Vernonia’s Wrecked Schools and a Steam Engine or Two

 

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The old Vernonia Grade School is no more.

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I think this might have been the middle school.  It is being torn down now.

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The high school used to be here.

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In one of the city parks there is the old jail.  It had two cots and could hold a couple people overnight.


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The old Shay geared steam locomotive in the park.  This was one of the last places in Oregon that logged using steam railways.

 

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The gear-driven wheelsets are so neat!

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The pistons that produced the power.


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A spark arrestor to keep wildfires to a minimum in the forests.

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An old steam engine that used to drive a water pump to fill the steam train tenders with water for their daily work.