DeWitt Museum & Sumpter Valley Railway Depot at Prairie City

DeWitt Museum & Sumpter Valley Railway Depot at Prairie City Contact information, map and directions, contact form, opening hours, services, ratings, photos, videos and announcements from DeWitt Museum & Sumpter Valley Railway Depot at Prairie City, PO Box 370, 425 South Main Street, Prairie City, OR.

The Museum is open mid May thru mid October and provides exhibits of the Logging, Freight, and Passenger Railroad; as well as the individuals comprising the Ranching, Mining, and Retail economy. The Sumpter Valey Railway Depot at Prairie City opened July 4th, 1910 and transported freight and passengers between Prairie City and Baker City until about 1933.

Since its' inception in June 1862, Prairie City has always been either the largest or second largest city in Grant count...
09/15/2016

Since its' inception in June 1862, Prairie City has always been either the largest or second largest city in Grant county.

Located on Main St. Prairie City, OR.
09/15/2016

Located on Main St. Prairie City, OR.

These water troughs were created in the ~1930s under FDRs' New Deal. They were built to provide individuals jobs and pr...
07/11/2016

These water troughs were created in the ~1930s under FDRs' New Deal. They were built to provide individuals jobs and provide the valley rancher's cattle with water during the summer months when they were turned-out to graze on federal lands (Forest Service) There were documented guidelines for the trough builders to follow. Ask the museum staff member present to see the display!

07/03/2016

Remember, the admissions at the Museum are FREE on July 4th!

These photos depict life (early 1900s) in a rural area of eastern Oregon and are taken along the 80 mile main line and t...
07/02/2016

These photos depict life (early 1900s) in a rural area of eastern Oregon and are taken along the 80 mile main line and the countless miles of spur lines travelling into the forests for logging the vast resources found there.

The Depot is listed on the Natonal Historic Register, so the building is an artifact in itself. This is the last remain...
07/02/2016

The Depot is listed on the Natonal Historic Register, so the building is an artifact in itself. This is the last remaining, original Depot located where it was originally built on the 80 mile long railroad. This Depot operated in full capacity from 1910 to 1934. The advent of the automobile and economics caused the route to Prairie City to be abandoned.

Winters were a little more harsh!
07/02/2016

Winters were a little more harsh!

07/02/2016

Free Admissions to the Museum Monday, July 4th, 2016, 10am to 5pm at the corner of Main & Bridge Sts, Prairie City, OR.

Photos are from the SVRy from 1890 thru about 1947.
06/23/2013

Photos are from the SVRy from 1890 thru about 1947.

06/15/2013

The Once Proud Narrow Gauge
by George H. Harlan

Behold the tiny engine
With a tiny diamond stack
Breathing smoke and fire
As it puffs along the track
Pulling little coaches
As they rock and creak and strain
Each one a proud component
Of a busy little train

Chugging 'round the corners
Through cuts and great divides
Over fills and bridges
The snorting engine rides
With the screech of haughty whistle
And the ring of clanging bell
She calls to all in hearing
From each wooded hill and dell

Passing roadside boulders
And tall, majestic pines
Through farmer's fields of glowing green
The tiny railroad winds
Past clumps of pungent sagebrush
Rolls the little queen of steam
As she labors up the canyon
Of some bounding mountain stream

Now she huffs along the rails
This churning little lass
With domes and bell and steam chests
All bound in gleaming brass
She puffs with every ounce of steam
Within her tiny heart
Upon a rugged roadbed
With it's rails three feet apart

But the little railroad's left us now
Without a rail or spike
And most the ties have crumbled
Along the iron pike
It lived within the glories
Of a slowly fading age
And gone but not forgotten
Is the once-proud narrow gauge

Address

PO Box 370, 425 South Main Street
Prairie City, OR
97869

Telephone

+15418203330

Website

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