Cherry Valley Railroad Bridge Over the Skykomish River at Monroe c1911
Monroe Historical Society photo #545

The Everett and Cherry Valley Traction Co. Railway was completed in May 1911 and ran from Monroe, where it tied into the Great Northern Mainline, to Tolt (Carnation). It paralleled Ann Street, crossed the Skykomish River on this bridge and continued south parelling the route of SR 203 to Tolt (now Carnation). Great Northern acquired the line as soon as it was completed and ran two trains a day on it. It sold this branch line to Milwaukee Road in July 1917 with the right to continue service. However, as the line paralleled the Milwaukee Road line, service was soon discontinued and the line later taken up and this bridge removed. The bridge was located east of the Lewis Street Bridge and west of the Milwaukee Road Railroad Bridge. Dave Spraus added: The Milwaukee and the Great Northern operation between Monroe and Carnation were "Unified" pursuant to an order from the Director General of Railroads, Wm G. McAdoo, when the Railroads were nationalized for approx a two year period during WWI. Piles of rock from the piers of this bridge still can be located if you stand on Buck Island approx behind Joe Moore's junk yard [south of Freemont and Ann Streets]; and if you look stand atop the pile closest to Woods Creek and look south very carefully in wintertime when all the leaves are off the trees, you still can see a clearing thru the trees where the railroad line ran. Of course the river in those days ran differently -- it came down an old bed toward Moore's place and then turned west again abruptly and used the bed of what is now Woods Creek to get to the old Lewis St bridge. In other words its confluence with Woods creek was then right behind Moore's place. View is looking east upriver.