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These Projects Have Stories to Tell

When the first man walked the hills and plains of America, the story began. Throughout the years humanity had dug, cleared and built during a time crowded with adventure, change and growth. Humanity met — and conquered — a stupendous challenge when it constructed these projects. These projects do have stories to tell.

He had no formal education as a civil engineer, and, in fact, wanted to become a school teacher. Instead, he spent his life as the surveyor and chief locating engineer of the Great Northern Railway (now the Burlington Northern & Santa Fe), helping to build railroads in Canada, Central America, Siberia the US and Europe. He was called upon by President Theodore Roosevelt to build the infrastructure necessary to complete the Panama Canal, was consultant to the company that built the longest tunnel in the Western Hemisphere and served as President of the American Society of Civil Engineers.

John Frank Stevens was born on 25 April 1853 in West Gardiner, Maine. He attended Maine State Normal School for two years, preparing for a career in teaching. He graduated in 1873, but the dismal economic conditions at the time held little promise of finding a job. In 1874, he left Maine and headed for Minneapolis, Minnesota to accept a job with the city's engineering department. For the next two years, he learned a variety of engineering tasks, and gained valuable experience in the field where he would ultimately leave his legacy.

Stevens became a practical engineer who was driven "by a bulldog tenacity of purpose". In 1877, he secured his first professional railroading position in Texas as assistant engineer with the Denver & Rio Grande Railroad. Here was the kind of work that would challenge him for the rest of his life.

Stevens realized his destiny when he was hired by the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1881. At the time, railway lines were being built all over Canada, but hadn't been connected. Stevens' assignment was to scout a location for the railroad west of Winnipeg, through the Rocky Mountains, all the way to the west coast of Canada. In less than four years, he succeeded in locating the best route and leading the construction of the rail line to the Pacific Ocean.

In 1885, he left the Canadian Pacific to accept the position of field engineer with the Chicago, Milwaukee and St. Paul Railroad and to take charge of the construction of a rail line from Sioux City to Manila, Iowa. With that job done, he became the principal engineer in charge of constructing a line from Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to Duluth, Minnesota for the newly formed Duluth, South Shore, and Atlantic Railroad. Although his primary responsibility was surveying, John Stevens assisted in all aspects of railroading: From reconnaissance, to actual hands-on construction of the railroad.

In 1889, the Great Northern Railway had completed its line to Havre, Montana. It was another leg in general manager and "Empire Builder", James J. Hill's quest for the shortest transcontinental route in the US. He was obsessed with getting his railroad to the west coast as quickly as possible. The Great Northern would have to be constructed over the shortest possible route, with the smallest grades, across the Rocky and Cascade Mountains.

The line would have to be farther north than any other railroad and the two mountain barriers were his greatest concern. He instructed his chief engineer, E.H. Beckler to locate Stevens and have him meet Hill as soon as possible. It wasn't difficult for Beckler to locate and arrange the meeting. The challenge presented by the "Empire Builder" afforded Stevens the most arduous adventure of his young career. Stevens remembered Hill's first words to him. "We don't care about Rocky Mountain scenery... what we want is the best possible line, shortest distance and the least curvature that we can build between the points covered".

With these orders, Stevens began his new assignment in November of 1889 at Fort Assinniboine, six miles southwest of Havre, Montana. A team of mules, a covered wagon, a saddle horse, one driver and a Blackfoot Indian to act as guide, were all he had when he started his westward journey of discovery — in a blizzard.

Stevens determined that the best route through the Rockies would begin somewhere near the Marias River in Montana and end in the Kootenai Valley of Northern Idaho. He had heard an Indian legend of a "hidden pass" near the headwaters of the Marias River. One month and 180 miles later, Stevens arrived at the Blackfoot Indian Agency, seeking any information he could about this mythical pass. He was told there was such a pass, but it was filled with evil spirits and no Blackfoot Indian would dare venture there. However, Stevens found a Flathead Indian named Coonsah, who claimed to know all about the pass and would be glad to show Stevens the way.

True to his word, Coonsah led Stevens to the entrance of the mysterious pass. As they continued their hike into the Rockies, the weather conditions became so treacherous that Stevens sent back his guide and everything he could not carry himself and proceeded alone on foot into the mountains. Stevens recounted that, "something, possibly a sixth sense, urged me to keep going". He hiked a few more miles, and on 11 December 1889, John Frank Stevens was astounded to see he had reached a low summit near the Continental Divide. He viewed with wonderment, the downward, western side of the Rockies. He had found the pass! The passage through the Rocky Mountains eventually became known as the Marias Pass. The Great Northern would honor Stevens in 1925 by constructing a larger than life statue of him at the summit.

Upon returning to the Indian Agency, Stevens sent a telegram to Hill of his discovery. Hill was overjoyed by the news and sent Stevens a telegram telling him to head for the Cascade Range in Washington and do the same thing there. In the spring of 1890, Stevens set out from Spokane to conquer the Cascades. They were not as high as the Rockies, but presented a far greater challenge. The Cascade barrier had far steeper grades and more curves.

On one of his cruises up the Wenatchee River, he noted a large creek flowing into the river from the south, well up in the mountains. Later, Stevens found, "a comparative low place against which a creek flowing east had its head". He felt certain that it was the same creek he had seen earlier.

When he returned to Spokane, Stevens explained this to the head of his engineering party, C.F.B. Haskell. He instructed Haskell to head up Nason Creek and "develop its head". Following the map Stevens drew, Haskell found the creek, which emerged in the pass about 4,000 feet in elevation. This was definitely the pass Stevens was seeking for the Great Northern. Haskell stated in one of his letters that, "at this point in the expedition, I carved into an enormous cedar tree, the words, 'Stevens Pass'." The final leg for getting the Great Northern Railway to Seattle had been discovered.

Stevens knew, however, that in order to comply with Hill's orders for constructing the shortest rail to the Pacific Coast, a tunnel would eventually have to be bored through one of the mountain peaks. In the meantime, Stevens and his crew designed and constructed a series of nine switchbacks to traverse the mountains.

Hill refused to consider the need to construct a tunnel, especially the three-mile bore that Stevens proposed. Their argument nearly caused Stevens to quit. Hill told Stevens that if he left, he would be back asking for his old job within a year. That threat was all it took to retain the tenacious New Englander. He was now determined to convince Hill of a need for a tunnel, which he succeeded in doing with the provision that he be the chief engineer during the building of the original Cascade Tunnel, which was completed in 1900. The construction of this tunnel was such a success in reducing time, distance and expenses for the Great Northern, Stevens was appointed general manager of the entire railroad in 1902.

John Frank Stevens excelled in his role of pathfinder and was constantly seeking more challenges, wherever they led him. By the early 20th century, he was considered by many to be the world's foremost railroad civil engineer. The Chicago, Rock Island & Pacific Railway hired him in 1903 as its chief engineer. He remained in that position until 1905 when he left to accept an offer from the US government to become the chief engineer of the Panama Canal. The project had languished for decades while under French ownership. The construction progress had not improved even after the US assumed control in 1904.

Just one year after the US took control of building the canal, the chief engineer of the Panama Canal, John F. Wallace, resigned, as he saw no way this mammoth endeavor could be accomplished. President Theodore Roosevelt refused to accept this fatal prediction. When Hill heard about the situation, he contacted Roosevelt and suggested that the president put Stevens in charge.

Contacted by the president, Stevens quickly took over the responsibilities. He viewed the work basically as a railroading project. He believed its success hinged on the ability to move huge amounts of excavated materials as quickly and efficiently as possible; a problem in which railroad construction excelled. A decision had not been made whether to construct a canal entirely at sea level or with a series of locks. The International Commission of Civil Engineers insisted that the only practical solution was for a sea- level waterway. However, after a number of tours of the isthmus, Stevens concluded that a canal comprised of numerous locks was the only rational conclusion. He persuaded President Roosevelt and Congress to accept his plan.

One of the first things Stevens did upon taking charge was to give his medical staff a free hand in the eradication of yellow fever, malaria and other diseases. He knew this terrible health problem needed to be dealt with as quickly as possible. He supplied them with everything they needed, including materials necessary to improve sanitation.

Not only did he organize the lines for steady sources of workers, he also saw to it that a constant supply of wholesome and safe food was provided for everyone. He ordered extensive housing constructed for the thousands of workers, and saw to it that the best and strongest equipment was brought into use.

The engineering problems were herculean. The project involved digging through the Continental Divide and the construction of the largest earth dam ever built up to that time. There was also the construction of three sets of the most massive concrete canal locks ever envisioned, building of the largest gates ever swung, either on land or sea and environmental problems of enormous proportions. An entire railroad was built, as well as a huge artificial lake.

His unmatched organizational skills and persistent courage ensured the successful completion of the enormous project. In August 1914, maritime traffic began moving through the Panama Canal, however, John Frank Stevens was not there. He had unexpectedly resigned as chief engineer in 1907, which greatly upset Roosevelt. The focus of the work now turned to the actual construction of the canal itself. As a railroad engineer, Stevens had little expertise in designing and building locks and dams. His involvement and accomplishments had already set the seal of success for its completion. It is quite possible that he realized he was no longer the best person for the job. Stevens claimed his departure was strictly for personal reasons. He returned to the US and was immediately employed by the New York, New Haven & Hartford Railroad as vice president in charge of operations. He worked on the project for two years.

In 1909, Stevens again traveled west to discover a new route through central Oregon for the now combined Great Northern and Northern Pacific Railroads. He moved to New York City and opened a consulting engineer office, which he ran from 1911 to 1917.

When the czar of Russia was toppled in 1917, the country was in complete turmoil. The provisional government appealed to President Woodrow Wilson for help in reconstructing their ruined transportation system. Wilson assigned Stevens to chair a board of prominent American railroad experts and sent them to Russia.

After the overthrow of the Russian provisional government, the board's work ceased and all the members, except for Stevens, returned to the US. He remained, and from his offices in Harbin, Manchuria, headed the Inter-Allied Technical Board responsible for the administration and operation of the Chinese Eastern and Siberian railways. Stevens remained in that position until 1923, when Allied troops were withdrawn. He returned to the US to resume his work as a consulting engineer.

In 1927, he was asked by the A. Guthrie & Company firm, for his advice and recommendation on the construction of a new Cascade Tunnel. The company had been contracted by the Great Northern to build a new, much longer, tunnel through the Cascade Mountains. The 7.8-mile-long bore was completed in 1929 and remains the longest tunnel in the Western Hemisphere.

Stevens received numerous honors during his long career. In addition to the Distinguished Service Medal of the US, he was decorated by the governments of France, China, Japan and Czechoslovakia. He was the recipient of the John Fritz Medal in 1925 in recognition of his great achievements in civil engineering. The Hoover Gold Medal of the American Society of Civil Engineers was presented to him in 1938. He also served as president of that organization in 1928. He was called by George Goethals, his successor at the Panama Canal, as "one of the greatest engineers who ever lived".

John Frank Stevens, who never received a formal engineering degree, yet conquered more civil engineering obstacles than anyone in American history, died at age 90, near South Pines, North Carolina on 2 June 1943. One can only envision Stevens' thoughts and recollections near the end of his life. Hiking on snowshoes through the two most imposing mountain ranges in the US, in the dead of winter, to discover and survey two major railroad passes; in charge of the construction of the largest canal in the world; consultant to the building of the longest tunnel in the Western Hemisphere, to list only a few. Stevens must have known that he lived a life many people dream about, but few accomplish.

Gary Sherman. Conquering the Landscape. . June/July 2008.

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