Martin is an extinct town in the northwest United States, in Kittitas County, Washington. Stampede Pass is near to the west.
The town was named Martin because of the nearby Martin Creek. The creek was originally named Pine-Marten Creek because an American marten was killed nearby. [1]
Prior to the Stampede Tunnel, to reach the Puget Sound region from east of the Cascades, Northern Pacific Railroad trains had to pay for trackage rights on the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company tracks from Wallulla, Washington along the Columbia River to Portland. After that a car ferry across the Columbia returned trains to NP tracks north to Tacoma (1873) and eventually Seattle (1884). To avoid paying for trackage, NP decided a better path to the Puget Sound region was over the Cascades. [2]
NP engineers spent from 1873-1884 narrowing down the candidate passes for crossing the Cascades to three: Snoqualmie, Stampede, and Natchess. [3] The NP railroad had left Lake Superior and arrived in Yakima in 1885. At risk of losing millions of acres of land grants for failure to build a direct line to the Puget Sound, NP put out bids to drill the Stampede Tunnel in just 28 months. They opened the bids on Jan 21, 1886 and the lowest bidder was Nelson Bennett at $837,250, nearly half the price of most bidders. [4] They awarded him the contract on Jan 29th. On February 1, the first wagonload of supplies left Yakima for the tunnel site. It took months to arrive as an army of men felled trees and built plank roads over which to haul the machines and supplies. [3] [5]
Once the caravan arrived, they set up their sawmill and used the lumber to build bunkhouses, stables, a machine shop, warehouses, a hospital, a restaurant, a saloon, a steam plant, and the station house. The construction camp was called Tunnel City and from 1886 to 1888 it housed over 200 construction workers who were building switchbacks and drilling the tunnel. [6] [5] [3] [4] Up the hill towards the Stampede Pass summit, 1,000 Chinese laborers who were also working on the tunnel were encamped. [2]
In April 1886, under pressure from increasing OR&N through rates, NP decided to also build a temporary switchback over Stampede Pass. The route left the main line at the Martin station and rejoined the main line at the west end of the tunnel. The switchback was completed June 1, 1887. Passenger service began a month later on July 3 and Martin was station No. 1894. [7] [8] In the month of September, 1,900 cars were moved over the switchback line. [4]
During the winter months heavy snow up to 10' deep would cover the line. In July 1887 snowsheds were constructed along the line including at Martin. The snow sheds were built of 10"x12" posts and 10"x16" caps and covered with 4" planks. In January 1888, a pair of Leslie rotary steam snow shovels arrived to keep the switchback line cleared. [4]
On May 14, 1888 the tunnel bore was completed, just 7 days ahead of the contracts deadline. On May 28 the tunnel opened for traffic. The switchback route was used for a few tourist trains and then abandoned. [4] [2]
At the height of the steam era, NP employed operators 'round the clock at Martin. [2] Martin was an important post in coordinating train movements through the single-track tunnel. Trains were authorized by the dispatcher and timetable. [9] Over time, train engines switched to diesel and the number of men needed in Martin shrank. In 1921, Martin was at mile post 46.5 (0 was at Ellensburg) on the Seattle Main Line. [8] In 1928, all that remained of Tunnel City was a station house labeled Martin and a few employee cottages. [10]
In 1947, Martin was station No. 7023 at milepost 82.5 on the Tacoma Main Line. [11]
In February 1949, Martin saw 3 ft (0.91 m) of snow fall the night of February 15. The snow depth increased from 13 ft (4.0 m) to 16 ft (4.9 m) overnight. The crew of 124 men (100 more than usual) tasked with keeping the line open with two rotaries and a plow could not remember a worse time. [12]
In 1957 or 1958, NP installed a small CTC board at Easton to automate control traffic through the tunnel. [9] [2] In April 1960, Northern Pacific Railway removed trains No. 5 and No. 6, discontinuing passenger service to Martin. [13] In 1963 they automated the Martin station and in the summer of 1964 they demolished all their buildings at Martin. [14] [15] [2] [10] The railroad subsequently abandoned their telephone lines and telephone cabins.
After NP merged into Burlington Northern in 1970, BN had several parallel routes across the Cascades. The Stampede route was relegated to a secondary. In 1977 a storm swelled Stampede Creek and it washed out the railroad tracks. Trains did not run again until 1978. [6] On August 13, 1983, Burlington Northern discontinued use of the 78-mile line through the Stampede Tunnel, from Auburn to Cle Elum, but did not abandon the right of way. In July 1988, vandals stealing the copper from power transmission lines dropped a line near the eastern portal of the tunnel at Martin and set the wooden structure ablaze. The fire was put out by volunteers but the tunnel and hundreds of feet of track were destroyed. [6] [2]
In 1995 Burlington Northern purchased Santa Fe and became BNSF. In 1996 they announced plans to spend $125 million to restore the Stampede Pass route. Soon 500 workers fanned out to install 145,000 concrete ties, 158,000 wood ties, and 47 new miles of rail. A new concrete snowshed was constructed at the Martin portal of the tunnel and in December rail service once again passed through Martin. [2] [16]
In 2019, BNSF added a signal tower at Martin that enables them to run double-length (230 cars) trains of empty grain cars eastward through the Stampede Tunnel. The longer trains have locomotives in the front, middle, and rear to prevent string-lining. [17]
A post office called Martin was established in 1892, and remained in operation until 1902. [18]
A fire lookout was located in Martin from at least 1934-1956. [19] The lookout tower does not appear on the 1961 USGS map.
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail crosses FS 54. Get off at FS 54 and head west. Follow FS 420 west to the end.
Access in the winter is from the Crystal Springs Sno-Park. Forest Service road 54 is split groomed for tracked snow machines on the north side and non-motorized (skiers, sled dogs, etc.) on the south side.
Vehicle access to Martin is via exit 62 off I-90. Take FS 54 to FS 420. Follow FS 420 road to the end.
Starting in the early 1920s, skiers from Cle Elum [20] and Puget Sound would ride the Northern Pacific Railroad to the Martin, Washington stop. The railroad supplied "cozy warm shelter" in a dozen specially equipped bunk-cars and meal cars on a side track at the Martin station. [21] Skiers could stay overnight and the railroad provided heating stoves and free coal.
In 1928, The Mountaineers built the Meany Ski Hut on 54 acres of Tunnel City, a 5 minute walk from the Martin rail stop. [10] The hut was subsequently expanded and still operates as Meany Lodge.
In 1939, the Northern Pacific Railway opened a ski area on the eastern portal of the Stampede Tunnel called Martin Ski Dome. [22] It was located just across the railroad tracks from the Meany Ski Hut and closed in 1942 with the start of World War II. It was subsequently sold and operated as the Husky Chalet from 1944 thru the 1949 ski season. [23]
The Crystal Springs Sno-Park is located just off Exit 62 on I-90. Managed by the Lake Easton State Park, it provides access to the snow sports trails around and through Martin. The Sno-Park has plowed parking lots for non-motorized (skiers, sled dogs) users, motorized (snowmobiles & other tracked vehicles) users, and overnight guests to Meany Lodge & Trollhaugen.
The Erling Stordahl trailhead is just minutes away from the Crystal Springs Sno-Park. The flat easy trails are built and maintained in partnership by the Sons of Norway and the Ski for Light charity. They are specifically for the benefit of blind skiers but are open to all. [24]
A few more minutes up the dual groomed (x-country on the South, snowmobile on the North) Stampede Pass road is the Cascade Sons of Norway lodge Trollhaugen.
Just over a half mile North of the Sno-Park, the Stampede Pass road crosses the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. Prior to 2018, the trail name was the John Wayne Pioneer Trail and was part of the Iron Horse State Park Trail. The trail is groomed in the winter and is well used by skiers. [25] In the summer bikers, hikers, and horse riders use the trail.
About a mile up Stampede Pass road the non-motorized (skiers, sled dogs) trail follows Forest Road 420 on the left and motorized (snowmobile) traffic stays right. These x-country ski trails are groomed by a grooming machine named Hippo owned by the Mountaineers and operated by their volunteers. This area is also where the Northwest Sled Dog Association holds their annual Crystal Dog Challenge on the groomed trails that pass through the area.
At the end of the 420 Road is the historic location of Martin and the Meany Lodge ski resort.
BNSF Railway is the largest freight railroad network in North America. One of nine North American Class I railroads, BNSF has 41,000 employees, 32,500 miles (52,300 km) of track in 28 states, and more than 8,000 locomotives. It has three transcontinental routes that provide rail connections between the western and eastern United States. BNSF trains traveled over 169 million miles in 2010, more than any other North American railroad.
The Burlington Northern Railroad was a United States-based railroad company formed from a merger of four major U.S. railroads. Burlington Northern operated between 1970 and 1996.
The Cascade Tunnel refers to two railroad tunnels in the northwest United States, east of the Seattle metropolitan area in the Cascade Range of Washington, at Stevens Pass. It is approximately 65 miles (105 km) east of Everett, with both portals adjacent to U.S. Route 2. Both single-track tunnels were constructed by the Great Northern Railway.
Stevens Pass is a mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains located at the border of King County and Chelan County in Washington, United States. U.S. Route 2 travels over the pass, reaching a maximum elevation of 4,061 feet (1,238 m). The Pacific Crest Trail crosses the highway at Stevens Pass. The BNSF Railway's Cascade Tunnel lies 1,180 feet (400 m) below the pass summit.
The Mountaineers is an alpine club serving the state of Washington. Founded in 1906, it is organized as an outdoor recreation, education, and conservation 501(c)(3) nonprofit, and is based in Seattle, Washington. The Mountaineers host a wide range of outdoor activities, primarily alpine mountain climbing and hikes. The club also hosts classes, training courses, and social events.
The Snoqualmie Tunnel is a former railroad tunnel near Snoqualmie Pass in the U.S. state of Washington, located east of Seattle. The tunnel crosses the Cascade Range about three miles (5 km) south of the pass, which is used by Interstate 90, on the border between King County and Kittitas County. It is 11,894 feet long and is at an approximate elevation of 2,600 feet (790 m) above sea level, just north of Keechelus Lake. Its east portal is at Hyak.
Stampede Pass is a mountain pass in the northwest United States, through the Cascade Range in Washington. Southeast of Seattle and east of Tacoma, its importance to transportation lies almost entirely with railroading, as no paved roads cross it. It is approximately twelve miles (20 km) south-southeast of Snoqualmie Pass, the gap for Interstate 90, and two miles (3 km) south of Keechelus Lake.
The Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, formerly known as the John Wayne Pioneer Trail and the Iron Horse Trail, is a rail trail that spans most of the U.S. state of Washington. It follows the former railway roadbed of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad for 300 miles (480 km) across two-thirds of the state, from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the Idaho border.
The Northern Transcon, a route operated by the BNSF Railway, traverses the most northerly route of any railroad in the western United States. This route was originally part of the Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad, Northern Pacific Railway, Great Northern Railway and Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway systems, merged into the Burlington Northern Railroad system in 1970.
Keechelus Lake is a lake and reservoir in the northwest United States, near Hyak in Kittitas County, Washington. Approximately fifty miles (80 km) southeast of Seattle and a few miles southeast of Snoqualmie Pass, it is the source of the Yakima River.
The Scenic Subdivision or Scenic Sub is a railroad line running about 155 miles (249 km) from Seattle, Washington to Wenatchee, Washington. It is operated by BNSF Railway as part of their Northern Transcon. This route includes the Cascade Tunnel, as well as the 1893 site of the "last spike" near Scenic, Washington, which marked the completion for the Great Northern Railway transcontinental railway line built by James J. Hill.
Milwaukee Ski Bowl was an alpine ski area in the northwest United States in Washington, and operated between 1937 and 1950. It was southeast of Seattle in the Cascade Range at Hyak, on the east side of Snoqualmie Pass.
The Puget Sound Shore Railroad and successor Northern Pacific and Puget Sound Shore Railroad built a branch line of the Northern Pacific Railroad between Puyallup and Seattle, Washington, U.S., and partially constructed a line around the east side of Lake Washington to Woodinville.
Meany Lodge is a 54-acre (22 ha) ski area located in Martin, Washington near Stampede Pass, Washington, United States. It was built in 1928, making it the oldest ski area in Washington and among the oldest in the U.S.
The Stevens Pass Historic District is an area within a large rectangle 3.2 by 18.2 miles and extends from the Martin Creek Tunnel on the western slope of the crest to the eastern portal of the present Cascade Tunnel above Nason Creek on the eastern slope. The area is ruggedly mountainous and the terrain is covered with timber and granitic outcroppings. The Cascade Range interfered with the Great Northern Railway effort to develop a deep water western terminus in Puget Sound. A gap in the Cascade Range, at Stevens Pass, was found suitable at an elevation slightly in excess of 4,000 feet (1,200 m) about 45 miles (72 km) east of Seattle. The first effort an elaborate switchback system, replaced by a tunnel which was itself replaced by a second tunnel.
The Mission Mountain Railroad is a shortline railroad in northwestern Montana, operating two segments of the former Great Northern Railway since December 2004. MMT is a subsidiary of Watco, operator of several other shortline railroads.
The Point Defiance Bypass is a 14.5-mile-long (23.3 km) rail line between the cities of DuPont and Tacoma in Pierce County, Washington. It was originally built by the Northern Pacific Railway – the Tacoma–Lakewood segment in 1874 as part of the Prairie Line, and the Lakewood–DuPont section in 1891. Passenger service on the lines declined after the 1914 completion of a flatter route along Puget Sound, and ended entirely in 1956.
The Martin Ski Dome was a ski area located in Martin, Washington.
Cowboy Mountain is a 5,853-foot-elevation mountain summit located in northeast King County of Washington state. It is situated at Stevens Pass, on land managed by Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. This mountain is best known for ski runs on its north slopes which are part of the Stevens Pass Ski Area. Cowboy Mountain is part of the Chiwaukum Mountains, which are a subset of the Cascade Range. Its nearest higher neighbor is Big Chief Mountain, 1.9 mi (3.1 km) to the northeast, and the Pacific Crest Trail passes through the saddle between these two mountains. Precipitation runoff from the peak drains into headwaters of the Tye River, which in turn is a tributary of the Skykomish River. The longest railroad tunnel in the United States, the Cascade Tunnel, was bored directly under Cowboy Mountain, as a response to deadly avalanches that threatened trains of the Great Northern Railway. The deadliest avalanche in the history of the United States, the 1910 Wellington avalanche, occurred approximately two miles west of Cowboy Mountain.
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| Footnotes | ‡This populated place also has portions in an adjacent county or counties | |