Railroads in the Forest

Often when one thinks of the days of the old railroad, pictures come to mind of a depot with people arriving and departing, with shuffling of luggage and cargoes.  The logging railroad did not travel from coast to coast, nor city to city, it served a community, sawmill and their logging camps.  Their tracks were carved deep into the wilderness, traversing steep mountain grades, crossing canyons and rivers.  Many of the hiking trails and roads that we travel today, were once the railroad grades of the logging railroads.

In the year 1907 during President Theodore Roosevelt’s administration, National Forest Reserves were being cautiously opened up for timber harvest.  Only selected mature trees in limited quantities were made available for sale.  The first contract for timber harvest was made with the Hazel Mill Company in 1908 at the French Creek area.  The contract consisted of 320 acres estimated at 7,860,000 board feet of mixed hemlock, fir and cedar.  This is when a logging railroad needs to be constructed and by 1909 the length of track reached 8 miles into the woods, this railroad grade is now where you start your hike on the Boulder River Trail.  The logging railroad was not only built to move the logs to the sawmills and connect to the mainline, but also to move the equipment in, transport the working men back and fourth and bring in the cook house and bunk houses to establish a logging camp.  It was typical in these days that a logger might work a 10 to 12 hour day, 6 days a week with the occasional visit back to town to see their families and loved ones.

The Darrington-Arlington tracks were were completed in 1901, referred to as the mainline.  This is where the Whitehorse Trail is today.  Many logging railroads would later connect to the mainline.  Danahur Logging Company, later renamed, Sauk River Logging Co. came to the area in 1922 and proceeded to build the most modern state of the art mobile logging camp including 26 bunkhouses with hot and cold running water, kitchens, toilet facilities, a large cook-house, a blacksmith shop, etc.  All of the buildings were constructed on railroad flat cars and moved several times in the course of history.  They started near the confluence of the Sauk and White Chuck Rivers in 1923, then to the Falls Creek area in area in 1925, then to Dan’s Creek in 1929, Bedal in 1936 and then back to White Chuck in 1952.  Several of these buildings are still being in Darrington today as dwellings, businesses and even a church.  The White Chuck Bench Trail, Beaver Lake Trail and Boulder River Trail, all start out on old logging railroad grades.

By 1952 Sauk River Logging Co. accumulated 35 miles of track, by 1944 Sound Timber Co. laid 38 miles to the north of town and into the Suiattle River drainage.  Dannehar Logging Co. laid 18 miles of track north of town in the North Mountain area. When hiking the Darrington area or driving the Mountain Loop Highway, you will see the old grades, subtle reminders of railroads of bygone days.

The returning and departing locomotives whistles could be heard all over the valley connecting the community with their loved ones working in the woods.  You could hear the whistle blow as the men were returning home, and all stopped and listened as they counted the whistle blows.  Three sounds of the whistle meant a man was returning injured and seven long whistle blows meant someone’s loved life had been killed in the woods.  All lived with this fear and the town came together to help and support the family during these hard time.  Today the community still comes together when a member of the community passes away.  Usually they meet at the Darrington Community Center for a large potluck and time is spent sharing photos and memories.