The Idaho Northern Railroad built a branch line

Branch line

A branch line is a secondary railway line which branches off a more important through route, usually a main line. A very short branch line may be called a spur line...

 of the Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company

Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company

The Oregon Railroad and Navigation Company was a railroad that operated a rail network of of track running east from Portland, Oregon, United States to northeastern Oregon, northeastern Washington, and northern Idaho...

 (OR&N) in northern Idaho

Idaho

Idaho is a state in the Rocky Mountain area of the United States. The state's largest city and capital is Boise. Residents are called "Idahoans". Idaho was admitted to the Union on July 3, 1890, as the 43rd state....

, U.S., connecting the main line at Enaville with Paragon, a distance of 32.83 miles (52.8 km). The company was incorporated on January 10, 1906, and opened on August 1, 1909 as an operating subsidiary

Operating subsidiary

An operating subsidiary is a business term frequently used within the United States in corporate profile descriptions. In the railroad industry, for example, it refers to a company that is a subsidiary but operates with its own identity and rolling stock...

 of the Union Pacific Railroad

Union Pacific Railroad

The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....

 (UP), owner of the OR&N. On December 23, 1910, the property of the OR&N and Idaho Northern Railroad were conveyed to new UP subsidiary Oregon–Washington Railroad and Navigation Company.

The line was cut back from Paragon to Prichard after a December 1917 washout

Washout

A washout is the sudden erosion of soft soil or other support surfaces by a gush of water, usually occurring during a heavy downpour of rain or other stream flooding. These downpours may occur locally in a thunderstorm , or over a large area, such as following the landfall of a tropical cyclone...

. A flood in December 1933 severely damaged the remainder of the line, and the Interstate Commerce Commission

Interstate Commerce Commission

The Interstate Commerce Commission was a regulatory body in the United States created by the Interstate Commerce Act of 1887. The agency's original purpose was to regulate railroads to ensure fair rates, to eliminate rate discrimination, and to regulate other aspects of common carriers, including...

authorized its abandonment in 1935.