The Quest for a Snoqualmie Pass Railroad
A citizen's pitch for a specific route through the Cascades to connect Seattle with the riches of Eastern Washington.
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.
When our people seem to talk of a Seattle and Walla Walla railroad, it kindles the fires of hope. During my many journeys from Seattle to Eastern Washington via the Snoqualmie Pass in years gone by, I made the topography of the country a study. I place on record a description of the route which seems to me most fitting: starting at Lane street in Maynard's plat, through Lawton Valley, along the shore of Lake Union, then via the Wetmore valley to the shore of Lake Washington. Thence southeasterly to May Creek, through the divide to Squak Prairie, skirting the hillside to the Raging river, and across the Snoqualmie Prairie to the famous Snoqualmie Pass. This route offers access to vast coal, iron, and timber deposits, and serves the great hop yards in the Snoqualmie valley. If this road is built, a large town will spring up at the falls, and thousands will visit for pleasure and resort.
“The greatness of States and cities is not determined by fortuitous circumstances of position and resources as much as by the indomitable will and energy of the people.”
This letter highlights Seattle's desperate 19th-century struggle to secure trans-mountain rail links to ensure its status as a commercial hub. Today, while the Snoqualmie Pass is a critical highway corridor, the city's focus has shifted from pioneering rail lines to managing the immense growth that these early infrastructure battles ultimately catalyzed.
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