text: This was the r-o-w of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern. They built simultaneously west from Seattle and east from Spokane in the late 1880's, largely in response to the Northern Pacific's refusal to effectively serve Seattle (NP had already chosen Tacoma as their eastern terminus to boot).
  Construction petered out in the late 1890's - the Eastern section only made it to a point south of Davenport (~50 miles west of here), and then trackbuilding frantically made a 90 degree turn North in order to connect to Davenport before money ran out.
  The NP assumed control of the SLS&E in/around 1892 (organizing the Eastern section as the Spokane & Seattle Rwy), and ditched this section of track right after actual purchase around 1900. The Washington Water Power Co then purchased this track all the way to Medical Lake for use as an interurban route, and kept it in service into the mid-1920's. The WWP did not use the original right of way when they got closer to Spokane - instead running on city streets - which is undoubtedly why the 1901 topo did not show a corresponding railroad.
  Wikipedia may help cement more exact dates for some of this - I'm going off my memory and enthusiasm for abandoned railroads... and especially for the SLS&E.