The Train

As is true for many a thriving American town, Maupin owes its early development to the railroad. Within ten years of the arrival of the tracks, the city of Maupin was born! The task of building a railroad through the Deschutes River canyon had been at times deemed impossible, but Central Oregon was eager for a railroad, and in 1910, tracks began to be built along BOTH banks of the Deschutes by competing railroad companies: The Oregon Trunk Line on the West Bank, and Oregon-WAshington Railway &. Navigation Co. on the East bank.

The companies were playing for big stakes, and records indicate fist fights and even gunfire were exchanged between the rival crews. Much of the arduous labor was by hand, using tools such as a pick & shovel, black powder, wheelbarrow and hand drilling tools. On October 4th, 1911, the completion of a 133 mile line to Bend was commemorated.

The railroad war was won by The Oregon Trunk Line, and the tracks remain in use today. In Maupin, a large grain elevator was constructed near the tracks for easy shipment. The railroad track along the east side of the river at Maupin was abandoned in 1935, and has now become the Deschutes River Access Road, which provides easy access to campgrounds, fishing holes and boat ramps along the river. “The great railroad war” is commemorated by a mural in downtown Maupin.