| Stevens Pass | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Elevation | 4,056 ft (1,236 m)[1] |
| Location | Chelan / King counties, Washington,  United States |
| Range | Cascades |
| Coordinates | 47°44.7′N 121°5.6′W / 47.745°N 121.0933°W |
| Traversed by | U.S. Highway 2 |
Stevens Pass (elevation 4,056 ft (1,236 m)) is a mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains located at the border of King County and Chelan County in Washington, United States.[1]
U.S. Highway 2 travels over the pass reaching a maximum elevation of 4,061 feet (1,238 m).[2] The BNSF Railway's Cascade Tunnel lies 2,000 feet (600 m) below the pass summit.
Stevens Pass is named after John Frank Stevens, the first European American to discover it.[3] Native Americans had seasonally berry picked in the area, but used a nearby pass (Cady Pass @ 47.93222°N 121.17100°W, elevation: 4284 feet) to cross the Cascades, and had seemed to miss Stevens Pass as a suitable crossing point of the Cascade Range.
A recreation area by the pass contains a ski resort. Stevens Pass Ski Area is on Cowboy Mountain and Big Chief Mountain. The Pacific Crest Trail crosses US Highway 2 at Stevens Pass. [1]
Wellington Disaster of 1910
On February 23, 1910, the two Great Northern Railway trains. the "Seattle Express" local passenger train No. 25 and Fast Mail train No. 27, were stalled on the tracks at the Cascade Tunnel Station on Stevens Pass because of a heavy snow storm and avalanches. Then on March 1, six days later, another avalanche pushed both trains 150 feet down into the Tye River Valley, thus burying the train cars in snow and debris. The Wellington Disaster killed ninety six people, thirty-five passengers and sixty-one railroad employees, which made the Wellington avalanche one of the worst train disasters in United States railway history.[4]
References
- ^ a b c United States Geological Survey. Snoqualmie Pass Quadrangle, Washington [map], 1965 Photorevised 1987 edition, 1 : 24,000, 7,5 Minute Series (Topographic). (1987) ISBN 0607577150.
- ^ "Stevens Pass". Cascade Loop | Scenic Highway Loop in Washington State. Cascade Loop Association. http://www.cascadeloop.com/stevens_pass.html. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
- ^ "People & Events: John Stevens, 1853-1943". American Experience. Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). 1999-2000. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/streamliners/peopleevents/p_stevens.html. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
- ^ NWDA Washingtion State University: Wellington Diasaster
External links
- Stevens Pass road conditions
- Stevens Pass ski area official site
Coordinates: 47°44.7′N 121°5.6′W / 47.745°N 121.0933°W
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