History Corner

In November of 1995 the Idaho Northern and Pacific Railroad, which was operating the former Pacific & Idaho Northern Railway between Weiser and New Meadows, announced that it was pulling the plug on rail service on that line.

The following spring, a group called “Friends of Weiser River Access Trail” organized to convert the railroad bed into a recreational trail under the “Rails to Trails” federal act. The group began to gather support from individuals and businesses from Weiser to New Meadows. Before long, the official name of the organization was “Friends of the Weiser River Trail.”

Opposition to the trail was immediate. The May 2, 1996 Record newspaper contained a melodramatic announcement: “With their backs against the wall, a group has been formed and united to respond against the proposed Rails to Trails. The Coalition of Concerned Citizens (CCC) has been meeting weekly to research codes, laws, deeds and information on trails and document studies of major problems reportedly caused by trails in other areas.”

The virtual apocalypse that those opposed to the trail predicted included: a profusion of weeds, burdensome upkeep of all bridges and trestles, law enforcement challenges, garbage and bathroom maintenance at each Trail entry point, the loss of nearly $28,000 per year in revenues to Washington County, “documented proof that land values greatly decrease along the trail while crime and theft greatly increase,” injuries and fires placing a burden on the local volunteer fire and ambulance crews, (an ambulance taxing district may have to be formed to hire full-time paramedics).

By mid May, the Coalition of Concerned Citizens collected 559 signatures on a petition opposing the trail. The Washington County Commissioners voted to oppose Rails-to-Trails. The Upper Country News-Reporter said: “The vote against sponsorship received a round of applause from those attending.”

The News-Reporter took the side of the opposition, and warned of dire consequences of the Weiser River Trail.

Upper Country News-Reporter, February 27, 1997: “At the monthly meeting of the members of the Coalition of Concerned Citizens, held at Lakey’s Café in Indian Valley, Saturday, February 8, a pledge campaign was begun to fight the proposed recreational trail along the old UPRR corridor. President Dave Springer asked members to pledge dollar amounts toward what he called a ‘War Chest,’ to finance a class action suit, should it become necessary in the near future. He predicts the entire question of ownership and property rights will end up in the court system, and wanted a feel for how far adjacent property owners were willing to go to fight for the land. In a show of hands, the majority of the membership present voted to pledge money toward creating this ‘War Chest.’”

In the summer of 1997 the Union Pacific Railroad officially deeded their 84-mile corridor to Friends of the Weiser River Trail.

A letter to the editor from a member of the Concerned Citizens Coalition in the July 10, 1997 News-Reporter said Weiser River trail users would endanger cattle: “The remaining railroad bed runs too close to the river, very narrow in places, crooked curves, continual risk of falling boulders and rocks, lots of dust, angry bees and mosquitoes, sweltering heat, a haven for rattlesnakes. Will there be: facilities? added river pollution ? Trash removal? control of guns, dogs, added trespassers, careless smokers, enforcement of NO motorized vehicles, protection of wildlife along the river??”

In the spring of 1998, the Surface Transportation Board in Washington D.C. released a long-awaited decision concerning the rail banking of the Weiser River Trail. The board denied the request from the Coalition of Concerned Citizens to reopen this proceeding and a request for an oral hearing.

In anticipation of the trail holding its Grand Opening on June 6, 1998, a letter to the News-Reporter editor said: “Property owners have the right to be concerned about possible lawsuits from careless people that get hurt and then decide to sue for damages, when indeed it had nothing to do with the property owners. In this unfortunate situation, an owner could lose everything that they had accumulated over the years, and this is indeed a travesty.”

That year, Virgil Fairchild sued Friends of the Weiser River Trail (FWRT) to confirm his ownership of the land underlying corridor through his property. His lawsuit asserted that the railroad held and conveyed a mere right-of-way to FWRT, not ownership of the land. About the same time, Ronald and Betty Blendu filed a suit against FWRT. Both cases were dismissed.

In the fall of 1999 the two opposing groups visited with the Adams County Commissioners at different times on the same day. Both groups express identical sentiments: that they were being treated arrogantly, felt threatened, their rights were not being respected, and they wanted the commissioners to take action on their behalf.

Adding to the stress of this time period was the Council Hospital’s struggle to survive and the controversy surrounding construction of a new Adams County Courthouse and jail. In addition, many feared a total collapse of civilization was set to occur on January1, 2000 in a calamity known as Y2K, when every computer, everywhere, would crash because they could not recognize any date in the 21st Century.

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