A Grand Vision for a Narrow-Gauge Railroad
Prominent North Yakima citizens incorporate a new railway company with ambitious plans to tap coal fields and agricultural valleys.
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Articles of incorporation were filed for the Yakima, Natchees & Eastern Railway company, capitalized at $300,000. The company, led by George Donald, Edward Whitson, G. M. McKinney, H. J. Snively, and J. R. Patton, aims to build narrow-gauge lines through the Moxee, Naches, Ahtanum, and Konnewock valleys. The project promises to link timber and coal resources of the upper Naches and Cowlitz regions to the city, turning North Yakima into a primary shipping hub. The company expects support from citizens through right-of-way grants and bonuses in cash, land, or labor.
“The various sections tapped will not alone be benefited, but this city will become the main distributing and shipping point.”
This rail expansion proposal highlights the late 19th-century 'booster' mentality that defined early Yakima's development. Similar ambitious infrastructure projects continue to shape how the region manages its connection between agricultural wealth and transport corridors.
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