How the Railroads Shaped Walla Walla's Prosperity
Business owners in Umatilla County report that poor train scheduling is bleeding trade away from Pendleton and funneling it directly into Walla Walla.
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A prominent business man from Athena reported that Pendleton is losing trade that rightfully belongs to her every day. This is caused by the schedule of the mixed O. R. N. train, which arrives in Pendleton late in the afternoon. People from Milton, Weston, Athena, and Adams cannot go to Pendleton, finish their business, and get home in the evening. Instead, the morning northbound passenger train, which passes through these towns between 10 and 11 o'clock, allows shoppers to do their trading in Walla Walla and return home on the evening passenger train. Since the arrival time of the Pendleton mixed train was changed from 1 o'clock to 2:35, it is estimated that 50 percent of the business that formerly went to Pendleton now goes to Walla Walla.
“This passenger train is a great convenience and is taking trade away from Pendleton every day.”
This piece highlights how logistics and transit schedules dictated the economic geography of the Inland Northwest at the turn of the century. Today, similar debates over transit connectivity and infrastructure continue to determine which towns thrive as regional hubs and which struggle to retain their local tax base.
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