Organization

Great Northern

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Jan 1, 1891The Railway Gold Rush: When Every Line Wanted a Piece of SeattleIn 1890, Seattle was the ultimate prize for three competing transcontinental railroads, leading to a tangled mess of franchise wars, tide flat terminal deals, and high-stakes corporate maneuvering.Railroad Avenue, Seattle, WA
Nov 12, 1891The Iron Rush: Mapping Jim Hill’s Great Northern RouteSpeculation mounts as reports surface of the Great Northern Railroad’s potential path through the Chehalis Valley and Grays Harbor.Aberdeen, WA
Feb 19, 1892The Railway King vs. The 'Bow in the Ram's Horn'James J. Hill, the legendary railroad titan, packs the Seattle City Council chambers to demand a straight track through the city's waterfront, warning that 'bottlenecking' the rails would cost the city its future.Alaskan Way, Seattle, WA
Feb 25, 1892The Battle for the Waterfront: Seattle's 1892 Railroad StruggleAs the Northern Pacific sought to claim prime space on Railroad Avenue, the city council faced a pivotal decision: prioritize corporate rail expansion or protect the public from the dangerous, crooked 'ram's horn' tracks that choked the waterfront.Seattle, WA
Apr 16, 1892The Great Northern Train Heist That Wasn'tA bungled opium bust and a wild chase through the woods turned an everyday commuter trip into a farce.Ferndale, WA
Apr 17, 1892The Great Northern's Iron Conquest of the CascadesAs the Great Northern railroad pushes its line toward the Pacific, laborers prepare to carve a path through the Wenatchee River valley and over the rugged summit of the Cascades.Stevens Pass, Skykomish, WA
Apr 21, 1892The Town That Might Move: Wenatchee Waits on the Great NorthernWith the railroad undecided on its Columbia River crossing, Wenatchee's townsite company threatens to relocate the whole town—just as North Yakima was moved—and engineers send divers to probe the riverbed.Wenatchee, WA
May 23, 1892The Great Whatcom Railroad BrawlConstruction crews for two rival railroads face off in a pitched battle over a trestle crossing, turning a civil dispute into a physical struggle on the tracks.Fairhaven, Bellingham, WA
Jun 8, 1892Railroad War Erupts on the Seattle WaterfrontThe Great Northern and Lake Shore railroads face off in a midnight standoff over coal bunker right-of-way.Seattle, WA
Jun 10, 1892Armed Robbery on the Arlington Heights LineMasked men hold up a streetcar three miles outside Spokane, shooting a passenger who attempted to flee.Spokane, WA
Jul 4, 1892Seattle's Independence Day InvasionThousands of visitors flood Seattle for the Fourth of July, causing a housing shortage as the city prepares for a massive parade and naval spectacle.Seattle, WA
Jul 19, 1892Great Northern Railroad Arrives in SpokanePresident James J. Hill arrives to finalize depot plans as the transcontinental line pushes westward toward the coast.Spokane, WA
Jul 27, 1892Seven Hundred Miles on Horseback: Two Seattle Men Ride the Raw Edge of Eastern WashingtonC. W. Loomis and E. D. Manning return from a month in the saddle — snow-choked passes, waterless deserts, blasting on the Great Northern grade, a mining camp on edge after a killing, and a Colville reservation not yet legally open to whites.Seattle, WA
Sep 28, 1892A Deadly Shift in the Great Northern YardsA newly hired switchman dies after slipping under the wheels of an engine in Spokane, leaving behind a grieving family.Spokane, WA
Oct 1, 1892Hand Car Collision Kills Laborer Near HarringtonA supervisor's warning went ignored as four hand cars telescoped on the tracks, ending in a fatality for one of the track workers.Harrington, WA
Oct 9, 1892The Miracle of the Mountain SideA Great Northern railway worker survives a harrowing 150-foot tumble down a mountainside near Wenatchee.Wenatchee, WA
Oct 12, 1892Great Northern Moves to Seize Downtown BlocksThe expanding railway network files suit to condemn an entire city block, displacing residents and businesses in the Whitechapel district.Seattle, WA
Oct 26, 1892Tragedy on the Wenatchee RiverTwo more victims succumb to injuries following the collapse of a Great Northern bridge, as details emerge of the frantic, improvised rescue efforts.Wenatchee River, Wenatchee, WA
Nov 22, 1892The Great Cascade Flood of 1892A catastrophic flood wipes out bridges, isolates towns, and leaves railroad lines in ruins across the Snoqualmie and Snohomish valleys.Snoqualmie, WA
Nov 22, 18921892 Floods Isolate Renton and Snohomish Valley FarmsTorrents ravage the Duwamish and Snohomish valleys, washing out railroad lines and leaving towns like Renton and Sultan submerged.Duwamish River, Renton, WA
Dec 27, 1892The Brutal Toll of the Great Northern ExpansionSnow-shovelers strike for higher wages while workers battle five-foot drifts and constant mountain slides to complete the transcontinental link.Skykomish, WA
Feb 12, 1893The Great Northern Bribery Scandal Ends in AcquittalAfter a day-long investigation into allegations of juror tampering in a major condemnation case, Judge Osborn dismisses the charges due to lack of evidence.Seattle, WA
Feb 27, 1893Seattle Rebuilds: Schwabacher Block, Arlington Hotel Lead Construction SurgeArchitects unveil plans for new commercial blocks, a school, and hospital expansions as Seattle enters a building frenzy.Seattle, WA
Mar 2, 1893A Train Wreck on the Great NorthernGeneral Manager A. L. Mohler, his wife, and daughter miraculously survive a high-speed collision between a special train and a freight locomotive.Spokane, WA
Apr 3, 1893Trains Plunging into the SoundA coal train narrowly escapes total destruction as landslides continue to ravage the Great Northern line north of Everett.Everett, WA
May 13, 1893The Great Transcontinental Rail and Steamship Rate WarSeattle merchants scramble to capitalize on a cutthroat battle between the Southern Pacific railroad and the Columbian Steamship Company that threatens the stability of Northern transit lines.Seattle, WA
Jun 18, 1893The Great Northern ArrivesThe first passenger train from the East signals a new era of rail competition and economic expansion for Seattle.Seattle, WA
Jun 28, 1893The Hunt for 'Red Bob'A notorious freight car thief is finally apprehended in Spokane after a tense manhunt across the territory.Front Avenue, Spokane, WA
Dec 19, 1893A Section Foreman's Death at Gilman, and the $100 He Sent Home to IrelandJ. G. Caroian, a Lake Shore road foreman, was killed switching cars at Gilman. His Odd Fellows lodge will bury him at Marysville; his aged mother in Ireland will get no more Christmas money.Issaquah, WA
Dec 27, 1893The Salvation Army's Seattle Winter ReliefAs the harsh winter of 1893 wears on, the Salvation Army reports on the surge of local charity required to feed and clothe the city’s unemployed workers.Seattle, WA
Jan 29, 1894Tragic Death of a Popular Rail ConductorJames Tierney, a veteran switchback conductor on the Great Northern line, was fatally injured in an industrial accident near Leavenworth.Leavenworth, WA
Feb 7, 1894Inside Job Suspected at Mount Vernon DepotThe Great Northern depot in Mount Vernon was robbed of $40 in cash, suggesting the thief had intimate knowledge of the office.Mount Vernon, WA
Apr 15, 1894The Great Northern Strike Hits the Seattle WaterfrontA massive railway strike brings the Great Northern line to a standstill, leaving passengers and freight stranded while management and the union lock horns.Seattle, WA
Apr 16, 1894The Great Northern Railroad StrikeA historic federation of railway workers defies their own union leaders to launch a massive wildcat strike across the Pacific Northwest.Seattle, WA
Apr 20, 1894Railroad Strike Leaves Workers Battered in Handcar CollisionWhen strikers were stranded by the Great Northern shutdown, a risky attempt to travel by handcar near Monroe ended in a violent crash, sending workers to an emergency hospital.Monroe, WA
Apr 28, 1894The Great Northern Strike Hits a StalemateA walkout by railway staff turns into a tense standoff as management attempts to break the union line with 'scab' labor.State-Burke Building, Seattle, WA
May 18, 1894The Industrial Armies on the MoveAcross the West, unemployed men organized as 'Coxeyites' or 'Industrial Armies' are clashing with law enforcement and rail companies as they travel toward Washington, D.C.Spokane, WA
Jun 5, 1894The Great Northwest Flood of 1894Historic deluges across the Columbia, Fraser, and Skagit river valleys have paralyzed rail travel and left thousands displaced from their homes.Seattle, WA
Jun 21, 1894No Cars, No Shingles: Washington's Mills Faced a Statewide ShutdownWith floods and a strike choking the transcontinental lines, shingle men warned that every mill in Washington would close within two weeks.Tacoma, WA
Jul 12, 1894Seattle's Railroad Strike Goes Quiet—but the Unions Keep FightingAs the national railroad boycott convulses the country, Seattle's yards stay quiet under troops and deputies while local unions back Debs, condemn violence, and negotiate food and livestock passage through boycotted lines.Seattle, WA
Aug 13, 1894Opium Hidden on the Great NorthernInspectors arrest two Toronto jewelers on a southbound train at Whatcom and seize 95 half-pint cans of prepared opium.Seattle, WA
Jan 15, 1895The Cold Snap That Stopped the Floods—and the Tide That Didn’tA January thaw sent slides and high water across Western Washington, washing out bridges, stalling Great Northern trains, and pushing Salmon Bay into Seattle homes.Salmon Bay, Seattle, WA
Jul 29, 1899The Klondike Gold Rush MigrationAs the palatial steamer Queen departs Seattle for the North, the elite of the city join a massive influx of gold seekers and tourists in a frantic dash for Alaska.Seattle Waterfront, Seattle, WA
Aug 1, 1899The Iron Gateway: Seattle's 1890 Vision for a Grand Union DepotA rare exchange between rail magnates James J. Hill and Northern Pacific leadership confirms the city's ambition to become the primary western terminal for transcontinental trade.Seattle, WA
Aug 2, 1899The City’s Missing Depot: A Railway Power StruggleWhen the Seattle Star reached out to the Canadian Pacific Railway, they found the railroad giant had no interest in building a union station in the city.Seattle, WA
Sep 3, 1903A Secret Passage Through the CascadesA railway superintendent confirms the discovery of a new, low-elevation pass through the mountains, sparking interest from major rail lines.Bellingham, WA
Jan 23, 1904The York Hotel Marked for DestructionA landmark Seattle building is deemed a hazard after Great Northern tunnel work destabilizes its foundation.First Avenue, Seattle, WA
Feb 17, 1904Tacoma Manufacturers Fight Rail Freight DiscriminationLocal business owners urge the Interstate Commerce Commission to intervene against unfavorable rail rates.Tacoma, WA
May 5, 1904Tacoma's Railroad StrangleholdHow the Northern Pacific's control over regional freight trade stifles the city's economic future.Tacoma, WA
May 6, 1904The City that the Railroad Built—and AbandonedA scathing editorial on Tacoma's dependence on the Northern Pacific and the desperate need to diversify its transportation links.Tacoma, WA
May 9, 1904Monopoly on the RailsTacoma shippers fight against Northern Pacific's refusal to grant access to competing railroads, stifling the city's trade.Tacoma, WA
Jul 14, 1904The Miracle Lifters of TacomaA local construction firm successfully raises a massive six-story Seattle hotel that cracked during tunnel excavation.Fourth Avenue, Seattle, WA
Sep 29, 1905The New Rail Line Toward PortlandA railroad builder reveals that contracts are let for a direct line through the Kennewick valley, signaling major expansion.Kennewick Valley, Kennewick, WA
Jan 13, 1909Jim Hill’s Tideflat TacticHow a railroad magnate manipulated the City Council into a lopsided depot deal by trading away public bridge obligations for private land gains.Tacoma, WA
Jan 14, 1909The Price of Tacoma’s Railroad GrowthAfter a grueling two-year standoff, the city grants Jim Hill massive concessions in exchange for long-promised freight terminals and a new depot.Tacoma, WA
Jul 28, 1916Tragedy at the CrossingA Grant County sheep rancher and his wife are struck by a Great Northern train near Ephrata in a harrowing vehicle collision.Ephrata, WA
Nov 23, 1916The Great Cascade Tunnel DreamA retired Army engineer revives a massive, fifty-million-dollar plan to bore through the Cascades to bring Seattle closer to the Columbia River.Seattle, WA
Dec 29, 1922A Fruit Co-op’s Creditors Step In as the Trains Stop RunningThe Wenatchee Valley Fruit Exchange, with a warehouse in White Bluffs, was taken over by creditors after a car shortage and a Great Northern embargo stranded shipments.Cashmere, WA