On May 11, 1915, the Wyatt and Bethel Rucker signed a 10-year lease with the Northern Pacific Railroad to use the Monte Cristo branch primarily to transport timber from east of Granite Falls to their mill in Lake Stevens. They renamed it the “Hartford Eastern Railway Company”, and also provided passenger and cargo service to the settlements, lumber camps, and mines along the route from Granite Falls to Monte Cristo. The 42-mile line consisted of four tunnels and 61 Bridges.