Weston is a

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by All ...

Washington State Washington (), officially the State of Washington, is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. Named for George Washington—the first U.S. president—the state was formed from the western part of the Washington ...

founded circa 1885. Located at the foot of the western 2.2 percent grade of the Northern Pacific Railway's climb up Stampede Pass to

Stampede Tunnel Stampede Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the northwest United States, through the Cascade Range in Washington. Southeast of Seattle and east of Tacoma, its importance to transportation lies almost entirely with railroading, as no paved r ...

, the town served as the western helper station on the pass, counterpart to

Easton, Washington Easton is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Kittitas County, Washington, United States. The population was 478 at the 2010 census. History Easton was platted in 1902. It was given its name by the Northern Pacific R ...

. Facilities included an engine house, telegraph station, water tank, turntable and some ancillary residences and eating houses. With the Cascade Range to the north and the Green River to the south, Weston was disadvantageously located for future expansion. In c. 1891, the Northern Pacific moved its western helper terminus approximately four miles to the west at a point it designated Lester, Washington. Weston was unique in that the Northern Pacific, crossing the Green River twice, also created a short cut-off line at Weston, creating a complete loop. (Further to the east, approaching the summit of Stampede Pass, the Northern Pacific's engineers alignment created what came to be known as the Borup Loop o named for the telegraph station located at the center of the loop—Borup, Washington this however was a misnomer, as the alignment is actually an elongated S-curve created by back-to-back horseshoes.) Weston lasted as a small telegraph station (one story, twenty by thirty feet) and water stop on the Northern Pacific until c. 1915, when double tracking of Stampede Pass between Lester and Easton (sans the summit tunnel area itself) and a large iconic trestle completely replaced the Weston Loop and Weston. The image accompanying this article looks down from the trestle which crosses the Green River and replaced the old loop arrangement.

Geography

The exact location of Weston, Washington is still unknown, however it was most likely along the

Green River Green River may refer to: Rivers Canada * Green River (British Columbia), a tributary of the Lillooet River *Green River, a tributary of the Saint John River, also known by its French name of Rivière Verte *Green River (Ontario), a tributary of ...

southeast of Lester, Washington and east of

Enumclaw, Washington Enumclaw ( ) is a city in King County, Washington, United States. The population was 12,543 at the 2020 census. The Enumclaw Plateau, on which the city resides, was formed by a volcanic mudflow (lahar) from Mount Rainier approximately 5,700 ye ...

. Old maps show it as being near the confluence of the Green River and Intake Creek. Somewhere near . There are many long overgrown man-made clearings and cultivated trees in this area, and evidence of the original rail line cut through the trees.

References

External links

N.P. Ry. Spelled in Reverse: E.G. Morgan and a Town called Nagrom
Article on the history of Nagrom, Washington and other areas around

Stampede Pass Stampede Pass (elevation ) is a mountain pass in the northwest United States, through the Cascade Range in Washington. Southeast of Seattle and east of Tacoma, its importance to transportation lies almost entirely with railroading, as no paved r ...

including Weston. {{King County, Washington Ghost towns in King County, Washington