About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breathtaking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveler, but anyone else can go and find it, too. More Information can be found at the SideTracked Website
This cache also qualifies for the Disappearing RR Blues bonus cache. This series highlights the railways of NW Oregon.
About Portland Union Station
(Above photo is from 1913)
I have wanted to put a cache here for years, but it is not easy, so this Virtual is perfect. You do not need to go inside the station to retrieve the needed information, but I highly recommend you do; the station's interior is beautiful.
History
Between 1883 and 1887, Portland was linked to the rest of the United States by three transcontinental railroads. Henry Villard of the Northern Pacific had grand visions for Portland and wanted a great station for the railroad. He initially sought after the architects of McKim, Mead & White from NYC in 1883. That firm later designed NY's Pennsylvania Station, which sadly was demolished in the 1960s. The architectural team devised a grand plan that would have been the largest train station in the United States at the time. However, the fortunes of the NP railroad were slow to come, so the station was put on hold. In 1885, the Northern Pacific Terminal Railroad determined a more modest station was needed. This time, architects Henry Van Brunt and Frank M. Howe devised plans for a new depot. Their firm designed the Union Pacific station in Cheyenne in 1886, which still exists as a museum with a restaurant.
Portland Union Station is designed with a combination of Queen Anne and Romanesque styles. The station opened on Valentine's Day in 1896. I'm unsure if that was done intentionally, but Oregon became a state on Valentine's Day 37 years prior. The signature 150-foot high clock tour featured a 4-faced Seth Thomas clock. It is still hand-cranked to wind it up once a week. The station, as built, had six tracks. The platform canopies were not added until 1905, a much-needed accommodation to Oregon's rain.
The station was remodeled in the late 1920s at the behest of the Terminal Railroad, co-owned by the Southern Pacific, Union Pacific, and the Northern Pacific Railroads. They choose Pietro Belluschi to update the station. He included marble cladding on the walls and floors and travertine added to the arche. He also had wooden phone booths added along with oaken benches and art deco chandeliers. This would have been welcomed by the passengers of the 90 trains that moved in/out of the station daily in the 1920s. This included the railroads above, the Seattle, Portland & Spokane Railroad, and the SPs Red Electric Interurban trains. The famous "Go By Train" neon sign on the clock tower was added in 1948.
The station slowly went into decline in the 1960s as people favored driving or flying over riding the rails. The darkest days were in March 1971, when the railroads that owned the station turned off the neon "Go By Train" sign since Amtrak was due to take over all passenger rail service on May 1st, 1971.
In 1985, the National Railway Historical Society and the Oregon Association of Railway Passengers led a fundraising campaign to restore the "Go By Train" Neon signs. By September of that year, the signs glowed again, acting as a catalyst to restore the station. In 1987, the station's owners turned it over to a quasi-public entity. In 1990, a significant restoration started on the building to bring it back to its 1930s elegance.
Today, the station is served by Amtrak, with several Cascades trains a day running to Seattle, some onto Vancouver, BC, and a couple of trains south to Eugene. The Coast Starlight runs one train each way, connecting Portland with Seattle to the north and Los Angeles to the south. Lastly, the Empire Builder runs up the Columbia River and Spokane, joining the train from Seattle to continue to Chicago.
You are welcome to enter the station when it is open and look around. It is a great station fitting for Portland. You cannot access the platforms unless you have a train ticket and it is boarding. A note on parking: you cannot park in the station's forecourt; it is limited to passenger pick-up and drop-off only. There is limited metered parking on the street and a paid lot nearby. The best way to visit the station is by Amtrak, MAX Light rail, or several Trimet bus lines.
Logging Requirements
- Please send a Geocaching Message to me with the answers to the following question.
- According to the plaque by the station entrance about the building being placed on the National Register of Historic Places, who currently owns the building?
- In the cache log, tell us how you arrived at the cache. For fun, you will receive 20 points by Amtrak, 10 points by MAX Light Rail or bus, 5 points by bike or walking, and 1 point by car. (sorry, no prizes
)
- Post a photo of yourself or an item you are carrying at the station, or capture a unique view of this grand station, but do not post an image that might reveal the answers to #1 above.
Please follow the logging requirements. You do not need to wait for a reply on #1, but I will audit logs occasionally.
Have fun, and don't forget to Go By Train!
Virtual Rewards 4.0 - 2024-2025
This Virtual Cache is part of a limited release of Virtuals created between January 17, 2024, and January 17, 2025. Only 4,000 cache owners were given the opportunity to hide a Virtual Cache. Learn more about Virtual Rewards 4.0 on the Geocaching Blog.