The North Coast Railway Sets Sights on Yakima Valley
Robert E. Strahorn announces a new system of steam railways designed to dominate unoccupied territory and connect remote coal and agricultural districts to North Yakima.
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Robert E. Strahorn, who has effected the organization of the North Coast railway, announces the company will build a system of steam railways for the North Yakima valley. The first line will be built into the Tieton basin to tap the Cowlitz coal fields and make a connection with the Tacoma Eastern. A second line will be built up the Naches to the Goldhill district, and a third line will be direct to the Sunnyside country. In his announcement, Mr. Strahorn says it is the purpose of the company to tap all unoccupied territory adjacent to North Yakima and make them tributary to this place. Work will be commenced on the line as soon as possible.
“It is the purpose of the company to tap all unoccupied territory adjacent to North Yakima and make them tributary to this place.”
This early 20th-century scramble for rail access highlights the foundational role of transportation infrastructure in central Washington's economic development. The 'North Coast' ambitions echo today's ongoing regional debates over logistics, industrial expansion, and the development of the Yakima Valley's agricultural and rural corridors.
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