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History of Project <br />The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad (commonly called the Milwaukee Road) ran <br />through Ellensburg from igog until ig80. The depot in Ellensburg was completed in igio and <br />served as a division headquarters and a point for the crew to change. In addition, the depot <br />helped the City of Ellensburg grow. The Milwaukee Railroad ran through Central Washington <br />University's campus, bringing many students who lived out of town to campus. <br />In ig8o, the Milwaukee Railroad abandoned the Pacific Extension. The 213 mile section of <br />the railroad bed, through a number of acquisitions and negotiations, was acquired in 1981 by <br />the Department of Natural Resources. This section was then turned over to the Washington <br />State Parks Department and named the Iron Horse State Park, with the eastern segment from <br />Snoqualmie to the Columbia River named the John Wayne Pioneer Trail. The State Park Trail <br />is designated for non motorized recreation with an emphasis on horsback riding. The trail <br />runs from Rattlesnake Lake (near North Bend) to the Columbia River (south of Vantage) with <br />the only missing segment of the trail being through Central Washington University's campus in <br />Ellensburg. <br />The former Ellensburg Depot, Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad, located near the CWU campus <br />(courtesy Kittitas County Historical Society) <br />,%bn Wayne Pioneer ?hail Reconnection Study Final Report September 2001 <br />10 <br />