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76:, producers desired a transportation system to allow their output to reach outside market through ocean ports. The size and fruitfulness of the valley seemed vast, including as it did some 3 million acres of land, of which 1 million was well adapted to grain production. The valley's mild climate and fertile soil made commercial production of other crops practicable, if only transportation difficulties could be resolved.
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256:, himself stranded along the line, managed to break through the ice and snow for a distance of nearly 20 miles to reach Corvallis, where relief efforts were organized. Sledges containing necessary supplies were hauled by men pulling on foot. A few days later, horse-drawn sleds were dispatched and the supply emergency came to an end.
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The weather disaster led to false reports and rumors about failure of the project in the East, generating a cash flow crisis that made timely payment of railway workers for their last three months of work impossible. A near riot erupted and a strike was organized, culminating in April 1885 when in an
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With the first ten miles flattened and rocked, a search was initiated for investors. With no financial angels visible, Col. Hogg proposed that $ 35,000 be raised locally, this being deemed the minimum sum necessary to purchase iron rails for the 10 miles of track and a small locomotive to aid in the
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which defined the methods by which bonds could be issued in an effort to oversee the firm's financial practices. As a means of subsidy, the railroad company was granted title to all tidal lands in Benton County and was to be exempted from all taxation for 20 years. In return, the WV&C consented
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were filed for a new entity called the
Willamette Valley and Coast Railroad Company, with a group of 14 Benton County citizens listed as incorporators. This initial group failed to construct a railroad and gave way in October 1871 to a second company which included J. R. Bayley, Ben Simpson, and A.
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Some 2,000 men and about 250 horses were set to work on the construction in summer 1881, with about 13 miles on the eastern end completed by the time the fall rains had arrived in force. The rainy season proved harsh and reduced the work site to a sea of mud, forcing shutdown of all but
232:"No information was ever given by Colonel Hogg as to who were the chief supporters of the Oregon Pacific — but as one name after another was disclosed by circumstances, it was found that he had enlisted some of the wealthiest and most conservative of American capitalists..."
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began to arrive in
Corvallis in anticipation of working on the WV&C project. A parallel construction company called the Oregon Pacific Company, with Hogg serving as President of both firms, was established to coordinate work on the WV&C project.
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The state's charter with the WV&C called for completion of the
Corvallis-to-Yaquina Bay route by October 14, 1884, but the line was not to be finished until the second week of December of that year, with plans made for a ceremony to drive the final
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act of sabotage the timbering of a tunnel was set on fire and burned out, effectively shutting down the railroad for months. An infusion of money into the company followed, creditors were paid off, and on July 4, 1885, the trains began running again.
283:. Envisioned as a hub of trade, the small loading dock that served as the terminal point of the WV&C proved to be economically unsuccessful and quickly atrophied. The site of Yaquina City is now entirely abandoned, with few traces remaining.
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and other political worthies from around the state, a massive snowstorm hit the region, putting a rare 24 inches of powder on the ground, which subsequently thawed and refroze, coating everything with a blanket of ice and disabling the engines.
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policy, filed for grants from the United States government which claimed staggered land sections running for six miles on either section of the road, thereby locking up the valuable path for future development and exploitation.
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External funds at last became available by the summer of 1881 and in July Col. Hogg set the wheels in motion for construction of the line through to
Yaquina Bay. It was also planned for the line to extend eastwards as far as
228:, which made the raising of additional investment capital difficult. Hogg raised the necessary funds, however, enabling work to continue. The source of said funds remained a mystery, with one contemporary historian noting:
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The legislature insisted that before this charter and its associated subsidies was made real, the company must first build 10 miles of its line. This distance was surveyed, running from
Corvallis to the neighboring town of
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On
October 14, 1872, a third Willamette Valley and Coast Railroad Company was established, with principals including J. R. Bayley and Ben Simpson from the second iteration of the firm, together with Colonel
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B. Meacham. This second group similarly failed to construct a railroad, although Messrs. Bayley and
Simpson would soon return for the third iteration of the WV&C Railroad Company.
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in the line about 15 miles outside of
Corvallis on the Marys River near a place called Harris' Mill. Just as preparations were being made for a Final Spike ceremony to be attended by
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construction. This amount was duly raised and the ten miles of line built, but this exhausted the funds and patience of the community. Contributing to the disruption was the ongoing
68:
The
Willamette Valley (in green) includes the bulk of Oregon's population. The Willamette Valley & Coast route approximates the red road line running from Newport to Corvallis.
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History of the
Willamette Valley, Being a Description of the Valley and its Resources, with an Account of its Discovery and Settlement by White Men, and its Subsequent History..
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at the appropriate juncture in the future. Sawmills were put into operation at various points along the proposed rail line and in August and September hundreds of Chinese
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553:
History of Benton County, Oregon: Including... a Full Political History, ...Incidents of Pioneer Life, and Biographical Sketches of Early and Prominent Citizens...
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162:, located just to the east of Benton County. For the third time, this effort to construct a valley-to-coast railway line in Western Oregon was stillborn.
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The WV&C Railroad's track came to an end several miles upriver from today's Newport at a hastily contrived terminus called "Yaquina City."
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126:, to construct and maintain a wagon road through the gap. This toll road company's ranks were expanded in 1865 with additional investors.
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47:, the railway was launched in July 1874. Work was completed on the valley-to-coast road in 1884. The line is today operated by
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In 1909 the Oregon legislature repealed a law giving the WV&C title to the overflowed and tidal lands adjoining the
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It was with scant ceremony that the final spike was at last driven at 3 pm on December 31, 1884, by William Hoag.
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Nearly 2,500 men remained stranded along the route, unable to be supplied with food by trail or rail. General Manager
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of 1873-1879, which erased potential sources of speculative investment. Work on the WV&C came to an abrupt halt.
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The remaining stretch line constructed by the Willamette Valley and Coast Railroad, running between Corvallis and
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to transport all troops and war materiel for the state of Oregon for the same 20-year period of time.
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heading a group of 16 Benton County investors. This group successfully obtained a charter from the
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Instead of reaching Yaquina Bay at Newport, a new "city" was created several miles upriver called
534:"An Open Letter to the Voters of the First Congregational Church, Roseburg, Ore., March 10, 1914"
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568:
Clark, Keith; Pearson, G.F.; Davenport, H.K. (Fall 1983). "T. Egenton Hogg — A Footnote".
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Scott, Leslie M. (September 1915). "The Yaquina Railroad: The Tale of a Great Fiasco".
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From the earliest days in which surplus agricultural production existed in Oregon's
683:. Vol. 74, no. 68. August 7, 1993. p. 10 – via Newspapers.com.
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702:"Colonel Hogg’s Great Railroad to the Pacific and Other Engineering Disasters,"
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In 1871 members of the Wagon Road Company, taking advantage of a liberal
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Gaston, Joseph (June 1906). "The Genesis of the Oregon Railway System".
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Commercialization of the path began in 1863 with the organization of a
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and local citizens turned out to grade the path of the line by hand.
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A fourth attempt to form a railway company came in July 1874, with
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were proactive in seeking to create such a railway line across the
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Railroads Down the Valley: Some Short Lines of the Oregon Country
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24:
540:. Vol. 42, no. 168. p. 3 – via Google News.
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43:. Following three false starts during the ten years after the
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Portland, OR: A.G. Walling, Printer – via Archive.org.
150:. The company listed as its objective the construction of a
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Oregon Coast Aquarium, 2013, www.oceanscape.aquarium.org/
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663:Walker, Morris; Walker, Lynn (January 5, 2008).
107:peoples followed the route, used as well by the
591:Stations West: The Story of the Oregon Railways
358:. Portland, OR: George H. Himes. p. 497.
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99:through a natural gap in the mountains near
330:Steamboats of Yaquina Bay and Yaquina River
644:Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society
600:Quarterly of the Oregon Historical Society
320:Willamette Valley and Coast Railroad Depot
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221:tunnel-drilling and lumber operations.
35:to connect the agriculturally oriented
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224:Further disruption was offered by the
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631:The Rise and Fall of Yaquina City
325:Oregon Pacific Railroad (1880–94)
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677:"Home Again from the Willamette"
593:. Caldwell, ID: Caxton Printers.
87:running from the county seat of
623:. Palo Alto, CA: Pacific Books.
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103:. A trail first established by
39:with international shipping at
156:Oregon and California Railroad
27:line in the American state of
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718:1874 establishments in Oregon
532:Jones, B.F. (April 4, 1914).
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297:Portland and Western Railroad
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49:Portland and Western Railroad
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570:Oregon Historical Quarterly
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637:. Oregon State University.
619:Mills, Randall V. (1950).
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31:which sought to cross the
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131:Articles of Incorporation
122:, headed by local doctor
728:Defunct Oregon railroads
550:Fagan, David D. (1885).
335:List of Oregon railroads
669:Corvallis Gazette-Times
589:Culp, Edwin D. (1972).
295:, is today part of the
91:to the Pacific port at
665:"A Rail in the Making"
628:Sandler, Rich (2008).
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79:The early settlers of
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635:(Undergraduate paper)
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81:Benton County, Oregon
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129:On August 15, 1867,
85:Coast Mountain Range
33:Coast Mountain Range
388:, pp. 413–414.
354:Lang, H.O. (1885).
310:, and Yaquina Bay.
118:company called the
681:San Francisco Call
538:Eugene Daily Guard
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226:Depression of 1882
176:Oregon legislature
120:Wagon Road Company
95:, part of today's
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45:American Civil War
16:Railroad in Oregon
109:European American
74:Willamette Valley
37:Willamette Valley
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189:Marys River
172:G. W. Houck
160:Linn County
101:Mary's Peak
93:Yaquina Bay
41:Yaquina Bay
712:Categories
341:References
187:along the
139:land grant
60:Background
185:Philomath
116:toll road
89:Corvallis
656:20610005
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314:See also
243:Governor
158:line in
209:coolies
97:Newport
55:History
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293:Toledo
166:Launch
29:Oregon
652:JSTOR
608:JSTOR
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239:spike
19:The
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