TheOregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) was arail andsteamboat transport company that operated arail network of 1,143 miles (1,839 km) running east fromPortland,Oregon,United States, to northeastern Oregon, northeasternWashington, and northernIdaho. It operated from 1896 as a consolidation of several smaller railroads.
OR&N was initially operated as an independent carrier, butUnion Pacific (UP) purchased a majority stake in the line in 1898.[1] It became asubsidiary of UP titled theOregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company in 1910.[1][2] In 1936, Union Pacific formally absorbed the system, which became UP's gateway to thePacific Northwest.
OregonRailway and Navigation Company traces its roots back as far as 1860. It was incorporated in 1879 in Portland, Oregon and operated between Portland and eastern Washington and Oregon until 1896, when it was reorganized into the OregonRailroad and Navigation Company. The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company was the core 643 miles (1,035 km)of the OR&N. Its route eventually became the backbone of Union Pacific Railroad's mainline from Utah to the Pacific Northwest.
Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad was a wood-railed[1]narrow-gauge railroad incorporated in 1868 atWalla Walla, Washington, and built 46 miles (74 km) of track fromWallula, Washington. The track went east from Wallula to Touchet, Frenchtown and Whitman. At Whitman, the line continued east to Walla Walla and a branch that was built in 1879 went south toBlue Mountain, Oregon via Barrett (Milton). The first 33 miles (53 km) took 6 years to build.[1] In 1881 the railroad came under the control of the OR&N, and the narrow-gauge was converted to standard gauge. In 1910, the Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad was consolidated into the OR&N.
Mill Creek Flume and Manufacturing was incorporated in 1880 as a narrow gaugelumber carrier operating 13 miles (21 km) of track between Walla Walla andDixie. In 1903 the Mill Creek Flume and Manufacturing Company was purchased by the OR&N and renamed theMill Creek Railroad. The track was standardized in 1905. After the track was standardized, the OR&N sold the Mill Creek Railroad and it was merged into theWashington and Columbia River Railway which became part of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1907.
Oregon Railway Extensions Company was incorporated in 1888 at Portland and built 69 miles (111 km) of track with two branches. One branch ran fromLa Grande, Oregon where it interchanged with the OR&N and then ran northeast toElgin. The other branch ran from Winona, Washington, to Seltice viaSt. John, Sunset,Thornton andOakesdale. The railroad was a non-operating subsidiary of the OR&N. In 1896 it was sold atforeclosure to the OR&N.
Advertisement in 1887The ghost town ofBurke, Idaho was situated in such a narrow canyon that the O.R.&.N. andNorthern Pacific operated on main street. (1914) The Tiger Hotel was built over the tracks due to space constraints.[4]
The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company's purchase of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company in 1880 gave it a partial route on the south (Oregon) side of the Columbia River. The company then pursued expansion of its Columbia River route, surveying from where the Oregon Steam Navigation tracks ended at Celilo and continuing east toWallula. By 1882 the route along the Columbia River was complete.
Starting in 1880, one of the competitors of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company was theShaver Transportation Company.
The company purchased right-of-way in 1882 fromAlfred B. Meacham andJohn Harvey Meacham, along theirMeacham Road through theBlue Mountains.[1] The Meacham road, built in 1862, had a lower pass (4,185 feet (1,276 m)) than competing roads, and was acorduroy road, allowing it to hold up in poor weather conditions.[1] The railroad was laid in 1884.[1]
In 1880, the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company accepted delivery of the steamshipColumbia fromJohn Roach & Sons inChester, Pennsylvania.Columbia was innovative for her time as she featured a dynamo that powered electric light bulbs, instead of oil-based lanterns.Columbia mainly served on theSan Francisco, California, toPortland, Oregon, run in her career.Columbia remained with the company after the Union Pacific takeover in 1898. The shipping faction of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company that operatedColumbia was renamed theSan Francisco and Portland Steamship Company in 1904.Columbia was lost on July 20, 1907, following a collision with theschoonerSan Pedro.[6]
An undated photograph of theGeorge W. Elder inSitka, Alaska.
TheGeorge W. Elder was another steamship operated by the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. Originally an east coast steamer built byJohn Roach & Sons inChester, Pennsylvania, theGeorge W. Elder was purchased by theOregon Steamship Company and sailed aroundCape Horn to Oregon in 1876. The Oregon Steamship Company later sold theGeorge W. Elder to the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company.[7] On May 31, 1899, theGeorge W. Elder leftSeattle, Washington, carrying 126 passengers and crew on a 9,000-mile (14,000 km) scientific expedition toRussia, visitingAlaska andBritish Columbia along the way. Later that year, theGeorge W. Elder was used as a troopship in thePhilippines by theU.S. Army. TheGeorge W. Elder Continued to operate with the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company until 1904, when it was transferred to the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company. In 1905, theGeorge W. Elder struck a rock in theColumbia River and sank into 16 feet (5 m) of water. The ship was subsequently raised and acquired by the North Pacific Steamship Company. In 1907, theGeorge W. Elder helped rescue the survivors of theColumbia. The ultimate fate of theGeorge W. Elder following its retirement in 1935 remains uncertain.[8]
The house flag of the O.R. & N's shipping division.1899 advertisement for the steamboatHassalo.
The 1899 Annual Report of Directors for the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company lists 26 or 27 other ships besides theColumbia andGeorge W. Elder between June 30, 1898, and June 30, 1899. The fleet listing from June 30, 1898, to June 30, 1899, goes as follows[9]
Oregon Steam Navigation Company (of Washington) was incorporated in 1860 to operate via land along a portion of theColumbia River that was unnavigable by steamship because of therapids. The railroad operated from The Dalles toCelilo Falls.[clarification needed]
Oregon Portage Railroad operated 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of track between Bonneville (on the Columbia River) and Cascade (Cascade Locks, Oregon) from 1858 to 1863. The railroad hauled primarily military and immigrant traffic. In 1862 the railroad was sold to the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company for $155,000.
Robertson, Donald B. (1995).Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History - Volume III - Oregon & Washington. Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers.ISBN0-87004-366-8.
Railroads initalics meet the revenue specifications for Class I status, but are not technically Class I railroads due to being passenger-only railroads with no freight component.
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