Hetch Hetchy & Yosemite Valley Railroad 1900 Pin

The West Side Flume & Lumber Co. was founded in 1898 to log 55,000 acres of land outside of Tuolumne, California. A 10-mile narrow gauge railroad was laid into the woods east of the town to haul timber down the mountain to the newly constructed lumber mill, as well as to carry loggers to the work sites. In 1900, the lumber company incorporated their railroad as a common carrier called the Hetch Hetchy & Yosemite Valley Railroad, hoping to offer passenger service to the Hetch Hetchy Valley, and on to Yosemite National Park. The passenger trains were operated twice-weekly, and later three times a week, but ridership remained low. In 1903, West Side was sold, and the name was shortened to West Side Lumber Co.