Visible from the northern shore of Lake Whatcom are sections of train tracks that have yet to collapse into the water, another piece of the crumbling rail infrastructure found in and around Bellingham.
In the late 1800s, coal was barged across the lake from the Blue Canyon Mine to a landing near what is now Bloedel Donovan Park before being taken by rail to the waterfront. At the turn of the century, the Bellingham Bay and Eastern company built up its own line to the lake. In 1902, J.J. Donovan oversaw the completion of the 23-mile line from Fairhaven to Wickersham, connecting to the Northern Pacific line between Seattle and Sumas.
The Blue Canyon Mine operated sporadically until the bunker on the lake burned in July 1920, set aflame by sparks from the locomotive. The Northern Pacific operated passenger trains to and from Bellingham until 1940 and freight trains until 1970.
The gently graded Hertz Trail, named after a former director of Whatcom County Parks and Recreation, starts in North Lake Whatcom Park and follows the old rail right-of-way for more than 3 miles.
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Julia Tellman writes about civic issues and anything else that happens to cross her desk; contact her at juliatellman@cascadiadaily.com.
