The Bellingham Bay & British Columbia Railroad Company (BB&BC) was incorporated in Sacramento, California on June 21, 1883 by Pierre B. Cornwall and his associates to operate in Whatcom County, Washington Territory. By 1904, the BB&BC had become one of the busiest railroad lines of Whatcom County. The BB&BC tapped the very heart of the Mt. Baker timber, mining and rich agricultural communities of the Nooksack Valley. On January 1, 1913, the Bellingham & Northern, an independent subsidiary of the Chicago, Milwaukee & Puget Sound Railroad, took over the BB&BC. In 1917, the railroad was fully integrated into the Milwaukee system. The Milwaukee maintained much of the rail service of the BB&BC, so in many ways the BB&BC continued as Whatcom County's own railroad serving northwest Washington State until the Milwaukee went bankrupt in 1980. "For all those in the years to come who have never had the opportunity to witness the expansion and operation of the railroads when practically all traffic, both passenger and freight, was moved by the railroad, I will share with you the experience and information that I have had the opportunity to enjoy for over a period of more than 50 years working for the BB&BC and eventually the Milwaukee Road in Whatcom County, Washington State." ARTHUR M. "RUSTY" CLARK