Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad
Named in 9 stories. Back to all names
- Jan 1, 1877The Boomtown That Almost Wasn't: Seattle in 1876While the rest of the nation struggled through a deep economic depression, a local newspaper reflects on the unprecedented industrial and infrastructure expansion that transformed Seattle from a village into a bustling coal and lumber hub.Front Street, Seattle, WA
- Mar 16, 1877The Unstoppable Rail Builder of 1877How James M. Colman bet his personal fortune to push the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad through the mountains, defying skeptics and funding the project on his own terms.Seattle, WA
- Jul 27, 1878The Rails That Built SeattleCivic leaders convene to expand the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad, the ambitious line designed to link the growing city to the bounty of the east.Renton, Seattle, WA
- Aug 3, 1878Sabotage on the Coal LineA dangerous attempt to derail a coal train near Seattle highlights the intense tensions surrounding the city's burgeoning industrial infrastructure.Renton, WA
- Aug 23, 1878The Tragic End of a Seattle BrakemanFrank Kimball, a young rail worker, succumbs to injuries after a horrific crushing accident at the Newcastle mines.Seattle, WA
- 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
- Feb 2, 1883The Architect of the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad Steps DownJ.M. Colman resigns from the railway company to pursue private ventures and a long-deferred trip to Scotland.Seattle, WA
- Jan 12, 1895The Man Who Thought He Owned Seattle Died Chasing a Ghost FortuneHenry Zechow spent nine years and a small army of lawyers trying to claim an uncle's imaginary empire—including a block of downtown Seattle—before his body turned up in the Fraser River.Seattle, WA