A one-of-a-kind readable history of the railroads that helped develop the timber and coal resources of Coos County, Oregon from 1850 to 1930.
During the second half of the nineteenth century, the towns of Coos Bay, Oregon, grew from a few scattered homesteads to a bustling, ocean-going port. The area's phenomenal growth was fueled by timber and coal. Nothing was more important in developing these resources than railroads. Can't You Hear the Whistle Blowin' is the complete story of how these vital transportation links were built by daring entrepreneurs who drove lines of steel into the area's rugged mountains and deep canyons.
From backwoods engines and wooden rails to town celebrations and bay-spanning bridges, Can't You Hear the Whistle Blowin' brings to life a time and place vital to the history of Oregon and the West. Author, William A. "Bill" Lansing has drawn upon decades of first-hand knowledge of the area, backed by hundreds of facts and figures, and countless hours of historical research, to produce a compendium of colorful stories of this robust time.
This full-color book is illustrated with over 220 historical photographs. This is the new in-print book. (Previous version is now "out of print".)