Yellowstone monitor. [volume] (Glendive, Mont.) 1905-1928, 1909-05-06
A MODEL RAILROAD
The New Spokane, Portland &
Seattle Railway

SAAS@ ~ 80
event IN the development of the Col
umbia River basin, the Inland Empir,
and the city of Portland, Of yer,
great Importance.
Announcement is made that effect.
i've May 8, 1909, the S. P. & S.
Railway placed in operation through
trains between Spokane and Portland.
BY the construction of this road,
| Portland and the Columbia River ba-
lsin, in connection with the Northern
Pacific Railway, are placed in closer
touch with Spokane, the center Of the
Inland Empire; with the Palouse and
Walla Walla regions, andwith Lewis
ton and the country tributary to the
Snake and Clearwater Rivers.
This part of the United States lies
between the Cascade Mountains on the
west, and the Bitter Root Mountains
on the east, and is great area where
SO, 900, 900 bushels of wheat are pro-
duced annually, and where there are
many active business enterprises now
and opportunity for more.
When Lewis and Clark made their
trip from the Mississippi Valley to
the Pacific Coast, they tried to follow
the lines Of the least resistance by
way Of the Missouri River to its head
waters, thence over the Rocky Noun
tains by the last trails known to
the native Indians to the head
waters of streams that are tributaries
of the Columbia River, thence down
the Clearwater and Snake rivers to the
mouth Of the mighty Columbia.
The Northern Pacific Railway, in
its original plans, contemplated line
to Puget Sound over the Cascade
range, which was built, and also a
line down the Columbia River about
where the new Spokane, Portland &
Seattle road now goes. In the year 1905,
the construction of that part of the
new road from near Pasco to Vancou-
yer was begun, and this road has been
constructed with a maximum grade
of only 2 Of per cent between Pasco
and Portland. The same grade is used
eastwardly from Pasco 1000 miles,
from which point the line to Spokane
diyerges, and on this the maximum
grade is only A Of per cent. The
maximum curvature on the line is
only 3 degrees and the road is built in
the most modern, frst-class manner,
with IS pound steel rails, heavy bal
last and adequate facilities Of all
kinds, so that as the country grows,
the road will be in position to trans
port very large volume of business.
The great bridges over the Villa
mette and Columbia Rivers which fur
nish an entrance to Portland for the
Northern Pacific from Seattle and
Tacoma, thus avoiding the ferry used
for more than thirty years, and also
affording an entrance for the new
North Bank road from the East, are
among the largest bridges in this eoun-
try. They are double tracked through
out.
The Astoria & Columbia River
Railroad is part of the Spokane,
Portland & Seattle Railway System,
and through that, there is an outlet to
the Astoria and Seaside resorts IN
that vicinity, furnishing very direct
route from the interior to the Pacific
Coast, which, as population increases
will be a great advent to the seekers
after health and pleasure during the
summer season.
The scenery all the way from Lewis
ton and Charleston down the Snake and
then down the Columbia River is un-
surpassed, and the building Of this
road will bring more forcibly before
the public than ever. the magnifceace