sit properly Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Most old roads across America were originally Native American paths, early military roads or forged by pioneers heading west in the mid 1800s. This goes for mountain passes as well. However, the neat thing about Stevens Pass in Washington is that it wasn't even discovered until 1890. Less than three years later, the pass was conquered by the railroad. However, it wouldn't be until 1924 that the first car would make it over. The Stevens Pass Scenic Highway (as it was originally know) officially opened a year later. In 1931, the state took over, naming it the less-catchy Primary State Highway 15. It became part of a federal highway, US Route 2, in 1948. It still holds that name today. There's a lot to discover along the US 2 corridor. Today, it stretches from Everett to just west of Peshastin - a distance of just over 100 miles. Though the pass wasn't conquered until 1924, the roads leading up to the pass existed well before the crossing. Old alignments abound through Snohomish, King and Chelan counties. As far as I am aware, this road was never part of a named road like the Yellowstone Trail or the National Parks Highway (both of those used Snoqualmie Pass to the south). This has always been a hidden local treasure, even after being adopted into the US highway system. Thanks to Dave's advice, this site and GoogleEarth, I've discovered old logging trails, early alignments, abandoned towns, tons of answers and more than a few questions. Armed with several maps dating back to 1895, speculation and some mighty fine weather, I'll be touring the entire length of the Stevens Pass Scenic Highway on my red Vespa GTS250 (named "Ruby II" - the same scooter that carried me 14,000 miles, twice across the country in 2008) on Wednesday. I'll be hitting every old alignment that I am aware of as well as some sights along the way. It should be about a 350 mile round trip. Upon returning, I'll post pictures of the trek as well as maps and explanations of the different alignments. For anyone that likes sniffing out possible old alignments, this is for you. For those that just like to look at pictures taken along the road, well, I'm sure you won't be disappointed - it's rare for me to come back from a trip such as this with less than 150 pictures. I'm not really sure how much interest they'll be in this little road, but I hope that some folks enjoy it. More to come. -Eric (& Ruby) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 I'm here, eagerly awaiting reports! Bring them on! jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted September 22, 2009 Report Share Posted September 22, 2009 Eric, Great stuff!!! I have been remiss in not getting the ABB copies to you, but they would be of little use, as the latest I have dug out are for 1919, and only go between Everett and Index. No road over the pass, as you know, in 1919. When we get back to the National Parks Highway, you will discover that it did go over Stevens Pass in its later version (when the headquarters were in Bismarck, not Spokane) , but only in the summer. So, get good photos, as we need to document the NPH for posterity!!! I doubt it will add great detail to what you already know, but there is a 1912 King County map on Historic Map Works that might be worth a look see. It shows a road along the route. It is interesting that the 1912 Snohomish County maps don’t show a road east of Index. Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sit properly Posted September 23, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Dave, I would be very surprised if there was a road east of Index in 1912. The towns that were there were railroad towns. Nippon, for example, had no road that went to it, just the railroad. It's all really fascinating. No worries on the maps, though I still would love to see them. The pass is interesting, but plotting the road changes from Everett to US 97 is what I'm doing. I will photograph the crap out of this. I checked on the 1912 map, really fun, thanks! But I'm not seeing a road along the route. Might what you saw be the Tye River? The 1910 Atlas of Snohomish County shows the road stopping just east of Gold Bar. The 1927 Snohomish County maps are amazing, though! By '27, Index was already bi-passed! This is great (unless you lived in Index). Great site! I've never seen it before. Thanks! (I assume you've seen the 1915 Spencer PO map, right?) So when did the National Parks Highway move on over to Stevens Pass? Tomorrow should be fun. Thanks! -Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted September 23, 2009 Report Share Posted September 23, 2009 Eric, The King County Kroll 1912 map at Historic Map Works definitely and unequivocally shows a road along the river and even a suspension bridge where it crosses the river west of Skykomish. If I were doing this I would overlay the 1912 map on Google Earth and get the full route down. You will need to use Earth Point Townships to align townships and section lines, but it works well. (If you are familiar with photo editing programs, I improve the overlays by coloring them so they stand out from the background and converting them to transparent Gifs….but you can get good enough results with just a raw overlay). If you need details of the process, let me know. Its simple. The road was important enough to have a bridge across a wide river in King County, but the 1912 Snohomish County map at Historic Map Works doesn’t show a road. The road either stopped at the county line or was omitted by the map maker. Since it would be irrational for King County to build a road to end in the woods at the county line, I assume the map maker deliberately or erroneously omitted it. However, I have a complete 1912 township/section level map of Snohomish County and it doesn’t show a road in Snohomish County either. In 1912 they weren’t using aerial photos to keep maps up to date (!!!), and if the road was unimportant in Snohomish County in may not have been mapped. I’m pretty confident that map makers in 1912 weren’t too particular where they got their information, so if the primary source left it off, others did so as well. Regarding the National Parks Highway. My interrupted trip in May left me with a grand little mystery that so far as I know hasn’t been noted elsewhere previously. The National Parks Highway apparently had two lives. The archivists at the museum brought out two maps, one that was produced by the NPH folks in Spokane around 1917 as I recall. It shows the route going as you noted, over Snoqualmie Pass. But they also brought out a later map produced by the National Parks Highway association of Bismarck, ND!!! The route went over Stevens Pass….but they noted that in the winter it went over Snoqualmie Pass. Your absence from the scene and my family emergencies sort of put the National Parks Highway “project” on hold, but we should get back to it, or at least incorporate it into other plans. Sheila and I are waiting for the fall colors to mature a bit, then we plan to head for Glacier NP. I plan to take the NPH east of Spokane, since you and I have covered it west of there. As for the year it started going over Stevens Pass…I don’t know yet. Obviously not before the road was open, and I believe before 1927 (the “Bismarck” map lacks US highway numbers). Gotta go….happy travels! Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sit properly Posted September 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 (edited) Ok, I found the map and you're right. Odd. I think I know pretty well where the suspension bridge would be. I think it's exactly where the bridge is today. The more I look at it, the more I think that it is showing the "Old Cascade Highway" alignment. If so, that's great because it gives me a date, 1912. I'm *this* close to calling it the 1912 alignment! Thanks! Now, the real question is where did the road go? Did it connect all the way to Index and farther west? Or did it merely connect Skykomish with Baring on the west and Scenic (where they were building the tunnel) on the east? Though the towns were isolated, some did have roads connecting themselves to each other. The other real question is when did the road extend beyond Index (technically, beyond Galina)? Once that is found, more pieces will fit into place. I'll be heading back to Index tomorrow and maybe I can figure this out. There is, however, an even earlier alignment (probably nothing more than a footpath) that I was unable to follow due to poor road conditions and time. I'll have maps of that tomorrow. And pictures. Tons of pictures. Very strange about the NPH. I guess what I'm doing is prehistoric NPH stuff. I'm fine with that. I hope we can figure all this out. It wasn't THAT long ago, somebody should know! I *did* find a 1920 bridge and old pavement today - that was lovely. Ok, sleep for me, I'll post all about this tomorrow. -Eric *Edit: According to the book Steven Pass; Gateway to Seattle by Joann Roe, Index was without a road of its own until 1915. The 1912 road still may have connected with Index (though I'm betting not), but that would have been three years before Index was connected to the west. According to this book, anyway. And according to the 1910 Snohomish Co. map, the only road that connected Index to anything (in 1910) was the road north to Galina, which was on the Index side of the river and a "trail." The next earliest map is 1927, so that wouldn't shed any more light upon this. My speculation is that the road from the west ended in Galina. Also, a series of roads connected towns in the east (though not across the pass), but not to the towns west of Index. But when did they finally build that bridge? Tomorrow I will find out. The date of Index's first bridge will tell me when they built the road across the river thus connecting west with east (so to speak). Edited September 24, 2009 by sit properly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Eric, Great road sleuthing! You sure have a good “eye” for the interesting! Your speculations sound logical, with the possible exception that there may have been mining that required a road from the east prior to the railroad. I hoped that the suspension bridge shown on the map is the often pictured one. It sounds like it might be. Looking forward to your posts! Dave Keep the Show on the Road Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sit properly Posted September 24, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Ok! I'm back from Index. I'm completely in love with that place. The bridge was built in 1915, the same year that Index was connected to the outside world. I now need to find out when Index connected with the towns to the east. And tonight, I should find out... Tonight at the library in Monroe, there's a talk on the history of the area from Index to Stevens Pass. It's at 7 and I'll be there. Timely, no? I'll ask more about, well, everything. Working on the pictures, etc from yesterday. Should be finished today sometime. Perhaps tomorrow. -Eric Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted September 24, 2009 Report Share Posted September 24, 2009 Ok! I'm back from Index. I'm completely in love with that place. The bridge was built in 1915, the same year that Index was connected to the outside world. I now need to find out when Index connected with the towns to the east. And tonight, I should find out... Tonight at the library in Monroe, there's a talk on the history of the area from Index to Stevens Pass. It's at 7 and I'll be there. Timely, no? I'll ask more about, well, everything. Working on the pictures, etc from yesterday. Should be finished today sometime. Perhaps tomorrow. -Eric Eric, Yep, when things "come together" they really do! (Then on the other hand, when things are falling apart, they often really do.) Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Eric, Somehow I erased your last post!!! I was saying how great the photos were and I must have edited your post by accident. Post it again because everyone is going to love the slide show.!! SORRY! Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sit properly Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Haha! I did that once when I was moderator of a message board. No worries. Yesterday I rode 352 miles in a small attempt to see some beautiful countryside and mountains, rivers and roads. Also, to study old alignments of the Stevens Pass Scenic Highway (now a segment of US Route 2). I took the Vespa (Ruby II) and made a day of it, leaving at 7am and returning around 7:45pm. I took a ton of pictures, discovered some new things, got lost-ish, fell in love with the town of Index and generally had an amazing time. If you like, you can view all of the pictures from the day. Also, in this set are maps that I’ve made showing which roads I took, some speculations and some mistakes I made. It was great to be back on the road again. I just wish that I had a better camera to capture it all. Click here to check out the pics! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keep the Show on the Road! Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Haha! I did that once when I was moderator of a message board. No worries. Yesterday I rode 352 miles in a small attempt to see some beautiful countryside and mountains, rivers and roads. Also, to study old alignments of the Stevens Pass Scenic Highway (now a segment of US Route 2). I took the Vespa (Ruby II) and made a day of it, leaving at 7am and returning around 7:45pm. I took a ton of pictures, discovered some new things, got lost-ish, fell in love with the town of Index and generally had an amazing time. If you like, you can view all of the pictures from the day. Also, in this set are maps that I’ve made showing which roads I took, some speculations and some mistakes I made. It was great to be back on the road again. I just wish that I had a better camera to capture it all. Click here to check out the pics! Eric, Now I'm hesitant to edit my replies!! Note I have left your original in this post. I didn't know I had such "power!" The responsibility to use it for "good" now weighs heavily. You don't really need a new camera. You eye for the interesting is great and the maps are very helpful. In my post that erased your original, I said I was envious, and I am. You are a natural. Dave Keep the Show on the Road! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wisguy Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 (edited) I note that modern-day US 2 through the Tumwater Canyon northwest of Leavenworth, WA was built directly on the grade of the original Great Northern Railroad, which the railroad company abandoned almost immediately after their Chumstick line relocation was completed, along with the current Cascade tunnel, both in early 1929. This project was a HUGE investment by the railroad and eliminated many circles of tight curvature through the canyon and a series of cripplingly expensive to maintain snowsheds on the the line up to the former Cascade tunnel. Its west portal was at Tye (Wellington) and the snowsheds closest to that portal, which were built of solid reinforced concrete, are still there. The west side of the Cascades in that area is famous for receiving massive amounts of wet, sticky snow during the winter months while the east side is nearly semi-arid. In fact, one of the very worst ever loss-of-life natural disasters in Washington state history was an avalanche in early 1910 that wiped out a passenger train that was stopped at Wellington. The bad karma of that incident resulted in the railroad company renaming the town to 'Tye'. From the late 1920s through 1956, Great Northern operated their Cascade tunnel line with electric locomotives (it used an 11Kv/25Hz overhead catenary wire) with the power changing yards being at Wenatchee and Skykomish. This is an area with a truly fascinating transportation history. Mike Edited September 25, 2009 by Wisguy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sit properly Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 (edited) Dave, thank you, you're too kind. And trust me, I usually have a better camera, but it's Sarah's and she's in Boston for a few weeks (with the camera), so my ancient Pentax that has survived being dropped while riding at speed several times will have to do. Mike, Thanks a bunch for that info! Thank you! Somehow I missed that it was on the old railroad bed! And thinking back to it, it really shows. So the Chumstick line was added around 1929, so soon(ish) after that, it changed over to highway. Interesting. Thanks! The railroad history through there is really fun. Heck, the history of the place as a whole is great. How does this fit in with Saunders Road? I mean, that and North Road obvious predate the changeover, but how far does US 2 use the old RR grade? And at which point, east and west, does it cease to use the old RR grade? The more you know, the more you know you don't know. I take it that you've read the book White Cascade? I'm about to but am in the middle of Stevens Pass; Gateway to Seattle at the moment (it's quite good). Tonight's program about the Upper Skykomish Valley was really well done. It was mostly about the railroad (everything up there is) and only touched upon the highway in passing. I did, however, find out the exact date of when the first car rolled through Index. It was April 15, 1911. But there's a funny aside - it somehow used the railroad to do it. It did not use the road or perhaps placed rails under the tires so it would not sink into the mud. Also, I met the granddaughter of the guy who the bridge that connects Skykomish to US 2 was dedicated to. She said that the highway (US 2) was built a little before the bridge was put in. Maybe a year, but probably the same year. She didn't know when that year was, but she said it was in the 20s (which seems a little early, but who knows **EDIT** - actually, I just found out. It was 1939!). However, I bet that the photographer Lee Pickett was there and grabbed a few shots of it. That will give me the date. What I still don't know is this... When was Index was connected to Skykomish by highway? The bridge in Index was originally built because of the sawmill and Galina. The road connecting Skykomish to Baring was in place by 1912. So the real question is when was Index connected to that segment? Did it use the Mt. Index River Road like I suspect it did? And when was that segment abandoned in favor of the modern US 2 alignment? My first goal in this is to learn when every alignment came into and went out of main highway usage. Most of this research will have to be my own. It seems like everyone up that way studies the railroad. That's a great thing, of course (especially since trains are my first love), but it doesn't help much with the old road stuff. I'm going to have to get involved with local historical societies. Skykomish's is very active and probably worth joining up with. The fellow giving the talk tonight was Warren Carlson. His book Upper Skykomish Valley (from the Images of America series) looks great. I just picked up a copy tonight and I hope for it to provide some insight and maybe even an answer or two. Sorry for rattling on about this so. -eric Edited September 25, 2009 by sit properly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mobilene Posted September 25, 2009 Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 I went through the entire slideshow literally on the edge of my seat! My favorite parts were Snohomish, the private road you crashed, the Old Cascade Highway that's white-striped on the edges but not up the middle, and the shot of the plaque on the 1920 Chelan County bridge. And yes, original concrete is like porn. Same with original brick, btw. I deeply admire the amount of pre-trip sleuthing you did to suss out the original routes, and your willingness to explore hunches. Peace, jim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sit properly Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 (edited) Dave, Yep, same guy. Neat, huh! I was thinking about a driving tour book. We shall see. All my knowledge is so scattered. The picture of the Flanders car was taken on the road from Index to Galina (on the Index side of the river). Also, the car used railroad tracks for some of the way (from Everett to Galina) due to poor road conditions. We also don't know if Flanders ever made it back. There is another picture of him getting his car towed by a donkey engine (also on the Index-Galena Road). It's pretty hilarious and safe to say that they didn't make it to or from Index on their own power and by the new county roads. http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/ite...OX=1&REC=15 The 1911 date of the photo is correct. Pickett was pretty good with dating his photos. And it matches up with everything else going on. There are tons of pictures of the Flanders 20 driven by Flanders. But all of the pictures are around Index and Galina. As for the date, the bridge wasn't over the river from Index until 1915. The connection couldn't be before then. However, there is Mt. Index River Road on the south side of the river which could have connected Index to Halford (just north of Halford). To get to Mt. Index River Road from Index, you have to cross North Fork of the Skykomish (bridge in 1915) and the South Fork (bridge no later than 1921, but probably earlier). There are a bunch of pics of a bridge being built across the south fork in 1933, but according to a 1921 map, the road already crossed there, so this was a replacement bridge. Still, all of that is WAY too late. Maybe Mt. Index River Road wasn't there at all. I can't remember why I ever thought it was. The 1921 map doesn't show it. The 1910 doesn't show it, either. It's very, very possible that prior to 1915, there was no easy way to get to Baring from Index (apart from train). That might even be my conclusion. In 1912, Index was connected to Everett in the west and Halford was connected with Skykomish in the east. In 1915, Everett was connected with Skykomish via Index. Edited September 25, 2009 by sit properly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sit properly Posted September 25, 2009 Author Report Share Posted September 25, 2009 Jim, Crashing the private roads really is always fun. However, in this case, it turns out to be pointless (aside from the views). The road I crashed by Mt. Index River Road and turns out that it was never part of the old road. The other private road, Foss River Road, I wish I could crash. Since I've decided that Mt. Index River Road wasn't part of it and Lowe Creek Road was (from Baring to Money Creek, skipping Grotto until 1912) that leaves only Foss River Road to figure out. That's the road with the HUGE boulder. I can't be the only one to have seen it, so I'm betting there are photos or stories about it. If so, well, good news for Foss River Road! But that's east of Skykomish. I'll figure that out later. That makes the new question: When and how was Skykomish connected to Scenic? It really never ends. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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