Idaho: A Northwest Passage & Personal Connection

Idaho’s Panhandle region is experiencing a renewed focus on rail infrastructure, spurred by the ongoing operation of the Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway (WIM). The short-line railroad, which began construction in 1905 as a logging line for the Potlatch Lumber Company, continues to operate between Bovill, Idaho, and Palouse, Washington. Originally intended to extend into Montana, those plans were abandoned following a 1910 forest fire that destroyed valuable timber resources along the North Fork of the Clearwater River. A subsequent agreement with the Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound railway, which did operate into Montana, solidified a division of rates and joint use of tracks at Bovill, effectively ending expansion efforts. The WIM, described as a single-track standard gauge steam railroad, initially laid twenty miles of track by the end of 1906, eventually reaching Bovill. Today, the railway’s historical significance is preserved in Potlatch, Idaho, where Engine 1 and the original railroad depot are maintained within the Commercial Historic District, a site listed on the National Register of Historic Places. A restored passenger car, combine car 306, originally in service from 1909 until its conversion into a farm outbuilding in the 1950s, now operates as an Airbnb near Deary, Idaho. The WIM continues to carry freight, passengers, and mail, though its primary function remains the transport of logs to mills, as it did in its earliest days. The railway’s existence provides a tangible link to the region’s logging history and the development of transportation networks in the Inland Northwest, an area encompassing Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and parts of Canada. A recent ten-day road trip through the Pacific Northwest highlighted the region’s beauty, including stops in Montana and Idaho, demonstrating continued interest in the area’s natural landscapes and historical sites. The Inland Northwest, as a whole, is attracting attention for its stunning landscapes and outdoor recreation opportunities.