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Palouse to Cascades Trail (previously the Iron Horse/John Wayne Pioneer Trail)

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Historic Milwaukee Road steam engine on Rosalia trestle, eastern Washington

The Palouse to Cascades Trail (previously the Iron Horse/John Wayne Pioneer Trail) is a 285 mile rail trail spanning the state of Washington, from the western slopes of the Cascade Mountains to the Idaho border. Source:

https://www.friendsofjohnwaynepioneertrail.org/⁠

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Thirty years ago, horse and wagon rider and John Wayne fan

Chic Hollenbeck lobbied Washington state to acquire the land⁠

that used to be the Milwaukee Railroad route crossing the majority of the state and convert it into a trail for non-motorized use. Eventually, Hollenbeck founded the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders Association in the 1980s, which began organizing an annual cross-state ride of wagons and riders along the trail to reinforce the idea that the trail belongs to the public and combat nearby private property owners’ efforts to exert control over the land. Source:

https://www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/washington-may-rename-the-cross-state-john-wayne-pioneer-trail-heres-why/⁠

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The trail follows the corridor of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul & Pacific Railroad, also known as the Milwaukee Road. Workers completed the railroad's rugged western mainline that connected Chicago with Seattle and Tacoma in 1909. By 1980, the railroad had ceased operations on the right-of-way. Source:

https://www.traillink.com/trail/palouse-to-cascades-state-park-trail/⁠

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In April 2018, Washington State Parks proposed renaming the trail and Iron Horse State Park to resolve confusion.[4] The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission adopted a new name, the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail, in May. Source:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse_to_Cascades_State_Park_Trail⁠

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The Palouse to Cascades Trail follows the historic route of the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, also known as the Milwaukee Road. Founded in the midwest in 1947, the Milwaukee Road gradually expanded west, successfully conquering significant engineering challenges and extending to over 10,000 miles of line to reach western Washington. The Milwaukee Road corridor was the best engineered rail line serving the Pacific Northwest.

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South Cle Elum 1910

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Building the Milwaukee Road, hand hoisting rock,

1906

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Malden's boom days as the Columbian Headquarters of the Milwaukee Road, 1911. At one time, Malden had a depot, multiple hotels, saloons, stores, and a roundhouse. Today a post office is almost all that remains of Malden's services.

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The Milwaukee Road through the Washington Cascades

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In 1914 the railroad adopted electrification as an alternative to steam power for sections of the route. The system used a 3,000 volt DC line overhead. The first district was electrified in 1915 in Montana, and two years later, a separate district was electrified between Othello and Tacoma in Washington. Remnants of this historic period of electrification can still be seen along the Palouse to Cascades Trail.

Electric substation at South Cle Elum Electrification at Beverly station

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A Milwaukee Road train crossing the Cow Creek Trestle in eastern WA.

This trestle is now gone, creating one of the trail's gaps. (

See detours⁠

The company made the decison in 1973 to de-electrify the units that were electrified, and switch to diesel in an effort to save costs. However, just as the electrification infrastructure was scrapped, the 1973 oil crisis took effect. Strained by financial burdens and growing competition, the railroad went through several restructuring processes before final bankruptcy in 1977. For more history of the Milwaukee Road in Washington, see Cascade Rail Foundation.

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The restored Kittitas Depot is one of only two remaining depots on the Milwaukee Road in Washington

After the last train ran on the line in 1980, the state of Washington bought the former Milwaukee Road corridor for $3,000,000 via a quickclaim deed. Controversy soon sprang up over how to use the State's new property. Horseman and outdoor enthusiast Chic Hollenbeck envisioned its use as a trail, allowing people to walk, bicycle, ride a horse, or drive a team across the state. Hollebeck lobbied hard to make this a reality. The trail was first named the John Wayne Pioneer Trail for Hollenbeck's admiration for the cowboy actor. Hollenbeck was also the founder of the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders, a group organizing an annual ride across Washington on the trail since 1981.

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Members of the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders at the South Cle Elum Depot

West of the Columbia River, Washington State Parks has developed110 miles of the trail. (Originally named Iron Horse State Park, in May 2018, WA State Parks and Recreation Commission renamed the State Park owned sections Palouse to Cascade State Park Trail). East of the Columbia River the trail remained largely undeveloped.In the 2015, three legislators from the 9th District crafted a State budget proviso attempting to close 135 miles of the trail through eastern WA and give this property to adjacent land owners.This proviso was crafted behind closed doors, without pubic input or comment (See media coverage). Fortunately, an error in the wording of the proviso temporarily nullified it. However, when this was near loss of the eastern section of trail was discovered, trail supporters went to the Washington State Capitol to lobby legislators to "Save the Trail". Numerous public meetings were held to seek public input on the future of the trail. State Parks formed an Advisory Committee representing interested parties to work on trail planning. Trail supporters significantly outnumbered opponents.The Palouse to Cascades Trail Coalition (previously Friends of the John Wayne Pioneer Trail Organization) was formed in January 2016 as a direct result of the public's surge of interest and the effort to save the trail. Efforts are currently underway to improve sections of the trail in eastern WA as support for the trail continues to grow.The 2017 Washington State Legislative Session is critical to obtain needed funding for the trail. Learn more about the State Parks' requests in the 2017-2019 budget for PTCT projects.

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Palouse_to_Cascades_State_Park_Trail?wprov=sfti1⁠

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https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chicago,_Milwaukee,_St._Paul_and_Pacific_Railroad?wprov=sfti1⁠

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