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 on the SideTracked Website.
This cache also qualifies for the Disappearing RR Blues bonus cache. This series highlights the railways of NW Oregon.
About Linnemann Station
Above is an image of two interurban trains meeting at Linnemann Junction.
The following is from an old Facebook post from the Gresham History Society:
In 1901, the Oregon Water Power and Railway Company began building a railroad east of Portland to Gresham, Boring, and Estacada to a dam and powerhouse that was to be built at Cazadero. The new Springwater rail line became a significant source of transportation in the Portland area. The new railroad was used to haul logs to the sawmills, return with the farms' produce in the area, and cut lumber for builders. Manufacturers of bricks, lumber, automobiles, and fruit processors saw this as an opportunity to locate their businesses in Gresham.
The railroad began using steam engines to pull passenger and freight cars. By 1905, the rail line was electrified, and streetcars began transporting passengers and freight. The streetcar significantly reduced travel time between Portland and the communities to its east. Horse and buggy travel from Gresham to Portland took an average of five hours, while a trip via the interurban system took about forty-five minutes. Families packed picnic baskets on weekends and took the streetcar to parks at the end of the line as an excursion.
Linnemann Station, located at Linnemann Junction, is a retired electric train station on Powell Loop near Cedarville Park. Initially built in 1902, it takes its name from the Linnemann Family, who donated land from their original family land claim to construct the train depot. A spur was built to the north and east, which opened to Ruby Junction, Fairview, and Troutdale in 1907, connecting it with other rail lines going west to Portland and east to Bull Run.
The advent of cheap automobile transportation gradually brought about the demise of streetcars in America. By the 1930s, passenger streetcar lines were declining. Streetcar service on city lines in Portland ended in 1950. However, interurban passenger service continued to Gresham until 1958.
In the 1990s, a proposal was made to convert the old Springwater Division rail line to the Springwater Trail. In 1996, Linnemann Station burned as the result of arson. Before that, the Gresham Historical Society had agreed with the City of Gresham to improve Linnemann Station. The City was to move it approximately 500 feet north and east back to its original location, place it on a foundation, and stub in utilities. The Society was to renovate the interior and maintain a streetcar display theme.
Work was delayed in 1993 after the City did not receive federal funding for their proposed trail development. A replica of the station was built in 2003 after federal funding finally came through. The rebuilt Linnemann Station became the featured building on the Springwater Trail. The new building is smaller than the original structure, and it was dedicated, together with Gresham Historical Society and City of Gresham dignitaries, on National Trails Day, June 5, 2004. The building currently belongs to the City of Gresham. Here is a 2024 photo of the replica station.
In addition to this, Linnemann was an important junction on the interurban. Tracks from Portland to Estacada or Troudale split here. The one to Troutdale started to head north to Ruby Junction, where it crossed the Mt Hood Railway Interurban. You may recognize Ruby Junction as the station and yard for Portland MAX, located at this old rail junction (MAX runs on the old Mt Hood line). The MAX Type-1 light rail cars were delivered by rail to Ruby Junction. They were sent by rail down the Springwater Corridor and would have passed Linnemann on the way to Ruby Junction.