Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Lewis & Clark Explorer: Rainier

…Continued from Goble.

rainiersign

Charles Fox founded Rainier in 1851. The town was originally called Eminence, but the name was changed to Rainier in 1852. The town is named after Rear Admiral Peter Rainier of the Royal Navy, for whom Mt. Rainier in Washington is also named. The town of Rainier was incorporated in 1885. According to the 2000 census, Rainier has a population of 1,687 people.

Lewis & Clark Explorer in Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005
The Lewis & Clark Explorer in Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005.

Lewis & Clark Explorer in Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005
The Lewis & Clark Explorer in Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005.

Lewis & Clark Explorer in Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005
The Lewis & Clark Explorer in Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005.

Lewis & Clark Explorer in Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005
The Lewis & Clark Explorer in Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005.

Rainier is my hometown, so it is covered more extensively than the other towns on this page. The railroad runs down the middle of A Street in downtown Rainier. Street-running used to be common for railroads in the United States, but today it is becoming rare.

Lewis & Clark Explorer crossing Fox Creek in Rainier, Oregon on October 1, 2005
The Lewis & Clark Explorer crossing Fox Creek on October 1, 2005.

After leaving the street-running behind, the railroad crosses over Fox Creek on an old wooden trestle that probably dates from the railroad's original construction in the 1890s.

Lewis & Clark Explorer west of Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005
The Lewis & Clark Explorer west of Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005.

Lewis & Clark Explorer west of Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005
The Lewis & Clark Explorer west of Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005.

Lewis & Clark Explorer west of Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005
The Lewis & Clark Explorer west of Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005.

Lewis & Clark Explorer west of Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005
The Lewis & Clark Explorer west of Rainier, Oregon on September 24, 2005.

West of Rainier, Highway 30 climbs in elevation. Viewpoints along the highway offer westbound travelers the opportunity to stop and enjoy the views of the Columbia River, the mills of Longview, Washington and the Lewis & Clark Bridge, designed by Joseph Strauss of Golden Gate Bridge fame and completed in 1930. These viewpoints also offer an excellent view of the Lewis & Clark Explorer as it passes under the bridge and along Dike Road between farmland and USG's wallboard plant.

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