About SideTracked Caches
This cache belongs to the SideTracked series. It is not designed to take you to a magical place with a breathtaking view. It's a distraction for the weary traveler, but anyone else can go and find it too. More Information can be found at the SideTracked Website
This cache also qualifies for the Disappearing RR Blues bonus cache. This series highlights railways of NW Oregon
About Corvallis Red Electric Train Station
This cache will take you to a former Corvallis railroad station. Although no trains ever went to its current spot, it did host trains at one time. This impressive structure was moved twice over its lifetime and has gone through several reincarnations. The depot was built in 1910 to replace a former wooden depot at Ninth and Washington in Corvallis. With the coming of the red Electric Interurban, the depot was moved in 1917 to Sixth and Monroe. It took 3 weeks to move the block building by mules to its new location. The Electric Interurban service ended in 1929. By 1933 all passenger service ended to Corvallis.
Its next reincarnation was in 1956 when Corvallis purchased the building to house the police department. By the early 1980s, the city wanted to demolish the "Red Electric Station". There came a public outcry. The solution was to move the building again, this time along the Willamette River. Thus, on May 16, 1982, it was moved in a single day to its current location. An addition was added to the riverside of the station, without compromising the beauty of the building itself. It became a fine restaurant and was called Michael's Landing for many years. I personally eat here many times in the 1990s as I was a vendor at HP down the road. The restaurant closed sometime in 2008.
A few other restaurants re-opened in the space but did not last long which did not bode well. The fate of the building was at risk. In 2014, another restaurant opened in the building more befitting the train station theme. They painted a mural by the entrance with a Red Electric train at the station with an Oregon State Football theme. Please enjoy this grand old building.