Presentation looks at Big Bend railroads

MOSES LAKE — Before there were freeways and airlines, the life of the Columbia Basin centered on the rail lines, a heritage that can still be seen today in the small towns that dot the Basin’s landscape. Those trains will be the subject of the season opener Thursday in the Moses Lake Museum & Art Center’s Spring Speaker Series, according to an announcement from the museum.

Railroad historian and author — and former Columbia Basin Herald columnist — Dan Bolyard will present “Fires, Wrecks and Floods: Highlights of Railroading in the Columbia Basin,” according to the announcement. The event will be at 6 p.m. at the Moses Lake Civic Center, 401 S. Balsam St. Admission is free but seating is limited to the first 200 attendees.

Bolyard, who lives in Coulee City, is the author of “Big Bend Railroads,” a book that details the history of railroads in our region, as well as “Ephrata,” a history of the Grant County seat in the Images of America series. He also writes about Big Bend trains and history at www.bigbendrailroadhistory.com.