The deadliest avalanche in U.S. history occurred at Stevens Pass
Mar 1, 2023, 5:39 AM
Avalanches are a common occurrence near Stevens Pass, such as this one from 2020. But did you know the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history occurred on Stevens Pass on March 1, 1910? (Photo courtesy of WSDOT/Twitter)
(Photo courtesy of WSDOT/Twitter)
March 1 marks the date of the deadliest avalanche in the history of the United States: the Wellington avalanche near Stevens Pass in 1910.
In the final days of February, the weather dumped a lot of snow in that part of the Cascade Mountains. On one day alone, 11 feet of snow fell. Then the weather turned warmer with rain, adding more weight to the deep snow on the slopes.
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Along the Great Northern Rail Line, snowplows could not keep up with all that heavy snowfall. Two trains both bound to Seattle from Spokane were trapped just beyond the west portal of the 2.6-mile Stevens Pass rail tunnel at the depot town of Wellington.
Early in the morning of March 1, rumbling from a thunderstorm unleashed a massive avalanche from the side of Windy Mountain, sending a wall of snow, a half-mile long and a quarter-mile wide, down the slopes. The avalanche plowed through the depot and swept the two trains 150 feet down the steep hill into the Tye River valley. 96 people were killed, and 23 survived.
Because of adverse weather, some of the deceased could not be recovered until 21 weeks later, in July. Starting in October of 1910, the Great Northern Railway began construction of concrete snow sheds to shelter the tracks just west of the Stevens Pass tunnel.
The avalanche disaster prompted construction of a second Cascade tunnel under Stevens Pass. This longer, 7.8 mile tunnel was cut through the mountains at a much lower elevation, just under 2,900 feet. The original tunnel was then abandoned. The old track and snow sheds still remain, and are now part of the Iron Goat Trail, accessible from the Stevens Pass Highway near the town of Scenic.
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Avalanches carry tremendous power. If planning to venture into the mountains for fun in the snow, be fully aware of avalanche conditions before you go. Visit the NW Avalanche Center’s web site for all the latest mountain and avalanche forecast conditions, and heed any avalanche warning information. In addition, be sure to use the buddy system and have all the appropriate avalanche gear when heading out into the backcountry.
