Steam engines were
pulling the trains in 1902 when the Oregon, Pacific and Eastern Railway
began operating under the name Oregon & South Eastern. The original
line of the "Old Slow and Easy" reached Disston, a few miles past
today's trail end at Culp Creek. The trains hauled ore, logs, supplies,
and passengers. In 1971 an excursion train called "The Goose" carried
passengers until the economics of maintaining the railway became
prohibitive. In 1994 the BLM acquired the abandoned railway to develop
a trail for public recreational use. The City of Cottage Grove acquired
the remaining 3-mile section that will link the trail to downtown
Cottage Grove.
