The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) was a
rail and
steamboat transport company that operated a
rail network of 1,143 miles (1,839 km) running east from
Portland,
Oregon,
United States, to northeastern Oregon, northeastern
Washington, and northern
Idaho. It operated from 1896 as a consolidation of several smaller railroads.
OR&N was initially operated as an independent carrier, but
Union Pacific (UP) purchased a majority stake in the line in 1898.[1] It became a
subsidiary of UP titled the Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company in 1910.[1][2] In 1936, Union Pacific formally absorbed the system, which became UP's gateway to the
Pacific Northwest.
Oregon Railway and Navigation Company traces its roots back as far as 1860. It was incorporated in 1879 in Portland, Oregon and operated between Portland and eastern Washington and Oregon until 1896, when it was reorganized into the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company was the core 643 miles (1,035 km)of the OR&N. Its route eventually became the backbone of Union Pacific Railroad's mainline from Utah to the Pacific Northwest.
Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad was a wood-railed[1]narrow-gauge railroad incorporated in 1868 at
Walla Walla, Washington, and built 46 miles (74 km) of track from
Wallula, Washington. The track went east from Wallula to Touchet, Frenchtown and Whitman. At Whitman, the line continued east to Walla Walla and a branch that was built in 1879 went south to
Blue Mountain, Oregon via Barrett (
Milton). The first 33 miles (53 km) took 6 years to build.[1] In 1881 the railroad came under the control of the OR&N, and the narrow-gauge was converted to standard gauge. In 1910, the Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad was consolidated into the OR&N.
Mill Creek Flume and Manufacturing was incorporated in 1880 as a narrow gauge
lumber carrier operating 13 miles (21 km) of track between Walla Walla and
Dixie. In 1903 the Mill Creek Flume and Manufacturing Company was purchased by the OR&N and renamed the
Mill Creek Railroad. The track was standardized in 1905. After the track was standardized, the OR&N sold the Mill Creek Railroad and it was merged into the
Washington and Columbia River Railway which became part of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1907.
Oregon Railway Extensions Company was incorporated in 1888 at Portland and built 69 miles (111 km) of track with two branches. One branch ran from
La Grande, Oregon where it interchanged with the OR&N and then ran northeast to
Elgin. The other branch ran from Winona, Washington, to Seltice via
St. John, Sunset,
Thornton and
Oakesdale. The railroad was a non-operating subsidiary of the OR&N. In 1896 it was sold at
foreclosure to the OR&N.
Idaho Northern Railroad was built as a subsidiary of the O.R.&.N. and was absorbed as a branch-line in 1910.
Development of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company
The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company's purchase of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company in 1880 gave it a partial route on the south (Oregon) side of the Columbia River. The company then pursued expansion of its Columbia River route, surveying from where the Oregon Steam Navigation tracks ended at Celilo and continuing east to
Wallula. By 1882 the route along the Columbia River was complete.
Starting in 1880, one of the competitors of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company was the
Shaver Transportation Company.
Blue Mountain route
The company purchased right-of-way in 1882 from
Alfred B. Meacham and
John Harvey Meacham, along their
Meacham Road through the
Blue Mountains.[1] The Meacham road, built in 1862, had a lower pass (4,185 feet (1,276 m)) than competing roads, and was a
corduroy road, allowing it to hold up in poor weather conditions.[1] The railroad was laid in 1884.[1]
Shipping
Before 1879, the Oregon Steamship Company provided passenger service onboard coastal steamships from
San Francisco, California, to
Portland, Oregon, while the
Oregon Steam Navigation Company operated multiple steamboats along the
Columbia River. That year, the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company purchased the entirety of both companies, which helped to create a monopoly over transportation in Oregon. The large steamships City of Chester, George W. Elder and Oregon were included in the purchase.[5]
In 1880, the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company accepted delivery of the steamship Columbia from
John Roach & Sons in
Chester, Pennsylvania. Columbia was innovative for her time as she featured a dynamo that powered electric light bulbs, instead of oil-based lanterns. Columbia mainly served on the
San Francisco, California, to
Portland, Oregon, run in her career. Columbia remained with the company after the Union Pacific takeover in 1898. The shipping faction of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company that operated Columbia was renamed the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company in 1904. Columbia was lost on July 20, 1907, following a collision with the
schoonerSan Pedro.[6]
The George W. Elder was another steamship operated by the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. Originally an east coast steamer built by
John Roach & Sons in
Chester, Pennsylvania, the George W. Elder was purchased by the
Oregon Steamship Company and sailed around
Cape Horn to Oregon in 1876. The Oregon Steamship Company later sold the George W. Elder to the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company.[7] On May 31, 1899, the George W. Elder left
Seattle, Washington, carrying 126 passengers and crew on a 9,000-mile (14,000 km) scientific expedition to
Russia, visiting
Alaska and
British Columbia along the way. Later that year, the George W. Elder was used as a troopship in the
Philippines by the
U.S. Army. The George W. Elder Continued to operate with the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company until 1904, when it was transferred to the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company. In 1905, the George W. Elder struck a rock in the
Columbia River and sank into 16 feet (5 m) of water. The ship was subsequently raised and acquired by the North Pacific Steamship Company. In 1907, the George W. Elder helped rescue the survivors of the Columbia. The ultimate fate of the George W. Elder following its retirement in 1935 remains uncertain.[8]
Other ships
The 1899 Annual Report of Directors for the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company lists 26 or 27 other ships besides the Columbia and George W. Elder between June 30, 1898, and June 30, 1899. The fleet listing from June 30, 1898, to June 30, 1899, goes as follows[9]
Oregon Steam Navigation Company (of Washington) was incorporated in 1860 to operate via land along a portion of the
Columbia River that was unnavigable by steamship because of the
rapids. The railroad operated from The Dalles to
Celilo Falls.[clarification needed]
Oregon Portage Railroad operated 4.5 miles (7.2 km) of track between Bonneville (on the Columbia River) and Cascade (
Cascade Locks, Oregon) from 1858 to 1863. The railroad hauled primarily military and immigrant traffic. In 1862 the railroad was sold to the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company for $155,000.
Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company ran a narrow gauge rail line on the
Long Beach Peninsula from
Ilwaco in the south, to
Nahcotta in the north, with steamboat connections at both ends. In 1900, the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company bought a controlling interest in the company.
Robertson, Donald B. (1995). Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History - Volume III - Oregon & Washington. Caldwell, ID: The Caxton Printers.
ISBN0-87004-366-8.
Railroads in italics meet the revenue specifications for Class I status, but are not technically Class I railroads due to being passenger-only railroads with no freight component.