1880s !
All Town Locations Before 11/11/1889, Were In Washington Territory.
02/24/1880 : The Mill Creek Flume & Manufacturing Railroad Company is chartered.
02/24/1880 : The ILwaco Canal & Railroad Company is incorporated.
03/31/1880 : Oregon Steam & Navigation Company is purchased by the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company.
10/01/1880 : Oregon Railway & Navigation begin operation from Wallula, Washington to Umatilla, Oregon .
10/20/1880 : Northern Pacific Railroad & Oregon Railway & Navigation sign interchange agreement at Wallula,
Washington.
11/26/1880 : The Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad Company is incorporated.
02/25/1881 : News of Henry Villard's, Northern Pacific Railroad buyout plans are published.
05/08/1881 : Northern Pacific Railroad operation begins from Ainsworth to Sprague, Washington.
05/25/1881 : Northern Pacific Railroad track construction enters Cheney, Washington.
05/26/1881 : Henry Villard takes majority control of the Northern Pacific Railroad.
06/18/1881 : The Frederic Billings (steamboat) arrives at Ainsworth, to ferry rail cars across the Snake River for the NPR.
06/25/1881 : The first Northern Pacific Railroad train reaches Spokane Falls, Washington.
07/24/1881 : The Oregon Railroad & Navigation Company begins service to from Walla Walla to Dayton, Washington.
08/06/1881 : The Olympia & Chehalis Valley Railroad Company is incorporated.
09/15/1881 : The Northern Pacific Railroad Company elects Henry Villard as president.
12/23/1881 : The Northern Pacific Railroad has its first rail collision near Cheney, Washington. (one passenger is killed)
03/29/1882 : The Seattle,Walla Walla & Baker City Railroad Co. is incorporated.
04/15/1882 : Northern Pacific Railroad operation begins from Wallula to Connell, Washington.
04/15/1882 : Northern Pacific Railroad operation begins from Wallula, Washington to Sand Point, Idaho. (227.1 miles)
06/29/1882 : The Columbia & Palouse Railroad Company is incorporated.
11/20/1882 : Oregon Railway & Navigation operations begin from Wallula, Washington to Portland, Oregon.
03/19/1883 : Oregon Railway & Navigation operation begins from Walla Walla, WA. via Milton, OR to Blue Mountain,
Oregon.
06/07/1883 : The Great Northern Railway completes its Pacific extension track.
08/31/1883 : The piers for the Northern Pacific bridge at Ainsworth, over the Snake River are complete.
09/08/1883 : Henry Villard drives the last spike on the Northern Pacific Railroads transcontinental line.
09/11/1883 : Northern Pacific Railroad's first trancontinental train arrives in Portland, Oregon.
12/01/1883 : Northern Pacific Railroad operations begin from Hooper to Colfax, Washington.
12/23/1883 : The ILwaco, Shoalwater Bay & Gray's Harbor Railroad Company is incorporated.
01/04/1884 : Henry Villard is ousted as president of the Northern Pacific Railroad..
04/07/1884 : Construction begins on the Bellingham Bay & British Columbia Railroad.
04/10/1884 : The first train tests the Snake River bridge for the Northern Pacific at Ainsworth.
04/20/1884 : Northern Pacific Railroad's Snake River bridge opens at Ainsworth, Washington.
07/20/1884 : Northern Pacific Railroad's transfer boat the Tacoma is delivered to Kalama, Washington. (RR ferry)
09/23/1884 : The Northern Pacific & Cascade and the Northern Pacific & Puget Sound Railroad Companys are
incorporated.
10/09/1884 : Northern Pacific Railroad operation begins from Portland, Oregon to Kalama, Washington. (36.7 miles)
11/21/1884 : Northern Pacific Railroad picks Stampede Pass as its route over the Cascades.
12/17/1884 : Northern Pacific Railroad track construction enter the city of Yakima, Washington.
03/14/1885 : Ainsworth's role as a railroad station is terminated by the Northern Pacific Railroad.
01/01/1885 : The Northern Pacific Railroad completes 90 miles of track between Ainsworth and Yakima, W.T..
04/15/1885 : The Seattle Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad Company is incorporated.
06/01/1885 : Northern Pacific Railroad operation begins from Kennewick to Yakima, Washington. (87.4 miles)
11/20/1885 : A Northern Pacific train plunges into the Snake River, (open bridge span) at Ainsworth, Washington.
12/03/1885 : Eastern Washington Railway is incorporated, (a Northern Pacific subsidiary) in Washington Territory.
01/06/1886 : The Columbia Valley Railroad & Navigation Company is incorporated.
01/21/1886 : Nelson Bennett wins the contract to dig the Stampede Tunnel , for the Northern Pacific Railroad.
02/13/1886 : Northern Pacific Railroad begins work on the Stampede Tunnel.
03/01/1886 : Eastern Washington Railway name is changed to, Spokane & Palouse Railway.
04/01/1886 : Oregon Railway & Navigation operations begin from Starbuck to Pomeroy, Washington.
04/01/1886 : Northern Pacific Railroad track construction enter the city of Ellensburg, Washington.
07/07/1886 : Washington & Idaho Railroad is incorporated in Washington Territory.
07/28/1886 : The Walla Walla & Ainsworth Railroad Company is formed.
10/15/1886 : Northern Pacific Railroad operation begins from Marshall to Belmont, Washington. (43.0 miles)
10/19/1886 : Northern Pacific Railroad track construction enters Cle Elum, Washington.
10/24/1886 : The Spokane Falls & Idaho Railroad begin operations.
12/15/1886 : Northern Pacific Railroad track construction reach Sunday Creek, Washington.
12/20/1886 : Northern Pacific Railroad operation begins from Cle Elum to Roslyn, Washington. (3.42 miles)
12/20/1886 : Northern Pacific Railroad extends its Cascade line from Ellensburg to Cle Elum, Washington.
12/21/1886 : Northern Pacific Railroad opens its Roslyn, Washington Branch.
01/25/1887 : The City of Seattle signs into law the Railroad Avenue Ordinance # 804.
03/04/1887 : Northern Pacific Railroad track construction reach, Martin, Washington.
03/04/1887 : The Walla Walla & Puget Sound Railroad Company is incorporated.
04/18/1887 : Northern Pacific Railroad track construction reach the summit of Stampede Pass.
04/25/1887 : Oregon Railway & Navigation is leased to the Union Pacific Railroad.
05/04/1887 : The Oregon & Washington Territory Railroad is incorporated in Washington Territory.
05/10/1887 : The first Prison train arrives at the "new" penitentiary in Walla Walla, Washington.
05/28/1887 : The Oregon & Washington Territory Railroad begin laying tracks at Wallula, Washington.
06/01/1887 : Northern Pacific Railroad completes route to the west-side of the state at 6:00 pm, on Stampede Pass summit.
06/06/1887 : First Northern Pacific Railroad train over Stampede Pass enroute to Tacoma, Washington.
06/12/1887 : Mill Creek & Manufacturing Railroad is sold to the Oregon Railway & Navigation Company.
07/01/1887 : Northern Pacific Railroad telegraph service begins from Pasco to Tacoma, Washington.
07/01/1887 : Northern Pacific Railroad starts day & night passenger service from Pasco to Tacoma Washington.
07/02/1887 : Northern Pacific Railroad operation begin from Cascade Jct. to Yakima, Washington. (over switch-backs)
07/03/1887 : Northern Pacific Railroad's first transcontinental passenger train crosses Stampede Pass.
01/02/1888 : 2 Leslie steam rotary snow plows begin service on Stampede Pass for the Northern Pacific Railroad.
01/16/1888 : Northern Pacific Railroad & Union Pacific Railroad sign joint lease of Oregon Railway & Navigation Co..
04/13/1888 : Northern Pacific Railroad operations begin from Pasco, WA. over Columbia River Bridge. (3.3 miles)
05/03/1888 : Northern Pacific Railroad east & west crews break through on the Stampede Tunnel.
05/19/1888 : Northern Pacific Railroad operations begin from Seattle to Fall City, Washington. (52.1 miles)
05/27/1888 : The first Northern Pacific Railroad train, runs through the Stampede Tunnel.
05/29/1888 : The Oregon Railway Extensions Company is incorporated in Washington Territory.
06/04/1888 : The Port Angeles & West Shore Railway Company is incorporated.
06/12/1888 : 2 Northern Pacific Railroad workers fall and drown building the Columbia River bridge at Pasco, WA .
06/25/1888 : First Northern Pacific Railroad vestibuled train, westbound through Stampede Pass Tunnel.
07/01/1888 : Washington & Idaho Railroad begin construction from Tekoa, Washington to Mullan Idaho.
07/01/1888 : Northern Pacific operations begin from Belmont to Johnson, Washington.
07/01/1888 : Northern Pacific operations begin from Johnson, Washington to Genesee, Idaho.
07/05/1888 : Founder of the Walla Walla & Columbia River Railroad, Dr. Dorsey S. Baker dies.
08/12/1888 : The Seattle & Southern Railroad is formed.
08/28/1888 : Oregon Railway & Navigation operations begin from South Riparia to La Crosse, Washington.
09/15/1888 : Oregon & Washington Territory Railroad rails reach city limits of Walla Walla, Washington.
10/02/1888 : The ILwaco Railway & Navigation Company is incorporated..
10/15/1888 : Northern Pacific Railroad operations begin from Spokane to Wheatdale, Washington. (44.3 miles)
11/27/1888 : First train on the Seattle Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad, to leave Spokane for Medical Lake, Washington.
12/22/1888 : The Fairhaven & Southern Railway Company is incorporated.
03/19/1889 : Oregon & Washington Territory Railroad service begins from Hunt's Jct. to Walla Walla, Washington.
05/06/1889 : Northern Pacific Railroad operations begin from Crocker to Wingate, Washington. (5.3 miles)
05/23/1889 : Northern Pacific Railroad operations begin from Orting to Puyallup River, Washington. (7.6 miles)
05/29/1889 : The Ilwaco Railroad begins daily service.
06/06/1889 : The Great Seattle Fire destroys most of the railroad tracks and railroad facilities in Seattle, WA.
10/07/1889 : Oregon & Washington Territory Railroad operations begin from Farmington to Spokane, Washington.
10/28/1889 : The Port Discovery, Quillayoute & Olympic Railroad Company is incorporated.
11/11/1889 : Washington becomes a State.
11/28/1889 : Oregon & Washington Territory Railroad's first train departs, Walla Walla for Dayton, Washington .
12/18/1889 : Northern Pacific operations begin from Fall City to Salla, Washington. (10.0 miles)
12/25/1889 : "Snohomish Eye" newspaper announces that the Seattle Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad is halfway complete.
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