Billowing Steam to Bicycles

Billowing Steam to Bicycles. . , You are standing near the former tracks of an old railroad: the Oregon and Southeastern Railroad, called the ‘Old Slew and Easy.’, From 1889 to 1949, trains hauled lumber from the Row River Valley to be milled and used by local businesses such as the Cottage Grove Manufacturing Company. They built windows, doors and cabinets at this site. You can still see examples of their windows around town., Did you know? , The cone-like structure nearby is the last concrete wigwam burner west of the Mississippi River. Built in about 1917, it was used to burn wood scraps and sawdust, producing huge plumes of smoke and ash. Wigwam burners were phased out following the Clean Air Act of 1970., Use this timeline to imagine the changing traffic on this route through time., 1848 - Farmers settled the Row River Valley, 1855 - Most Kalapuya people moved to Grand Ronde reservation, 1872 - Southern Pacific Railroad connects Cottage Grove to West coast ports, 1899 - Road built from this site to bring mining ore to railroad, 1902 - Ore road converted to track for the Oregon and Southeastern railroad, 1914 - Railroad renamed Oregon Pacific and Eastern, Galloping Goose excursions after 1919, 1926 - Buster Keaton filmed The General on the railroad tracks, 1949 - Dorena Dam on the Row River completed, 1971-1988 - Rail line used for Blue Goose leisure excursions, 1986 - Movie Stand By Me filmed on the railroad tracks, 1994 - Railroad converted to paved path, 2005 - Path is designated a National Recreation Trail, Follow this trail and trace a path through Oregon’s history.