The Iron Road Reaches Aberdeen
Northern Pacific presents its final route plans for the line into town, threatening to disrupt waterfront commerce and mills.
The Northern Pacific railroad has submitted to the people of Aberdeen the route they wish to follow in building into the city. The route is a tolerably direct line from the end of the present grade to a point a little south of the northeast corner of block fifteen in Wishkah, from that point it goes on an easy curve to the Wishkah river, opposite River street, across the Wishkah river and westward along River street to the depot grounds. This route clears the west end of West's mill, which end is supposed to lie in the street.
“The Northern Pacific railroad has submitted to the people of Aberdeen the route they wish to follow in building into Aberdeen.”
The arrival of the Northern Pacific was the single most important event in Aberdeen's early development, cementing it as a timber shipping hub. Today, the remnants of those industrial rail lines are largely reclaimed or abandoned, reflecting the city's transition from a rail-fed boomtown to a post-industrial community.
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