Hiking through Whatcom Falls Park, it’s easy to feel dwarfed by the rushing waters of the namesake waterfall or the outstretching fir trees. However, the most intriguing behemoths of the park are not courtesy of Mother Nature but from early 1900s railroad speculation.
These derelict wooden railroad trestles, like the popular Milwaukee Road Wooden Railroad Trestle that bestrides Whatcom Creek, can be found all around Bellingham. Many are incorporated into walking trails that take the path of defunct rail lines.
During the turn of the 20th century, the four towns that make up modern day Bellingham were all vying to lure in contracts to become the terminus point for various continent-spanning railroads. While nearly all the bids ended up going to larger towns like Seattle and Tacoma, the people of Whatcom County still clamored for local rail transportation, and many lines popped up around the region.
By the 1920s, travel by rail was falling out of fashion as automobiles and buses became a more popular mode of transportation. But the marks of Bellingham’s pioneering, boom-or-bust history are still visible on multiple trails, including Railroad Trail in Barkley Village, and the Interurban Trail in Fairhaven.
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