Thursday, July 19, 1994 - Page B1
State
Park Urged Near Monte Cristo -- Plan Includes Extension of Trail Blazed by Lake
Stevens Scouts
By Diane
Brooks
Times Snohomish County bureau
ROBE GORGE, Snohomish County — In their efforts to preserve a piece of
railroad history, the trailblazers of Boy Scout Troop 43 have secured their own spot in the Monte Cristo mining legend.
When history and nature enthusiasts hike through the proposed Robe Gorge State Park in a river canyon east of Granite Falls,
they follow a stunning trail forged 25 years ago by the Lake Stevens Scout troop.
Now the 2 1/4-mile trail along the old Monte Cristo railroad grade is the genesis of an ambitious, $3 million plan to preserve
1,250 acres of timberland on both sides of the canyon for a state park. If all goes well,
the trail will be extended through the entire 7 1/4-mile gorge carved by the South Fork of the Stillaguamish River.
Richard Wolfe was a 13-year-old Scout when work began on the Robe project. His father, Bill Wolfe, was his troop's scoutmaster.
It took the boys several years to brush out a trail along the railroad grade and clear a
campground where the old riverside town of Robe stood until shortly after World War I.
"My dad worked hard. He was the one that got it registered in the National Register of Historic Trails," recalled Wolfe, now 38. `He
grew up in Darrington; he actually rode on the railroad when he was kid."
The trailhead lies on the south side of the scenic Mountain Loop Highway, seven miles east of Granite Falls.
A whitewater roar accompanies hikers as they follow the route of the Everett & Monte Cristo Railway, stepping over century-old
spikes protruding from remaining portions of the old wooden stringers, timbers that supported the
rails.
Monte Cristo, now a ghost town off the east end of the Mountain Loop, hosted the region's biggest mining boom of the 1890s. East
Coast mining executives - pooh-poohing local warnings about floods - ordered the railway
carved into the rocky walls of Robe Gorge.
Six tunnels, one 900 feet long, were blasted to build the stretch of rail through the gorge. Half of them lie on the existing trail.
The gorge section of the railroad was finished in 1892, and the first shipment of Monte Cristo
ore reached Everett two years later.
But the locals proved right: Floods powerful enough to ram trees through the tunnels repeatedly washed out the railroad.
Determined engineers responded by embedding some portions in a wall of concrete, leaving historians with
vivid molds of the rails and long-disintegrated ties.
Each time floods closed down the railroad, everyone in the upriver towns of Monte Cristo and Silverton and the former Big
Four Inn at the ice caves were cut off from the outside world. A stock-market crash shut down the mine in
1907, and 25 years later the railway was abandoned.
Coalition Winning Support
Now a coalition of kayakers, hikers and environmentalists is winning support from a growing number of politicians to preserve
the gorge, railway and a buffer of trees along the canyon rim. The park, which probably would be part
of the state system, would include hiking trails along the railroad route.
"It's a gem for that area," said Sue Doroff, director of the Portland-based Riverlands Conservancy. "It's a draw that has
more value than just for the immediate community. We've invested a tremendous amount of time to it; it's
one of our top priorities for Washington state."
This spring, state Sen. Kevin Quigley, D-Lake Stevens, persuaded the Legislature to transfer $250,000 from another park purchase
to the Robe project. But that money carries a catch: It won't be delivered unless
Snohomish County comes up with its own matching $250,000.
That $500,000 would be used to buy the stretch of trail developed by Troop 43. The land is owned by the Hancock Timber
Resources Group, which invests pension funds for John Hancock Life Insurance Co.
John Hancock Owns Land
John Hancock owns at least 90 percent of the proposed park and is willing to sell those properties to the county or state, said
regional forester Mason Browne.
To receive the state money, Snohomish County has until Dec. 31 to commit its own $250,000. At this point, the county hopes to
use a grant from its Conservations Futures program, which is funded by a special property tax. A
county committee reviews applications and makes recommendations to the County Council
every two years; the next round of grants will be made this fall.
State law requires those conservation funds to be spent on projects with regional significance. Robe Gorge proponents are
ready to present their case.
"This is a chance to see something that I don't think exists anywhere else in Western Washington," said David Cameron, a
historian and teacher who helped Troop 43. The canyon offers an impressive mix of nature, history and
geology, he said.
Funding Sought Through State
Larry Fairleigh, an assistant director of the state Parks and Recreation Commission, said his agency is seeking funding for
Robe Gorge through the state Wildlife and Recreation Program.
"You can argue that it has statewide significance," he said. "We all agree it's a piece of property that really has some tremendous
potential, but we need to get it into public ownership."
Diane Brooks: 425-745-7802 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com
Copyright
© 1994 & 2003 The Seattle Times Company -- Used with permission.
Friday, July 28, 1995 - Page B1
Trail's
Helping Hands -- Park Owes Existence To Volunteers
By Diane
Brooks
Times Snohomish County bureau
ROBE GORGE, Snohomish County — On a recent hot, sunny day, Steve Dean
escaped work early.
It wasn't to play in the sun but to engage in his own idea of play: brushing away stinging flies while shoveling dirt in a shady spot
above a creek flowing toward the Stillaguamish River.
Most hikers who park along the Mountain Loop Highway and set off down a trail leading to the historic Monte Cristo railroad grade
probably take for granted work done by Dean and other volunteers who spend their free time
clearing brush, building stream crossings and essentially keeping the trail passable.
But Dean's efforts, in both the natural and political worlds, are directly responsible for the very existence of Robe Canyon
Historic Park, dedicated last week.
Now the first 2 1/4-mile section of a planned 7 1/2-mile trail along a whitewater stretch of the Stillaguamish River is in public
hands, purchased with $700,000 in state and Snohomish County funds.
Another way of looking at it: 160 acres at the eastern end of a future 1,200-acre park are now safe from development or logging.
Completion of the park depends upon the state Legislature and how much money it chooses to allocate in the future for
park-and-recreation purchases. Most of the remaining acreage on both sides of the river gorge is owned by a park
supporter: the Hancock Timber Resources Group, which invests pension funds for John Hancock Life Insurance Co.
"Certainly, I hope our state legislators will continue to work in this direction," said County Councilman John Garner, a
Republican. "I think whenever we can acquire a property that can enhance citizens' lives for
generations to come, I will support it."
Although state Sen. Kevin Quigley, D-Lake Stevens, is responsible for a key legislative act that helped fund the park's
first phase, he gives full credit to Dean, who lives near Stanwood.
"He's the spark plug of this whole project," said Quigley, remembering the day Dean came to his office to spin a tale about
the turn-of-the-century Monte Cristo mine, the long-abandoned railroad built through a stunning
river gorge to reach it, and decades of volunteer trail work by Boy Scouts.
"Steve Dean has this infectious energy; you want to find a way to help," Quigley said.
"I grew up in that area, and I didn't even know (the old railroad site) was there. To have a part in putting it away for future
generations is great. It's my favorite experience as a legislator, no holds barred."
The park's official ribbon-cutting last week was marked, appropriately, with a work party co-sponsored by Volunteers for
Outdoor Washington. Work crews included 38 Boy Scouts and adults, including Quigley.
But a trail-volunteer's work is never done.
This week found Dean back on the Robe trail - named for the old riverside town of Robe, which long ago vanished - to help
Marysville resident Sandy Bingaman finish a stream project begun on dedication day. Bingaman, like
Dean, is a board member of Volunteers for Outdoor Washington.
Before last week, one side of the stream offered hikers a small challenge; the trail required a bit of scrambling to reach the top.
That's fine for able-bodied children and adults, but it was impassable for some less-agile
hikers.
Now a switchback is sculpted into the hillside, divided by a moss-covered-rock-retaining wall intended to discourage damage
caused by short-cutters. The previously near-vertical wall is now carved into a 45-degree angle. Hikers can't tell, but the dirt paths
now angling up the small hillside are built atop new layers of rock.
The trail workers paused to let pass a small group of hikers, led by Everett resident Ron Payne.
Payne asked Dean whether he knew the size of the town that once was there.
Dean launched into a minilesson: Robe had 250 residents at its height in 1911. Payne, he said, was standing where the Everett &
Monte Cristo Railway tracks once ran.
"Thanks for your information, and bless your heart for working so hard on this trail for us," Payne said as he headed on down the
trail toward the Stillaguamish River.
The trail's river stretch is what draws most hikers, with its railroad tunnels blasted into canyon rock and century-old spikes
protruding from remaining portions of old wooden stringers, timbers that once supported
rails.
The rails are gone, sold in 1936 and shipped to Japan to be melted down for steel. But a few pieces can be spied among the
boulders lining the river just below the rail grade.
After completing their work, Dean and Bingaman headed toward the river.
"Can you imagine what it must have been like to ride this railroad? It just blows my mind," Bingaman said. "I'm astounded
by the amount of work that went into these endeavors so far in the past. These were such big deals - to
follow their dreams of the hope for gold up here."
More hands needed
Volunteers interested in joining work parties along the Robe trail may call Steve Dean at (360) 652-7181. The next projects are
scheduled for Oct. 7 and 8.
Diane Brooks: 425-745-7802 or dbrooks@seattletimes.com
Copyright
© 1995 & 2003 The Seattle Times Company -- Used with permission.
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