Retired journalist Gregg Herrington tracks down history of railroad in Clark CountySubscriber Exclusive

‘The checkered past of Clark County’s own railroad’ follows VK&Y railroad’s tracks

By Scott Hewitt, Columbian staff writer, and

The Columbian

Published: February 17, 2024, 6:05am

5 Photos

Railroad magnate James J. Hill, far right with beard, was the “power behind the throne” as Vancouver’s local railway project struggled to grow, Gregg Herrington writes. Here, Hill is seen at Vancouver’s downtown train station — where it still is today — in October 1911, accompanied by Vancouver Mayor John P. Kiggins, to his left. (The Columbian files) Photo Gallery

Gregg Herrington has been working on the railroad. Discover what his exhaustive research uncovered about the bumpy backstory of local railway development in the latest edition of Clark County History, the annual journal of the Clark County Historical Society and Museum.

Herrington’s authoritative exploration of the birth, growth and repeated transformation of the Vancouver, Klickitat & Yakima Railroad turns out to be just like the tracks themselves: starting and stopping, twisting and turning, heavily influenced by geography, money, national politics and, crucially, the inexperience of the men who launched the venture in Vancouver.