Disappearing History

Disappearing History. . , As better roads were built into the area, the need for the railroad diminished. The last run was made in 1947. The rails were removed and equipment was sold or scrapped. Some portions were widened and became roads, while the rest was gradually reclaimed by the forest. But the memories didn’t fade. Hiking the old grade became a pastime for some and a book, “Rails, Sagebrush, and Pine” was written by Mallory Hope Ferrell in 1967., Less than 25 years after the last whistles echoed off the hills, the Sumpter Valley Railroad Restoration was founded. Local people just couldn’t let the steam trains die! Original equipment has been located and restored, track relaid, and a depot built in the Sumpter Valley. Today you can once again ride the steam train and hear the whistle echo down the valley., In Prairie City, another group has restored the depot into a park and museum. The Malheur National Forest has prepared an auto tour brochure, available at Forest Service offices, that traces the route along Highways 7 and 26. The Sumpter Valley Railway Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1987.