Robe railroad trail By Heather Kimbrough NSW intern GRANITE FALLS Tucked away in Robe Canyon, near Granite Falls, lies a meandering trail of history called the Robe Canyon Historical Park. Along the rushing green and blue waters of the i StilIaguamish River, old tunnels and an abandoned railroad remain l clues of what used to be the Everett and Monte Cristo mining enterprise i The trail begins off the Mountain Loop Highway at a brick monu- ment and continues as a soft dirt path that eventually overlooks a vast valley teaming with trees, flowers and chirping birds. The trail leads along the river and has six tunnels, but only a few are still explorable. “I‘ve been hiking the trail for 10 years and exploring portions of the old railroad," Steve Dean from Stanwood said. Dean, a member of the Stillaguamish Citizens Alliance, was a dri- ving force in his efforts to have the trail bought for a park. He said he and the alliance, which works to conserve natural resources, became interested in the trail three years ago when the parks department’s first proposal to buy the land wasn’t accepted. Their efforts paid off when the county bought the land June 30, end» ing a struggle that dates back to 1970. Now it‘s a state park and plans for improvements are in the making. “My favorite thing is watching nature reclaim it after the devasta— tion that was brought on by the railroad." Nancy Dean said, as she walked along the old railway and pointed to a wooden railing. Dean has hiked the trail with her husband for {our years. The Everett and Monte»Cristo railway was built in 1892 to haul ore and gold from Monte Cristo to Everett. Before long it ran into hard times, said trail historian Dave Cameron of Index. Several floods and depressions damaged the railway physically and fmancially. In 1932. a big flood shut the railway down permanently. Then the rails were taken up and scrapped and the Mountain Loop Highway replaced much of the railroad. The recently-bought 170 acres for the new park are only part of a larger proposal to buy the remaining 5-miles of the valley to preserve the land. The parks department bought half of the 170 acres from Trillium and the other half from John Hancock with a $250,000 state grant and a matching amount from county funds. . Right now, a controversy surrounds a proposed Associated Sand and Gravel Quarry on John Hancock land. The trail is just upstream from the proposal. Some 30 people put on hiking shoes July 20 to work on the trail. Members of the Snohomish County Parks Department were among those present for the ribbon cutting. Boy Scouts from Troop 28 of Granite Falls and Troop 43 of Lake Stevens also helped. The troops helped build the trail in the 19705. The trail itselfis 2.2 miles long, one way, and is moderately difficult to hike, according to a map provided by the Verlot Ranger Station, which has information on this trail and others. Once you hike down to the river, the trail is mostly level, as all good railroad grades are. For Renee Parke of Arizona, it was easy to walk. Her mother-in»law, m... Dnrln: up Arum"... aim mom: a “mm... mm». magnum, Night Day Above, this historic photo shows a passen- ger train that has just passed through Tunnel No. and is heading into No. 4 on its way to Hartford Junction. Below, Nancy Dean has enjoyed the Robe Gorge Trail in all seasons for several years. Recently she helped improve the trail on its first official day as a state park. The Volunteers for Outdoor Washington are organiz- ing another work party on the trail Oct. 7—8. To olunteer call Steve Thursday, July 27, 1995 becomes state pk River made its mark on history By Steve Dean When gold was discovered at Monte Cristo in the upper Sauk River valley of the Cascades, investors began looking for a way to get the ore out. Everett was the final destination. where a smelter was built to process silver and gold ore from the mines. In 1892 eastern experts laid out a railroad shortcut along the Stillaguamish Canyon Locals manna "F a." “A anon. at Lake Stevens. The tourist traffic helped pay for the operation, and in 1921, the Ruckers opened the Big Four Inn near Silverton. The Depression of 1929 elimi- nated the market for logs and tourists. By 1933 the railway was officially abandoned. In I936 the rails were removed. shipped to Japan and melted down for steel. By the late I960s the recent past had become history, and Boy Scouts set out to explore the his- , Author: , Accession/Object ID: 2005.121, Object Name: Newspaper, Title: , Description: Article on trail opening, dated July 27,1995, OCR Text: Robe railroad trail By Heather Kimbrough NSW intern GRANITE FALLS Tucked away in Robe Canyon, near Granite Falls, lies a meandering trail of history called the Robe Canyon Historical Park. Along the rushing green and blue waters of the i StilIaguamish River, old tunnels and an abandoned railroad remain l clues of what used to be the Everett and Monte Cristo mining enterprise i The trail begins off the Mountain Loop Highway at a brick monu- ment and continues as a soft dirt path that eventually overlooks a vast valley teaming with trees, flowers and chirping birds. The trail leads along the river and has six tunnels, but only a few are still explorable. “I‘ve been hiking the trail for 10 years and exploring portions of the old railroad," Steve Dean from Stanwood said. Dean, a member of the Stillaguamish Citizens Alliance, was a dri- ving force in his efforts to have the trail bought for a park. He said he and the alliance, which works to conserve natural resources, became interested in the trail three years ago when the parks department’s first proposal to buy the land wasn’t accepted. Their efforts paid off when the county bought the land June 30, end» ing a struggle that dates back to 1970. Now it‘s a state park and plans for improvements are in the making. “My favorite thing is watching nature reclaim it after the devasta— tion that was brought on by the railroad." Nancy Dean said, as she walked along the old railway and pointed to a wooden railing. Dean has hiked the trail with her husband for {our years. The Everett and Monte»Cristo railway was built in 1892 to haul ore and gold from Monte Cristo to Everett. Before long it ran into hard times, said trail historian Dave Cameron of Index. Several floods and depressions damaged the railway physically and fmancially. In 1932. a big flood shut the railway down permanently. Then the rails were taken up and scrapped and the Mountain Loop Highway replaced much of the railroad. The recently-bought 170 acres for the new park are only part of a larger proposal to buy the remaining 5-miles of the valley to preserve the land. The parks department bought half of the 170 acres from Trillium and the other half from John Hancock with a $250,000 state grant and a matching amount from county funds. . Right now, a controversy surrounds a proposed Associated Sand and Gravel Quarry on John Hancock land. The trail is just upstream from the proposal. Some 30 people put on hiking shoes July 20 to work on the trail. Members of the Snohomish County Parks Department were among those present for the ribbon cutting. Boy Scouts from Troop 28 of Granite Falls and Troop 43 of Lake Stevens also helped. The troops helped build the trail in the 19705. The trail itselfis 2.2 miles long, one way, and is moderately difficult to hike, according to a map provided by the Verlot Ranger Station, which has information on this trail and others. Once you hike down to the river, the trail is mostly level, as all good railroad grades are. For Renee Parke of Arizona, it was easy to walk. Her mother-in»law, m... Dnrln: up Arum"... aim mom: a “mm... mm». magnum, Night Day Above, this historic photo shows a passen- ger train that has just passed through Tunnel No. and is heading into No. 4 on its way to Hartford Junction. Below, Nancy Dean has enjoyed the Robe Gorge Trail in all seasons for several years. Recently she helped improve the trail on its first official day as a state park. The Volunteers for Outdoor Washington are organiz- ing another work party on the trail Oct. 7—8. To olunteer call Steve Thursday, July 27, 1995 becomes state pk River made its mark on history By Steve Dean When gold was discovered at Monte Cristo in the upper Sauk River valley of the Cascades, investors began looking for a way to get the ore out. Everett was the final destination. where a smelter was built to process silver and gold ore from the mines. In 1892 eastern experts laid out a railroad shortcut along the Stillaguamish Canyon Locals manna "F a." “A anon. at Lake Stevens. The tourist traffic helped pay for the operation, and in 1921, the Ruckers opened the Big Four Inn near Silverton. The Depression of 1929 elimi- nated the market for logs and tourists. By 1933 the railway was officially abandoned. In I936 the rails were removed. shipped to Japan and melted down for steel. By the late I960s the recent past had become history, and Boy Scouts set out to explore the his- , Granite Falls Historical Society,Documents (articles, clippings, letters, papers),General Articles & Documents,General Articles,General Articles 05,Newspaper (2005.121),Newspaper (2005.121) 1, Newspaper (2005.121) 1