Sunday, April 11, 2010

A Railroad Ran Through It


One of the first 'roads' in the lower Beaver Creek marsh was a railroad.  This map adapted from 'Steam Towards The Sunset' by Lloyd Palmer (1982) shows the route from South Beach towards Alsea Bay for Spruce Line No. 12, also known as the Alsea Southern R.R., built by the US Army.  The railroad construction began in April, 1918 and was completed to Alsea Bay in November, 1918.  The railroad was closed in 1936.  The circled area with arrow shows where the rail bed went through the Beaver Creek marsh, crossed Beaver Creek, and continued south to Alsea Bay and Yachats.

The small trees in the foreground of this photo of Beaver Creek marsh looking northeast grew up in the line of the trestle that passed over the marsh.

 
Photo looking northwest in Beaver Creek marsh to show the small trees in the marsh that grew up in the line of the trestle.

 
Further east, the rail bed ran east-west along the base of this hill and marsh, behind the dead trees in the photo.

Looking east, photo shows an edge and top of the rail bed running along the hill, next to the marsh.  No railroad ties, rail, or other hardware are evident along this rail bed.  Fifteen years ago there was an old electrical insulator up in a big cedar tree, which probably carried a telegraph line for the railroad.  The cedar has since died and fallen into the marsh.

Looking west, photo shows an edge and top of the rail bed running along the hill.

Near where the modern North and South Beaver Creek Roads join, the rail bed became a trestle and turned from running east-west to running north-south.  Photo courtesy of Florence Hallowell.

Same view as previous photo of trestle, looking south along South Beaver Creek Road, towards Beaver Creek bridge in 2010.


Photo looking north from the point of crossing Beaver Creek, shows trestle running north-south and a resident using the trestle as a path through the marsh.  Photo courtesy of Florence Hallowell.

Same view as previous photo of trestle crossing Beaver Creek, with South Beaver Creek Road and bridge in 2010.

Posted by michael

No comments: