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Each year, the Cascade Rail Foundation recognizes the outstanding volunteer or volunteers for special recognition. This year, CRF awarded the "Volunteer of the Year" recognition to the team the put together a working telegraph display inside the depot. The honors went to Mr. L.R. Keith of Ritzville, Del Klakken of Spokane and Les Kerr of Snoqualmie. All three made their lasting unique contribution to the telegraph operation at the depot at South Cle Elum. L.R. Keith is very active in the Spokane Chapter of the Morse Telegraph Club. He lives in Ritzville, not far from a depot museum at the Northern Pacific’s historic brick depot. The depot museum includes a working Morse telegraph system with authentic equipment. Mr. Keith contacted Cascade Rail Foundation about including a working telegraph at the South Cle Elum depot, and his offer of assistance was eagerly accepted. In September 2006, Mr. Keith worked with Mark Borleske of Cascade Rail Foundation to demonstrate a working Morse telegraph at the depot. The system worked well, and once again the "CM" office (using the historic Milwaukee Road telegraphic call letters) was once again in business. Mr. Keith continued to work with CRF in getting donated telegraph equipment reconditioned for a permanent exhibit inside the depot’s classic bay window. Mr. Keith became the "Wire Chief" of the telegraph project and was its strongest supporter. Les Kerr developed a means to apply Morse code to the Internet through a program that he developed, known as MorseKOB. KOB is the term used by Morse operators for "key on board", meaning the telegraph key mounted on a board. By allowing Morse operation over the Internet, it makes the entire Morse community accessible. This program is both a Morse code training tool as well as a way to connect the telegraph community online, similar to an Internet chat room, except the messages are actually sent in Morse code. In November, Les Kerr connected his laptop computer at the depot and began communicating with other operators across the country. He also connected with other railroad stations and helped establish an informal network known as "DepotNet", a group of former railroad stations communicating in Morse code via the Internet. Del Klakken was a telegrapher and a wire chief for the Northern Pacific Railroad. He is an active member of the Spokane Morse Telegraph Club and was recruited by Mr. Keith to come over to the Cle Elum Depot and help install the telegraph and communications equipment. During a two-day marathon session in June, Del and L.R. installed the telegraph equipment, bells for a railroad phone system and a working desk phone with candlestick phone on a scissors jack and a foot pedal for a "press to talk" message phone. The true test of the telegraph system took place during the Hiawatha Days at South Cle Elum. This event commemorated the 60th Anniversary of the Inauguration of the Olympian Hiawatha passenger train. The event included a fully operational telegraph office and the opportunity to send telegrams. Del Klakken transmitted telegrams from inside the "CM" depot telegraph office and L.R. Keith received telegraphic messages and typed out telegrams at a second telegraph office, located outside the depot near the substation. Les Kerr was on hand sending and receiving telegrams via the internet and was connected with operators all across the country and the world. Other telegraphers were part of the event including Don Calbeck of Moses Lake operating a wireless radio telegraphic relay office. Lavina and Earl Shaw were on hand to assist and demonstrate telegraphy to visitors. Lavina is the past president of the Morse Telegraph Club, a truly international organization. The telegraph event went flawlessly and the equipment and the operators and visitors enjoyed themselves. Some telegraphers said that this is what a telegraph relay office sounded like, with a number of different circuits working at the same time. The Cascade Rail Foundation wishes to extend its thanks to all the telegraphers who put in the long hours and really made the "CM" office a working model of telegraphy and for the successful telegraph demonstration during Hiawatha Days. To our operators at "CM" as well as the telegraph community who connected with the "CM" office, we would like to thank you for keeping the tradition of Morse alive. We hope that me may continue to be connected by a sense of history and the fellowship of telegraph that ties us together. "73"
The Cascade Rail Foundation
will hold its annual community and volunteer
Each year since 2000, the
Cascade Rail Foundation has, each September,
The depot opened in July
2006, and features a 43-seat café modelled on
The development and operation
of the South Cle Elum Railyard National
If anyone would like to wander
by, we're going to be installing and
Hiawatha Days Recap
The celebration of the Sixtieth Anniversary of the first run of the Olympian Hiawatha passenger train was a successful event. The Depot returned to its glory years of 1947 as it was filled with activity and the clatter of the telegraph, a postal counter gathering in and sending out the mail and featuring exhibits, photographs and a model of the 1947 Olympian Hiawatha. June 29, 1947 was the date of the first departure of the Olympian Hiawatha from Tacoma and Seattle on the eastbound run as well as from Chicago Union Station on its westbound run. Telegraph Demonstration
We were honored with the presence of Morse Telegraph Club past president, Lavina Shaw and her husband Earl. It was a pleasure to meet them and to express our appreciation for all the wonderful support that the "CM" telegraph project has received. Lavina sent out messages from the "CM" office. Earl helped visitors try their hand at Morse code using a practice set. Ham radio operator Don Calbick (W7GB) was on hand to send wireless messages throughout the country. Although wireless, or "CW" uses a slightly different variation of Morse code, known as International Morse, the wireless and the "landline" operation were able to mesh very well. Les Kerr, of Snoqualmie, WA, who developed the Internet Morse program known as "Morse KOB", demonstrated his program and telegraph operation from the depot waiting room. He was able to communicate over the Internet with numerous other telegraphers that included an informal group known as "Depot Net." The Milwaukee Road depot at Cle Elum was able to make telegraphic contact with another Milwaukee Road depot, the Olin depot, now located at Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Our telegraph installation team of Mr. L.R. Keith of Ritzville and Del Klakken of Spokane were working the two telegraph stations at the depot. Del worked as a sending operator at the "CM" office inside the depot. L.R. Keith worked at the "receiving office", which was outside on the depot grounds, receiving messages and typing them out on telegram forms as souvenirs or to be mailed. Inside the depot’s "CM" sending office, the ticket window was serving as a telegraph customer service counter. Visitors could write out their messages on a telegram blank and present it to a customer service clerk. Special thanks to Danette Bremer of Washington State Parks and volunteer Kathie Technow who worked the customer service window of the telegraph office. Postal Event South Cle Elum Postmaster David Thompson actually ran the Post Office from a ticket window at the depot. Many thanks for all his help. David’s professionalism and retail savvy at the sales counter made the postal event a success. Special mention should be given to Postmaster Wade Bilbry of Avery, Idaho (yes, that Avery). Wade guided us through the process of getting a postal pictorial cancellation and he provided us with the "running Indian" Hiawatha design that was used in the cancellation. Movie Night
Renslow Trestle Diorama
Displays and Tours
Outside, Tim Schmidt of Washington State Parks conducted tours through the rail yard on the interpretive trail. The interpretive trail features the archaeology of the South Cle Elum Rail yard and local railroad history from 1909 to abandonment in 1980. Special Thanks In addition to the people already mentioned, I would like to extend thanks to the people who made things work, especially Phil and Judy Doolittle who provided a helping hand where it was needed. Many thanks to Depot Café manager Brian Lee for his support and know how in making things run. Maurya Broadsword of State Parks was the "go to" person who could find solutions to almost any problem. Paul Krueger of Cascade Rail Foundation obtained photos from the inaugural run of the Olympian Hiawatha. Mary Pittis offered a lot of behind the scenes support of the event. CRF President Donovan Gray provided our featured movie from his personal collection as well proofreading, editing and publicity and overall support. I would like to thank all the folks who came out to the depot and visited, sent a telegram, mailed out a cachet and became a part of the event. You are a part of keeping history alive. We are most appreciative to those Milwaukee Roaders who shared their stories and experiences with us. We welcome you back to the depot and hope to see you all again sometime soon. "73"
Having a working telegraph installed at the historic Cle Elum depot was an idea that was in the works for over a year. During summer and fall of 2006 there were two demonstrations of the telegraph from the depot. The call sign "CM" was used during the demonstrations, the telegraphic call the Milwaukee Road assigned this station. Once the telegraph was successfully demonstrated on a temporary basis, a permanent telegraph installation was planed. A formal proposal was made to Washington State Parks for a "Train Order and Telegraph Office". The goal was to set up the depot office as a telegraph and train order office as it would have appeared in 1947, the year the Olympian Hiawatha began service and a benchmark for the depot's historic "period of significance". A number of telegraphers and former operators, some of whom worked at Cle Elum, were consulted about how the office actually looked and functioned as well and the location of equipment. The goal was to recreate the office as closely to its appearance as possible. Experienced railroaders Dave Sprau and Allen Miller were particularly helpful in describing the layout and operation of equipment. John Crosby provided a detailed interior photograph of the telegraph office which served as a pattern for the assembly of the telegraph desk and its equipment. State Parks reviewed the application and the interpretive specialists at Parks assisted in making sure the display, presentation and operation of the train order and telegraph office were historically accurate as well as a meaningful experience for visitors. A large amount of telegraph
and communications equipment had been donated to the Cascade Rail Foundation.
Some of this equipment was actually original equipment that was once used
in the Cle Elum depot. Other equipment was from the Milwaukee Road but
used at other stations, and still other equipment came from other locations
and railroads. All the telegraph and communications equipment on the desk
and walls is genuine and is operable.
Once formal approval was given to the telegraph installation by State Parks, the equipment was installed in the telegraph office. On June 20 and 21st, the telegraph equipment was permanently installed in the "CM" office. Our Wire Chief L.R. Keith was accompanied by former Northern Pacific wire chief and operator Del Klakken of Spokane. During two full days they assembled the historic equipment, installed the telegraph equipment, installed bells for the old railroad block phones and installed the old candlestick telephone with scissors jack and foot pedal for the phone. At one time the telegraph system and the railroad telephone system overlapped, and in the 1940's the telegraph was considered the more reliable of the two. Installation was complete
and the telegraph was tested and it worked well.
Historic train's 60th birthday celebration at South Cle Elum Depot OLYMPIA - June 18, 2007 - The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission and Cascade Rail Foundation invite the public to Hiawatha Days, a 60th birthday celebration of the historic train Olympian Hiawatha at the South Cle Elum Depot, 819 Milwaukee Road. The free celebration runs from noon to 3 p.m. Friday, June 29 and continues from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday, June 30. At 7 p.m. June 29, "A Ticket to Tomahawk," a light-hearted 1950s movie filmed on the Rio Grande Southern Railroad, will be shown. The event also will include a 1947-style reenactment, displays, Morse code demonstrations, refreshments and guided interpretive talks. A temporary post office approved by the U.S. Postal Service will operate during the two-day event. Ticket window staff will sell a special postmark depicting the Milwaukee Road's Olympian Hiawatha logo, along with a specially designed, corresponding envelope. The envelope (also called a cachet) will be available for purchase online after the event at www.milwelectric.org. The Olympian Hiawatha's inaugural run in June 1947 traveled between Seattle-Tacoma and Chicago. The train featured a more streamlined design than previous passenger trains with sleek, new diesel locomotives. The train's last car had a rounded, glass observation car known as the Sky top Lounge. In 1952, a full-length car called the Superdome was added to the train. Until it was decommissioned in 1961, the Olympian Hiawatha ran on the Chicago-Milwaukee-St. Paul-Pacific Railroad, which is now part of the Iron Horse State Park - John Wayne Pioneer Trail. The Cascade Rail Foundation partnered with the Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission to save the historic South Cle Elum Depot, and it was recognized as a National Historic District in 2004. The depot is part of Iron Horse State Park, which features more than 113-miles of converted rails-to-trails now available for a variety of recreation uses, including hiking, biking and horseback riding. A 1,500-foot interpretive trail now runs through the historic rail yard. The Cascade Rail Foundation was formed in 1999 for the rehabilitation and historic preservation of the Milwaukee Road facilities at South Cle Elum. The Washington State Parks and Recreation Commission manages a diverse system of more than 120 parks and several recreation programs, including trails, boating safety, cross-country skiing and snowmobiling. The 94-year-old park system will celebrate its 100th anniversary in 2013. Catherine Rucker
"Hiawatha Days" Celebrates Passenger Train at South Cle Elum Depot, June 29 and 30 The clock will be turned back to June 1947 as the Cascade Rail Foundation and Washington State Parks will host a two-day event celebrating the 60th Anniversary of the first run of a sleek streamlined passenger train. The Milwaukee Road's "Olympian Hiawatha" ran from Chicago, Milwaukee, Twin Cities across the Northern Plains and five mountain ranges to reach Puget Sound. The line ran through South Cle Elum, where the train will be remembered with festivities at the beautifully rehabilitated train station. Events include tours, refreshments, movies, a working telegraph to send messages and a special post office for a commemorative postmark and more. On June 29, 1947, folks along the route of the Milwaukee Road went to the station for their first glimpse at the brand-new Olympian Hiawatha passenger train. The inaugural run was celebrated and watched in awe by people all along the route. The Cascade Rail Foundation is recognizing this historic event by conducting "Hiawatha Days" at the depot and historic rail yard in South Cle Elum. The festivities will be held Friday, June 29 starting at 12:00 noon with a feature movie at 7:00 p.m. On Saturday from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. events will continue with refreshments and beverages offered. Admission to all "Hiawatha Days" events is free to the public. The US Postal Service will have a temporary postal office station, known as "Milwaukee Road Station" at the depot in South Cle Elum from 12:00 noon to 3:00 p.m. on both Friday and Saturday. The postal station will use a special pictorial cancellation depicting the Milwaukee Road's "running Indian" Hiawatha logo with the scripted words "Olympian Hiawatha". This commemorates the Olympian Hiawatha's 60th Anniversary. The Cascade Rail Foundation is offering a specially designed cachet envelope depicting the 1947 Olympian Hiawatha and featuring postage that includes a commemorative railroad stamp in addition to the Hiawatha cancellation. It can be ordered by sending $2.50 for one and $4.00 for two. Send self- addressed stamped #10 envelope to Cascade Rail Foundation, Dept. RPO, PO Box 462, South Cle Elum, WA 98943. Postal supplies will available for sale from the depot, using a ticket window as a retail counter for the Post Office. Cachets are will also be sold at the depot during the event. $2.50 each, 2 for $4.00. The telegraph played an important role in communications on the railroad. An authentic working telegraph office will be dedicated and on display and in operation. Telegrams may be sent and received at the depot office. Authentic telegraph and communication equipment has been reconditioned and installed at the depot office just as it was in June 1947. Morse Telegraph Club volunteers will demonstrate the telegraph and Morse code. The telegraph office will be open Friday from 12:00 noon until 7:00 p.m. and Saturday 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m. Included in the activities is a 1947-style reenactment with tours in authentic vintage setting. Cascade Rail Foundation volunteers will conduct tours inside the depot as well as out in the rail yard on an interpretive trail. Tours will be held regularly from 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. on Friday and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m Saturday. A special "Movie Night at the Depot" will take place Friday June 29 starting at 7:00 p.m. The movie selection will include shorts clips of Milwaukee Road trains in the Pacific Northwest and Kittitas County. The feature film will be "A Ticket to Tomahawk"; a lighthearted western movie from the 1950's filmed on a steam narrow gauge railroad. A 24-year old Marilyn Monroe had a small part in the movie. A scale model railroad diorama will be dedicated Saturday, at 10:00 a.m. This 14 foot long diorama features a Milwaukee Road train crossing the impressive steel trestle at Renslow, between Kittitas and Vantage in the rolling desert of the Saddle Mountains east of Cle Elum. The diorama is based on the actual site of the trestle, which still remains in place across what is now Interstate 90. The depot will feature the 1947 Olympian Hiawatha in photos, advertising, artifacts and stories. The Depot Café inside the historic depot building is open for breakfast and lunch during its normal hours. The Depot Café is open from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tuesday to Friday, and 7:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, closed Mondays. The Olympian Hiawatha was
inaugurated in June 1947 featuring a modern streamlined design. Sleek new
diesel locomotives pulled the train the entire distance from Chicago to
Seattle and Tacoma. The rear of the train featured a rounded glassed in
observation car known as the Sky top Lounge. In 1952, a full-length dome
car, called the Superdome, was added to the train.
For more information
visit the Cascade Rail Foundation website at:
Media Contact:
The John Wayne Pioneer Wagons & Riders are on their 26th Annual Cross State Ride on the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, the former main line right of way of the Milwaukee Road. On Saturday, May 19 they rode into the South Cle Elum Rail Yard where they set up camp and spent the night. Sunday morning they continued the journey east to Tekoa, Washington near the Idaho State Line. The visit was fun filled
with a wonderful variety of horses, wagons and a great bunch of folks who
enjoy the spirit of adventure on a western style wagon train. On Saturday
night, Cascade Rail Foundation hosted a steak cookout on the grill in front
of the depot. The John Wayners enjoyed a great opportunity to visit and
enjoy the hospitality of South Cle Elum and the Cascade Rail Foundation
once more. The cookout was lead by Depot Café manager and cook,
Brian Lee, with help from CRF volunteers Bruce Reason, Lorna Toub and Mark
Borleske. John Wayne member Ray Ewing also helped out at the grill.
The John Wayne Pioneer Wagons & Riders are a group of equestrian riders whose cross-state ride on the Milwaukee Road right of way from Easton to Tekoa is the high light of their year. Their overnight stay at the west end of the Cle Elum Rail Yard is the only overnight camping permitted at the South Cle Elum site. On Sunday morning, the riders got off to their early start and a lot of folks gathered for coffee, conversation and breakfast at the Depot Café. Then the ride started again and the caravan of RVs and horse trailers pulled out to the next destination east, to Thorpe. Later, the shuttle bus returned and the riders moved out with their horses, some wagons and even a few bicycles. By afternoon, there was no trace of the riders at South Cle Elum except for the good memories and camaraderie they left behind. We look forward to seeing you again next year. For membership information
about the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons & Riders contact
Or visit their website at
(mwb 5/24/07)
Our next work party is scheduled for Saturday, May 12, starting at 9:00am. The work party will be wrapped up by approximately 2:00pm. A full agenda of items is scheduled , including the mixing of concrete and pouring the pads for two new benches on the Interpretive Trail. Other work projects include cleaning and sealing decks, washing down the Caboose Shed and Caboose and washing the depot windows inside and out. We especially need someone to step forward and offer to take the lead on doing the concrete work for putting down two 4 foot by 10 foot bench pads. Especially helpful would be someone who has the tools and expertise for finish work. Please email me Mark) if you are willing to help out on the concrete work, otherwise that element of the work party may be postponed for a later date. Lunch will be provided to all volunteers at the work party courtesy of CRF. The work party will be wrapped up by 2 pm. CRF Board Meeting is later in the afternoon.
Spring Cleaning at the South Cle Elum Depot Saturday 4/28 The Cascade Rail Foundation
will have its first work party of the year
All are encouraged to participate
and help out. Lunch will be provided
The work party project list
includes litter and weed pickup in the rail
The South Cle Elum Depot
and the South Cle Elum Rail Yard Historic
The Cascade Rail Foundation gears up for another monumental year CRF looks forward to the warm weather season as it celebrates the first full year of operating the depot. The year 2006 was very active. On July 1, 2006 the depot was officially dedicated. The rehabilitated depot was open to the public, the Depot Cafe started up and the South Cle Elum Rail Yard interpretive trail was officially dedicated. It has been a strong year and more progress is planned for 2007. A 14' long by 34" wide H-O scale model railroad display of the Renslow Trestle. The diorama will anchor a
display area explaining passenger train service by the Milwaukee Railroad
and its role in the development of the region. The diorama will feature
a circa 1950 "Olympian Hiawatha" passenger train powered by a Bi-Polar
electric locomotive. The model's prototype, the Renslow Trestle is a steel
trestle crossing a valley and what is now Interstate 90. This structure,
although unused, still stands, east of Kittitas and some thirty-eight miles
east of Cle Elum. The trestle is 678 feel long, with 12 steel spans, towering
some 110 feel above the valley.
Four 3-color trackside block signals are being restored under contract to Washington State Parks' Interpretive Services. Completion of this restoration work is scheduled for early Summer. Two signals will be installed along the former mainline right-of-way, while two will be retained for eventual display in the substation. The sound of telegraph came
alive inside the depot office last Fall.
A small building known as the "Easton telephone shack" is planed for movement and rehabilitation this summer. This small wooden outbuilding was used as a place to get message and train orders for trains at Easton, eleven miles west of Cle Elum. This building replaced the Easton depot which was torn down in the mid-1960's. This building was typical of many railroad outbuildings along the right of way. Volunteer Roger Sackett has undertaken the lead in restoring this building to its origional appearance. This shack was painted gray in the style used on Milwaukee Road buildings from the 1950's to abandonment in 1980. Improvements continue on the Rail Yard Trail, which passes through the interior of the rail yard and links the history, existing buildings and the archaeology of the railroad. Last year eighteen permanent interpretive signs were put in place on the trail with two resting benches. This year two more resting benches will be added to the trail as well as routine maintenance and improvement to the trail surface, weed control an stabilization and preservation of the archaeological features in the rail yard. As Cascade Rail Foundation gears up for projects, a Spring schedule has been established for work parties. In addition, small-scale volunteer work parties are going on at the depot most weekends. Please contact a member of CRF or call the Depot Cafe at 509-674-2006 to confirm. Saturday, April 28th Saturday, May 12 Sunday, May 20
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