Northern Pacific Railway Passenger Depot - Ellensburg, Washington
Posted by: 
Volcanoguy
N 46° 59.648 W 120° 33.336
10T E 685853 N 5207412
The historic Northern Pacific Railway Passenger Depot in Ellensburg, Washington.
Waymark Code: WM85NZ
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 02/02/2010
Views: 7
The Northern Pacific Railway arrived in Ellensburg in 1886 and had a small wooden station on 4th St. On July 4, 1889 a devastating fire destroyed more than 200 Victorian-era frame buildings and 10 blocks of the business district. The town began rebuilding largely in brick and even though the original depot had survived the fire many people began asking the railroad for a new larger depot. Construction of a new depot finally began in 1909 and opened for use in October, 1910 at a cost of $52,000 for a 9800 square foot building. Following World War II, railroads began lobbying Congress to allow them to drop their money losing passenger service. Congress finally established Amtrak which began service on May 1, 1971. In October 1981, Amtrak abandoned passenger service through Ellensburg and the Depot closed. It was sold by the railroad into private ownership and on August 13, 1991 the Depot was placed on the National Register of Historic Places. After years of financial and legal problems ownership of the Depot passed to the City of Ellensburg and the non-profit Historic Ellensburg group is planning its restoration.
The above information comes from (
visit link)