Steamboat Service to Bypass Ellensburg? Trade Route in Jeopardy
Word is that the steamer Ellensburgh will make Wenatchee its lower landing, cutting off a vital trade link for Ellensburg and the communities along the Columbia.
It has been given out that the steamer Ellensburgh will make Wenatchee its lower landing when it goes into commission again. There will be no attempt to pass Rock Island. If the report is true, there will be no effort made to accommodate the trade and travel by way of Ellensburgh. A great deal of business has been done between this city and the towns on both sides of the Columbia river this summer. All this is to be done away with in the future.
“If the report is true, there will be no effort made to accommodate the trade and travel by way of Ellensburgh.”
The 1890s steamboat era was a lifeline for inland Washington towns, and changes in service could make or break local economies. Today, rural communities still fight to keep transportation links—whether rail, air, or broadband—that connect them to the wider world.
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