Work Party Report
Spring Cleanup at the South Cle Elum Railyard

On Friday, April 23, volunteers and State Parks personal worked together at a spring cleanup of the site of the rail yard, the interior of the substation and the historic depot. Volunteers from the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons & Riders, the horse group with is active in riding and maintaining the John Wayne Pioneer Trail, Cascade Rail Foundation volunteers, and personal from Lake Easton State Park all joined forces for a spring cleanup and doing something green to commemorate Earth Day as well.

We had an excellent turnout with Doug Schmitt, Sharon Schmitt, Nicole Schmitt, Zachary Schmitt, Terry Wade, Judy Westall, Ray Ewing and John Lidral from the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons & Riders. Representing State Parks was Ranger Tim Schmitt and Josh White, equipment operator from Lake Easton State Park. Cascade Rail Foundation volunteers included Mark Borleske and Bruce Reason.

The electric substation needed cleanup and Tim Schmidt and volunteers worked on organizing, consolidating and sorting material in the substation. This is in preparation of anticipated rehabilitation and renovation of the substation building by contractors.

Meanwhile, outside in the rail yard, John Lidral was busy operating his track hoe, cleaning out brush and debris from the rail yard and loading it into a dump truck provided by State Parks and driven by Josh White. By the end of the day, the dump truck carried seven loads of organic clean and green material for composting, a total of 11,940 pounds of material, nearly six tons! A load of debris weighing 1440 pounds was also taken to the transfer station.

Ray Ewing performed his chainsaw magic to trim back trees encroaching on the trail and manicuring other trees in the rail yard. Judy Westall, Terry Wade and John Lidral joined him in transplanting some eight trees to serve as a windbreak and a natural border between public and private property.

Meanwhile, members of the Schmitt family for their work on the Easton shack, with the substation cleanup and the overall cleanup out in the rail yard. The Easton Telephone shack, located on the right of way at the far west end of the yard, received some light maintenance and a damaged window frame was repaired and painted.

Bruce reason, president of Cascade Rail Foundation, was busy during the day, cleaning, painting and preparing the exterior of the depot for painting.

This was a most successful work party and a good way to celebrate Earth Day, perform a Spring Cleaning and continue to improve the grounds in anticipation of the John Wayne Pioneer Wagons & Riders annual ride. This year the John Wayne group will overnight at the west end of the railyard on Saturday, May 22 and ride out on Sunday, May 23. The Cle Elum stop is always a special and memorable event on the annual two-week cross state ride with the John Wayners.

YOU ARE CORDIALLY INVITED

to the Annual Volunteer & Community Picnic

celebrating the 10^th Anniversary of the

Cascade Rail Foundation / Friends of the South Cle Elum Depot

WHEN:  Saturday, October 10, 2009,   1:00 – 3:00 PM

WHERE:  

The Depot

801 Milwaukee Road 

South Cle Elum Rail Yard National Historic District

FOOD:

• Burgers and Hot Dogs provided by – and cooked by – CRF Board Members.     
• Beverages (water, soda, coffee) provided by CRF.
• Last names A-L  bring a salad to share
• Last names M-Z bring dessert to share

WE SINCERELY HOPE YOU CAN ATTEND !

CRF Board of Directors:

Bruce Reason, David Newcomb, Paul Krueger, Mary Pittis, Mark Borleske, Ray Horton, and Brian Lee

by Mark Borleske

The John Wayne Pioneer Wagons & Riders made an overnight visit Saturday, May 24, 2009 to
the old South Cle Elum Rail Yard last Saturday. South Cle Elum is just one
of many overnight stops for the horse group as they travel across Washington
on their namesake, the John Wayne Trail. The riders have been taking part in
an annual ride across Washington State on the route of the former Milwaukee
Road since 1981. This year, the ride started in Easton on Saturday and will
end up in Tekoa, Washington, near the Idaho state line, on June 6th.

The John Wayne Pioneer Wagons and Riders, and their namesake John Wayne
Pioneer Trail, are closely linked. In 1977, the Milwaukee Road went bankrupt
and in 1980, the railroad cut their service in the west. The group persuaded
the State of Washington to acquire the former railroad right of way as a
recreational trail. By 1981, the John Wayne riders were making organizing
their first ride, the initial one was from the Columbia River to Easton.
Since then, the ride has expanded and has been well-received by communities
and some ranchers and farmers who act as overnight hosts to the group and
provide camping space. The John Wayne Trail is now managed by Washington
State Parks as a part of Iron Horse State Park. Other portions of the trail
in Eastern Washington are managed by the Washington Department of Natural
Resources. Volunteer members of the John Wayne riders have spent countless
hours making improvements on the trail, to trailheads as well as locations
along the trail. In Spring of 2009, for example, volunteers have work
parties planting trees and cleaning up brush in the rail yard at South Cle
Elum. They also has a work party doing cleanup and making trail improvements
at the Thorpe trailhead.

On Saturday night, the riders were hosted by the Cascade Rail Foundation, a
volunteer organization which works with State Parks in managing the South
Cle Elum Rail Yard and the historic depot. Over one hundred people enjoyed a
steak cookout in front of the historic depot building.  On Sunday morning,
the riders were treated to a continental breakfast at the depot before
riding out.

As it was time to move on, the riders hit the trail, traveling east, with a
procession of horses and bicycles, moving at their own pace. Due to State
Parks recent closure of the tunnels on the John Wayne Trail, including two
in the Yakima River Canyon, Sunday’s ride was more like an excursion, out
and back instead of traveling on to the overnight destination at Thorpe.
Later in the afternoon, the riders broke camp and traveled with their
vehicles, horse trailers and horses and bicycles to Thorpe. In addition to
the overnight stays at Easton, South Cle Elum and Thorpe, the riders will
continue with stays at Kittitas, Renslow (I-90 Trailhead/Army West), and
Wanapum, on the Columbia River; all in Kittitas County. The ride continues
east of the Columbia River with visits to Othello, Warden, Lind, Ralston,
Revere, Ewan, Malden, Rosalia and ending in Tekoa.

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