Ghosts of Wellington, Washington
As part of my summer road trip with Daddy, we stopped to explore one of Washington’s “ghost towns”: The former town of Wellington, Washington. No buildings remain in what was once a railway town, but there are a few interesting structures related to the former railway.
It is an interesting place with a lot of interesting and tragic history. Because of that, I’ve decided to break this post into two parts: The history of Wellington and our visit to the area. Many other websites share more detailed histories of the avalanche that made this town so infamous, so my historical telling will be relatively short with links to some of the “better” historical resources for those who want more detail.
You can skip to the end if you just want to see the photos. Just click here.
History of Wellington
Wellington, Washington (later, Tye) was founded in 1893 as a small railroad community along the now-defunct Great Northern Railway line. The town was never a booming metropolis and was never meant to be one. It only existed to serve the railroad resupplying coal and water ahead of the trip over the Cascade Mountains. And so, when a new (and improved) tunnel opened in 1929 a few miles away, the tracks were realigned leaving Wellington to abandonment and later destruction by fire.
But Wellington’s place in the history books isn’t simply that of a town that once was. Rather, it is the location of the deadliest avalanche in the United States of America. The events leading to the avalanche began on February 21, 1910, when snow began to fall at one foot per hour, leading to 20-30-foot high drifts. This caused a delay in two westbound trains (passenger train #25 and mail train #27) out of Spokane, that reached Wellington late on the 24th of February.
Once in Wellington, the trains were stranded for a few days as the tracks were not passable. The passengers remained on the train where they were warm and dry as the train idled waiting to progress across the mountain pass. And then, in the earlier hours of March 1st, an avalanche struck the trains sending them into a gulch more than 150 feet deep.
In the first 24 hours after the avalanche hit, rescuers pulled 23 survivors from the wreckage. It took more than four months to recover all of the 96 people killed in the tragedy, including 35 passengers, 58 Great Northern employees on the trains, and three railroad employees in the depot. A list of victims and survivors can be found here.
A month after the avalanche, the Great Northern Railway began constructing a snowshed to protect against future slides, protecting lives and keeping the lines passable. The first section of the snowshed was built in 1911 with an extension added in 1916 for a total length of 2,463 feet (nearly half a mile). The concrete structure covered two sets of rails and began at the approximate eastern end of the 1910 avalanche path. Much of the structure remains today, although the western end is starting to crumble and fall.
Shortly after the construction of the snowshed began, the town of Wellington was renamed Tye to eliminate any association with the avalanche tragedy. It continued to function as a railroad community with an operational depot until the new Cascade Tunnel opened in 1929. After that, the town and its infrastructure, including the snowshed and the old tunnel, were abandoned.
After decades of nature reclaiming the land and human neglect, Ruth Ittner and Volunteers for Outdoor Washington worked to rejuvenate the area as a scenic hiking trail and a place of historical preservation and remembrance. The Iron Goat Trail is now a 6-mile route along the old rail line, with trailheads at Martin Creek, Scenic, and Wellington.
Our Visit to Wellington
Our visit to Wellington began with a stop at the Iron Goat Trailhead rest area just east of Scenic. The primary reason for stopping was a “nearby” geocache that was “less than half a mile” as the crow flies at the Windy Point Viewpoint. Daddy opted to wait in the car for my quick jaunt, as we knew it would be a steep incline, and he wasn’t up for that. But my total clocked distance was 2.5 miles, and it took me 1 hour and 18 minutes to get the cache and get back to the car. Rather than a single steep climb or scramble up the hill, I was faced with steep and narrow switchbacks the whole way.
When I was about halfway up the “zigzags” (as they were shown on the map), I messaged Dad to say as much – clarifying the message was to provide an ETA, not as a cry for help. He “thumbed up” the message so I continued my climb. 30 minutes later, I saw a message from him asking “any joy” – but I wasn’t sure when he sent it as the timestamps go on when the tower sent it, not when the sender sent it. So, I replied: “10.36, heading down now” to let Dad know I was on my way and to confirm what time I sent the message.
The problem, of course, was that the spotty data coverage meant he didn’t get the message before I got back to the car – by which time he was starting to get ready for a search mission. We’ll need to come up with a better communication plan the next time I leave into the signal-less wilderness for a geocache!
After leaving the rest area, we travelled along the Old Cascade Highway a (very) short distance to check out the Cascade Tunnel West Portal. We had just missed a train heading into the tunnel, which was a little disappointing – but we still got to see the tunnel and Daddy managed to get some good photos.
Finally, we began to make the drive to Wellington. We couldn’t take the Old Cascade Highway beyond the West Portal because it was closed at some point before Wellington. Instead, we had to return to SR-2 towards Stevens Pass, turning north onto Tye Road (part of the old highway) before the ski area. Then we had to look carefully for the small sign directing us towards the ghost town. From there, it was a rough (but passable) road for about 2.5 miles with a well-hidden sign for the final turning to the Iron Goat Trail.
The site was better maintained than I expected (especially given the road and poor signage getting there) and included some benches, ample parking, and even some vault toilets. I suppose that the ease of access makes it one of those oddities that people like to explore – even more so with the number of people doing ghost hunting and such.
From the parking area, we had two options: Head left to see the old tunnel and the remains of a few foundation structures for the rail yard or head right to see the old snowshed. We opted to start with the snowshed and left the tunnel to the end.
The snowshed is roughly half a mile long and would have covered two sets of tracks. It is fairly easy to walk along and has a couple of small viewing areas and information signs – including a peaceful (but eerie, when you think about it) observation deck at the site of the avalanche. Signs along the path tell the story of the disaster including one that lists the names of the victims. There is also a great number of graffiti and street art along the snowshed, many of which can be seen in my July photo dump gallery.
The far west end of the structure is beginning to fall and crumble, so the path curves slightly to avoid the sections. I don’t know if there are plans to rebuild or otherwise preserve that section, but I imagine there will be further crumbling if nothing is done.
Once we walked through the snowshed (and back again) we made our way towards the old tunnel. Along the way were several foundations and other remains of old railroad facilities. This included the coal tower footings, the remains of the rotary house and motor shed, the foundations for the water tower, and the tunnel portal.
We didn’t spend a great deal of time exploring in the trees or on the other side of the rail line. Otherwise, we might have found even more foundations and artefacts from the town. We also didn’t go into the tunnel which has partially collapsed so is no longer passable. It is also prone to unexpected flooding, so a place best left for others to explore (although I don’t recommend it unless you have appropriate training and equipment).
I would like to return one day to do the full hike between the first Iron Goat Trailhead at Martin Creek and Wellington. Maybe with a metal detector* and/or my friend Jennifer and her ghost-hunting kit**. It would be nice to see more of the disused rail line and the various structures along the way. If I do make it back, I will update this post with any more details I learn – and photos, of course!
But for now, I’ll enjoy the memories of this visit, and I’ll look forward to other first-time adventures and experiences.
* This is an area of historical importance and should be preserved. So, whilst I might want to find some of the wonderful archaeological artefacts that are increasingly hidden as nature reclaims what is hers, I would not take these ideas away. I recommend you leave things in situ, too. (Photos are all you need.)
** I am not a ghost hunter, nor do I buy into the gadgets and gizmos that go along with the hobby. But I am curious, and I am open to new ideas. It’s a little easier to say that, given my faith and understanding of (and belief in) spirits, angels, and similar phenomena.