Wheat Country Railroad: The Northern Pacific's Spokane & Palouse and Competitors

Railroad development and competition played a critical role in eastern Washington and northwest Idaho’s agricultural and population growth. Sweeping opportunity lured transportation moguls into the fertile Palouse country—one of the world’s most productive grain-growing landscapes. Recognizing the potential for profit, East Coast financial interests, as well as powerful Portland and Puget Sound players, battled for regional economic supremacy in an intense rivalry. Meanwhile, settlers and f...