Wellington, was a small unincorporated railroad community on the Great Northern Railway in northeastern King County, WA. Founded in 1893, it was located at the west portal of the original Cascade Tunnel under Stevens Pass. It is infamous for being the site of the March 1, 1910, Wellington avalanche, the worst avalanche in United States history, in which 96 people died.
The train stopped under the peak of Windy Mountain, above Tye Creek. Heavy snowfall and avalanches made it impossible for train crews to clear the tracks. For six days, the trains waited in blizzard and avalanche conditions. On February 26, the telegraph lines went down and communication with the outside was lost. On the last day of February, the weather turned to rain with thunder and lightning.
During the early morning hours of March 1, 1910, thunder shook the snow-laden Cascade Mountains alive with avalanches. Then it happened..White Death
