Wellington, Washington
Encyclopedia
Wellington was a small unincorporated
railroad community on the Great Northern Railway in northeastern King County, Washington
. Founded in 1893, it was located at the west portal of the original Cascade Tunnel
under Stevens Pass
. It is infamous for being the site of the March 1, 1910 Wellington avalanche
, the worst avalanche in United States history, in which 96 people died.
After the disaster, the town's name was changed to Tye, after the nearby Tye River
, because of the negative connotation of the original name.
Tye was abandoned in 1929 when the second Cascade Tunnel
came into use.
This ghost town went on to have an elementary school built and named after it. Wellington Elementary is an elementary school in the Northshore School District
.
Unincorporated area
In law, an unincorporated area is a region of land that is not a part of any municipality.To "incorporate" in this context means to form a municipal corporation, a city, town, or village with its own government. An unincorporated community is usually not subject to or taxed by a municipal government...
railroad community on the Great Northern Railway in northeastern King County, Washington
King County, Washington
King County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. The population in the 2010 census was 1,931,249. King is the most populous county in Washington, and the 14th most populous in the United States....
. Founded in 1893, it was located at the west portal of the original Cascade Tunnel
Cascade Tunnel
The Cascade Tunnel refers to two tunnels at Stevens Pass through the Cascade Mountains, approximately to the east of Everett, Washington. The first Cascade Tunnel was a 2.63-mile long single track railroad, built by the Great Northern Railway in 1900 to avoid problems caused by heavy winter...
under Stevens Pass
Stevens Pass
Stevens Pass is a mountain pass through the Cascade Mountains located at the border of King County and Chelan County in Washington, United States....
. It is infamous for being the site of the March 1, 1910 Wellington avalanche
Wellington avalanche
The Wellington avalanche was the worst avalanche, measured in terms of lives lost, in the history of the United States.For nine days at the end of February 1910, the little town of Wellington, Washington was assailed by a terrible blizzard. Wellington was a Great Northern Railway stop high in the...
, the worst avalanche in United States history, in which 96 people died.
After the disaster, the town's name was changed to Tye, after the nearby Tye River
Tye River (Washington)
The Tye River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. It rises near Stevens Pass in the Cascade Mountains and flows west, joining the Foss River to form the South Fork Skykomish River. Its waters eventually empty into Puget Sound near Everett via the Skykomish River and Snohomish River. U.S....
, because of the negative connotation of the original name.
Tye was abandoned in 1929 when the second Cascade Tunnel
Cascade Tunnel
The Cascade Tunnel refers to two tunnels at Stevens Pass through the Cascade Mountains, approximately to the east of Everett, Washington. The first Cascade Tunnel was a 2.63-mile long single track railroad, built by the Great Northern Railway in 1900 to avoid problems caused by heavy winter...
came into use.
This ghost town went on to have an elementary school built and named after it. Wellington Elementary is an elementary school in the Northshore School District
Northshore School District
Northshore School District is a public school district covering portions of both King County and Snohomish County, Washington. The district's service area covers the cities of Bothell , Woodinville,and Kenmore as well as portions of unincorporated King County....
.