On Friday, September 21, 2012 - I recently completed a journey “Up the St. Joe” to Avery, Idaho to take some “Then & Now” photographs of the Milwaukee Road for my upcoming book about the Milwaukee Road and its connections in Idaho and Montana.

Anyway…as many already may know – late August and September have not been good for Washington State forests and grasslands. There are numerous fires statewide creating a smoke haze well into Eastern Washington, Northern Idaho and Western Montana.

So…the trip from Spokane to Avery and back through Wallace to Spokane was very hazy to say the least. The sky in the photographs was not as bright blue as one would expect – the trees along the St. Joe and up along the North Fork of the St. Joe are quickly turning yellow…it’s that time of year. Needless to say, photo conditions … were not at their best.

Here’s a brief update on what is going on at the old Milwaukee Road site at Avery, Idaho.

I should have known there was something up, when dozens of tandem gravel/rock trucks passed us coming down from Avery to St. Maries. Little did we know when we got to Avery, that the old Milwaukee “West Yard” – where the roundhouse/electric locomotive servicing area yard area would be gone!!

It appears that has been some environmental remediation policy and clean-up has been put into action in Avery since May 2012 – nothing inherently wrong with that – just a shock.

The entire Milwaukee “West Yard” roundhouse/electric locomotive service area is gone.

Now, I know what all the tandem gravel/rock trucks were all about – they are transporting contaminated soils down from Avery to ??? near St. Maries. I don’t mean to start any controversy… but is this not just moving one problem to somewhere else where eventually it will have to be dealt with again – sounds like a “make work” project for someone….anyway…
after looking over my 1974 photos of the Avery “West Yard” – very oily…I suppose having that much goo along the St. Joe was not such a good thing.

Anyway…

The whole “West Yard” roundhouse/electric locomotive service area is gone – I’ve posted them along with a bit of commentary on my website:

[www.railroads-of-montana.com]

I hope to have my MilwaukeeRoad Connections – Idaho & Montana completed in October…November.

Talk to ya later,
Dale Jones
[www.railroads-of-montana.com]