Join us on Saturday, October 5 for Bridge Day in Rosalia, WA.
This free event will feature a railroad history presentation at the library in downtown Rosalia. Following the presentation, there will be a guided history hike on the former Milwaukee Road right of way over the iconic Rosalia Concrete Arch Bridges, now a part of the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail.
Railroad History Presentation: 1:00 p.m.
A Photographic History of Palouse Railroads
Robert G. Olsen, Professor Emeritus
Washington State University
The presentation will take place at the Rosalia Branch of the Whitman County Library, now located at 526 South Whitman Avenue in downtown Rosalia.
History Hike: 2:30 pm
After the presentation at the Rosalia Library, we will caravan a mile south to the Palouse to Cascades State Park Trail. There will be a guided tour and history hike, featuring comparative historic photos of the rail routes, the Pine Creek valley and the construction of the concrete arch bridges and the “daylighting” of a tunnel.
The walking tour is one- or two-miles round trip on gravel trail. Sturdy walking shoes are highly recommended.
Hobo Quilt Craft Class: 12:00 pm
Traditional hobo quilt-based artwork and symbols will be on display at the Rosalia Library as part of the Bridge Day event. People interested in this fascinating historical code and art form may sign up for a class offered at the library from noon until 2 p.m. on Saturday, September 28 and repeated on at the same time on Wednesday, October 2. All materials are provided and participants will create paper versions of traditional quilt blocks to form a display for the Bridge Day celebration. Class sizes are limited so please register by September 24, contacting the Rosalia Library at 509-523-3109 or rosalia@whitcolib.org
A train rolls through Rosalia, WA on September 30, 1979.
