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WORK OF A RAILROAD.Development of the Crab Creek Valley a Rich and Onie Isolated Farming District.William Coggins, manager of the Milwaukee Packet company, which operates the steamer St. Paul on the Columbia river between Vulcan and the mouth of Crab Creek, is in the city on business. Mr. Coggins is in close touch with the construction work dune by the Chicago, Milwaukee St. Paul railway east of them mntains, and he prophesies ave'y prosperous future for the tot illy raw and undeveloped country through which the road is building. Crab Creek valley, with the country adjacent to it. was formerly a cattle range, Until the Milwaukee began to build, this region was almost unsettled on account of its remoteness, the nearest railroad being from twenty to sixty miles distant. With the cominglt; f the Milwaukee, settlers have Hocked into the country, and in the last fifteen months every homestead lias been settled upon and land is held at a fancy price.Speaking of the railroad building east of the mountains, Mr.(Voggins said last evening: “TheMilwaukee road has a force of 1. 500 men grading the main line from Lind through the Crab Creek ' valley via Rock Lake. The work 1 is being rushed with all possible speed. Kvery mail that can be hadis put to work, and the contractors expect to complete the section be-: tween Lind and the Columbia river some time this winter. i“The Columbia river narrows; and is shallow at the mouth of Crab creek, where the new road will cross. All but four of the sixteen piers of the J.5O0-foot railroad bridge have been completed. Until a short time ago 250 men were at work building the bridge. The four piers that remain tc be built are to be located in the river and work has been stopped until the high water recedes and allows building to continue. The bridge has 1,000-foot approaches at each end iind work is in progress on them at present. Steel construction will not begin till next winter. Then the railroad company will have laid its tracks from Lind to the bridge and can haul they structural steel to the site. At the IIpresent time it is almost impossible to get the heavy beams to the bridge.“I believe that somewhere inthe neighborhood of the Milwaukee bridge a large town will be built. The village now springing up there is situated on a flat, 2,000 acres of which can be wateredfrom Moses lake. The Hanford irrigation project is within twelve miles of the bridge and across the river 5,000 acres of Kittitas county land are soon to be put under water.excAoutsolnaistoreslies-tellthehottheantroiswlt;theillliaigncatThda\Mrs.ICe(plitsortin;ovelocfoilsatwit
Newspaper Details
Ellensburg Dawn
Ellensburg, Washington, US
Fri, May 24, 1907
Page 2
Full Page
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Anonymous
USA 11 Dec 2022
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