The Boom Town That Never Was: Port Townsend's Rail Hopes
A local investor promises five hundred men will grade the Port Townsend Southern Railroad within three weeks, fueling dreams of a transit metropolis that ultimately vanished into the fog of history.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Five hundred men will be at work grading the first 10 miles of the Port Townsend Southern Railroad within three weeks. This announcement was made to the Post-Intelligencer correspondent by Director J.R. Hogg, who arrived here this morning with assistants and immediately went to work locating the most feasible route from the city. Hogg added: 'The original survey will be followed, and we may change little or nothing. Ten miles of construction of the road is planned, with no cessation until cars are running. As soon as five miles are graded, track-laying will begin with the largest force that can be used to advantage.' President Kuhn confirmed and verified the above. In answer to a question, 'How soon do you build right away?', Mr. Kuhn said: 'We have it as far as Quilcene, any route we take. The road will be constructed, connecting with Portland by the last of the year. Our agent at New York reports all the money needed is ready. We are now negotiating for the purchase of rails. The road will be built as fast as any road ever was, doubting Thomases to the contrary notwithstanding.' Great gratification is expressed here at these announcements and the unexpected and energetic action of the railroad company.
“The road will be built as fast as any road ever was, doubting Thomases to the contrary notwithstanding.”
In 1888, Port Townsend was the 'Key City' of the Pacific Northwest, betting its future on becoming the primary rail terminus for the Puget Sound. Today, the town is a charming historic destination, but the grand dreams of industrial dominance died when the Great Northern chose Seattle as the terminus, a reminder of how fickle urban destiny is in the face of private transit infrastructure.
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