![]() Image courtesy of the Northwest Room of the Spokane Public Library. Media Images Hillyard Shops: An undated arial view of the Great Northern Hillyard shops. Detached from the railroad the city had depended on for its entire history, many citizens have made sure the neighborhood will not cease to exist like the railroad they once depended on so greatly. The shops officially closed on Octoushering in a new era for Hillyard. Slowly train use continued to erode and Burlington Northern chose to close the Hillyard shops. The success was significant, however, the decreasing use of trains for transportation and industry led to a merger between Great Northern and Burlington Northern in 1970. During this time Great Northern employed more than 1,300 people in Hillyard and the annual wage bill added up to more than $6,000,000, providing steady jobs and pumping serious cash into the local economy. An average of 2,400 freight cars went through the terminal on a daily basis. This proved to be the height of the railroads and Hillyard reaped many of the benefits. In 1954 they announced a modernization program to bring the Hillyard rail yard into the diesel-era. Great Northern continued to support the busy facility with a large expansion project in the 1950s. 2034, one of the most powerful steam engines built in the world. In 1927 the employees of Great Northern completed engine No. Hillyard became widely known in the railway industry in the 1920s for the articulated locomotives they built and repaired on site. ![]() Locals began calling the city Hillyard (Hill’s Yard) and the name stuck-despite James Hill’s objections. The initial population was composed of single men, but families quickly followed. The small town rapidly expanded around the railroad industry. Hill chose this location for his railroad terminal in 1892. The Great Northern railroad is the soil on which the town of Hillyard grew.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |