The Milwaukee Road in Idaho

Milwaukee Road revised

The Milwaukee Road in Idaho
A Guide to Sites and Locations Revised and Expanded Second Edition

357 pages, 6" x 9"
Paperback, $19.95 ISBN 0-9723356-0-9

Description
Contents
Excerpt from the Book
The Author
Reviews

This revised and expanded guide, with 270 photos and over 40 maps, follows the historic Milwaukee Road in Idaho and is of interest to the casual hiker, bicyclist, historian, railroad modeler, and railroad enthusiast. It provides up-to-date and extensive information about the Route of the Hiawatha Rail-Trail, both the east-west main line and all the branch lines including the railroad history of Coeur d'Alene, Rathdrum, Post Falls, St. Maries, Bovill, and Potlatch.

A great companion for a trip on the Route of the Hiawatha Rail-Trail. It includes maps, locations and summaries of the interpretive signs, trail-use rules, locations of restroom and parking facilities, as well as information about public access to the long tunnel crossing the state line. Nowhere else is this detailed information available.

It contains specific data for locating tunnels, trestles, stations, sidings, historical event locations, and disaster sites. Historical explanations and first-hand descriptions obtained through on-site visits by the author, consultations with former Milwaukee railroaders, civil engineers, historians, pioneers and the descendants of many of those who worked on these right-of-ways bring life to these sites. Both famous and obscure sites are noted and described, places active right up to the time of the Milwaukee's demise, as well as those from the earliest days of the railroad. The book covers in detail the discovery and location of sites long a mystery including two missing tunnels, a mysterious concrete arch bridge, several old station sites, and the exact location of an historic logging spur.

The book is designed to be a field guide for those who traverse any part of The Route of the Hiawatha that crosses Idaho. Topographic quadrangle map references, railroad milepost data, site elevations, geographical data, and trail and road locations are noted. Useful appendices include chronological notations, a resource bibliography, and an index.

Contents:

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments	vii
PART 1: INTRODUCTION
Chapter 1: Using the Guidebook	1
Chapter 2: The Lay of the Land	8
Chapter 3: Getting There	14
Chapter 4: Route of the Hiawatha Biking and Hiking Trail	28
PART 2: SITES ALONG THE RIGHT-OF-WAY
Chapter 5: The Main Line
Area 1: St. Paul Pass Tunnel/Summit to Loop Creek Road Railroad Crossing	41
Area 2: Loop Creek Railroad Crossing to Pearson	71
Area 3: Pearson to Avery	86
Area 4: Avery to Calder	98
Area 5: Calder to St. Maries Depot	126
Area 6: St. Maries Depot to Plummer Junction	146
Area 7: Plummer Junction to State Line (Southern Route)	165
Area 8: Plummer Junction to State Line (Northern Route)	174
Chapter 6: Elk River Branch Line	182
Area 9: St. Maries to Clarkia	185
Area 10: Clarkia to Elk River	195
Chapter 7: Pend Oreille Branch Line	208
Area 11: Spokane Bridge to Rathdrum	210
Area 12: Rathdrum to State Line	215
Chapter 8: Coeur d�Alene Branch Line	226
Area 13: McGuires to Coeur d'Alene	245
Chapter 9: Loop Creek Valley Road Side Trip	246
Area 14: Bogle Spur (Pearson) to Railroad Crossing	247
Chapter 10: Bogle Spur-Sentinal Valley Side Trip	266
Area 15: Bogle Spur-Sentinal Valley	268
Chapter 11: Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway	277
Area 16: Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway	281
PART 3: APPENDICES
Appendix 1: Area Maps	293
Appendix 2: Maps, Diagrams and Charts Included in Text	327
Appendix 3: A Chronology of Events Related to the Milwaukee Road In Idaho	328
Indices	336
1. General Index	337
2. Bridges and Trestles Index	343
3. Creeks, Rivers and Lakes Index	345
4. Highways and Roads Index	347
5. Station Stops and Named Sidings Index	350
6. Tunnels Index	352
Credits	353

Excerpt::

Chapter 5:
The Main Line
Viewed from any perspective�engineering, scenic, historical, or pure railroading excitement�the Main Line of the Milwaukee, almost exactly 100 miles of mountain-traversing Idaho right-of-way, is remarkable. The route encompasses 20 tunnels, nearly a dozen high steel-bented trestles, and a lake-spanning pile trestle over a half-mile in length. The right-of-way is carved out of rock cliff and forested mountainside and follows for miles the route of one of America's Wild and Scenic Rivers. Numerous observers have cited this stretch as the most beautiful stretch of railroad scenery in America.

At the time of construction it was the most expensive segment of railroad construction ever known. It contained a large segment of the Milwaukee's precedent shattering electrified line. It used extra-heavy rails laid on a comfort-and-safety-oriented smooth railbed. It was the route of two of the finest premier luxury trains in America; the Olympian and subsequently the streamlined Olympian Hiawatha. Freight trains riding those same rails set speed records for cross-country travel between Chicago and Seattle, starting with the Silk Trains of the early years and ending with the XL Special and the Thunderhawk, express freights running on expedited schedules.

Thanks to the efforts of a number of private citizens and citizen groups devoting hours of strictly volunteer effort and the recognition of the historical importance of the railroad's history by U.S. Forest Service personnel with a first-hand familiarity of the area, the Trail of the Hiawatha now assures permanent public access from St. Regis, Montana, to Pearson, Idaho (and via Forest Service roads and accessible roadbed farther west). Being placed on the National Register of Historic Places guarantees its preservation for public use and admiration.

This guidebook follows the Trail of the Hiawatha in the Roland-to- Pearson segment. Hikers and bikers (and in some areas horseback riders and those in automobiles) can follow the roadbed, not only in Idaho but eastward into Montana. Someday these segments may be linked up with the Iron Horse and John Wayne trails in Washington to complete a living memorial to this once great railroad and its remarkable route.

Chapter 5: The Main Line
Area 1: St. Paul Pass Tunnel/Summit
to Loop Creek Road Crossing
Guidebook Map 1
Cliff Creek Road, 4.5 odometer miles
Mile Posts 1749.30 to 1756.4
Elevation Range: 5162� to 3745�
USGS Topographic Maps: Lookout Pass, Shefoot Mountain, Adair

East Portal,Montana [MP 1749]�East Portal, though it is in Montana, not Idaho, is an important part of the Milwaukee Road in Idaho as it is here that the right-of way accesses the long St. Paul Pass tunnel and the visitor who goes through the tunnel will enter Idaho before exiting the tunnel at its west portal. Many decades before the Trail of the Hiawatha was conceived and dedicated, rail passengers enjoyed this same novelty of plunging into the tunnel darkness in Montana and emerging into the sunlight in Idaho. Though known for its long bitter winters and isolated location, East Portal was still a busy railroading site due to its being the location of Substation 13 and the frequent use of its siding and house tracks, arranged to handle meets of long trains and facilitate the operation of rotary snow plows and helper engines in both east and west directions.

The Author:

Stanley Johnson

Stan Johnson is a retired academic psychologist, University Dean, and has authored over a dozen books including three on the Milwaukee Railroad: The Milwaukee Road In Idaho: A Guide to Sites and Locations first edition plus a revised and expanded second edition, The Milwaukee Road Olympian: A Ride to Remember (published by the Museum of North Idaho) and The Milwaukee Road Revisited (University of Idaho Press). He has been, among other things, an elevator operator, a maker of corsages in a hotel florist shoppe, and a newspaper reporter. But most of all he is a man who knows, loves and likes to write about railroads, especially the Milwaukee Road.

This is understandable since he was born and raised in a Milwaukee Railroad family. His long-time stepfather (since he was 3) was a Conductor on the Milwaukee and served that railroad for 53 years. During the author's youth up through his young adulthood he traveled on trains extensively having made, among others, an estimated "three or four dozen" cross-country trips from the west coast to Chicago on the Milwaukee's Olympian or Columbian. His traveler's belt is notched from rides on other railroad's trains as well, the Santa Fe Chief, the Zephyr, the Ak-Sar-Ben, the North Coast Limited, the Crescent, the Montrealer, the Ann Rutledge, and "even Amtrak," he says with what could be either a smile or a smirk.

He is knowledgeable about the technical details of railroading and familiar with many of the insider's bits of interesting knowledge about what railroading is really like, especially on The Milwaukee Road. His books have been cited for technical accuracy and a wealth of warm understanding about the people who worked and rode on the trains of yesteryear. Because of this, his files are a storehouse of donated personal tales and anecdotes gleaned from conversations with old "hoggers", baggagemen, conductors, brakemen, station agents and even an ex hobo or two. Many of these find their way into his writing and a comment he frequently hears is, I read your book with interest and enjoyed it very much. Then I read it again and enjoyed it even more, and then I read it again.

Reviews:

Darrel Dewald, life-long Conductor on the Milwaukee Road says:

"�nothing but outstanding�factual and informative�a masterful addition to the 1st Edition, a must-have type of book for Milwaukee Road enthusiasts, trail riders, hikers, former railroaders, etc.. A great job, a lot of research and work went into this revision. After spending most of my adult life as a Conductor working over the territory Johnson describes, I was amazed at what I still learned from reading this book."

Rolland Meyers, railroad photographer and writer says:

"�following the routes the Guidebook describes introduces a photographer to endless opportunities for capturing the scenes of days of old in Idaho railroading life�full of both modern and old photos, but following directions included here one can easily find places to make your own beautiful and exciting shots�trestles, tunnels, forests, canyons and rivers�echoing with the ghostly the growl of engines and the sounds of a woodsman�s ax�Johnson�s descriptions whet the appetite of any photographer interested in exposing film to some of the most beautiful and dramatic sites in Idaho�add to this the personal discovery of remnants of an historic railroad and unforgettable experiences await anyone with a camera."

Wes VanHorn, retired Route of the Hiawatha Trail Marshal says:
�a special treat for the thousands who explore Route of the Hiawatha Rail Trail every year�I rode over 6000 miles as a Trail Marshal on the Hiawatha Trail and a copy of the 1st edition was always in my saddle bag�we called it the �Trail Marshal�s Bible� and that was before it had all the new information about the Trail added in this new edition�over a 100 more pages and almost 200 new photos�Having a copy of this new edition along on a hike or ride is a way to guarantee thoroughly enjoying the trip�it answers a thousand questions about the Trail and the wondrous countryside it traverses.

Cort Sims, USFS Archaeologist says,:

�It is hard to imagine that Stan could dramatically improve on the 1st edition, but that is just what he has done�it is hard to resist adding this second edition to the bookshelf�.enlarged, expanded, improved�more historical context, photographs,, easy to follow maps that are well coordinated with the text, and diagrams� it does everything�tells you where things are, how to get to them, what you will see when you arrive�a lucid mix of detail and related stories for both the casual and the dedicated railroad enthusiast. The greatly expanded selection of photographs is a balanced blend of historic and modern views and the maps are clear, easy to follow and well coordinated with the text�I enthusiastically endorse it. Don�t even think about visiting any of these sites without this book.

Charles Mutschler, University Archivist and Author says:

�a great blend of history and current information�history of the construction and operation of the railroad is coupled with descriptions of existing sites and instructions on how to visit them�well written, it is like having your personal tour guide�an outstandingly useful book�I have seen no other guidebook that does as good a job of balancing history with material for the casual sightseer�

Michael Sol, Milwaukee Road historian

I read through the new edition last weekend; it is much expanded from the first one and really does become the unmatched standard of a "guidebook" which is actually an insufficient description for what Stan Johnson has put together and revised. More than a guidebook, it is a compelling narrative, a history, a tour, and a fun read. I think the whole thing, narrative, pictures, highly detailed maps, and all, is just superb.

Museum of North Idaho | P.O. Box 812, Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816-0812 | 208-664-33448 | museum@museumni.org