Background
In 1811, the town of Astoria, Oregon Territory was founded at the mouth of the Columbia River. Because of its location, many of the town’s civic and business leaders thought Astoria would become a key port. However, once ships entered the Columbia River, the majority of them continued upriver to Portland.
While Astoria was founded in a beautiful area on the Oregon coast, it was isolated from much of the rest of the territory (and later the state). Since the town would not become a...
There are many people interested in former transportation companies, whether they were trucking companies, railroads, airlines or ocean lines. These companies are called “fallen flags,” and the term describes companies whose corporate names have been dissolved through merger, bankruptcy or liquidation.
In Part 1 of this article the early history of what became the Great Northern Railway was the focus. In Part 2, an overview of Great Northern’s history in the 20th century is the focus.
Early years
Burlington Northern Air Freight, Inc. was started in June 1972 as a subsidiary of the Burlington Northern Railroad. At its launch, the company served 10 cities. The company was an air freight forwarder specializing in shipping heavy materials within the United States using contracted cargo space on commercial lines.
Acquired by Pittston
In 1982, the company was acquired by Pittston...