway, fragments of the past remain – now resurrected, restored and reconnected as the Historic Columbia River Highway and the Historic Columbia River Highway State Trail.”

tags: Columbia River, gorge, hike, History, Oregon, Sheridan State Park, trail

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July 25, 2011 1:27 pm

Echo, Oregon and Fort Henrietta

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by Rick in Fort,History,History Signs

Echo is a historic town about twenty miles west of Pendleton Oregon. The opening page of the city’s website does a pretty good overview of the city history. One thing it fails to mention, is that original location was once called Brasfield Ferry. Oregon Geographic Names states that there is a story about the Ferry in the August 30th, 1931 Oregon Journal.

This is quite an interesting little town that takes it’s history pretty seriously. Most of the buildings in downtown have history signs on them and are kept up pretty well.

Echo Saloon

Echo Masonic Temple

Echo Historic Building

Echo City Hall

Fort Henrietta 1024x768 Echo, Oregon and Fort Henrietta history signs history fort 2

Fort Henrietta Blockhouse

Echo is the home to the original Fort Henrietta. This is just a replica of the blockhouse. I doubt the leaning look is an actual feature of the original.

History Sign says: “In November 1855, the Oregon Mounted Volunteers constructed a stockade and blockhouses (or bastions) across the river from the site. The fort was built on the site of the “still smoldering” Utilla (misspelled from Umatilla?) Indian Agency (1851-55). It was named Fort Henrietta after Henrietta Haller, wife of a U.S. Army officer stationed at Fort The Dalles, in gratitude for her loan of the wagon to the poorly supplied militia.

Militia documents suggest the fort was 100 by 100 feet, with round-log blockhouses at opposite corners. The stockade was constructed from nine-foot-long, split cottonwood rails, placed in a two-foot-deep trench. Archaeological excavations revealed the original stockade form by outlines of huge burnt logs, and “ghosts” of burnt posts were discovered in the stockade trench excavations. A splitting wedge, probably used to split the cottonwood logs, was among the artifacts excavated from the stockade trench. A hewing hatchet, possibly used to construct the fort, was found on the edge of the field near the fort site.

The militia received orders in April 1856 to abandon and destroy the fort. In May 1856, the commander filed a report stating that the fort had been destroyed. However accounts of settlers and an 1859 survey indicate a building (possibly a blockhouse) remained standing and was used as a meeting place and arsenal.

Since no drawing were ever located, the replica built in 1985 resembles the 1855 Middle Blockhouse (Fort Rains) at the Cascades of the Columbia.”

"The Lower Crossing"

Sign says: “Destruction of the Whitman Mission in 1847, drastically altered the emigrants route. The wagon trains then began following the Umatilla River west, and forded the stream anywhere from 20 to 500 feet south of this point, depending upon the fluctuating course of the river.

This was an important campsite. These fertile Umatilla River bottom-lands afforded immense growths of rye grass, waving almost six feet above the rich loam. The meadows and marshes near the river were thick with wild hay grass and tules. There was abundant feed for livestock, wood for campfires, and water for humans and animals. On the west bank, the white-frame Indian Agency offered scarce provisions for sale. The camp served as a point of repairs, preparations and respite.

This junction also offered an option; turn north to follow the Columbia and its rapids, or continue west over the dusty, windy and often scorching-hot trek across the Columbia Plateau. Most headed due west toward Well Spring.

Look up-river toward the groves of cottonwood and alders along the quit river banks. The pastoral scene is little changed from what the emigrants saw along the Umatilla River from 1843 to 1859.”