 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (July 2015) |
 | This article's tone or style may not reflect the encyclopedic tone used on Wikipedia. (July 2015) |
.jpeg)
The Tacoma Eastern Railroad was officially established by John F. Hart and George E. Hart in 1891.[1] The enterprising lumberman received leases from Pierce County to harvest lumber from sections of a local school district. By 1890, most available timber near navigable water had been harvested. Sawmill industries had traditionally used the Puget Sound to float their wares to schooner captains, which could then be transported to markets, typically in San Francisco. To accommodate this new dilemma, the J.F Hart and Company (owned by John and George Hart) began planning and construction for the Tacoma Eastern Railroad.[2]
In its pre-incorporation phase, the Tacoma Eastern Railroad was a 30-inch narrow gauge logging road, about two miles long, running from a shallow-water wharf at the head of Commencement Bay in Tacoma, Washington. The railroad left the wharf fronting Dock Street and continued southward through a steep chasm to a sawmill located near South 38th Street. The railroad, the wharf, and the sawmill were owned and operated by brothers John F. and George E. Hart. Along with their sawmills, they operated a wide variety of companies including the first legitimate opera house in Everett, Washington[3] and successful real estate investments. The little narrow gauge road brought dimensional lumber materials from the Harts' sawmill to their wharf, largely for export to the lumber-hungry markets of San Francisco.
- ^ "A mountain calling" (PDF). Washington State Historical Society.
- ^ Holter, Russel (2005). Rails to Paradise: The History of the Tacoma Eastern Railroad 1890-1919. Rochester, Washington: Gorham Printing.
- ^ Dilgard, David (2001). Mill Town Footlights: The Theaters of Everett, Washington. Self published.