Page:The Tourist's Northwest by Wood, Ruth Kedzie.djvu/38

 from South Bend to Nahcotta, on the southwest coast of Washington.

The Spokane, Portland and Seattle Railway, owned by the Northern Pacific and Great Northern companies, and called, also, the North Bank Road, traverses southern Washington on the border of the Columbia River for 370 miles. Its rails do not touch Seattle, passengers being routed north from Vancouver, Wash., or Portland, by the Northern Pacific and Great Northern over the Oregon — Washington railroad's tracks.

The Great Northern serves the superior half of Washington almost exclusively. At Spokane an important road, 200 miles long, joins the Inland Empire to Nelson, British Columbia. A branch, which crosses and re-crosses the boundary, turns off at Marcus to Oroville. The last-named point is also reached from the trunk line, Spokane — Everett — Seattle (339 m.), by a road which bisects the upper portion of the State and taps the Lake Chelan region. The route of the Great Northern, Everett - Bellingham - Blaine (85 m.) follows the curve of the north Washington coast; proceeding across the boundary beyond Blaine, Vancouver, B. C., is reached 37 miles further on. The Great Northern main line is connected with the Canadian Pacific Railway in southern Alberta and British Columbia by branches which run north from Virden and Rexford (respectively east and west of Glacier National Park).

The Spokane International Railway joins Spokane to Kingsgate, B. C.

The transcontinental route of the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul forms the most direct link between the cities of Spokane and Seattle, which are nearly the full width of the State apart.