The Everett & Monte Cristo Railway

by Philip R. Woodhouse, Daryl Jacobson, Bill Petersen

Tells the story of the Everett and Monte Cristo railroad line, one of the most troublesome lines ever built on American soil, covering its heyday as it hauled millions of tons of ore and later billions of board feet of timber, and its downfall as prey to natural disaster on an epic scale. Includes some 200 b&w historical photos. Author information is not given. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

240 pages, Hardcover

First published September 1, 2000

Reviews

[Donald Shank · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a railroad buff, or are interested in Washington state history, you'll enjoy this well researched account of the Everett & Monte Cristo railway. It's full of early photographs of the route, the trains and the people who made it happen. It includes detailed maps of the route, the depots and the mines and mills served by the line. An added bonus is the mile by mile tour the authors have laid out to let you retrace the path of the railroad.
Many parts of the route remain, from the supports for the swinging truss bridge in Lowell, the Lime Kiln trail, the Robe Canyon trail, the bridge abutments at Red Bridge, to the old "armstong" turntable at the Monte Cristo townsite. A top notch guide to keeping local history alive.

[Katharine Grubb]

I read this book off and on for a couple months. It's a great series, unfortunately out of print. Went hiking in Robe Canyon last year, and explored around Monte Cristo this summer. Cool stuff. Major mining, to intense logging, to... nothing? Small towns and hiking trails.