Journey Through the History of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad

Nov. 11, 2013 - PRLog -- The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of Rail series is Northwestern Pacific Railroad: Eureka to Willits by Susan J. P. O'Hara, Alex Service and the Fortuna Depot Museum. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by in this California community.

The year 2014 marks the centennial of the completion of the Northwestern Pacific Railroad (NWP), celebrated by driving a “golden spike” at Cain Rock in October 1914. This achievement was the culmination of a massive, six-year engineering effort to connect rail lines ending at Willits with the early lumber company railroads of the Humboldt Bay region. When it was completed, the NWP linked Eureka with San Francisco by rail, a milestone in the history of Humboldt and Northern Mendocino Counties.

Images of Rail: Northwestern Pacific Railroad: Eureka to Willits examines the impact of the NWP on Northwestern California. Although no longer operational, the railroad today symbolizes the ongoing struggle to connect this isolated region with the wider world.

Highlights of Northwestern Pacific Railroad: Eureka to Willits include:

•Highlights rarely-seen images covering different aspects of the railroad’s and Humboldt County’s history.
•Includes a chapter focusing on the many disasters that plagued the line, both during initial construction and over the subsequent decades, including landslides, tunnel fires, floods and wrecks.
•Highlights the rolling stock, with information on the different types of engines, cabooses, etc used over the railroad’s history.
•The author’s royalties from the sale of the book are being donated to help support the Fortuna Depot Museum.

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665 or online.

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States.  Our mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places.  Have we done a book on your town?  Visit www.arcadiapublishing.com/.