Beginning of a Trail - Klamath Falls, OR
N 42° 12.429 W 121° 45.054
10T E 603112 N 4673531
This historical placard is located at the OC&E Woods Line State Trail trailhead in Klamath Falls, OR.
Waymark Code: WMJPG4
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 12/13/2013
Views: 2
Located at the main trailhead to the
OC&E Woods Line State Trail, Oregon's longest linear park at 100 miles sits a bright yellow caboose as well as a historical placard at the trailhead that mentions the historic railway that ran through Klamath and reads:
THE OC&E LINE
"To know the Oregon, California & Eastern Railway, one must imagine conditions in Oregon in the early 1900's."
David F. Myrick, "Oregon, California & Eastern"
A century ago, the Klamath Basin held an inventory of nearly 35 billion board feet of timber. Between 1865 and 1900 small sawmills had cut some lumber for local use. Railroads were the key to a thriving forest products economy. The Southern Pacific line arrived in 1909 in Klamath Falls. In 1916, Robert E. Strahorn persuaded local investors to launch the Klamath Falls Municipal Railway to penetrate the pine forests for the eastern Klamath Basin. Strahorn bought out the line three years later and absorbed it into the OC&E. He announced plans to link the railroad north to Bend and east to Lakeview and Burns.
With fits, starts, and changes of ownership, the OC&E became a major log-hauling railroad. Although it never left Klamath County, its locomotives for eight decades hauled raw materials and finished products to mills and markets. By 1900, the railroad had been phased out. The line has been restored as the OC&E Woods Line State Trail, thanks to the national Rails to Trails project.
There is also a quote at the bottom of this placard that mentions directions for railmen operating in a caboose and reads:
ATTENTION RAILMEN
"While moving, trainmen must observe track from rear of caboose for indications of
derailment or fallen logs. Between sunset and sunrise two Dietz lanterns must be
placed on rear of caboose to assist in this inspection."
Oregon, California & Eastern "Special Instructions"
There is a parking area near this trailhead that can be accessed off Crosby Street to visitors to walk, bike or even ride a horse along the trail. No motorized vehicles are allowed on any part of this trail. The caboose can be visited up close but there is no access inside the caboose unless one happens to come across an OC&E volunteer passing by (the maintenance shop is just west of this trailhead).
Visit Instructions:
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