Page:Portland, Oregon, its History and Builders volume 1.djvu/421



«?

a network of branch line roads. The most notable of this work in western Oregon has been carried out by Mr. Richard Koehler, who held the reins as general manager of the Oregon & California road for thirty-two years. Under his management over four hundred miles of track were added to the railroad mileage in the Willamette valley and southern Oregon. And in addition to this the roads under his supervision were entirely rebuilt with nev/ steel rails, new bridges, expensive embankment fills, reduction of grades and straightening of track. In this work Mr. Koehler disbursed for his employers many millions of dollars, and in every way more than doubled the value of the property under his care, not only to its owners, but also to the farmers and business men along the line. Such a long term of service as this in one position of such power and responsibility shows with what fidelity Richard Koehler discharged his re- sponsible duties to his clients and the people. Taking hold of the property when it had been practically wrecked by Holladay, and when it paid nothing to its owners, he was compelled to discharge the onerous and thankless duties of watching every detail of operation, service, expenditure, construction and econ- omy in all departments for long years, and finally make the roads a self-sus- taining, profit earning, valuable property to its owners and to the country. The patience, trials and ability to accomplish this end has been but little un- derstood and recognized, although a work of as much value to the country as the more noticeable work of projecting new lines.

W^ORK OF GEORGE W. HUNT.

George W. Hunt's work in the railroad development of Oregon makes an important chapter in the history of the state. He also was one of the inde- pendent builders of railroads, never working under the patronage of any of the great systems. His work in Umatilla and Walla Walla counties made him a serious rival of the Northern Pacific in its progress to the seacoast; and so much of a competing element that the Northern Pacific and Oregon Railway & Navigation Company combined Lo force Hunt out of the railroad field.

He built the Corvallis & Eastern Railroad. He also built the Hunt sys- tem, which opened a great wheat country in eastern Washington and Oregon. This system extended from Wallula to Pendleton and from Wallula to Walla Walla, Dayton and Waitsburg, and is now a part of the Northern Pacific sys- tem. He also planned to build a road from Centralia to Grays Harbor, and it was in this venture that the large fortune he had amassed was broken. By this project he drew upon him the fire of his more powerful railroad rivals, who brought so much pressure to bear against the sale of his bonds and other steps he took in the effort to carry out the plan, that he was forced to retire from railroad activities.

He also planned to build the road down to the Columbia river, and it is over part of the line of survey made by him that the North Bank road now operates. After retiring from the railroad work, he devoted his time to farm- ing. In a measure he recouped his lost fortune and acquired large tracts of land near Umatilla, where he recently held 33,000 acres, which was sold to the Swift Packing House Company for a million dollars. Mr. Hunt passed away last year.

JAMES J. hill's work.

Mr. James J. Hill did not come into the Oregon railroad field until its rail- road development had been planned and fixed by those already here, or by the laws of nature. If Hill's roads over in the state of Washington could have hauled lumber to the eastern states for as low a freight rate as Harriman was hauling the same class of freight through the Columbia gateway, and paid as good dividends on his railroad shares, it is not probable that he would have crossed the Columbia with his magnificent bridge at Vancouver, or ventured