The W. I. & M. Railway Depot

Built in 1906, the W. I. & M. (Washington, Idaho, and Montana) Railway depot was the first commercial building in the company town of Potlatch, which was created to serve the Potlatch Lumber Company.  The company was the first major western expansion of the Weyerhaeuser timber syndicate, and the Potlatch sawmill was for years the largest white pine mill in the world.  Designed by Spokane architect C. Ferris White, the depot was the hub for sawmill, logging, railroad and company town activities. 

Courtesy of Images of the Past CD distributed by the Potlatch Historical Society, and originally sponsored by Potlatch Corporation

The W. I. & M. Railway, at 47 miles long, extended from Bovill, Idaho to Palouse, Washington.  Unfortunately the name of the W. I. & M. was a bit too ambitious since the road never reached Montana.  Railroad tracks historically ran along either side of the depot, so trains could easily transfer freight to the company town buildings, or haul lumber and logs to and from the mill.  The large brick building near the depot was once the produce cellar for the company store, and is part of the Commercial Historic District added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1986.  The smaller wooden building next to the depot housed repair facilities for the railroad. 

Railroad workers at the W. I. & M. Railway Depot in Potlatch, ID, date unknown.  Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 12-03-079.

During its history, the depot has been owned by the W. I. & M. Railway, the Milwaukee Road, Watco, and currently a non-profit, the W. I. & M. History Preservation Group (WIM HPG), which took ownership in 2001.  For many years, the building was left to languish in disrepair, but in 2007, the WIM HPG began major restoration efforts.  Exterior work was completed in 2007, and interior work continues as funding becomes available.  The depot is part of the Commercial Historic District.

References:

Potlatch Historical Society

Petersen, Keith. United States Department of the Interior National Park Service National Register of Historic Places Inventory Sheet for Group Nominations, Commercial Historic District, Potlatch, ID, May, 1985.

Otness, Lillian W. A Great Good Country: A guide to Historic Moscow and Latah County, Idaho. (Moscow: Latah County Historic Society, 1983), 116-117.

W. I. & M. History Preservation Group, www.potlatchdepot.blogspot.com

Courtesy of Images of the Past CD distributed by the Potlatch Historical Society, and originally sponsored by Potlatch Corporation

A W. I. & M Ry. train at the W. I. & M. Railway Depot in Potlatch, ID, date unknown.  Courtesy of the Latah County Historical Society, 12-03-001.

In 2006 the W. I. & M. Railway Depot began a massive renovation of the depot, most of the work was completed and done in 2007.  This image shows the depot under renovation in 2007.  Image courtesy of www.potlatchdepot.blogspot.com.