Most of Oregon east of the Cascade Mountains is a raw and inhospitable
land, largely the product of recent volcanic activity. Railroad builders
constructed a couple mainlines skirting the edges of the region and some
branch lines into agricultural communities, but found very little else
to attract their interest. Over time, however, a small collection of
interesting shortline railroads built or bought rail lines, either in
conjunction with the developing timber industry in the Blue, Ochoco, and
Wallowa mountains or to connect a few existing communities with the
mainline that bypassed the town. This book tells the stories of these
small railroads and the roles they played in the development and
economies of the region; covered railroads includes the Big Creek &
Telocaset; City of Prineville; Condon, Kinzua & Southern; Idaho,
Northern & Pacific; Klamath Northern; Oregon & Northwestern; Oregon,
California & Eastern; Oregon Eastern Division of the Wyoming/Colorado;
Sumpter Valley; Union Railroad of Oregon; Wallowa Union; and others.