Name: Rails Across the High Desert: The Epic Race to Central OR
Start: 2025-01-17T10:00:00-08:00
End: 2025-01-17T23:30:00-08:00
Location: Downtown Bend Library | 601 Northwest Wall Street, Bend, OR, 97703

Rails Across the High Desert: The Epic Race to Central OR

Local historian Jim Carroll explores the complexities of early Central Oregon railroads.
During this presentation local historian Jim Carroll explores the complexities surrounding the construction of two railroads and the competition to reach Central Oregon. Central Oregon lacked railroad service until 1911, relying on horse-drawn wagons from Shaniko, Wasco County, situated 80 miles away. The region saw the final railway showdown between rival railroad magnates, James Hill and Edward Harriman. The two major Northwest railroads, the Great Northern and the Union Pacific, battled their way up both sides of the Deschutes River from the Columbia River, aiming to tap into Central Oregon’s bustling trade in timber, wool, livestock, and agricultural supplies. Completing the 100-mile stretch in under two years was a remarkable feat, perhaps impossible to replicate today.