Leavenworth was platted in 1893 by a group of financiers headed by
Captain Charles F. Leavenworth. From the beginning the heart of the
town was the Great Northern railroad - inspired by railroad tycoon
J. J. Hill. He dreamed of a northern transcontinental railroad and
in 1892 began laying tracks that crossed the Wenatchee Valley and
continued up the Tumwater Canyon where Highway 2 is today.
The town continued to flourish in the early 1900s as Lamb-Davis
Lumber Co. opened a large lumber mill in Leavenworth adjacent to
the railroad for convenience. The railroad laid its switchyard and
roundhouse at the corner of Chumstick and Highway 2 and is now
currently covered with a large asphalt cap to contain
pollutants.
The original train route followed the current highway 2 through
Tumwater Canyon where it followed the river and then switch-backed
its way over Stevens pass. A spur railway snaked its way up the
Chumstick Valley to reach timberlands not accessible by river. The
many twists and turns of this particular railway gave rise to its
common name…Peavine
Directly in front of WP1 is the old railway grade, not forgotten
and almost completely overgrown by vegetation. You walked down part
of it from the parking area.
I HIGHLY suggest that to get to the final, you do not cut
through the playground as this path will lead you through some
rougher vegetation and an area that has become a party spot of
sorts. Instead, take the large path you are currently on until you
are approximately 150’ from the cache where a very obvious path
into the trees will come into view.
To get to the final location:
N 47 35. A B C
W 120 39. X Y Z
To solve for North ABC: How many miles was the spur line x
24 – 2 = ___________
To solve for West XYZ: Trainloads of logs per day in 1913
x 40 + 9 = ___________