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THE DAILY ASTORIAN • FRIDAY, JULY 1, 2016
HISTORIC
PHOTO OF THE WEEK
Clamshell Railroad’s fi rst run
By AMY BOZORTH
Special to The Daily Astorian
I
LWACO, Wash. — On July 19,
1888, the quirky narrow gauge
railroad that ran along the historic
North Beach (now Long Beach) Pen-
insula celebrated the completion of a
2.4-mile-line stretching from Ilwaco
in the south to Long Beach in the
north.
Four fl atcars fi tted with railings,
plank seats and cloth canopies over-
fl owed with excited passengers eager
to make the railroad’s commemora-
tive journey. Banquets held in both
Ilwaco and Long Beach celebrated the
momentous occasion with speeches
presented by local dignitaries, who
predicted that this little railroad was
but the fi rst in a series of rail lines that
would stretch along the West Coast all
the way down to San Francisco.
While these grand dreams never
came true, the quirky little railroad,
fondly nicknamed “The Clamshell
Railroad,” “The Irregular, Rambling,
and Never-Get-There Railroad,” and
“The Delay, Linger, and Wait Rail-
road,” by locals, marked the begin-
ning of a new age on the North Beach
Peninsula.
By May of 1889, when the Ilwaco
Railroad and Navigation Co. had
completed its line to its northern-
most terminus in Nahcotta, the fl edg-
ling communities once separated by
miles of bumpy roads were unifi ed
by a single rail line that provided reg-
ular freight and passenger service.
Miles of oceanfront vacation prop-
erty suddenly became accessible and
hotels sprung up overnight along
the I.R.&N.’s route, establishing the
North Beach Peninsula as a premier
tourist destination.
Though ending its illustrious career
in September of 1930, the Clam-
shell Railroad is fondly remembered
by locals and tourists alike. To learn
more about the quirky railroad that ran
along the historic North Beach Pen-
insula between 1888 and 1930, peo-
ple can attend the Clamshell Rail-
road Days July 16 and July 17 at the
Columbia Pacifi c Heritage Museum
in Ilwaco .
Amy Bozorth is the public relations
and membership coordinator for the
Columbia Pacifi c Heritage Museum
in Ilwaco, Washington.
Submitted Photo
The Clamshell Railroad, a quirkly little line that connected Ilwaco and Long Beach, Wash.
?
9-1-WHAT?
THE BEST OF THE WORST CALLS TO ASTORIA 911 DISPATCH
Open container
W
e hate to stereotype. But when we heard that a driver in Astoria got
cited for an open container in a Jaguar, we were thinking, like, pinot
grigio or something.
No. Dude had a 16-ounce pounder of Rainier in the center console.
Follow reporter Kyle Spurr on his 9-1-What? Twitter watch, where a few of
the sometimes head-scratching calls to area dispatch take center stage. The full
feed is at www.twitter.com/9_1_WHAT.
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