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About The west shore. (Portland, Or.) 1875-1891 | View Entire Issue (May 1, 1886)
140 THE WEST SHORE. NEW RAILROADS IN THB NORTHWEST. NEVER mum the era of railroads begun in this re gion, not even during the boom years of 1883 iiml lfvvi, have there Itmu mi rnauy railroad pro jncU on foot as lit tlifi present time, and many of them prosei.t greater assurance of being constructed Hi h ii did the majority of similar enterprises nt that time. Then everything wan sp.tculativn; now railroad projects arn hosed largely on thn rwut needs of tho oonntry. Tln'ii companies wore organized to bolster op the gale of town lots; now for the purine of constructing much needed line if capital can lo secured. A summary of these projects, with a statement of routes and condition of work, will lie interesting to those who desire to keep informed on thn development of the Northwest Northrn Montana ha Ihmiii calling for a railroiul for several yearn, and thn Northern Pacific has promised a linn to Fort Benton, either from Helena, Livingston or Billing. Iiiutt year (Sir A. T. (lalt organized a company and surveyed a route from the Canadian Pacific south wnrd to Benton, and inodn preparations for it coimtruc tion a ik hiii an a charter wiut granted by the Canadian parliament. It wiut thought this invaaion of iU territory would ooinell the Northern Pacific to construct its Ben t4in branch at once; but it now transpires that Mr. Gait in unable to obtain a charter, since for a term of yearo tho Canadian Pacific Ima been granted a nionojKily of tho territory south of iU line, and refuses its assent This holiU the C 1 itlt schema in alieyiiMco indefinitely. Another railroad looking to Northern Montana in the Minnen) li & Manitoba, of which J. J. Hill is preHidenl Thin road baa a branch aa far weat as Devil'a lake, in North ern Dakota, and promises an extension liy way of Fort Bonten to Helena. In pursuance of this intention Mr. Hill uniUsI with others two years ago and laid out tho town of (Ireat Falla, on tho Miaaouri, at one of the fall of that groat atroam. The firat step in thin acheme waa taken early thia apring, by the organization of the Mon Una Central, in Helena, and tho surveying of routes from that city to Great Falla and alao to HiminL Con tract have Imxmi let, and thoso linos aro now under active construction. Reduction worka, flour mills and other iuduNtrica that can utili.u tho enormous water power of thn falla ami the excellent ooal of the adjacent Kami Coulee mine are contemplated features of the now manufacturing town. Work baa alao lieon commenced on the Dsvila lake branch, which will thiaaeaaou bo ex tondod ot to Turtle mountains, and no doubt will be continued westward Ut Bi ton and Great Falla. Thia activity tin the art of the Manitoba road baa brought out the Northern Pacific, which ia now aurvoying a line from Helena to Benton, ml imiiounoes the intention to build a branch linn to RimiuL On the north aide of the Miaaouri, and seven mile below Great Falla City, another town of the aame uama baa been laid out,' through which the Northern Pacific line to Benton will lawa. Tlma the rival systems will each poasoss a town t U falla of the Miaaouri, which supply the greatest amount of practicable water power to be found on any stream in the United States. These lines will render Helena one of the most important railroad centers west of St Paul ami Omaha, and will givo Fort Benton the transportation facilities she has long uooJuJ. Tho Northern Pacific has other projects in Montana, oue of which is a branch from Drummond to Phillipsburg, to tap the celebrated mines of Granite mountain, and an other a lino from Missoula to run up the Bitter Boot valley. Theso lines are practically determined upon and will no doubt be constructed as soon as the company sees its way clear to do so. The Montana Western R. B. Co. was recently organized nt Missoula for the pur pose of building a line from Drummond to Phillipsburg, with hii eventual extension to the Utah & Northern, near Butte City. A preliminary survey is now in progress. This may lie siuqily the initial step of the Northern Pa cific branch just alluded to. The Utah & Northern is credited with a decided pur pose of pushing a branch into the Nationnl Park, ami thn question of a branch from some point in Beaver head county to Holunn has been much discussed. All this practically requires that the road be converted to a standard gnugo, so that the Union Pacific, to which it belongs, can uso it advantageously in connection with its other lines. The road has accumulated enough stan dard gnuge ties nt Eagle Rock, Idaho, to construct one hundred miles of track, and it is the general belief that they are to be usnd in changing the line from Pocatollo to Garrison from narrow gauge to standard. Two routes and two companies are in the field to reach the rich Clarke's Fork mines from point on the Northern Pa cifia The Cinnibar & Clarke's Fork company has boon trying for more than a year to secure the right of way through tho National Park for a line running from Liv ingston to Cooke City, the principal mining camp, but has not yet succeeded. A few months ago the Billings, Clarke's Fork & Cooke City R. R. Co. was organized, and a route is being surveyed from Billings to tap those mines from the other side of the mountains. One of those rival lines will probably be built, and will be an imiHirtant feeder to the Northern Pacific. Another project is that of the Montnua & Idaho company, re cently organized. It proposes to build up the Bitter Root valley, from Missoula, sending one branch to Sul nion City, Idaho, oue to a connection with the Utah fc Northern, iu Beaverhead county, and a third up the Lo Lo Fork to a connection with the 0. R. & N. Co., when the latter shall have extended its Moscow branch through Lewiston and up the Clearwater to Camas prai rie. Home of tho most wealthy and enterprising citizens of Moutaim are incorporators of this company. Iu Washington Territory the Northern Pacifio is making the fur fly. Work is progressing rnpidly" at both ends of thn grent Cascades tunuoL The line from Paaoo baa been completed to Ellensburg, and the con tract for the remaining seventy-five miles from that point to the mouth of the tunnol will be let on the fif teenth of May. Five engineering parties are at work on