Great Northern Railway tunnel near Stevens Pass, ca 1898 (MOHAI 6961)

During the winter of 1892-1893, Great Northern Railway workers completed the main line through Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mountains. Before they could lay the tracks, they had to clear the trackbed of snow and trees, build trestles across deep ravines and blast cuts and short tunnels through solid rock.
This 1892 or 1893 photo, taken during the construction of the Great Northern Railway line through Stevens Pass, shows a tunnel at Station 290, on the stretch of line running between Martin Creek and Windy Point. The workmen used carts drawn by horses or mules to haul construction rubble away from the tunnel.
Original title: Tunnel at Station 290 looking down grade

Caption information source: Wood, 1978, "The Great Northern Railway: A Pictorial Study," p. 150-151.
Subjects (LCTGM): Carts & wagons; Great Northern Railway Company (U.S.); Railroad construction & maintenance; Railroad construction workers; Tunnels