Oregon Steamship Company

The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company (OR&N) was a rail and steamboat transport company that operated a rail network of running east from Portland, Oregon, United States, to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho. It operated from 1896 as a consolidation of several smaller railroads.

OR&N was initially operated as an independent carrier, but Union Pacific (UP) purchased a majority stake in the line in 1898. It became a subsidiary of UP titled the Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company in 1910. In 1936, Union Pacific formally absorbed the system, which became UP's gateway to the Pacific Northwest.

Predecessors

The OR&N was made up of several railroads:

* Columbia Southern Railway from Biggs to Shaniko, Oregon.
*Oregon ''Railway'' and Navigation Company traces its roots back as far as 1860. It was incorporated in 1879 in Portland, Oregon and operated between Portland and eastern Washington and Oregon until 1896, when it was reorganized into the Oregon ''Railroad'' and Navigation Company. The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company was the core of the OR&N. Its route eventually became the backbone of Union Pacific Railroad's mainline from Utah to the Pacific Northwest.
* Columbia and Palouse Railroad was incorporated in 1882 and built of track. The track ran from Connell, Washington, where it interchanged with the Northern Pacific Railway and ran east through Hooper, La Crosse, Winona and Colfax. At Colfax, one line ran northeast to Farmington, Washington, located on the Idaho state line. The other line ran southeast from Colfax to Moscow, Idaho. The railroad was a non-operating subsidiary of the OR&N in 1888 and was eventually sold to the OR&N in 1910.
*Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad was a wood-railed narrow-gauge railroad incorporated in 1868 at Walla Walla, Washington, and built of track from Wallula, Washington. The track went east from Wallula to Touchet, Frenchtown and Whitman. At Whitman, the line continued east to Walla Walla and a branch that was built in 1879 went south to Blue Mountain, Oregon via Barrett ( Milton). The first took 6 years to build. In 1881 the railroad came under the control of the OR&N, and the narrow-gauge was converted to standard gauge. In 1910, the Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad was consolidated into the OR&N.
* Mill Creek Flume and Manufacturing was incorporated in 1880 as a narrow gauge lumber carrier operating of track between Walla Walla and Dixie. In 1903 the Mill Creek Flume and Manufacturing Company was purchased by the OR&N and renamed the Mill Creek Railroad. The track was standardized in 1905. After the track was standardized, the OR&N sold the Mill Creek Railroad and it was merged into the Washington and Columbia River Railway which became part of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1907.
* Oregon Railway Extensions Company was incorporated in 1888 at Portland and built of track with two branches. One branch ran from La Grande, Oregon where it interchanged with the OR&N and then ran northeast to Elgin. The other branch ran from Winona, Washington, to Seltice via St. John, Sunset, Thornton and Oakesdale. The railroad was a non-operating subsidiary of the OR&N. In 1896 it was sold at foreclosure to the OR&N.
* Washington and Idaho Railroad was incorporated in 1886 and was also sold at foreclosure to the OR&N in 1896. The Washington and Idaho Railroad operated of track. The O.R.&.N. gained access to Burke, Idaho through the acquisition of the Washington and Idaho Railroad. Union Pacific continued to operate the Washington and Idaho to Burke until 1985 after the O.R.&.N. abandoned it in 1936–38.
*Idaho Northern Railroad was built as a subsidiary of the O.R.&.N. and was absorbed as a branch-line in 1910.

Development of the Oregon ''Railway'' and Navigation Company

The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company's purchase of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company in 1880 gave it a partial route on the south (Oregon) side of the Columbia River. The company then pursued expansion of its Columbia River route, surveying from where the Oregon Steam Navigation tracks ended at Celilo and continuing east to Wallula. By 1882 the route along the Columbia River was complete.

Starting in 1880, one of the competitors of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company was the Shaver Transportation Company.

Blue Mountain route

The company purchased right-of-way in 1882 from Alfred B. Meacham and John Harvey Meacham, along their Meacham Road through the Blue Mountains. The Meacham road, built in 1862, had a lower pass () than competing roads, and was a corduroy road, allowing it to hold up in poor weather conditions. The railroad was laid in 1884.

Shipping

Before 1879, the Oregon Steamship Company provided passenger service onboard coastal steamships from San Francisco, California, to Portland, Oregon, while the Oregon Steam Navigation Company operated multiple steamboats along the Columbia River. That year, the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company purchased the entirety of both companies, which helped to create a monopoly over transportation in Oregon. The large steamships '' City of Chester'', '' George W. Elder'' and ''Oregon'' were included in the purchase.

''Columbia''

In 1880, the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company accepted delivery of the steamship ''Columbia'' from John Roach & Sons in Chester, Pennsylvania. ''Columbia'' was innovative for her time as she featured a dynamo that powered electric light bulbs, instead of oil-based lanterns. ''Columbia'' mainly served on the San Francisco, California, to Portland, Oregon, run in her career. ''Columbia'' remained with the company after the Union Pacific takeover in 1898. The shipping faction of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company that operated ''Columbia'' was renamed the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company in 1904. ''Columbia'' was lost on July 20, 1907, following a collision with the schooner '' San Pedro''.Belyk, Robert C. Great Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast. New York: Wiley, 2001. Print.

''George W. Elder''

The ''George W. Elder'' was another steamship operated by the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. Originally an east coast steamer built by John Roach & Sons in Chester, Pennsylvania, the ''George W. Elder'' was purchased by the Oregon Steamship Company and sailed around Cape Horn to Oregon in 1876. The Oregon Steamship Company later sold the ''George W. Elder'' to the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. On May 31, 1899, the ''George W. Elder'' left Seattle, Washington, carrying 126 passengers and crew on a scientific expedition to Russia, visiting Alaska and British Columbia along the way. Later that year, the ''George W. Elder'' was used as a troopship in the Philippines by the U.S. Army. The ''George W. Elder'' Continued to operate with the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company until 1904, when it was transferred to the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company. In 1905, the ''George W. Elder'' struck a rock in the Columbia River and sank into of water. The ship was subsequently raised and acquired by the North Pacific Steamship Company. In 1907, the ''George W. Elder'' helped rescue the survivors of the ''Columbia''. The ultimate fate of the ''George W. Elder'' following its retirement in 1935 remains uncertain.

Other ships

The 1899 Annual Report of Directors for the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company lists 26 or 27 other ships besides the ''Columbia'' and ''George W. Elder'' between June 30, 1898, and June 30, 1899. The fleet listing from June 30, 1898, to June 30, 1899, goes as follows
:

Steamships
*''Columbia''
*''State of California''
*'' City of Chester''
*''Oregon''
*'' George W. Elder''
*''Victorian'' - Reported to have been sold between 1898 and 1899.
*'' Olympian''

River Steamers
*'' T.J. Potter''
*
*''Harvest Queen''
*''D.S. Baker''
*''Sehome''
*''Almota''
*''Emma Hayward''
* (Original) - Removed from service between 1898 and 1899. Reasoning given says ''Hassalo'' was "worn out".
*''Modoc''
*''Oklahoma''
*''Elmore''
*
*''Gypsy''
*''Lewiston''
*''Spokane'' - Constructed between 1898 and 1899.
*''Hassalo'' (Later) - Constructed between 1898 and 1899.

Tug boats
*''Escort''
*''Wallowa'' - Constructed in 1889 and still exists today.

Barges
*''Columbia's Chief''
*''Atlas''
*''Wyatchie''
*''Autocrat''
*''Siwash''

Predecessors of the Oregon ''Railway'' and Navigation Company

*Oregon Steam Navigation Company was incorporated in 1862 in Portland. It operated steamships between San Francisco and ports along the Columbia River at Astoria, Portland, and The Dalles, serving the lumber and salmon fishing industries. The company built the railroad to serve the steamship operation. The Oregon Steam Navigation Company was sold to Oregon Railway and Navigation in 1880.
*Oregon Steam Navigation Company (of Washington) was incorporated in 1860 to operate via land along a portion of the Columbia River that was unnavigable by steamship because of the rapids. The railroad operated from The Dalles to Celilo Falls.
*Oregon Portage Railroad operated of track between Bonneville (on the Columbia River) and Cascade ( Cascade Locks, Oregon) from 1858 to 1863. The railroad hauled primarily military and immigrant traffic. In 1862 the railroad was sold to the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company for $155,000.
* Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company ran a narrow gauge rail line on the Long Beach Peninsula from Ilwaco in the south, to Nahcotta in the north, with steamboat connections at both ends. In 1900, the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company bought a controlling interest in the company.

See also

* Albina Yard
* Colgate Hoyt
* Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company 197
* Idaho Northern - Absorbed into OR&N in 1910.
* Henry W. Corbett

References

*

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oregon Railroad Navigation Company

Former Class I railroads in the United States
Predecessors of the Union Pacific Railroad
Steamboats of the Columbia River
Defunct Idaho railroads
Defunct Oregon railroads
Defunct Washington (state) railroads
Defunct transportation companies of the United States
History of transportation in Oregon
Columbia River
Railway companies established in 1896
Railway companies disestablished in 1910
1896 establishments in Oregon
1910 disestablishments in Oregon
Defunct companies based in Oregon
1898 mergers and acquisitions
Transportation companies based in Oregon