It groaned,
It growled,
It Shrieked!

Turntable & Townsite

Roland, Idaho s started as a construction camp in 1906, housing men working on the west portion of the St. Paul Pass Tunnel. It evolved from a tent camp scattered along the right-of-way, into a town of log and tar paper buildings above the mouth of the tunnel.

In 1909, the railroad built a two-story depot here and developed a railroad community around it. With the tunnel work came electric power and lights. By 1915, Roland contained a water tank, bunkhouses, depot and the infamous turntable.

Between 1916 and 1916, the population of Roland climbed to over 300 workers who were here to line St. Paul Pass Tunnel with concrete and help electrify the main line from Harlowtown, Montana to Avery, Idaho.

The last people moved from here in the early 1960's. The railroad tore down the depot and moved the remaining bunkhouses through the tunnel for use at East Portal. The brush-covered depot foundation and the powder magazine in front of you are physical remnants of the history of the site.

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Show me all markers in:  Avery, ID  |  Shoshone County  |  83802  |  Idaho  |  United States of America

Rough & Tumble Camps
"Wintering" Roland
The Route of the Hiawatha
Water Does the Work!
Man's Mark on the Land
A Changing Landscape
Temporary Trestles
Tunneling Toward Tacoma
St. Paul Pass Tunnel
The Wickedest City

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