Jeff, Thank You for a trip down memory lane. I can remember that as a young father I would take my young-uns to play on that locomotive before some idiots decide that the asbestos welded up tight in the boiler was to dangerous and fenced it. This area has a rich history with railroads running through it. I had the opportunity once to hear a member of the King family tell the tales of hitching rides into town on the many "Steam Donkeys" that used to run throughout our area. Are you a member of NOPR? Just curious.
When Mom would hear the whistle on a calm day, she would drive me to wave at the train crew in Carlsborg... I miss those days! No, I'm not a member. I never got into the model side of things (despite having a room dedicated to trains in my house).
Very heartwarming story! I was surprised not to see your usual investigative reporting into our local political situation. Nice change of pace! I totally agree that from a historical perspective that train is worth saving. Yet at the same time Rayonier walked away from this community leaving a deep stain on the land that still needs to be fixed. Shame on them.
Rayonier bankrolled our food, clothing on our backs, shelter, provided medical coverage and a Credit Union to help a growing region and families on the Olympic Peninsula and elswhere. Olympic Forest Products operated their mill at the former Rayonier site prior to Rayonier's mill that was was demolished in 1997. No mention has been made of OFP in the cleanup or responsible parties.
The locomotive, Rayonier No. 4, was a gift to the City of Port Angeles from Rayonier,Inc., and was left to decay into it's present state, while funds were allocated to a "promonade" along the waterfront, where No. 4 could have easily been factored into the design and displayed. There are many other examples that have overshadowed our heritage, such as Front & Oak, one block from the former Port Angeles Railroad Depot.
Rayonier did many good things for my hometown, long before my arrival in 1952, including sponsoring sports teams/events, and providing some of the largest scholarships ever presented to PAHS Graduates. They also opened their timberlands for hunting, fishing, and one of the local favorite campgrounds, Tumbling Rapids on the Sol Duc River, until it was taken over by transients and the "homeless", who caused it's closure. Rayonier operated a Marine Laboratory at Hoodsport along Hood Canal, that most people aren't even aware of, while slinging mud and accusations of wreckless endangerment at Rayonier, Inc. Rayonier , Inc. also operated a mill at Shelton, WA, where the old smoke stack was visible as one passed through town on Highway 101 years ago. Three generations of my family were employed by Rayonier, Inc.
Politics have played a major part in the cleanup and mitigation at the former Port Angeles mill site, including tribal activists and lobbyists. Whoever originally(subjective) inhabited the mouth of Ennis Creek is not present to dispute one former inhabitant's claims; how far back do we go to find the truth of the matter? At any rate, Rayonier No. 4, et al., have a big footprint in the development and growth of Port Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula, the least we can do is acknowledge the mechanics of how it all happened:;Forks has done a fine job, long ago.
Yes...when corporations 'need' us they will often treat people fairly well...for a time.
At the same time we are ignorant of the ongoing costs to our environment and our health...we have such short lifespans and we are busy having family and community and don't know any different...my Dad used to say 'Better living through modern chemistry.' and 'Dilution is the solution to pollution.' It now seems like those were platitudes given us by 'the powers that be' so we would just trust and go along, because things were ok at the time.
The term "Conspiracy Theory" was coined by the CIA in the 50's or 60's to disenfranchise anyone who questioned authority.
William Casey, CIA director in the Reagan years said, 'When everything the American people believe is a lie...we will have accomplished our mission.'
So it's pretty complex, the relationships between the people and the corporations/governments (which have steadily become one giant organism) in my lifetime...the term 'fascism' was coined to define the blending of corporate entities and government. I take the word literally...'fascia' (on the face of)...I take it to mean we are believing one thing while another is happening.
The human population has doubled in my lifetime and that changes a lot of things...way more of Us... and less 'need' for Us as technology changes.
I did some logging in the '70's and '80's and in many cases what took a crew (then)of 7 or 8 to accomplish, can now be done by 3 or 4.
Thanks for an uplifting and positive story about an historical piece of memorabilia and dedicated people working to restore and protect it. Amazing how some can't find good in anything, must be a very lonely and miserable life. "Don't Bring Me Down"
They would also hand out prizes at the Lincoln theatre matinee on Saturdays. Id take that old local business sector any day of the week over the global Walmart model that never ever really gives back to the community. Rayonier used to hold a labor day picnic out by the new Fairview school and give prizes away there too. They need to be recognized for that too.
Yes, John. Port Angeles once had a vibrant downtown, with high end clothing, several pharmacies, a Woolworth, Penny's, People's, and Reidel's Dept. stores, class restaurants like Hanguewood's Harrington's and even a Chinese restaurant, MARS; our neighbors won a new Honda 50 at a Lincoln Theater Give-away in the early 1960s. It was a rare treat to go "downtown."
Let's not forget the the largest, Port Angeles Salmon Derby, with hot dogs, and Darigold dixie cups at the Boathouse on Ediz Hook, for the "kids derby."
It was a wonderful town Eric. Rayonier and other local business used to pay to have a plane drop antennae balls with prizes on them at Erickson, the High School and Lincoln Park. Now its a global business sector at arms length. As long as its volunteers work I will support the Rayonier brand as thanks for all those antennae balls I got as a kid..
Yes John, I grew up in community that used to get together on Labor Day, mow a nearby field into a baseball diamond , picnic and enjoy life. Local businesses would donate little things. Too bad our senses have become so jaded we seem unable to take joy in life’s little pleasures.
We wont hear from them until later after they get back from the big protest in the middle of town. Whining about losing the hide and seek for a grand a week gig, where they delegate everything to the NGO and pay for what the NGO wants. They hate Jeff ,me, you Karen Denise Whipple et al.. "our group" we stand in the way. Now their Cavanaugh whirlwind is on Sequim Ave.
The Walmart Amazon global model actually pollutes more and does not give back to the local community and buys newspapers and launches rockets instead and moves to Florida to avoid paying a fair share let alone drop antennae balls to the kids.
I’m glad there is a restoration effort for #4. I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking how absolutely cool it was to have a monument to the old railroad that used to run behind the home we now live in.
I also am furious with Rayonier’s lack of action on the restoration/cleanup of the Ennis creek site. So much blame to go around there! The city, for declining to accept/pursue Superfund status and the attention and money that would have brought; WA dept of ecology for eating up tax money and time with delay after delay and nothing done to hold Rayonier accountable; and Rayonier for leaving this blight on our beautiful waterfront.
It’s unfortunate that the site is now overrun with vagrants and drug debris. The only possible way I can see any improvement at this location is if the city becomes so bothersome to Rayonier with fines, lawsuits, and code violations that they finally decide it’s not worth the trouble to hold on to the property.
That still would leave the problem of cleanup, though.
When I see that engine, I hear the legions of longtime residents who wish for the past when a kid could graduate from PAHS, go to work in the mill and earn enough to make another generation to go work in the mill. And then whenever someone wants to bring some other job-creating industry to town, they start singing the same old refrain. That’s why nothing ever changes in PA.
Well, partly. Location and wasted resources; natural deep water port, vacant airport, and non-profits tied to Peninsula College instead of For-Profit corporations, etc. I am one of the PAHS grads that took "the road not taken" at first opportunity. Tourism does not provide a "living wage" for most, except government.
There should NEVER be a stick of timber leaving the Peninsula without some kind of 'value-added' processing done by local companies...no excuse except globalism/'fake' environmentalism controlling everything it/they can.😎
I, too, am conflicted about the notion of honoring Rayonier's legacy on the Olympic Peninsula. Their handling of the former mill site at Ennis creek is maddening. And yes, the liquidation of old growth timber on the west end is a well worn story.
However, unlike toxic waste sites, managed timberland continues to provide wood products and ecosystem services on a sustainable basis. For example, the Quillayute watershed - comprised of the Bogachiel, Calawah, Dickey and Sol duc rivers- is one of the healthiest river systems on the coast. It is also one of the most intensively managed for timber products. This is no accident. Landowners, tribes and State/Federal regulators have worked together(not always harmoniously) to modify and monitor forest practice rules and regulations to ensure public resources are protected while allowing for landowners to conduct forest management operations that provide a modest long term return on capital invested. That's a legacy worth celebrating.
I am enjoying the friends on Friday feature, Jeff. People who make a positive contribution to our community need to be recognized often. So much to look forward to every week!
Is it wrong of me to be bothered that we are spending time and resources to honor a company that abandoned our community and left a toxic waste site (that they refuse to accept full responsibility and clean up)? You need to dig the next layer deeper and see how Rayonier the public company moved all of its exposure to the Port Angeles site to another entity. This seems very intentional from my perspective. I think it’s cheaper for them to just continue to delay forever. There are literally many careers that are being funded with the department of ecology’s decades long work on trying to resolve and repair this toxic site. We are 25 years into this and it’s not expected to be done for at least another 25 years. Is that really fair for the community? Should we honor a company that did this to us? I don’t mind having an old train car pointing to our historic growth from the timber industry. However, do we have to keep the name on the side of it? Can you imagine the town of Valdez Alaska celebrating Exxon and the damage they did? At least that was one event that was clearly an accident. Rayonier raped our natural resources for decades and then abandoned us with a toxic shoreline for an even longer period of time. I am in the camp that we should be protesting more to fight Rayonier to get this clean up done! The pace they are moving today seems like one small decision per year. I doubt it will be fully resolved in my lifetime.
This is a story about dedicated volunteers working tirelessly to preserve our history. Even today, I meet longtime residents who are surprised to learn that a railroad once ran through the Olympic Peninsula.
Every fall, Commissioner Ozias reads a proclamation that condemns individuals who never owned slaves or colonized, suggesting that we, the audience, owe something to those who were never enslaved. But should the volunteers—who personally funded the removal of asbestos from a historical relic near an elementary school and library—be shamed for their restoration efforts simply because of the company that constructed it?
Before lavender fields, Twilight, and an influx of federal grants for “harm reduction” kits, this area was self-reliant. Young people could build a future here without leaving home. Like much of history, past generations didn’t always follow the best environmental practices. Yet 60 years from now, when we’re still pulling discarded needles, plastic sleeping bags, propane tanks, and generators from salmon-bearing creeks, will we look back and criticize those who enabled the rise of the homelessness industrial complex?
I spent my career working for BNSF Railway, a corporation known for “railroading” politicians and government agencies to get what it wanted. Yes, I hauled millions of tons of coal. I transported tank cars filled with chemicals capable of devastating an entire town in minutes. And yet—I’m still proud of the work I did and the company that allowed me to be self-reliant.
Should I be shamed for that?
I can't wait for "woke" to die. I hope our landfills are soon littered with the stepstools we once needed to get on our high horses.
Thank you for your hard work, Jeff. We all need to be proud of our professions that provided self-reliance and a productive future. It's sad to know that Rayonier was not kind to PA. But the article is uplifting, and all those who volunteer to preserve a piece of history, thank you for your dedication.
I support anyone that is willing to invest in the revitalization of my town. As you know I volunteer hundreds (if not a thousand) hours of my time every year to dozens of projects. I am all for keeping the train and I would be happy to help with its renovation. I will not however support Rayonier, and the severe damage they did (and continue to do).
The NODC does even more damage and most people refuse to acknowledge the pollution from the cargo ships that replaced the old corporate model. Keep breathing that sulfur mister. The same people that want clean up are fine giving Ukraine money. Not even a superfund site anymore.
Great story, Jeff. I was also surprised to learn that a railroad once ran through this area. You learn something new every day. Additionally was surprised to learn that you worked for BNSF. Why'd you end your career with them?
There is no doubt Rayonier had environmental impact here. I may even have a lump growing in me somewhere because of it. But, you have to also blame societies for not investing in the environmental safeguards for their industries as a condition on their civic development and population increases.
The best way to describe the situation is having a restaurant in the bottom of a downtown high rise and cooking without a hood. Everybody in the building breathes that smoke without a hood. Rayonier, Crown Z and Pen Ply cooked without a hood. But the answer was not to chase manufacturing to India and China where the corporations could keep cooking without a hood, and then ship stuff back in forth 6-12000 miles. Greenies did us no favors they made it worse. Here in your post you can se the blame being left at the feet of capitalism, yet you stull engage in it from farther away using cheap labor and no environmental protections and filling the jet stream with shipping emissions.
Its time for communities to take responsibility for their growth and existence to buy hoods (Environmental mitigations) to grow and manufacture more of what we need. We should have told the greenies we here you but shut up and pony up to met those guys half way.
Or walk everywhere eat like Yule Gibbons, wipe your boot after you crap or just explode when your 50, so a vaccine doesn't have to cull you.
Yes...and all the testimony about how people had a 'Good' life because of Rayonier is also completely valid.
We can't 'fight' Rayonier who is at least two generations removed from the 'Rayonier' they were because we have no vital economy of vested citizens who can afford to do it.
Also see how the Commissars at the county are destroying the probability we will ever have a vital economy again.🤓
I support Jeff and the countless hours of research that he does. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and his fact finding helps fill my mosaic and draw my own conclusions. I speak regularly at the City of PA council meetings. Feel free to introduce yourself.
They block pictures and never answer the questions. If science says salmon spawning rarely happens above 3-4 percent grade, why are they not spending their money digging that same fixed meandering coil that switches back until they get the right grade. (See Jimmycomelately) Because they lie to the public for political purposes to eliminate hotel competition and feed the union ducks on a project that will not have the salmon restoration impact. The culvert decision is a scam to overstate spawning needs and get control over towns and counties.
Now all of our stuff has to slog through these closures just to provide access to 5-15 percent grades that have zero spawning capability and only served to be a salmons last run. The eggs are desired to be laid lower and in slower moving water. They knew this before Jimmycomelately project, thats how come the engineers at jimmycomelatly knew what they had to build and how they had to build it.. They changed the science to achieve dastardly outcomes.
'They' are trying to insure the bridges will be 'quake resistant' for their future 'utopia' which does not include Us!
It has virtually nothing to do with Salmon!
I watched a special where a natural breach occurred in the side of a small volcano in Alaska and a mixture of spring water and toxic sulfurous water made their way out and into a stream...those salmon...who had NEVER been into that situation before... made their way upstream (many being turned back or killed by the toxic waters) and found their way INTO THE VOLCANO and spawned (or attempted to spawn) in the freshwater Springs bubbling up INSIDE THE VOLCANO!...IF IT'S POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO... THEY WILL FIND A WAY!
Not saying we shouldn't do the best to encourage them but we are clearly being gaslit about how fragile the poor salmon are!
There are a lot of other offshore and near-shore activities and factors involved in the decimation of The Salmon...now 'the tribe' wants to put SALMON PENS in our waters...proof positive 'the tribe' is being used as PROXY FOR GLOBALIST CORPORATE AMBITIONS!
Its not wrong to have the thoughts but its not right to exaggerate the need to restore a non-existent salmon spawning location with a grade to steep to support spawning conditions. Tearing up the town to provide access to salmon burial grounds does not help salmon spawning. The only 3- 4 percent grade suitable for spawning is after 101 down by the mill site.. Yet they insist otherwise despite the science used at Jimmycomelately. Its stormwater culvert not a salmon spawning culvert and is waste, fraud and abuse
I remember riding in the log trucks with my Dad and Uncles hauling into Kitchel's Transfer (The big boom structure in second pic) and watching them lift the whole load of logs off the truck and 'swing' them onto the railcars. I believe the 'Transfer' was on Rayonier's property off the LaPush Rd. They had decommissioned the old steam trains by then around '62.
Apparently quite a few giant old growth Cedars and Firs and Spruce rolled off the railcars as they rocked and rolled along the old rail line along the Straits of Juan de Fuca and were lost to the Sea. There may be lots of old giant logs laying at the bottom of the Ocean along the old coastal rail route.
Speaking of reparations🤪...we should give the Spanish the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands and the 'Fort' out by Neah Bay... back, as they claimed it in the 1700's...and then the tribes can sue the Spanish for reparations too...no end to potential reparations it seems!🤣
I know how much you love trains, Jeff. We have an old Rayonier train at our Tillicum Park in Forks. It is common to see tourists looking at it and kids climbing on the fence wanting to get in there. Yes Rayonier was a key player in the timber and special forest product industry, but they cut their losses and sold to two different entities. One, a timber company that is still allowing logging but not special forest product harvesting. The other portion to a conservation group that manages land as a carbon footprint off-set for polluting industries. Naturally they are not allowing any harvesting on the portion they steward. Another disappointment they left behind is for the Olympic Discovery Trail volunteers who now have to start from scratch their hard work on securing easements. Fertile soil for digging in, Watch Dog.
Projects like these can last for years. They could play hide and seek for a grand a week under there. These feel good projects on old pieces of history can be a hole in the taxpayer arm for years... I am wary. Anytime its under a tarp they could tell you Syd Finch was in there throwing 150 miles an hour and nobody could see. The hylebos bridge had that same tarp for 11 years.
Jeff, Thank You for a trip down memory lane. I can remember that as a young father I would take my young-uns to play on that locomotive before some idiots decide that the asbestos welded up tight in the boiler was to dangerous and fenced it. This area has a rich history with railroads running through it. I had the opportunity once to hear a member of the King family tell the tales of hitching rides into town on the many "Steam Donkeys" that used to run throughout our area. Are you a member of NOPR? Just curious.
When Mom would hear the whistle on a calm day, she would drive me to wave at the train crew in Carlsborg... I miss those days! No, I'm not a member. I never got into the model side of things (despite having a room dedicated to trains in my house).
Very heartwarming story! I was surprised not to see your usual investigative reporting into our local political situation. Nice change of pace! I totally agree that from a historical perspective that train is worth saving. Yet at the same time Rayonier walked away from this community leaving a deep stain on the land that still needs to be fixed. Shame on them.
Rayonier bankrolled our food, clothing on our backs, shelter, provided medical coverage and a Credit Union to help a growing region and families on the Olympic Peninsula and elswhere. Olympic Forest Products operated their mill at the former Rayonier site prior to Rayonier's mill that was was demolished in 1997. No mention has been made of OFP in the cleanup or responsible parties.
The locomotive, Rayonier No. 4, was a gift to the City of Port Angeles from Rayonier,Inc., and was left to decay into it's present state, while funds were allocated to a "promonade" along the waterfront, where No. 4 could have easily been factored into the design and displayed. There are many other examples that have overshadowed our heritage, such as Front & Oak, one block from the former Port Angeles Railroad Depot.
Rayonier did many good things for my hometown, long before my arrival in 1952, including sponsoring sports teams/events, and providing some of the largest scholarships ever presented to PAHS Graduates. They also opened their timberlands for hunting, fishing, and one of the local favorite campgrounds, Tumbling Rapids on the Sol Duc River, until it was taken over by transients and the "homeless", who caused it's closure. Rayonier operated a Marine Laboratory at Hoodsport along Hood Canal, that most people aren't even aware of, while slinging mud and accusations of wreckless endangerment at Rayonier, Inc. Rayonier , Inc. also operated a mill at Shelton, WA, where the old smoke stack was visible as one passed through town on Highway 101 years ago. Three generations of my family were employed by Rayonier, Inc.
Politics have played a major part in the cleanup and mitigation at the former Port Angeles mill site, including tribal activists and lobbyists. Whoever originally(subjective) inhabited the mouth of Ennis Creek is not present to dispute one former inhabitant's claims; how far back do we go to find the truth of the matter? At any rate, Rayonier No. 4, et al., have a big footprint in the development and growth of Port Angeles and the Olympic Peninsula, the least we can do is acknowledge the mechanics of how it all happened:;Forks has done a fine job, long ago.
Terrific history. Thanks for sharing, Timothy.
Yes...when corporations 'need' us they will often treat people fairly well...for a time.
At the same time we are ignorant of the ongoing costs to our environment and our health...we have such short lifespans and we are busy having family and community and don't know any different...my Dad used to say 'Better living through modern chemistry.' and 'Dilution is the solution to pollution.' It now seems like those were platitudes given us by 'the powers that be' so we would just trust and go along, because things were ok at the time.
The term "Conspiracy Theory" was coined by the CIA in the 50's or 60's to disenfranchise anyone who questioned authority.
William Casey, CIA director in the Reagan years said, 'When everything the American people believe is a lie...we will have accomplished our mission.'
So it's pretty complex, the relationships between the people and the corporations/governments (which have steadily become one giant organism) in my lifetime...the term 'fascism' was coined to define the blending of corporate entities and government. I take the word literally...'fascia' (on the face of)...I take it to mean we are believing one thing while another is happening.
The human population has doubled in my lifetime and that changes a lot of things...way more of Us... and less 'need' for Us as technology changes.
I did some logging in the '70's and '80's and in many cases what took a crew (then)of 7 or 8 to accomplish, can now be done by 3 or 4.
Say la vie!😊
Thanks for an uplifting and positive story about an historical piece of memorabilia and dedicated people working to restore and protect it. Amazing how some can't find good in anything, must be a very lonely and miserable life. "Don't Bring Me Down"
You're welcome. Ironically, SCP has contacted me multiple times, asking me to do a "positive" article. Can't please them all, I guess :)
They would also hand out prizes at the Lincoln theatre matinee on Saturdays. Id take that old local business sector any day of the week over the global Walmart model that never ever really gives back to the community. Rayonier used to hold a labor day picnic out by the new Fairview school and give prizes away there too. They need to be recognized for that too.
Yes, John. Port Angeles once had a vibrant downtown, with high end clothing, several pharmacies, a Woolworth, Penny's, People's, and Reidel's Dept. stores, class restaurants like Hanguewood's Harrington's and even a Chinese restaurant, MARS; our neighbors won a new Honda 50 at a Lincoln Theater Give-away in the early 1960s. It was a rare treat to go "downtown."
My apology for typo, "Haguewoods", the original just east of1st National Bank.
The one that blew up/
My mom and dad fighting over the Willie Lou's bill
My favorites were Ems hobby shop, swains, Browns and the creamery. A prize there was the best thing.
Let's not forget the the largest, Port Angeles Salmon Derby, with hot dogs, and Darigold dixie cups at the Boathouse on Ediz Hook, for the "kids derby."
A lot of these people dont come from here. They come here to make a grand a week and play hide and seek.
Colonizers.
Our town. Family shoe store, 88 cent store, the chuckwagon.
It was a wonderful town Eric. Rayonier and other local business used to pay to have a plane drop antennae balls with prizes on them at Erickson, the High School and Lincoln Park. Now its a global business sector at arms length. As long as its volunteers work I will support the Rayonier brand as thanks for all those antennae balls I got as a kid..
Yes John, I grew up in community that used to get together on Labor Day, mow a nearby field into a baseball diamond , picnic and enjoy life. Local businesses would donate little things. Too bad our senses have become so jaded we seem unable to take joy in life’s little pleasures.
We wont hear from them until later after they get back from the big protest in the middle of town. Whining about losing the hide and seek for a grand a week gig, where they delegate everything to the NGO and pay for what the NGO wants. They hate Jeff ,me, you Karen Denise Whipple et al.. "our group" we stand in the way. Now their Cavanaugh whirlwind is on Sequim Ave.
The Walmart Amazon global model actually pollutes more and does not give back to the local community and buys newspapers and launches rockets instead and moves to Florida to avoid paying a fair share let alone drop antennae balls to the kids.
Great story, nice change of pace. Your work gets better and better, thanks for all you do.
Thanks for reading.
Ah, nostalgia! Thanks for another great article, Jeff.
Anytime, NOI :)
I’m glad there is a restoration effort for #4. I remember seeing it for the first time and thinking how absolutely cool it was to have a monument to the old railroad that used to run behind the home we now live in.
I also am furious with Rayonier’s lack of action on the restoration/cleanup of the Ennis creek site. So much blame to go around there! The city, for declining to accept/pursue Superfund status and the attention and money that would have brought; WA dept of ecology for eating up tax money and time with delay after delay and nothing done to hold Rayonier accountable; and Rayonier for leaving this blight on our beautiful waterfront.
It’s unfortunate that the site is now overrun with vagrants and drug debris. The only possible way I can see any improvement at this location is if the city becomes so bothersome to Rayonier with fines, lawsuits, and code violations that they finally decide it’s not worth the trouble to hold on to the property.
That still would leave the problem of cleanup, though.
Pray for the global cataclysm that will give us a Real reset!😊
When I see that engine, I hear the legions of longtime residents who wish for the past when a kid could graduate from PAHS, go to work in the mill and earn enough to make another generation to go work in the mill. And then whenever someone wants to bring some other job-creating industry to town, they start singing the same old refrain. That’s why nothing ever changes in PA.
Well, partly. Location and wasted resources; natural deep water port, vacant airport, and non-profits tied to Peninsula College instead of For-Profit corporations, etc. I am one of the PAHS grads that took "the road not taken" at first opportunity. Tourism does not provide a "living wage" for most, except government.
There should NEVER be a stick of timber leaving the Peninsula without some kind of 'value-added' processing done by local companies...no excuse except globalism/'fake' environmentalism controlling everything it/they can.😎
I just love this story. Thanks for sharing an uplifting story😀
You're welcome!
I, too, am conflicted about the notion of honoring Rayonier's legacy on the Olympic Peninsula. Their handling of the former mill site at Ennis creek is maddening. And yes, the liquidation of old growth timber on the west end is a well worn story.
However, unlike toxic waste sites, managed timberland continues to provide wood products and ecosystem services on a sustainable basis. For example, the Quillayute watershed - comprised of the Bogachiel, Calawah, Dickey and Sol duc rivers- is one of the healthiest river systems on the coast. It is also one of the most intensively managed for timber products. This is no accident. Landowners, tribes and State/Federal regulators have worked together(not always harmoniously) to modify and monitor forest practice rules and regulations to ensure public resources are protected while allowing for landowners to conduct forest management operations that provide a modest long term return on capital invested. That's a legacy worth celebrating.
I am enjoying the friends on Friday feature, Jeff. People who make a positive contribution to our community need to be recognized often. So much to look forward to every week!
In The culinary world, I believe they would call it a "pallet cleanser." Back to the filth, deceit, and back room deals tomorrow.
Yikes!
😱😎
We wrote a check 10-26-2024 for the restoration and they never cashed it.
Thank you for your generosity, Kathy. Do check with them to be sure they received it.
Have you contacted them to see if they even received your check????
Contacted North Olympic Railroaders and FixThe4@yahoo.com. See what happens.
Not sure who that would be?
Is it wrong of me to be bothered that we are spending time and resources to honor a company that abandoned our community and left a toxic waste site (that they refuse to accept full responsibility and clean up)? You need to dig the next layer deeper and see how Rayonier the public company moved all of its exposure to the Port Angeles site to another entity. This seems very intentional from my perspective. I think it’s cheaper for them to just continue to delay forever. There are literally many careers that are being funded with the department of ecology’s decades long work on trying to resolve and repair this toxic site. We are 25 years into this and it’s not expected to be done for at least another 25 years. Is that really fair for the community? Should we honor a company that did this to us? I don’t mind having an old train car pointing to our historic growth from the timber industry. However, do we have to keep the name on the side of it? Can you imagine the town of Valdez Alaska celebrating Exxon and the damage they did? At least that was one event that was clearly an accident. Rayonier raped our natural resources for decades and then abandoned us with a toxic shoreline for an even longer period of time. I am in the camp that we should be protesting more to fight Rayonier to get this clean up done! The pace they are moving today seems like one small decision per year. I doubt it will be fully resolved in my lifetime.
This is a story about dedicated volunteers working tirelessly to preserve our history. Even today, I meet longtime residents who are surprised to learn that a railroad once ran through the Olympic Peninsula.
Every fall, Commissioner Ozias reads a proclamation that condemns individuals who never owned slaves or colonized, suggesting that we, the audience, owe something to those who were never enslaved. But should the volunteers—who personally funded the removal of asbestos from a historical relic near an elementary school and library—be shamed for their restoration efforts simply because of the company that constructed it?
Before lavender fields, Twilight, and an influx of federal grants for “harm reduction” kits, this area was self-reliant. Young people could build a future here without leaving home. Like much of history, past generations didn’t always follow the best environmental practices. Yet 60 years from now, when we’re still pulling discarded needles, plastic sleeping bags, propane tanks, and generators from salmon-bearing creeks, will we look back and criticize those who enabled the rise of the homelessness industrial complex?
I spent my career working for BNSF Railway, a corporation known for “railroading” politicians and government agencies to get what it wanted. Yes, I hauled millions of tons of coal. I transported tank cars filled with chemicals capable of devastating an entire town in minutes. And yet—I’m still proud of the work I did and the company that allowed me to be self-reliant.
Should I be shamed for that?
I can't wait for "woke" to die. I hope our landfills are soon littered with the stepstools we once needed to get on our high horses.
Thank you for your hard work, Jeff. We all need to be proud of our professions that provided self-reliance and a productive future. It's sad to know that Rayonier was not kind to PA. But the article is uplifting, and all those who volunteer to preserve a piece of history, thank you for your dedication.
I support anyone that is willing to invest in the revitalization of my town. As you know I volunteer hundreds (if not a thousand) hours of my time every year to dozens of projects. I am all for keeping the train and I would be happy to help with its renovation. I will not however support Rayonier, and the severe damage they did (and continue to do).
Funny thing. EPA claims its all cleaned up.
https://map22.epa.gov/cimc/WA
The NODC does even more damage and most people refuse to acknowledge the pollution from the cargo ships that replaced the old corporate model. Keep breathing that sulfur mister. The same people that want clean up are fine giving Ukraine money. Not even a superfund site anymore.
That's the beauty of our Republic, SCP; individual choices.
Great story, Jeff. I was also surprised to learn that a railroad once ran through this area. You learn something new every day. Additionally was surprised to learn that you worked for BNSF. Why'd you end your career with them?
Rock On Brother!😎
There is no doubt Rayonier had environmental impact here. I may even have a lump growing in me somewhere because of it. But, you have to also blame societies for not investing in the environmental safeguards for their industries as a condition on their civic development and population increases.
The best way to describe the situation is having a restaurant in the bottom of a downtown high rise and cooking without a hood. Everybody in the building breathes that smoke without a hood. Rayonier, Crown Z and Pen Ply cooked without a hood. But the answer was not to chase manufacturing to India and China where the corporations could keep cooking without a hood, and then ship stuff back in forth 6-12000 miles. Greenies did us no favors they made it worse. Here in your post you can se the blame being left at the feet of capitalism, yet you stull engage in it from farther away using cheap labor and no environmental protections and filling the jet stream with shipping emissions.
Its time for communities to take responsibility for their growth and existence to buy hoods (Environmental mitigations) to grow and manufacture more of what we need. We should have told the greenies we here you but shut up and pony up to met those guys half way.
Or walk everywhere eat like Yule Gibbons, wipe your boot after you crap or just explode when your 50, so a vaccine doesn't have to cull you.
Some days I wish I had taken all the jabs...but I'm glad I didn't fall for it!
I have enough troubles without the NWO trying to kill me off!😱
Yes...and all the testimony about how people had a 'Good' life because of Rayonier is also completely valid.
We can't 'fight' Rayonier who is at least two generations removed from the 'Rayonier' they were because we have no vital economy of vested citizens who can afford to do it.
Also see how the Commissars at the county are destroying the probability we will ever have a vital economy again.🤓
No, it's not wrong at all to have these thoughts and to question what history we tell and don't tell. It's sad that train has more focus right now, than the restoration of the mouth of Ennis Creek that Rayonier destroyed. That story of that should be a priority, but hit pieces are Jeff's style. That and lies. https://open.substack.com/pub/ixodes/p/too-many-crosses-for-quality-control?r=5b9x9x&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I support Jeff and the countless hours of research that he does. Everyone is entitled to an opinion and his fact finding helps fill my mosaic and draw my own conclusions. I speak regularly at the City of PA council meetings. Feel free to introduce yourself.
They block pictures and never answer the questions. If science says salmon spawning rarely happens above 3-4 percent grade, why are they not spending their money digging that same fixed meandering coil that switches back until they get the right grade. (See Jimmycomelately) Because they lie to the public for political purposes to eliminate hotel competition and feed the union ducks on a project that will not have the salmon restoration impact. The culvert decision is a scam to overstate spawning needs and get control over towns and counties.
Now all of our stuff has to slog through these closures just to provide access to 5-15 percent grades that have zero spawning capability and only served to be a salmons last run. The eggs are desired to be laid lower and in slower moving water. They knew this before Jimmycomelately project, thats how come the engineers at jimmycomelatly knew what they had to build and how they had to build it.. They changed the science to achieve dastardly outcomes.
'They' are trying to insure the bridges will be 'quake resistant' for their future 'utopia' which does not include Us!
It has virtually nothing to do with Salmon!
I watched a special where a natural breach occurred in the side of a small volcano in Alaska and a mixture of spring water and toxic sulfurous water made their way out and into a stream...those salmon...who had NEVER been into that situation before... made their way upstream (many being turned back or killed by the toxic waters) and found their way INTO THE VOLCANO and spawned (or attempted to spawn) in the freshwater Springs bubbling up INSIDE THE VOLCANO!...IF IT'S POSSIBLE FOR THEM TO... THEY WILL FIND A WAY!
Not saying we shouldn't do the best to encourage them but we are clearly being gaslit about how fragile the poor salmon are!
There are a lot of other offshore and near-shore activities and factors involved in the decimation of The Salmon...now 'the tribe' wants to put SALMON PENS in our waters...proof positive 'the tribe' is being used as PROXY FOR GLOBALIST CORPORATE AMBITIONS!
So There!😜
Can anyone say 'Conspiracy'? Can anyone say 'Silent Coup'?
Can anyone say "Revolution"?😊
I can say domestic extremism for 300 please Alex.
He won't...he's a troll!🧌
... and you, SCP? I need no introduction, as with others.
Thank you, Steven.
Its not wrong to have the thoughts but its not right to exaggerate the need to restore a non-existent salmon spawning location with a grade to steep to support spawning conditions. Tearing up the town to provide access to salmon burial grounds does not help salmon spawning. The only 3- 4 percent grade suitable for spawning is after 101 down by the mill site.. Yet they insist otherwise despite the science used at Jimmycomelately. Its stormwater culvert not a salmon spawning culvert and is waste, fraud and abuse
I remember riding in the log trucks with my Dad and Uncles hauling into Kitchel's Transfer (The big boom structure in second pic) and watching them lift the whole load of logs off the truck and 'swing' them onto the railcars. I believe the 'Transfer' was on Rayonier's property off the LaPush Rd. They had decommissioned the old steam trains by then around '62.
Apparently quite a few giant old growth Cedars and Firs and Spruce rolled off the railcars as they rocked and rolled along the old rail line along the Straits of Juan de Fuca and were lost to the Sea. There may be lots of old giant logs laying at the bottom of the Ocean along the old coastal rail route.
Speaking of reparations🤪...we should give the Spanish the Straits of Juan de Fuca and the San Juan Islands and the 'Fort' out by Neah Bay... back, as they claimed it in the 1700's...and then the tribes can sue the Spanish for reparations too...no end to potential reparations it seems!🤣
I was born too late. I wish I could have seen the trains operating out there.
I know how much you love trains, Jeff. We have an old Rayonier train at our Tillicum Park in Forks. It is common to see tourists looking at it and kids climbing on the fence wanting to get in there. Yes Rayonier was a key player in the timber and special forest product industry, but they cut their losses and sold to two different entities. One, a timber company that is still allowing logging but not special forest product harvesting. The other portion to a conservation group that manages land as a carbon footprint off-set for polluting industries. Naturally they are not allowing any harvesting on the portion they steward. Another disappointment they left behind is for the Olympic Discovery Trail volunteers who now have to start from scratch their hard work on securing easements. Fertile soil for digging in, Watch Dog.
Projects like these can last for years. They could play hide and seek for a grand a week under there. These feel good projects on old pieces of history can be a hole in the taxpayer arm for years... I am wary. Anytime its under a tarp they could tell you Syd Finch was in there throwing 150 miles an hour and nobody could see. The hylebos bridge had that same tarp for 11 years.
https://www.tacomadailyindex.com/blog/hylebos-bridge-project-ribbon-cutting-ceremony-june-20/2170967/
Brilliant piece!
I think I can, I think I can...