We’ve previously seen Charles Russell’s painting “Desperate Stand” on a 1954 Western Star lunch menu (as well as a 1956 Western Star dinner menu). This menu from my collection is for lunch on the Empire Builder. Click image to download … Continue reading
This beverage menu, which I photographed at the Minnesota History Center, was printed for the streamlined Empire Builder in 1949. The Pullman logo at the bottom of the front cover indicates that Great Northern had contracted out lounge-car service to … Continue reading
In 1937, as Union Pacific, Burlington, and other railroads were feverishly streamlining entire trains, Pullman delivered to Great Northern at least a dozen semi-streamlined coaches for the Empire Builder. These “luxury coaches,” as GN publicists called them, were a great … Continue reading
Dining cars on the 1929 Empire Builder were named after states and Canadian provinces served by the Great Northern, and this dinner menu was used on the dining car Oregon. The menu from my collection is undated, but someone had … Continue reading
The Mount Baker National Forest was carved out of the previous Washington National Forest in 1924 and, as previously noted, an impressive lodge was built in 1927. I suspect local boosters hoped that naming a national forest after Mount Baker … Continue reading
In anticipation of the 7.9-mile Cascade Tunnel, which opened in 1929, Great Northern electrified 73 miles of its line between Wenatchee and Skykomish. These two menus depict early electric locomotives, one pulling the Oriental Limited and one pulling an unseen … Continue reading
The Prince of Wales Hotel opened in 1927, and I believe Great Northern stopped using the Art Nouveau-style menus after 1929. So, although these menus are undated, they would have been issued during that window of time. Click image to … Continue reading
Portland was known for its roses at least as early as 1888, when the Portland Rose Society was formed, and the slogan “For you a rose in Portland grows” dates back to at least 1916, when it was used on … Continue reading
Today’s first menu features a P2 mountain-type locomotive, the pride of the Great Northern in 1926, pulling the Oriental Limited by Mount Index in the Washington Cascades. While the 44-hour Chicago-Seattle streamlined Empire Builder would later pass this scene in … Continue reading
These two 1926 menus feature beautiful paintings from the old Northwest. The first menu doesn’t say so, but the painting is by Swiss-French artist Karl Bodmer, based on sketches he made during a 1833 expedition to the American West and … Continue reading
