Rocks, Rails and Railroad Ties
When the railroad was being built, the forest
here was a busy place with trees being felled
to make ties, and rock being blasted for
ballast. In February, 1927 Forest Ranger
G.C. Blake reported:
"Yesterday I made a trip from Burns...to the end of the rails
in upper Silvies Valley. There I found 20 men with the work
train engaged in laying steel. Back of the train were 8 men
adjusting track, and 3 men were ahead of the track-laying
crew, placing ties. 2400 feet of track...seems to be very
close to an average for one day."
Not far from here, a major feat of engineering was
accomplished; the construction of a tunnel 475 feet
long.
Starting in May 1925, progress was swift. By late September,
270 feet had been excavated and timbered, and by November
the tunnel was complete. The Harney County News reported:
"...people who are authority on that class of work have
pronounced this tunnel one of the best pieces of construction
work in its line..."
Despite the first class workmanship, the untreated timbers
began to deteriorate after the railroad was abandoned. Finally
with safety in mind, the last standing timbers were dynamited
in 1999.
[Picture captions]
Laying the rails from Crane to Burnes, 1924.
From the middle fo the curved tunnel neither end could be seen.
