Oregon Railway & Navigation Company
Named in 25 stories. Back to all names
- Oct 29, 1880The Struggle for the Rails: Seattle’s Economic Isolation in 1880As the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad is sold to Henry Villard's powerful combine, local editors fear the city's economic future will be shackled to Portland's river monopoly.Seattle, WA
- Nov 4, 1880The Coal Road That Built SeattleA historic rail link between Seattle and the Newcastle mines is sold to transportation mogul Henry Villard, signaling a new era of consolidation for the city's coal trade.Seattle, WA
- Mar 1, 1884The Price of Rail DominanceA clash over mileage rates and interest terms strains the relationship between the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company and the Northern Pacific.Wallula, WA
- Jun 2, 1885The Mail Boat’s Erratic ScheduleSeattle residents and businesses are struggling with the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company's unreliable mail delivery, which has turned a one-day turnaround into a three-day ordeal.Seattle, WA
- Jun 19, 1885The Ghost Railroad of SeattleProminent investors toured the idle 'Shore Line' road, leaving locals to wonder if the long-stalled project would ever serve the city or just provide firewood.Seattle, WA
- Feb 2, 1886The Rush for the Big BendA new gold and grain boom on the Columbia River, driven by railroad expansion, promises to transform the Washington Territory.Big Bend, WA
- Sep 22, 1887The Oregon Railway & Navigation Company’s Seattle BottleneckCaught between a local captain’s limited authority and a slow-moving corporate bureaucracy in New York, the steamboat company faces a potential collapse of its Puget Sound trade.Seattle, WA
- May 22, 1888The Man Who Beat Death with 'New Science' in SeattleA local resident details his miraculous recovery from rheumatism and kidney failure after conventional doctors gave up on him.Seattle, WA
- May 29, 1888The Steamboat That Dared the RapidsCaptain James W. Troup pilots the steamer *Hasalo* through the treacherous Cascades of the Columbia River in a feat of navigation that thrilled onlookers and defied death.Cascade Locks, WA
- Jun 19, 1888The Shadowy Legal Battles of Territorial SeattleWhile the territory grew, its supreme court faced a backlog of land disputes, maritime claims, and corporate friction that mirrored the rapid expansion of the Pacific Northwest.Seattle, WA
- Jun 24, 1888The Great Grain War of the Columbia RiverWhen the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company tried to undercut Seattle's shipping dominance, the press was quick to call their bluff.Seattle, WA
- Jul 28, 1888The Great Seattle Railroad BlockadeA federal court issues a stinging injunction to halt the construction of rival railroad lines in Washington Territory, sparking a corporate war between the Union Pacific and local interests.Seattle, WA
- Mar 19, 1889The Steamer That Smuggled Opium in Sauerkraut BarrelsA federal seizure of the Walla Walla reveals a shocking loophole: how Pacific Coast Steamship Company executives claim 'skid grease' shipments were actually opium, and why customs officials looked the other way.Seattle, WA
- Jun 19, 1889The Railway War for Puget SoundAs transcontinental railroad giants maneuver for control of Seattle’s shipping, a fierce corporate battle promises to reshape the city’s economic future.Seattle, WA
- Aug 2, 1889The Fight Over Corporate Subsidies in the 1889 State ConstitutionDelegates at the Washington Constitutional Convention engage in a heated debate over whether counties should be allowed to use public tax money to subsidize private railroad construction.Olympia, WA
- Jan 8, 1891The Gateway to an Empire: Aberdeen’s Railway BoomIn 1891, the rush for transcontinental rail connections and ocean shipping turned a muddy Chehalis Valley settlement into a regional industrial juggernaut.Aberdeen, WA
- Jul 14, 1894James J. Hill Tells Seattle the Strike Never Should Have Come WestThe Great Northern president calls the Pullman boycott pointless on the Coast, warns idle men will struggle to find work again, and stays coy about his deal with the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company.Seattle, WA
- Feb 19, 1895Eight Dead, and the Steamboat Owners Owe Only $3,500A federal judge in Seattle limits the Annie Faxon's liability after a Snake River boiler explosion, extending an old maritime rule to inland steamboats.Seattle, WA
- May 1, 1899The Man Who Vanished: A Railroad Agent’s Embezzlement and FlightCharles Dickson, former freight agent for the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company in Tacoma, absconded with company funds after gambling them away in local saloons, leaving a massive debt and a warrant for his arrest.Harrison Street, Tacoma, WA
- May 27, 1903The Taxpayers' League vs. The Railroads: A Battle for Fair Valuation in Columbia CountyIn May 1903, local citizens and tax experts challenged the massive capitalization of the Oregon Railway Navigation Company, arguing that its true value warranted a higher tax assessment to fund public services.Walla Walla, WA
- May 29, 1903The Walla Walla Man Who Wanted to Buy the RailsIn 1903, B.D. Crocker—former collector of internal revenue and local favorite—shocked railroad executives by offering to buy the Columbia River & Northern line, sparking rumors of a secret deal with the powerful Oregon Railway & Navigation Company.Walla Walla, WA
- Dec 3, 1903Waitsburg's Railroad Dream: A Cut-Off That Could Change the RegionCommercial clubs from Waitsburg, Dayton, Walla Walla and Spokane are pushing the O. R. & N. to build a new rail line between Dayton and Starbuck.Waitsburg, WA
- Dec 18, 1903The Narrow Gauge Line Passes to New OwnershipA deed filed in Walla Walla marks the transfer of the historic Dixie line from the O.R. & N. Company to a local outfit.Walla Walla, WA
- Dec 22, 1903The Passing of a Local PioneerHenry Steinberg, early Walla Walla settler and farmer, died at home yesterday after a short illness.Elm Street, Walla Walla, WA
- Jan 4, 1904The Touchet River Water WarsA Waitsburg milling company heads to court to force the railroad to yield ground for a new mill race.Waitsburg, WA