The official name was the Washington, Idaho and Montana Railway (WI&M). It was built in 1905-1907 by the Potlatch Lumber Company to access what were considered the world's finest stands of Western White Pine timber.

The line was only about 50 miles long, from Palouse, Washington to Bovill, Idaho. It was the company's conveyance of timber to the mill, cut lumber to outside connections, and the artery of commerce for the whole region.

The road carried so much white pine that it just adopted the nickname "The White Pine Route" as its slogan, and this triangle became its identity.

The WI&M had a long life:

• Independent period: 1905-1962
• Wholly owned subsidiary of the Milwaukee Road: 1962-1980
• WI&M Branch of the Burlington Northern: 1980-1996
• Then became the WI&M Industrial Lead of the Palouse River and Coulee City Railroad

Today the logo is a favorite with railroadiana collectors - you’ll see it on hats, coffee cups, signs, and model railroad equipment. The WI&M Ry History Preservation Group even sold a coffee cup with the "White Pine Route" logo.

If you found it on an old lantern, sign, or paperwork, it's a real piece of Pacific Northwest logging railroad history.