Oregon Portage Railroad

Oregon Portage Railroad
Overview
LocaleSouth bank of the Cascades canal near the Columbia River, from near Bonneville Dam and Tanner Creek to Cascade Locks
Dates of operation1858–1896
Technical
Track gauge3 ft (914 mm)[1]
Previous gauge5 ft (1,524 mm)[1]
Length4.5 mi (7.2 km)
Later extended to 15 mi (24 km)

The Oregon Portage Railroad was the first railroad in the U.S. state of Oregon.[2] It was located on the south bank of the Cascades canal of the Columbia River.[3]

The railroad originally ran 4.5 miles (7.2 km)[4][5] from Tanner Creek (near where Bonneville Dam was later built) to the Cascade Locks, which were under construction in the later years of the railroad's operation.[6][7][8] It was later extended to a length of 15 miles (24 km).[9]

Although the Oregon Portage was the first railroad in Oregon, it was not the first along the Columbia River. Francis A. Chenoweth operated a rail line on the river's north bank in present-day Washington in 1851.[10][11]

  1. ^ a b Hilton, George W. (1997) [1990]. American Narrow Gauge Railroads. Palo Alto, California: Stanford University Press. p. 481. ISBN 0-8047-1731-1.
  2. ^ Federal Writers' Project (1940). Oregon, End of the Trail. American Guide Series. US History Publishers. p. 71. ISBN 1-60354-036-9.
  3. ^ Winther, Oscar Osburn (1969). The Old Oregon Country. Lincoln, Nebraska: University of Nebraska Press. p. 294. ISBN 0-8032-5218-8.
  4. ^ Topinka, Lyn. "Railroads, Trains and Tracks, etc". The Columbia River: A Photographic Journey. Retrieved 19 May 2016.
  5. ^ Tucker, Kathy. "Oregon Pony". The Oregon Encyclopedia. Portland State University. Retrieved 23 May 2014.
  6. ^ Laubaugh, Glenn. McCoy, Ron (ed.). "The Oregon Steam Navigation Company and its Related Portage Tramways". National Railway Historical Society, Pacific Northwest Chapter. Retrieved 11 January 2011.
  7. ^ Strack, Don (13 December 2009). "Oregon Steam Navigation Co. (OSN): the Oregon Ponies". UtahRails.Net. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  8. ^ "Oregon History: Emerging Economies". Oregon Blue Book. Oregon State Archives. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  9. ^ Potter, Miles F. (1976). Oregon's Golden Years. Caldwell, Idaho: The Caxton Printers. pp. 49–50. ISBN 0-87004-254-8.
  10. ^ Abdill, George A. (1958). This Was Railroading. Seattle, WA: Superior Publishing Company. p. 11. ASIN B003W03I4U.
  11. ^ Terry, John (27 May 2007). "A Little Engine That Couldn't Beat Time". The Oregonian. Portland, Oregon. p. C04.