View source for Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company

{{Short description|Railway company}}
{{Infobox company
| name = Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company
| logo = 
| image = OR&N 197 inside the ORHC, January 2013.jpg
| image_size = 
| image_caption = [[OR&N 197]] at Oregon Rail Heritage Center
| type = Subsidiary of the [[Union Pacific Railroad]]
| foundation = {{start date|1879}} (Origins trace back to {{start date|1860}})
| defunct = {{End date|1910}} (O.R. & N)<br />{{End date|1936}} (O.W.R. & N)
| location = United States
| key_people = [[Henry Villard]]
| area_served = United States
| industry = [[Railroad]] and [[Shipping]]
| products = 
| revenue = 
| operating_income = 
| net_income = 
| num_employees = 
| successor = Oregon-Washington Railroad and Navigation Company<br />[[Union Pacific Railroad]]
| parent = [[Union Pacific Railroad Company]]
| subsid = 
| homepage = 
| footnotes = 
}}

[[File:Shasta Limited circa late 1900s.JPG|thumb|Southern Pacific's ''[[Shasta Daylight|Shasta Limited]]'' on the OWR & N.|263x263px]]
The '''Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company''' (OR&N) was a [[Rail transport company|rail]] and [[Steamboats of the Columbia River|steamboat]] transport company that operated a [[rail network]] of {{convert|1143|mi|km}} running east from [[Portland, Oregon|Portland]], [[Oregon]], [[United States]], to northeastern Oregon, northeastern [[Washington (state)|Washington]], and northern [[Idaho]]. It operated from 1896 as a consolidation of several smaller railroads.

OR&N was initially operated as an independent carrier, but [[Union Pacific]] (UP) purchased a majority stake in the line in 1898.<ref name="rr" /> It became a [[subsidiary]] of UP titled the '''Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company''' in 1910.<ref name="rr" /><ref>{{Cite book |last=Oregon. Public Service Commission |first=Oregon Railroad Commission |url=http://archive.org/details/annualreportvol04commgoog |title=Annual report, Volumes 5-6 |others=Harvard University}}</ref> In 1936, Union Pacific formally absorbed the system, which became UP's gateway to the [[Pacific Northwest]].

==Predecessors==
The OR&N was made up of several railroads:

*[[Columbia Southern Railway]] from Biggs to Shaniko, Oregon.
*Oregon ''Railway'' and Navigation Company traces its roots back as far as 1860. It was incorporated in 1879 in Portland, Oregon and operated between Portland and eastern Washington and Oregon until 1896, when it was reorganized into the Oregon ''Railroad'' and Navigation Company. The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company was the core {{convert|643|mi|km}}of the OR&N. Its route eventually became the backbone of Union Pacific Railroad's mainline from Utah to the Pacific Northwest.
*[[Columbia and Palouse Railroad]] was incorporated in 1882 and built {{convert|145|mi|km}} of track.  The track ran from [[Connell, Washington]], where it interchanged with the [[Northern Pacific Railway]] and ran east through [[Hooper, Washington|Hooper]], [[La Crosse, Washington|La Crosse]], [[Winona, Washington|Winona]] and [[Colfax, Washington|Colfax]].  At Colfax, one line ran northeast to [[Farmington, Washington]], located on the Idaho state line.  The other line ran southeast from Colfax to [[Moscow, Idaho]].  The railroad was a [[non-operating subsidiary]] of the OR&N in 1888 and was eventually sold to the OR&N in 1910.
*[[Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad]] was a wood-railed<ref name="rr" /> [[narrow-gauge railroad]] incorporated in 1868 at [[Walla Walla, Washington]], and built {{convert|46|mi|km}} of track from [[Wallula, Washington]]. The track went east from Wallula to Touchet, Frenchtown and Whitman. At Whitman, the line continued east to Walla Walla and a branch that was built in 1879 went south to [[Blue Mountain, Oregon]] via Barrett ([[Milton, Oregon|Milton]]). The first {{convert|33|mi|km}} took 6 years to build.<ref name="rr" /> In 1881 the railroad came under the control of the OR&N, and the narrow-gauge was converted to standard gauge. In 1910, the Walla Walla and Columbia River Railroad was consolidated into the OR&N.
*[[Mill Creek Flume and Manufacturing]] was incorporated in 1880 as a narrow gauge [[Timber|lumber]] carrier operating {{convert|13|mi|km}} of track between Walla Walla and [[Dixie, Washington|Dixie]]. In 1903 the Mill Creek Flume and Manufacturing Company was purchased by the OR&N and renamed the [[Mill Creek Railroad]]. The track was standardized in 1905.  After the track was standardized, the OR&N sold the Mill Creek Railroad and it was merged into the [[Washington and Columbia River Railway]] which became part of the Northern Pacific Railway in 1907.
*[[Oregon Railway Extensions Company]] was incorporated in 1888 at Portland and built {{convert|69|mi|km}} of track with two branches. One branch ran from [[La Grande, Oregon]] where it interchanged with the OR&N and then ran northeast to [[Elgin, Oregon|Elgin]]. The other branch ran from Winona, Washington, to Seltice via [[St. John, Washington|St. John]], Sunset, [[Thornton, Washington|Thornton]] and [[Oakesdale, Washington|Oakesdale]]. The railroad was a non-operating subsidiary of the OR&N. In 1896 it was sold at [[foreclosure]] to the OR&N.
*[[Washington and Idaho Railroad]] was incorporated in 1886 and was also sold at foreclosure to the OR&N in 1896. The [[Washington and Idaho Railway|Washington and Idaho Railroad]] operated {{convert|154|mi|km}} of track. The O.R.&.N. gained access to Burke, Idaho through the acquisition of the [[Washington and Idaho Railway|Washington and Idaho Railroad]].<ref name="american-rails.com">{{Cite web |title=Idaho Railroads: Map, History, Abandoned Lines |url=https://www.american-rails.com/id.html |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=American-Rails.com |archive-date=2022-10-04 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004154307/https://www.american-rails.com/id.html |url-status=live }}</ref>  [[Union Pacific Railroad|Union Pacific]] continued to operate the [[Washington and Idaho Railway|Washington and Idaho]] to [[Burke, Idaho|Burke]] until 1985 after the O.R.&.N. abandoned it in 1936–38.<ref name="american-rails.com"/>
*[[Idaho Northern Railroad]] was built as a subsidiary of the O.R.&.N. and was absorbed as a branch-line in 1910.

==Development of the Oregon ''Railway'' and Navigation Company==
[[File:Oregon Railway and Navigation Co 1887.jpg|thumb|Advertisement in 1887|268x268px]]
[[File:Burkemain.jpg|thumb|The ghost town of [[Burke, Idaho]] was situated in such a narrow canyon that the O.R.&.N. and [[Northern Pacific Railway|Northern Pacific]] operated on main street. (1914) The Tiger Hotel was built over the tracks due to space constraints.<ref>{{Cite web |title=CONTENTdm |url=https://digital.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/collection/bar-stock/id/1919/rec/2 |access-date=2022-08-07 |website=digital.lib.uidaho.edu |archive-date=2022-08-07 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220807121756/https://digital.lib.uidaho.edu/digital/collection/bar-stock/id/1919/rec/2 |url-status=live }}</ref> |left|274x274px]]
The Oregon Railway and Navigation Company's purchase of the Oregon Steam Navigation Company in 1880 gave it a partial route on the south (Oregon) side of the Columbia River.  The company then pursued expansion of its Columbia River route, surveying from where the Oregon Steam Navigation tracks ended at Celilo and continuing east to [[Wallula, Washington|Wallula]]. By 1882 the route along the Columbia River was complete.

Starting in 1880, one of the competitors of the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company was the [[Shaver Transportation Company]].

===Blue Mountain route===
The company purchased right-of-way in 1882 from [[Alfred B. Meacham]] and [[John Harvey Meacham]], along their [[Meacham Road]] through the [[Blue Mountains (Oregon)|Blue Mountains]].<ref name="rr">{{cite book|last=Deumling|first=Dietrich|title=The roles of the railroad in the development of the Grande Ronde Valley (masters thesis)|publisher=[[Northern Arizona University]]|location=[[Flagstaff, Arizona]]|date=May 1972|oclc=4383986}}</ref> The Meacham road, built in 1862, had a lower pass ({{convert|4185|ft}}) than competing roads, and was a [[corduroy road]], allowing it to hold up in poor weather conditions.<ref name="rr" /> The railroad was laid in 1884.<ref name="rr" />

==Shipping==
Before 1879, the '''Oregon Steamship Company''' provided passenger service onboard coastal steamships from [[San Francisco, California]], to [[Portland, Oregon]], while the [[Oregon Steam Navigation Company]] operated multiple steamboats along the [[Columbia River]]. That year, the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company purchased the entirety of both companies, which helped to create a monopoly over transportation in Oregon. The large steamships ''[[SS City of Chester|City of Chester]]'', ''[[SS George W. Elder|George W. Elder]]'' and ''[[SS Oregon (1878)|Oregon]]'' were included in the purchase.<ref name="RailwayWorld">{{cite web | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=ZIJRAAAAYAAJ&q=Oregon+Steamship+Company+1879&pg=PA734 | title=The Railway World, Volume 5 | publisher=United States Railroad and Mining Register Company | work=Reprinted | year=1879 | access-date=13 September 2013 | pages=734}}</ref>

===''Columbia''===
{{Main|SS Columbia (1880)}}

[[File:SS Columbia Undated Photograph.png|thumb|The innovative and ill-fated ''[[SS Columbia (1880)|Columbia]]''.]]
In 1880, the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company accepted delivery of the steamship ''Columbia'' from [[John Roach & Sons]] in [[Chester, Pennsylvania]]. ''Columbia'' was innovative for her time as she featured a dynamo that powered electric light bulbs, instead of oil-based lanterns. ''Columbia'' mainly served on the [[San Francisco, California]], to [[Portland, Oregon]], run in her career. ''Columbia'' remained with the company after the Union Pacific takeover in 1898. The shipping faction of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company that operated ''Columbia'' was renamed the '''San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company''' in 1904. ''Columbia'' was lost on July 20, 1907, following a collision with the [[schooner]] ''[[San Pedro (steam schooner)|San Pedro]]''.<ref name=Belyk>Belyk, Robert C. Great Shipwrecks of the Pacific Coast. New York: Wiley, 2001. Print.{{ISBN|0-471-38420-8}}</ref>

===''George W. Elder''===
{{Main|SS George W. Elder}}
[[File:George W Elder (steamship) at Sitka.gif|thumb|left|An undated photograph of the ''George W. Elder'' in [[Sitka, Alaska]].|204x204px]]
The ''George W. Elder'' was another steamship operated by the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company. Originally an east coast steamer built by [[John Roach & Sons]] in [[Chester, Pennsylvania]], the ''George W. Elder'' was purchased by the [[Oregon Steamship Company]] and sailed around [[Cape Horn]] to Oregon in 1876. The Oregon Steamship Company later sold the ''George W. Elder'' to the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company.<ref name="Magellan">{{cite web | url=http://www.cimorelli.com/cgi-bin/magellanscripts/ship_dates_volume.asp?ShipName=George+W.+Elder+(steamer) | title=George W. Elder (steamer) - Magellan - The Ships Navigator | publisher=Magellan - The Ships Navigator | access-date=23 July 2013 | archive-date=2 April 2015 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402094330/http://www.cimorelli.com/cgi-bin/magellanscripts/ship_dates_volume.asp?ShipName=George+W.+Elder+(steamer) | url-status=live }}</ref> On May 31, 1899, the ''George W. Elder'' left [[Seattle|Seattle, Washington]], carrying 126 passengers and crew on a {{convert|9000|mi|km|adj=on}} scientific expedition to [[Russia]], visiting [[Alaska]] and [[British Columbia]] along the way. Later that year, the ''George W. Elder'' was used as a troopship in the [[Philippines]] by the [[United States Army|U.S. Army]]. The ''George W. Elder'' Continued to operate with the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company until 1904, when it was transferred to the San Francisco and Portland Steamship Company. In 1905, the ''George W. Elder'' struck a rock in the [[Columbia River]] and sank into {{convert|16|ft|m|0}} of water. The ship was subsequently raised and acquired by the North Pacific Steamship Company. In 1907, the ''George W. Elder'' helped rescue the survivors of the ''Columbia''. The ultimate fate of the ''George W. Elder'' following its retirement in 1935 remains uncertain.<ref name="Grover">{{cite web | url=http://www.blnz.com/news/2008/05/13/GEORGE_ELDER_DEFIED_SKEPTICS_1025.html | title=The George W. Elder Defied the Skeptics | publisher=Bay Ledger News Zone | date=31 March 2008 | access-date=23 July 2013 | author=Grover, David H. | archive-date=29 September 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130929081239/http://www.blnz.com/news/2008/05/13/GEORGE_ELDER_DEFIED_SKEPTICS_1025.html | url-status=live }}</ref>

===Other ships===

[[File:OR&N House Flag.svg|thumb|220x220px|The house flag of the O.R. & N's shipping division.]]
[[File:Hassalo (sternwheeler 1899) advertising poster.jpg|thumb|1899 advertisement for the steamboat ''Hassalo''.]]
The 1899 Annual Report of Directors for the Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company lists 26 or 27 other ships besides the ''Columbia'' and ''George W. Elder'' between June 30, 1898, and June 30, 1899. The fleet listing from June 30, 1898, to June 30, 1899, goes as follows<ref name="OR&N">{{cite book | url=https://books.google.com/books?id=IlIKAAAAIAAJ&q=Oregon+Railroad+and+Navigation+Company+Ship&pg=PA6 | title=Annual Report of the Board of Directors of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company, to the Stockholders, Volume 3 | publisher=Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company | year=1899 | pages=24}}</ref>
:

'''Steamships'''
*''Columbia''
*''[[SS California (1848)|State of California]]''
*''[[SS City of Chester|City of Chester]]''
*''[[SS Oregon (1878)|Oregon]]''
*''[[SS George W. Elder|George W. Elder]]''
*''Victorian'' - Reported to have been sold between 1898 and 1899.
*''[[Olympian (sidewheeler)|Olympian]]''

'''River Steamers'''
*''[[T.J. Potter]]''
*{{ship||R.R. Thompson|sternwheeler|2}}
*''Harvest Queen''
*''D.S. Baker''
*''Sehome''
*''Almota''
*''Emma Hayward''
*{{ship||Hassalo|sternwheeler 1880|2}} (Original) - Removed from service between 1898 and 1899. Reasoning given says ''Hassalo'' was "worn out".
*''Modoc''
*''Oklahoma''
*''Elmore''
*{{ship||Ruth|sternwheeler 1895|2}}
*''Gypsy''
*''Lewiston''
*''Spokane'' - Constructed between 1898 and 1899.
*''Hassalo'' (Later) - Constructed between 1898 and 1899.

'''Tug boats'''
*''Escort''
*''[[Arthur Foss|Wallowa]]'' - Constructed in 1889 and still exists today.

'''Barges'''
*''Columbia's Chief''
*''Atlas''
*''Wyatchie''
*''Autocrat''
*''Siwash''

==Predecessors of the Oregon ''Railway'' and Navigation Company==
[[File:South Bay Historical Railroad Society 1359 05.JPG|thumb|OWR&N car #84 being restored to its 1922 appearance in 2012 at the [[South Bay Historical Railroad Society]] in California.]]
*[[Oregon Steam Navigation Company]] was incorporated in 1862 in Portland.  It operated steamships between [[San Francisco, California|San Francisco]] and ports along the [[Columbia River]] at [[Astoria, Oregon|Astoria]], Portland, and [[The Dalles, Oregon|The Dalles]], serving the [[timber|lumber]] and [[salmon]] fishing industries. The company built the railroad{{Clarify|date=January 2009|reason=what railroad?}} to serve the [[steamship]] operation. The Oregon Steam Navigation Company was sold to Oregon Railway and Navigation in 1880.
*Oregon Steam Navigation Company (of Washington) was incorporated in 1860 to operate via land along a portion of the [[Columbia River]] that was unnavigable by steamship because of the [[rapids]].  The railroad operated from The Dalles to [[Celilo Falls]].{{Clarify|date=January 2009|reason=was it sold to Oregon Railway & Navigation? or what? and when?}} 
*[[Oregon Portage Railroad]] operated {{convert|4.5|mi|km}} of track between Bonneville (on the Columbia River) and Cascade ([[Cascade Locks, Oregon]]) from 1858 to 1863.  The railroad hauled primarily military and immigrant traffic.  In 1862 the railroad was sold to the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company for $155,000.  
*[[Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company]] ran a narrow gauge rail line on the [[Long Beach Peninsula]] from [[Ilwaco]] in the south, to [[Nahcotta, WA|Nahcotta]] in the north, with steamboat connections at both ends. In 1900, the Oregon Railway and Navigation Company bought a controlling interest in the company.

==See also==
{{Portal|Railways}}
* [[Albina Yard]]
* [[Colgate Hoyt]]
* [[Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company 197]]
* [[Idaho Northern Railroad|Idaho Northern]] - Absorbed into OR&N in 1910.
* [[Henry W. Corbett]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}
*{{cite book | author=Robertson, Donald B.| title=Encyclopedia of Western Railroad History - Volume III - Oregon & Washington| location=Caldwell, ID | publisher=The Caxton Printers | year=1995| isbn=0-87004-366-8}}
==External links==
{{commons}}

{{OR&N Co Steamships}}
{{Former Class I}}
{{Puget Sound steamboat lines}}
{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Oregon Railroad Navigation Company}}
[[Category:Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company| ]]
[[Category:Former Class I railroads in the United States]]
[[Category:Predecessors of the Union Pacific Railroad]]
[[Category:Steamboats of the Columbia River]]
[[Category:Defunct Idaho railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Oregon railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct Washington (state) railroads]]
[[Category:Defunct transportation companies of the United States]]
[[Category:History of transportation in Oregon]]
[[Category:Columbia River]]
[[Category:Railway companies established in 1896]]
[[Category:Railway companies disestablished in 1910]]
[[Category:1896 establishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:1910 disestablishments in Oregon]]
[[Category:Defunct companies based in Oregon]]
[[Category:1898 mergers and acquisitions]]
[[Category:Transportation companies based in Oregon]]