Sometimes you don't see the full picture, part 2

Panoramic view of Arlington from 1912.

Recently the above panoramic view was shared with me, following my post titled History can be ugly.

At first glance, this panoramic view, dated 1912, could be identical to the undated view I previously published. They appear to have been taken almost from the exact same position, and probably not taken more than a year or two apart.

The undated "history can be ugly" photo.

The panoramic view, cropped.

And what a different story the panoramic photo tells from the other image!

The panoramic image creates a very different response in the viewer. It seems to illustrate the concept of the "right" side and the "wrong" side of tracks. (although some old timers would argue that it's old Haller City, on the north side of Division St., that was/is technically Arlington's "wrong side of the tracks.")

But that is an assumption made by someone who wasn't there.

However, even "primary sources" — first person accounts, newspaper articles — can be problematic, because personal biases and fading memories can also distort the historical "facts."

That's why when researching history — whether it be that of your family, or that of your community —it is imperative to take into account that there may be more than one version of events. One photo, one artifact, one memory, is only scratching the surface of the whole story — or rather, the full picture.

Sometimes you don't see the full picture...

At first glimpse, you might think this is the original Seattle Lake Shore & Eastern depot in Arlington. But it's not.

Lesson #1 of historical research: double check your "facts."

It seemed legitimate. I purchased this photo at an antique store in Arlington a few years back, where a fellow sells reproduction enlargements of antique photos. I was told by a shop employee that these photos are derived from old glass negatives which this gentleman purchased from the Arlington Times at some point in the past.

So it would be easy to assume this is a turn of the century photo of a trainwreck at the Arlington Seattle Lake Shore & Eastern/Northern Pacific depot, right?

To someone without an expert eye, yes.

But to my fellow members at the Northern Pacific Railway TellTale discussion group, there are several red flags. Roger Barrow best summed it up:

Prominent in the picture is an N&W [Norfolk & Western Railway] coal hopper. The depot is board and batten with gingerbread on the gable, and a lower-quadrant train order semaphore. The station platform is brick and a water tank appears in the (south?) distance. Helping to date the picture, we see a mix of steel and wooden hopper cars, and
rail with no tie plates.

So face bright red with embarrassment, I went to do some additional digging, and it turns out this is a postcard view of NOT the SLS&E/NP depot in Arlington, WASHINGTON, it's of a 1913 derailment at the depot in Arlington, OHIO.

Now it is possible the photo did come from The Arlington Times -- from other research I've done, the paper did publish news photos from other parts of the country, and many of them have been related to railroading.

I was excited about this photo when I bought it because I really thought it could be connected to a 1910 Northern Pacific blueprint which shows a (proposed) remodel or rebuild of the Arlington depot. Could it be a picture of the original SLS&E depot built in 1890?

Well, no. I should have looked more carefully at this photo of the depot, from the Stillaguamish Pioneer Museum:

Or this one, taken by former NPR employee Jim Fredrickson:

 Or this one:

Or this one, by former NPR employee Russell C. Johnson:

OR, just take a look at any other photo of original SLS&E depots, and you'll see the siding is horizontal, not vertical.

This might also be a lesson in what happens when you've been away for awhile from writing and research, and possibly what they call "chemo brain."

I'm just grateful that the folks at the TellTale group were so kind and helpful about my gaffe. With all  sincerity, they are truly a valuable resource for details on local railroad history -- which I will certainly call upon in the future. :)