The Railroad on Stilts

Halfmoon Trestle above Highway 95

            What on earth is the Railroad on Stilts?  This is the nickname of the Camas Prairie Railroad, which ran through a number of towns on the Camas Prairie of Idaho.  Although the railroad is no longer used and has fallen into disrepair – in fact, the tracks have been pulled up in several stretches – it is still very visible throughout the Prairie.

            According to a 1938 edition of The Lewiston Morning Tribune, the railroad was built in 1908 in order to settle an argument between the Northern Pacific Railroad and the Union Pacific Railroad over which one should control the Camas Prairie.  The first train ran on December 7, 1938.

            The railroad was a major source of transportation in the area for both passengers and goods.  However, by the early 2000’s, the railroad was largely abandoned, and several sections of tracks were pulled up, as American-Rails.com reports.

One of several tunnels along the railroad

            Even so, many of the tracks remain, as do the several tunnels that the trains would pass through as they made their way from Grangeville to Lewiston or back again.  Most of these tunnels are short, but there is one that makes a full ninety-degree turn and is pitch-black in the middle. This one is located right above Highway 95 in the canyon between Winchester and Culdesac.

The steel viaduct in Lawyer's Canyon

            The most impressive part of this railroad, though, is what earned it the nickname of the Railroad on Stilts: its trestles.  As the railroad wends its way through canyons and the relatively flat portions of the Camas Prairie, it crosses numerous wooden trestles. There is even a steel viaduct in Lawyer’s Canyon that is 1520 feet long and 280 feet high at its highest point.

            The railroad is a great place to visit. It runs through Grangeville, Cottonwood, Ferdinand, Craigmont, Reubens, and Lapwai, connecting to Lewiston.  You can easily see trestles from several of these towns, especially Cottonwood, which has a large trestle within city limits.  There are also many trestles visible from Highway 95 between Winchester and Culdesac.

            If you’re up for an adventure, you can see even more of them hiking.  I should give you a word of caution, though.  Hiking always involves some risks, and there are even more on railroad tracks.

            The tracks themselves are unevenly spaced and can be difficult to walk on.  If you cross any trestles, be extra careful because it’s a long drop from the top of them.  Tunnels can be dark and have falling rocks.  Finally, you definitely want to check to make sure you’re not going on private property.  If you are, you must get permission from the owner.

            Even if you don’t actually want to go out and see the railroad up close and personal, there is a way to enjoy it straight from your living room.  The 1975 movie, Breakheart Pass starring Charles Bronson, was filmed on the railroad.  It’s a lot of fun to see the familiar background featured on screen!

North Central Idaho

 

Where is North Central Idaho?

Idaho is shaped so that the northern half of the state is much narrower from east to west than the southern half. Even so, this northern area – called the Panhandle – is still a big area. In fact, it contains ten counties. Because of this, the Panhandle is divided into North Idaho and North Central Idaho, with five counties in each region. At approximately 600,000 acres, North Central Idaho is still a pretty big section of the state.



A snag of a tree at the Whitebird Battlefield

What do you do in North Central Idaho?

A tunnel along the Camas Prairie Railroad

If you like the adventures in the great outdoors, this is the place for you! Whether you like hiking, horseback riding, rafting, fishing, biking, skiing or snowboarding, camping, and taking a scenic drive, North Central Idaho has it all.

There is both natural beauty and fascinating history to be experienced in this region. Mountains, rivers, and forests are never far away here. Along with parts of Oregon and Washington, it is home to Hells Canyon, the deepest canyon in North America. It also boasts of Dworshak Dam, the tallest straight axis gravity dam in the Western Hemisphere.




An abandoned barn near Nezperce, ID

Besides setting some impressive records, there is a great deal of history to be found in North Central Idaho. There are many Native American cultural sites throughout the region. The Lewis and Clark Trail goes right through the area. Old homesteads and one-room schoolhouses dot the countryside. Battlefields from the Nez Perce War remain.



There are plenty of things to see and do in the great outdoors of North Central Idaho! In the upcoming weeks, I'll be highlighting some of the different places to see.