The Wellington Train Disaster

In 1910, a historic storm and avalanche led to one of the deadliest train disasters in American history. 

What happened that led up to the avalanche and disaster? And what ghosts were left behind? 

Edited by Maxwell Holechek

Sources

“Chronicling America: Wellington, Washington Train Disaster.” Library of Congress, guides.loc.gov/chronicling-america-wellington-washington-train-disaster.

Lange, Greg. “Avalanche Roars Down Windy Mountain and Kills 96 in Wellington Train Disaster on March 1, 1910.” HistoryLink.org, 15 Jan. 2003, historylink.org/File/5127.

“Avalanche Ghost Train.” Expedition X, season 5, episode 4, Discovery Channel, 2023.

“Trains Buried by Avalanche.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, www.history.com/this-day-in-history/trains-buried-by-avalanche.

“Wellington.” Ghost Towns of Washington, www.ghosttownsofwashington.com/portfolio-collections/mines-king-county-wa/wellington.

“Cascade Tunnel.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cascade_Tunnel.

“Wellington Ghost Town.” Washington Trails Association, www.wta.org/go-hiking/hikes/wellington-ghost-town.

Taylor, Troy. “The White Death: The Wellington Disaster of 1910.” American Hauntings, www.americanhauntingsink.com/the-white-death.

Cuyle, Deborah, and Robert Fletcher. The 1910 Wellington Disaster. Arcadia Publishing, 2019.

“The 1910 Wellington Train Disaster.” Washington Our Home, washingtonourhome.com/the-1910-wellington-train-disaster/.

Krist, Gary. The White Cascade: The Great Northern Railway Disaster and America’s Deadliest Avalanche. Henry Holt and Co., 2007.

“This Creepy Hike In Washington Will Give You Nightmares.” Only In Your State, www.onlyinyourstate.com/nature/washington/creepiest-hike-in-wa.

“Wellington Ghost Town Trail.” YouTube, uploaded by Exploring Washington State, 25 Aug. 2020, www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQc-kKYgC3M.

“Wellington Ghost Town.” Washington Trails Association, 25 Aug. 2016, www.wta.org/go-hiking/trip-reports/trip_report.2016-08-25.6166045450.

Teeples, Joe. Pacific Northwest Haunts. Schiffer Publishing, 2013.

“Wellington Ghost Town – Iron Goat Trail – Stevens Pass, Washington.” YouTube, uploaded by Exploring History, 11 Oct. 2021, www.youtube.com/watch?v=zn2do6TT-PI.

Brodeur, Nicole. “The Good, Bad and Unique When It Comes to Skiing ‘Cascade Concrete’.” The Seattle Times, 22 Feb. 2019, www.seattletimes.com/life/outdoors/the-good-bad-and-unique-when-it-comes-to-skiing-cascade-concrete/.

“Victims List.” Queen Anne Historical Society, www.qahistory.org/articles/victims-list.

“Two Men Perish in Snow Slides.” The Daily Herald, 25 Feb. 1910, p. 1.

“Reincarnation Case of Nellie Sharp | Karen Frazier and the Wellington, Washington Avalanche and Train Disaster.” Reincarnation Research, www.reincarnationresearch.com/reincarnation-case-of-nellie-sharp-karen-frazier-and-the-wellington-washington-avalanche-and-train-disaster/.