Forum Index > Pacific NW History > Wellington Avalanche 100 Year Commemorative Event
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CC
cascade curmudgeon



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CC
cascade curmudgeon
PostMon Feb 01, 2010 4:08 pm 
1 p.m. 27 February at Skykomish School One Hundred Years Ago 96 persons perished at Wellington on Stevens Pass when tons of snow avalanched down sweeping two trains into the valley below in America’s greatest avalanche disaster, and very nearly its greatest train disaster as well. Featured presenters will be Gary Krist, author of best selling book The White Cascade,and Martin Burwash, author of Vis Major, an historical novel told from the point of view of railroad men. Wellington expert Bob Kelly will moderate. Other local historians and authors will also be in attendance. There will be displays and historical photographs. Anyone with images of persons involved are encouraged to connect with Skykomish Historical Society so their photos can be part of the display. Please contact Bob Kelly via email at mvmmvm@comcast.net or call 425 432 3884.

First your legs go, then you lose your reflexes, then you lose your friends. Willy Pep
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Snowbrushy
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PostMon Feb 01, 2010 5:15 pm 
Thanks for the heads-up CC. Here is a historic Stevens Pass avalanche story (below). A friend from Cashmere, Wa. called me last weekend and asked me to help him clear his vacant lot next month at Yodelin on Stevens Pass. Some of Yodelin is in a avalanche zone. People got killed there in 1971. I told my friend that I would help him in May because sometimes Stevens Pass can be a treacherous area in the Winter. The train disaster is another example from 100 years ago.. http://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1951&dat=19710127&id=dGEhAAAAIBAJ&sjid=6YYFAAAAIBAJ&pg=4565,4976395

Oh Pilot of the storm who leaves no trace Like thoughts inside a dream Heed the path that led me to that place Yellow desert stream.
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Gsnorgathon
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PostFri Feb 26, 2010 7:39 pm 
Bump. Anyone here read both Krist's White Cascade and Burwash's Vis Major? I've only just gotten around to White Cascade; Krist sure spins a ripping yarn! I've been wondering how Vis Major compares.

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BeyondLost
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PostSun Feb 28, 2010 11:47 am 
1910 Stevens Pass avalanche still deadliest in U.S. history http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2011211746_wellington28m.html

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HitTheTrail
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PostTue Mar 02, 2010 9:57 pm 
Is there any actual wreckage left in the valley? I have heard yes and no from different people. Can you hike down to the wreck site?

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Damian
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PostTue Mar 02, 2010 10:32 pm 
Yes..

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Pef
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PostFri Mar 01, 2024 5:53 pm 

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Riverside Laker
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PostFri Mar 01, 2024 5:56 pm 
HitTheTrail wrote:
Is there any actual wreckage left in the valley? I have heard yes and no from different people. Can you hike down to the wreck site?
Yes, but it's not a "hike" -- no trail. I saw some on a snowshoe trip some years ago.

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Dick B
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PostSat Mar 02, 2024 7:38 am 
Last time I went down to the site was about 20 years ago. There was still quite a bit of scattered debris. Mostly small pieces of metal train parts. I hope people haven't hauled them off. Most noticeable was a cluster of pipes wrapped around an old snag. I think I dropped down about half way down the snow shed. That's right. No trail, just beat the brush then it opens up under the timber.

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Dick B
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PostSat Mar 02, 2024 9:53 am 
The first book I read about Wellington was by Ruby El Hult called NW Disasters, published in 1960. It is in 2 sections. The second is about the 1910 fires that burned 3MM acres in Idaho and Montana. El Hult was able to interview survivors of Wellington and critics have said it gave the best accounting of the Wellington event. I have also read White Cacades which I enjoyed.

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