Willamina and Grand Ronde Railroad Depot - Grand Ronde, Oregon
N 45° 03.599 W 123° 36.637
10T E 451924 N 4989795
The station was constructed by the Willamina and Grand Ronde Railway in 1922. Today it is owned by the Confederated Tribes of Grand Ronde.
Waymark Code: WM5V6R
Location: Oregon, United States
Date Posted: 02/14/2009
Published By:
PFF
Views: 3
The station is located in a historic district, as evidenced by a study performed by the Oregon Department of Transportation - (
visit link) and here is an excerpt from that document:
According to the Cultural Resources Report, the town of Grand Ronde began as “New Grand Ronde” in about 1908 when the first large groups of Indians were leaving the Reservation and establishing their own farms and ranches under the Dawes Act. In 1921, International Harvester laid out a town site. In 1922 the company built nine miles of track from Willamina to Grand Ronde, calling it the Willamina and Grand Ronde Railroad. The short railroad connected the area with the Southern Pacific railroad at Willamina. The railroad helped the timber industry to flourish and made it possible for lumber mills to grow and to dominate the economy of the area. Grand Ronde became the center of support services for mill workers and a train depot, store, hotel, movie theater, diner, gas station, bank, post office, church and a small residential area were built.
The Grand Ronde Depot was built in 1922 by International Harvester as part of New Grand Ronde. Although New Grand Ronde may have begun as early as 1908, when the first large groups of Indians were leaving the reservations, the majority of the historic development of New Grand Ronde stems from the construction of the Willamina and Grand Ronde Railroad. It began operation as a passenger line on January 1, 1922. The line was only nine miles long, running east from Grand Ronde and connecting to the Southern Pacific at Willamina. The rail line was used for passengers and eastbound freight from Grand Ronde to Willamina. The depot also served passengers traveling west to Grand Ronde who then could go by stage to Hebo or to other points on the coast via the Boyer Toll Road along the Salmon River. Passenger service did not prove particularly successful and ended at an unknown date, probably in the late 1920s. The Spaulding-Miami Lumber Company took over operation of the railroad line in 1924. It sold its holdings, including the railroad and the hotel, to Long Bell Lumber Company. Long Bell sold its holding to International Paper in the mid 1950s. By 1976 the Grand Ronde Depot served as the offices of the International Paper Company. The freight line continued operation as late as 1987 when it served a single mill. Today the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde own the building.