MILW Question on Adair Loop

A number of great 1917 photos of the Adair Loop area in Idaho have been posted to the Milwaukee Archives (is that Michael Sol's site?). Here's the link: http://milwaukeeroadarchives.com/Electrification/HamiltonPhotos/HamiltonPhotosScenery.htm

Some of the pictures (such as picture 25-H10) show the "head of the Adair loop". In the pictures cars can be seen on the loop track as it heads into one of the 2 tunnels at the top of the loop. The track is going horizontally across the picture.

There is also a trestle structure that crosses over the track going more-or-less top to bottom across the picture. My question is, what was the trestle for? In more recent topo maps there is a forest road that crosses the top of the Adair loop, but I can't quite tell if that's what this trestle was for. Or do I just have my bearings wrong on the picture?

I'm hoping that someone who's been up there might be able to tell me what the trestle was for. I've got a crazy idea to turn the loop into a special feature in the track plan I'm creating and want to get it as close to right as I can.

Thanks,
Geoff

 

Hi, Geoff.

I was there this August and I remember very well standing there.

The trestle in the pictures might have been for transporting ore from the mine to the loader at Adair or it was a trestle to transport logs down to the railway.
The trestle itself is long gone, but there is a descriptive sign at the former loading site - which I failed to photograph. The sign tells the story of the mines there.

I ventured a few yards into the forest, following a small path that went beneath the long gone trestle. I found some scrap from the aerial tramway that superceded the trestle - at least that's what I remember, but there are others on the list who know better for sure.


hth
Michael

 

I have no idea what the answer is, but those are some cool pictures. Thanks for sharing the link.

 

I didn't even consider a mine or logging trestle. It's also nice to know that there was a loader at Adair. Another industry to add.

Thanks for the input. I hope to visit the area myself someday, but that's a ways off.

 

Michael,

I'm still trying to get my bearings straight on those pictures, specifically 25_H10.jpg and 26_H11.jpg. Looking at the maps, I'm guessing the photographer was on the Avery side of the loop (South-side) looking at the top of the loop (mostly East by SouthEast) and that the tunnel mouth seen in 25_H10 is the southern entrance to tunnel 25, that's the northern-most of the 2 tunnels.

I have a markup of a current satellite shot of the area that I might try to upload if possible to help make this clearer.

Thanks,
Geoff

 

Okay, let's see if this works.... Here's the marked-up image. Maybe it will help.



Thanks,
Geoff