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15 The main line of the Northern Pacific (NP) Railroad was completed through Kittitas County in 1887. The Chicago, Milwaukee & St. Paul (CM&SP) Railroad (since converted for the Palouse to Cascade Trail – PCT) reached Kittitas County in 1909 and on July 10, 1910, established daily local service. Several small logging railroads operated within the county from 1916 until the mid-1940s. By the 1920s motor routes through Kittitas County were well established, if not always well paved. The Sunset Highway (SR-2) crossed Snoqualmie Pass through Easton and Cle Elum before exiting Kittitas County over Blewett Pass. Beginning in 1930, Snoqualmie Pass was plowed during the winter to accommodate skiers. The Inland Empire Highway (SR-3) connected Cle Elum with Ellensburg and then north with Quincy in Grant County. Interstate 90 is now the main route from Snoqualmie Pass through Kittitas County continuing eastward to Spokane and beyond. Interstate 82 extends from Ellensburg south into Yakima County, and Interstate 97 extends from Virden over Swauk Pass toward Wenatchee. Current conditions Kittitas County today remains strongly agricultural. All available water has long been harnessed. Sagebrush-covered arid land (known as shrub-steppe) contrasts sharply with lushly irrigated crop acreage. The county’s gold mining and coal mining past are echoes of an earlier and wilder west, but the passage of time has not obscured the region’s pioneer heritage. Cowboy and cattle ranching culture and history continue to be celebrated on a grand scale at the yearly Ellensburg Rodeo. Today the main industries are agriculture (including timothy hay to feed racehorses), manufacturing (food processing, lumber, and wood products), government (including employment at Central Washington University - CWU), and tourism (including recreation). Recreation The Yakima River is used for fishing, wading, kayaking and canoeing, recreational floating, guided river rafting, fishing from a raft or drift boat, and jet boating, especially during the summer months. The Yakima River is ranked between Class I and Class II rapids in the Upper Canyon and Class 1 in the Lower Canyon, depending on the circumstances and season. The Yakima and Cle Elum Rivers are Washington State’s most famous fly-fishing streams for rainbow, westslope cutthroat, brown, and some lake or hybrid trout, especially large trout up to 20 inches. The Cle Elum River below Cle Elum Lake Dam and the Yakima River between Lake East Dam and Roza Dam are no-kill, no- barbs, no-bait, catch-and-release, selective-gear WDFW designated fisheries for all trout except brook trout which are not native. The Yakima River corridor is also used for hiking, particularly on the Palouse to Cascade Trail (PTC Trail – formerly the Iron Horse Trail) and adjacent trails into Cle Elum, Ellensburg, and the Lower Canyon, as well as wildlife viewing, scenic sightseeing, picnicking, camping, and seasonal hunting. The upper and lower canyons provide significant aesthetic opportunities of diverse geological and ecological features.