Wellington Avalanche site
On March 1, 1910, an avalanche swept two Great Northern trains off the Wellington siding into the Tye Creek canyon, killing 96—the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history. The Iron Goat Trail now crosses the concrete snowshed ruins; hikers report voices and a sense of being watched among the wreck sites.
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Is Wellington Avalanche site haunted?
The record holds 2 claims, 1 legend — filed as reported, not verified. The heaviest filing is classed local folklore. The archive documents the claim; it takes no position on the ghost.
The record — long form
Wellington is America's deadliest avalanche — March 1, 1910, the wall of snow off Windy Mountain that swept two Great Northern trains into the Tye River gorge and killed ninety-six. The trains had waited six days — the Spokane Local and the Fast Mail stranded at Stevens Pass by the blizzard, the passengers sleeping when the thunderstorm loosened the slab. The 'White Death' Charles Andrews watched come down took the trains one hundred fifty feet into the gorge.
The last body came out in July — the rescue that took months, the town renamed Tye to shed the name, the snowsheds the railroad built after. The Iron Goat Trail is the grade now — the hike through the old snowsheds and the tunnel portals, the site where the worst avalanche in American history and one of the worst train disasters are the same event.
The file keeps Wellington: the 1910 avalanche, the ninety-six dead, the renamed town, and the Iron Goat Trail.
Wellington is the archive's avalanche file — the deadliest slide in American history.
Why this file matters
Wellington is the archive's avalanche file — the 1910 disaster that still holds the record.
A site keeps its count — the file's suggestion being that Wellington's hold is the ninety-six: the two trains in the gorge, the town that changed its name, and the snow that still falls on the Iron Goat.
The record of claims
Hikers report voices, cries and figures along the ruins of the snowsheds. Wellington Avalanche site's file is thin on proof and long on persistence — the standard profile of American place-lore. Witness accounts, no evidence file: the claim is anecdotal and stays that way. The account appears in 'Wellington avalanche'. Nothing here would make headlines alone; together the reports make a pattern.
Local lore describes apparitions and cries in the avalanche corridor and the old railroad grade—retold in Washington ghost collections. The account has been recorded since 20th century. The reports at Wellington Avalanche site are the site's second history — unofficial, unverified, and stubbornly retold. It circulates as local folklore — the kind communities keep rather than verify. 'Wellington avalanche' carries the account. The haunting is unproven and unfired: it keeps showing up for work anyway.
Local lore describes apparitions and cries in the avalanche corridor and the old railroad grade—retold in Washington ghost collections. The account has been recorded since 20th century. Wellington Avalanche site's file is thin on proof and long on persistence — the standard profile of American place-lore. It circulates as local folklore — the kind communities keep rather than verify. 'Wellington avalanche' carries the account. Legends accrue where records go silent; this one filled the gap and stayed.
Two accounts on file
1910 avalanche that killed 96—the deadliest in U.S. history.
The site of the deadliest avalanche in American history—96 dead in one slide.
Preserve both source-backed variants; no automatic overwrite.
On March 1, 1910, an avalanche swept two Great Northern trains off the Wellington siding into the Tye Creek canyon, killing 96—the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history. The Iron Goat Trail now crosses the concrete snowshed ruins; hikers report voices and a sense of being watched among the wreck sites.
The Wellington site marks the March 1, 1910 avalanche that swept two stalled Great Northern trains off the mountain at Stevens Pass, killing 96—the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history. The documented disaster underlies persistent local lore.
Preserve both source-backed variants; no automatic overwrite.
HISTORIC_SITE
ACTIVE
Preserve both source-backed variants; no automatic overwrite.
New record from encyclopedia/official-source pass; VERIFY task auto-queued for primary-source corroboration.
Lore enrichment; VERIFY task auto-queued.
Preserve both source-backed variants; no automatic overwrite.
Documented history
The March 1, 1910 avalanche killed 96—the worst avalanche disaster in U.S. history; the trail preserves the snowshed ruins. The record dates it to 1910-03-01. A documented history gives the file real substance; this entry is part of that spine. This belongs to the verified spine of the entry, the layer everything else is measured against. The record appears in 'Wellington avalanche'. The detail belongs to the verified spine of the entry.
On March 1, 1910, an avalanche swept two stalled trains off the mountain, killing 96—the deadliest avalanche in U.S. history. The documented date is 1910-03-01. The site's documented history is the record the rest of the file stands on. This belongs to the verified spine of the entry, the layer everything else is measured against. The detail is preserved in 'Wellington avalanche'. Documented ground is what separates this file from pure legend — this is part of it.
Sources on file
- 01Wellington avalancheWikipedia · encyclopedia · A4
Field notes & open questions
New record from encyclopedia/official-source pass; VERIFY task auto-queued for primary-source corroboration.