The Oregon Pony
1862
Oregon State Archives: A 1940 Journey Across Oregon
A serious barrier to quantity freight transportation during the era when mining booms in Idaho and eastern Oregon made steamboat transportation on the Columbia a huge business, the Cascades were again mastered, this time at water level by a wooden railed portage tramway over which mule drawn cars, laden with merchandise, rattled from one waiting steamer to another. This proved so profitable a venture that steel rails replaced the wooden ones, and the Oregon Pony, first steel locomotive to operate in Oregon and now on exhibition at the Union Station grounds in Portland, was imported to draw the cars.
Oregon State Archives - A 1940 Journey Across Oregon http://arcweb.sos.state.or.us/pages/exhibits/across/thedalles.html
Today's historic photo of the day features The Oregon Pony, a small, early-type steam locomotive which made its debut run 153 years ago today on the morning of May 10, 1862. “The tracks of the Oregon Portage Railroad, the state’s first, ran between Tanner Creek and Cascade Locks in the Columbia River Gorge. Built by Vulcan Iron Works of San Francisco for the Oregon Steam Navigation Company... the Oregon Pony was used to portage steamboat passengers and goods past the Cascade Rapids (which were inundated when the Bonneville Dam was completed).
The Oregon Pony’s duties briefly shifted to a portage railroad around Celilo Falls, but in 1866 the locomotive was sold and shipped to San Francisco, where it was used to grade roads. In 1904 the locomotive was donated to the Oregon Historical Society, which displayed it at the 1905 Lewis and Clark Exposition and then later at the Albina Rail Yard. It was put on display at Union Station in the 1930s, and then returned to Cascade Locks in 1970. Restored by the Port of Cascade Locks in 1981, the Oregon Pony is now on permanent display in a weatherproofed enclosure at Cascade Locks Marine Park near the Cascade Locks Historical Museum." (1)
At the time this photo was taken the Oregon Pony was on display in the yard of the Union railroad station at Portland, recalling the part played by the Oregon Steamship Navigation Company in the development of Oregon. The sign on the side reads: "THE FIRST LOCOMOTIVE ON THE PACIFIC COAST...DONATED TO THE OREGON HISTORICAL SOCIETY IN TRUST FOR THE STATE OF OREGON...BY DAVID HEWS OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA."
Have any of you seen the Oregon Pony at its current location in Cascade Locks? It is definitely worth a stop if you are traveling through the Columbia River Gorge. This is a pretty awesome piece of Oregon history that we are fortunate to still have. We hope you all enjoy this bit of Oregon history and have a super fantastic weekend! Austin =)
(1)http://portland.daveknows.org/…/may-10-1862-the-oregon-pon…/
(OHD #6400-The Oregon Pony Early Steam Locomotive)
Roads, Rails and Riverboats Interpretive Sign, Bridal Veil State Scenic Viewpoint
Beginning in 1862, primitive portage railroads carried passengers and freight around the Columbia's falls and rapids to connect with steamboats.
"A great innovation was added in the area on April 20, 1863. The recently formed Oregon Steam Navigation Company completed a short but very significant section of railway that would greatly enhance shipping possibilities between the upper and lower Columbia River sections. Prior to this time, small water craft were used on the river above the rapids and steamers ran the lower part, but goods had to be hauled from one section of the river to the other via a short portage road around the rapids. The new railway made it possible to haul large quantities of goods around the rapids, which encouraged settlement above the rapids and export of grain products. The 'Oregon Pony' was the first steam locomotive built on the Pacific coast and also holds the honor of being the first train operated in Oregon Territory. It can be seen on display at the Cascade Locks Museum today."
Dohnal 61
Links
THE FIRST RAILROAD IN THE COLUMBIA RIVER BASIN:
http://www.gatheringthestories.org/2014/12/12/the-first-railroad-in-the-columbia-river-basin
dead memories portland Facebook Group: Oregon Pony Outside Union Station Postcard
https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=10207144703693117&set=gm.3201212276574238&type=3&theater