1904 Holmquist Mill Train Wreck

The mid-May 1904 train wreck at the east end of Monroe at Holmquist Mill was caused by two boys—11 and eight years of age—tampering with the main track switch. It was before block signals were installed. The train went through the switch at 30 mph even though the engineer had seen the open switch, applied the breaks and reversed the engine. The engineer jumped from the engine and was badly bruised when he fell on a barrel. The train crashed into two box cars being loaded with shingles at the mill. The engine splintered the box cars and pushed them off the end of the spur before it buried its nose in the dirt. Brakeman Marshall died in the crash. Fireman Downey was pinned in the wreck and died four hours later still pinned in.

This photo was taken looking north from the vicinity of the Great Northern (now Burlington Northern) mainline just a short distance east of where it crosses Woods Creek, now along the northern boundary of Al Borlin (Buck Island) park.

--Monroe Historical Society Photo #1434