A Brief History of the Ritzville Railroad Depot
At one time, fully eight to ten passenger trains would stop in Ritzville every day. Area residents could ride the train to Spokane early in the morning and return home that same evening.
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The Depot was built by the Northern Pacific Railroad company in 1910. It is a
brick structure, built in the classic mission style. Its exterior exhibits
overhanging eaves, a gable roof, bellcast eaves, and stepped parapets with
stone coping. The interior is remarkably well preserved, and with terrazzo
floors and tile wainscoating.
The depot was built with separate Gentlemen's and Ladies' waiting rooms, placed on either side of a corridor containing the ticket office. For commercial interests, there was a freight & baggage room, with a separate heated holding area for fragile goods. The indoor restrooms at the depot were among the first in town, and were especially popular with children and their parents. The ladies' room still has the original tank on the water closet. |
The Ritzville Railroad-Depot History Museum Today
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Burlington Northern deeded the depot to the city of Ritzville in 1988. The
building was placed on
United
States National Register of Historic Places in 1989, and opened as the
depot museum in 1990.
What was the Gentlemen's waiting room is now the lobby of the museum. It was used by salesmen and other male travelers, and contains one of the room's original benches. The ticketing office now displays railroad memorabilia, plus a working telegraph machine. The Ladies' waiting room today displays promotional items from many past Ritzville businesses, the town's original telephone switchboard, and a vivid photomural exhibit on Mt. St. Helens' volcanic eruption and the massive disruption of life it caused in Ritzville and throughout eastern Washington. In what was the holding room is today a collection of items from Ritzville's schools, with a map showing all the pioneer schools that were once located in the county. The freight and baggage room has hardly changed from when it was built: it retains its original plank flooring, and visitors can even weigh themselves using the old floor scales. |
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The railroad-depot museum is open in the summer months from 11:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and from 8:00 a.m. till noon on Saturdays (when the Ritzville Farmers Market is held nearby). Outside those hours, or at times other than the summer months, the museum can be seen at any reasonable hour by appointment, often (but not invariably!) on short notice. To set an appointment, please call the historic-home museum at (509) 659-1656, or--if there's no answer and it's during business hours--the Ritzville Chamber of Commerce at (509) 659-1936. The museum is owned and operated by an incorporated, IRS-certified non-profit volunteer organization. There is no formal admission charge, but these donations are suggested: $3.00 for adults ($2.00 for seniors), and $1.00 for children; but no donation is expected from scheduled visits of school groups. Donations (which are tax-deductible) above those amounts are always welcome and deeply appreciated. |
