Railroad Wins Five-Year Fight
The Interstate Commerce Commission finally authorizes the Wenatchee Southern railroad, promising a massive shift in Columbia River logistics.
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The certificate of necessity for the building of the Wenatchee Southern railroad was granted on Thursday by the Interstate Commerce Commission. The granting of the certificate ended a five-year fight on the part of Wenatchee valley fruit growers and business men. The route of the proposed road follows the Columbia river from Wenatchee to Beverly to connect with the Hanford branch of the Milwaukee. The new road will intersect four trans-continental railroads—the Great Northern, the Milwaukee, Northern Pacific, and O. R. and N.—and will furnish a wide distributing field for the Wenatchee and upper Columbia river people, as well as for those living along the proposed routes.
“It certainly seems good to know that we have been able to convince the commission that a road down the Columbia river is absolutely necessary.”
This rail expansion was a transformative moment for Eastern Washington agriculture, attempting to break the monopoly of existing lines. The subsequent disappearance of many of these historic rail links highlights the volatility of regional development in the Pacific Northwest.
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