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Presenting THE NEW!

P.Y.M.™ PUZZLER

for October 16, 2011 PIERRE BLEAUDRY, Editor with Mary (nee Merry-merry) Baker

and Mike Boomingtown

DOyoUBeLiEVISION

ASTORIA or ASTORIA which, by MAGLEV RAIL ??

But first ….

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ASTORIA OR FLAVEL ?

Last week posed the Puzzler based on the LONG-LOST VISION of Sidney Dell, Astorian and attorney for the legendary Captain George Flavel, founder of the famed City of the Future -- Flavel, Oregon.

In particular, Dell’s small treatise on Flavel, and its sister city to the east, Astoria, entitled ASTORIA AND [sic] FLAVEL, The Chief Seaport of the Columbia River Watershed (1893), identified the bicentennial year as the Year of Decision for Astorians, as to whether they would continue to languish in the ever-growing shadow(s) of other Clatsop County municipalities like Milburn, Grand Rapids and Flavel, or would, on the other hand, “seize the day” and, joining their vision to that of their intrepid forebears … BECOME the CHIEF AMERICAN SEAPORT on the PACIFIC OCEAN, to EXPLOIT a COMING SHIFT to a TRANS-PACIFIC GLOBAL ECONOMY, as SIGNALLED † RECENTLY by EVENTS IN RUSSIA? Etc.

The vision of Sidney Dell, like many others, also included vision for the necessary expansion of rail connections in the 21st C. development of Astoria or Flavel. Dell addressed this in his book, comparing the necessary rail connections between Astoria and Portland, using prescient analysis of the situation, by Archibald Schenk., P.A. Engineer of the New York Cental railroad. See also, Leslie Scott, “History of Astoria Railroad,” Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol 15, No. 4, pp. 221-240 (1914). The Flavel Land and Development Co. railroad initiatives are discussed at Scott, pp. 235-236.

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The Nehalem River Railroad Route? Dell also referred to another route for connecting Astoria to the fertile inland valleys of northwest Oregon – the Tualatin, the Chehalem, and the mighty Willamette river valleys – and from there to the rest of the United States. This route was up the wildly meandering Nehalem river, in the region of Saddle Mountain, in Clatsop County, thence down the flanks of the Coast range mountains into Washington County, to the neighborhood of Forest Grove and Hilllsboro, and thence east to Portland. At the time of his writing, Sidney Dell stated, that a railroad along this route was already under construction:

The Astoria & Eastern railroad, now building from Astoria to transcontinental connections, is an assured success. It passes through the coast range on the bed of the Nehalem river to the Willamette at Hillsboro and Portland. Too much has already been extended to permit a fear of a repetition of the ill-starred ”Dundee” boom. Too much money is in sight, to allow a fear of the ability of those in sight to complete it …” Dell, Astoria and Flavel, pp. 28-9.

On the contrary, the A&E, in fact, was a dead letter: more ill-starred than the “Dundee” boom for narrow-gauge railway, which laid 143 miles of track.1 The “Astoria & Eastern” suffered a sort of railroading crib-death, and – so it appears -- there is not a trace left of it, beyond Dell’s reference. However, the vision for a railroad route from Portland to Astoria – this one along the Nehalem River – was shared by others – many others.2

The new project … rounded Smith Point, at Astoria, crossed Young’s River and ascended the Lewis and Clark River from Stavebolt landing (Oregonian, April 21, 1892). Some 24,000 feet of trestle was constructed round Smith Point and up Young’s Bay, costing $90,000; seventeen miles of grading was built up to Saddle Mountain ready for the rails – all this in the summer of 1892. Between 900 and 1,100 men were employed by the contractors (work described by the Oregonian, August 21, 1892; September 26, 1892). The vigor of Schofield and Goss delighted the people of Astoria; now at last the pet railroad was assured; there could be no doubt; the builders had much money, perhaps Gould’s.

All of them have so far fallen to the vicissitudes of fortune:

Suddenly, in September , 1892, construction stopped. There was no money. Goss disappeared over night, nobody knew whither. Contactors resorted to liens. To finish the road, $1,500,000 was needed. The awakening was sudden and rude. The project went to ruin. Its remains still lie bleaching in the rain and sun.

The Astorians were shocked, but not dismayed. They went to work on their subsidy again – to make it bigger than ever. They sent invitations broadcast over the land, to would be railroad builders, announcing their tempting offer. In the ensuing two years “promoters.” “agents,” “capitalists” of many stripes and of high and low degree hied to Astoria to capture the bounty prize. Scott, “History of Astoria Railroad,” Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol 15, No. 4, pp. 221-240 (1914 p. 235

Ddedication to this route goes back yet further – further even than Sidney Dell and his contemporaries -- to early industrialists who sought to open this same – or a very similar -- route to the locomotive: from Astoria,3

SEEING DOUBLE: This was also the route chosen by two, or perhaps three, other mid-19th C. Oregon railroad companies who shared a sort of DOUBLEVISION of seeing the future in the present: a human instinct of the imagination – a particularly American insight for seeing in their mind’s eye, the potential for human development across the face of a nearly impenetrable wilderness .. like that of the “Horn of Oregon.” If you look closely, can you see the future in their ...

up towards Saddle Mountain, and down the grade of the Nehalem river, onto the Tualatin Plain.

1 See, Leslie Scott, “History of the Narrow Gauge Railroad in the Willamette Valley,” Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol 20., No. 2 (1919). 2 This route was also the earliest route proposed for connecting Astoria to the inland valleys: it is effectively the same route first surveyed and broken by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers in 1855, in a survey that was mapped by Lt. George Horatio Derby, aka the famous “Squibob”. See, Reconnoissance of the Military Road from Astoria to Salem (1855). Idaho State Historical Society collection. 3 The convoluted history of this and other aspects of Astoria and its railroading past is covered (in some part) in Leslie Soctt, “History of Astoria Railroad,” Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol 15, No. 4, pp. 221-240 (1914)

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DOyoUBeLiEVISION?Oregon Central Railroad location map …

OCR Location map Sheet No. 1, Astoria to Castor Creek

The Oregon Central Railway was either one or both of two companies claiming land set aside from the public reserve, by Congress, under a railroad land grant act of July 25, 1866, for the construction of a railroad from Portland to Forest Grove, McMinnville and Astoria.

In terms of DOUBLEVISION: there soon came to be an “East Side” and a “West Side” OCR, each with its own capitalization, each with its own board of directors, but each group, though rival, competitors and in fact hostile, operated under the name Oregon Central Railway. Per Oregon pioneer Joseph Gaston, who was one of the original incorporators of the Oregon Central Railroad, the “West side” was the original and legal entity, approved by the Oregon legislature; while the “East side” group was a splinter or secessionist group of a few incorporators, who co-opted the OCR name, and thereafter made endless trouble for the real, “West side” OCR. The authenticity of the “West side” OCR was eventually adjudicated favorably by no less a figure that Judge Matthew Deady,4 after which, the “East side” group soon expired.5

The OCR vision was for a rail line from Astoria up the Klatskanine river, to Saddle Mountain -- then jogging into the Nehalem river valley, down the inland flanks of the Coast mountains, and into the Tualatin River valley, to Forest Grove -- thence east across the Tualatin Plains to Portland, and further south to McMinnville.

Thereafter, a later Congressional act of December, 1869, granted land to the OCR for construction of a railroad from Portland to McMinnville, with a branch line from Forest Grove to Astoria. It is this branch line that is pictured, in part, in this week’s Puzzler, in location maps representing surveys conducted in 1870, by the OCR assistant engineer, John A. Hurlburt.

4 See, Deady’s Reports, pp. 609-630. 5 Much of the detail here, on the Oregon Central Railroad is drawn from the eyewitness reminiscence of Joseph Gaston, “The Oregon Central Railroad: The Beginnings of Oregon Railroad Development,” Oregon Historical Quarterly, Vol 3, p. 315 et seq. (1902).

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John A. Hurlburt, assistant engineer under Chief Engineer Henry Thielsen, conducted the first leg of the OCR Astoria to McMinnville survey, which resulted in the Astoria to Castor Creek Sheet No. 1 (pictured here) of the OCR location maps. The complete set is in the collection of the Oregon State Library in Salem, Oregon. Notes on the survey map, apparently indicate that Hurlburt initiated his field work at Astoria approximately Sept 1, 1870, (see image above) and made meticulous, if seemingly slow, progress up Young’s River, to the Nehalem River, marking his route and the turn radii values for the located line, in red ink, and the dates of his progress in blue ink. See image at right. It has been suggested by Prof. Stephanie Beckon, of Louisiana Callapooia College in Alsea, Oregon, that the dates may correspond to entries in Hurlburt’s survey journal or fieldbook, containing more detailed survey notes. This is certainly correct, but the location of Hrulburt’s field notes, if they are extant, is unknown.

Hurlburt or his cartographer also marked the survey party’s campsite for each night, with a date and a small hand-inked rendition of an American flag, in both red ink and blue ink – in such a way as to establish a firm progress for the survey up the Klaskanine River, then the Nehalem river, flagstaff by flagstaff , towards the end of the sheet at Castor Creek.

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The Willamette Valley Railroad location map …

WVR location map Astoria Southward - First Twenty Miles …

The Willamette Valley Railroad of 1870, like the Astoria & Eastern mentioned by Sidney Dell, has left next to no trace of itself in the historical record. Even Joseph Gaston who “wrote the book” on the Oregon Central Railroad, never mentioned the WVR. The WVR was evidently nothing more than a successor in interest of the OCR, as appears in the Certificates of Location narrative, on the face of the WVR map pictured here:

Office the Willamette Valley Railway Company Portland, Oregon December 10th, 1870

It is hereby certified that in pursuance of the act of Congress passed the Senate February 20th, A.D. 1870 and the House of Representatives April 29th A.D. 1870 and approved May 4th 1870 entitled “An Act granting lands to aid in the construction of a railroad and telegraph line from Portland to Astoria and McMinnville in the State of Oregon.”

Wherein a grant of land is made by the first section to the “Oregon Central Railroad Company” of Portland, Oregon, their successors and assigns who are thereby authorized to construct a railroad and telegraph line from Portland to Astoria, and from a suitable point of junction near Forest Grove to the YamHill River near McMinnville in the State of Oregon. And the deed of transfer of date August 15th A.D. 1870 from said Oregon Central railroad Company of Portland Oregon of the said Congressional land grant and franchise. Said Willamette Valley Railway Company being now the successor and assignee of said Oregon Central Railroad Company; this map shows the location of the line or route of the Willamette Valley Railway Company from the town of Astoria in the State of Oregon in a south easterly direction to a point on the Klaskanine River twenty miles distant form the said town of Astoria being a part of the line or route of said railroad as definitely fixed in compliance with said act of Congress …

Etc. What does not appear, is any reason for the transfer, or – historically speaking – any consequence of it. In fact, there is no apparent reason for the WVR to have come into being. Joseph Gaston does not mention it in any of his writings on the OCR. And all records show that the OCR’s successor in interest was not the WVR, but the Oregon & California Railroad. Why the assignment and the map of the locations was truncated – or “trunked” – is also a mystery.

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John A. Hurlburt is also identified as the surveyor on the Willamette Valley Railroad location map – again working as assistant engineer under Henry Theilsen: but this is no surprise, as we have seen that the WVR was formed to act as successor in interest or assignee of the OCR. The same survey materials were redrawn onto a second map, for the new assignee, or so it would appear.

Thus the dates on the WVR location map correspond exactly with the OCR map, beginning with a flag in downtown Astoria, marked September 1, 1870, and continuing day by day along the exact route along the Klatskanine river, as located for the OCR, and mapped out on the Astoria to Castor Creek sheet. There is no red ink along his route, however --or on the flags. The daily flags are rendered in blue ink, only ….

However, unlike the OCR map, the WVR located line runs only 20 miles up from Astoria, and then ends abruptly. The map itself covers considerably more territory: but the line location stops -- in the middle of nowhere, as it were, breaking off or terminating as of the October 9, 1870. See, image at left. Like the OCR surveys, the complete set of WVR location sheets is in the collection of the Oregon State Library in Salem, Oregon.

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What happened to this DOUBLEVISION?

Answer next week …

The doublevision of the principals of the Oregon Central Railroad for rail service to Astoria, was, like Sidney Dell’s for the development of the Port of Astoria, a keen one: and if one can ever believe in a vision that -- for one hundred and forty years-- has lain dormant, if not totally fallen extinct, and believe that it can be resuscitated in reality, this DOUBLEVISION may be it. This located railroad route, not incidentally, is virtually identical to the now proven route of the “Sunset” Highway, S.R. 26 from Portland to Seaside and Astoria – a route that is a main commercial artery, and is, not incidentally, mobbed with Portlanders each weekend making their getaways to the Pacific. A new high-speed rail line -- that is, a MAGLEV connection -- would be perfect along this route.

However, like the vision of the OCR and the WVR for this region, construction of such a line would require not just vision, but DOUBLEVISION: vision not merely of the present formidable technical and engineering obstacles posed by the terrain – the extraordinary scenic terrain – but also a vision of the future potential for human growth, industry, and scientific and technological advancement that would be explosively unleashed, if by commitment of the Oregon community, construction was launched on a MAGLEV line from Portland to Astoria, to serve in the development of Astoria or Flavel, as chief seaport in the PNW, for the coming trans-Pacific global economy of the 21st C.

A MAGLEV line – a second one -- from Portland to Astoria, along the lower Columbia, is also in order, to complete the double vision, of this bicentennial.

SEEING DOUBLE: For his part, John A. Hurlburt went on to conduct other surveys, marking his survey route by drawing yet better and better little American flags on his maps, meanwhile opening up trackless “wilderness” to the use and advantage of future generations. These two images are from Hurlburt’s location map for the Oregon & California Railroad6

P.

– the successor of the Oregon Central Railroad. Another surveyor on this stretch of the O&C location, was none other than pioneer Jesse Applegate.

6 Map Shewing Location of the Oregon & California Railroad between Umpqua River and State Line ( Oregon State Library).