Black Diamond NOW

Loggin on the Sunset Highway Circa 1930

If there is a denser stretch of truck traffic in the state than I-90 across Snoqualmie Pass, I'd sure like to know where it is.  Once known as the Sunset Highway, trucking is not new here.  The following photo taken in 1930 shows a "loggin" truck with a huge log on the way to Snoqualmie Falls.

Photo courtesy Washington State Historical Society, 2013.124.4, circa 1930

Not a lot of cushion on these tires.  Can you imagine how bumpy the ride would have been on a road often "paved" by wood as we see in the above photo?  I wonder what brake technology was like used then.  Stopping this beast heading down hill would have been interesting.

 

Upper Green River Valley Circa 1909

Anderson Map Co. was one of several mapping companies who produced graphic images of Washington State during the early 1900's.   I always enjoy seeing what map makers at the time deemed important enough to identify and highlight.   Following is their map of the state for 1909.

Image courtesy Washington State University, circa 1909

Zooming in a little closer, we can see what towns Anderson chose to highlight along the upper Green River valley and the route of the Northern Pacific. 

Starting with Kanaskat in the west, we have Eagle Gorge, Troutdale, Canton, Maywood, Hot Springs, Lester, Weston and Borup before reaching Stampede Pass.  Other than Hot Springs with it's resort facilities, these were all railroad towns with Lester being the largest. 

We can also see The Chicago & Milwaukee railroad going through Easton and then on its way west through Snoqualmie Pass.  Fun looking at maps - always helps in bringing history to life.

 

Digital Cameras - Then & Now

Although first conceived by Eugene Lally at the Jet Propulsion lab for photographing the stars, Kodak is generally recognized as having invented the first digital camera.  Following is a view of their initial design hot out of the lab in 1975.

Can you imagine how heavy that beast must have been.  At the time, digital processing would have been far more difficult than film.  Consider that the Appel II Plus home computer was first introduced in 1977 and how limited it's capability was.  But in the 1990's, digital cameras finally began to take off.  The combination of advances in digital hardware and software finally made digital photography practical and desirable.

Today, smart phones are the most popular camera of choice and the quality of photos is getting pretty darn good.

Want a small camera, here you go.  This  version is now widely used as surveillance cameras.

Pretty amazing technological change in such a short period.  For now, I plan to stick with my Canon 6D and 7D digital cameras and their wide variety of lens choices, but there will come a day when these too will go the way of darkrooms.

Hiking to Crystal Peak

With summer in full swing, the trails in Mount Rainier National Park can be a bit crowded.  Looking for a killer view of the mountain but away from the crowds?  Try the hike to Crystal Peak.  Well known to locals, it's typically not on visitors itinerary and the views truly are stunning.  Here's a view of the trail with Mt. Rainier in view for much of the way.

Though not the biggest display we have seen, wildflowers are now in bloom in the upper meadows - including lupine, tiger lilies, vanilla leaf, cow parsnip, purple and yellow daisies, phlox, yarrow, penstemon, Indian paint brush and many more.  In contrast to the fuchsia colored paint brush we see in many meadows, these were almost all reddish/orange and very pretty.  In their prime.

Once you reach the top, your views are unlimited 360 degrees.  We could clearly see Mt. Adams, Mt. St. Helens, Mt. Pilchuck, Mt. Baker and of course Mt. Rainier.  Just below us was upper Crystal Lake.

Turn around and there is Mt. Rainier.

One reason we tend to see fewer hikers at the Crystal Peak summit is Crystal Lake.  The hike to the lake starts at the same trailhead but splits off to the left.  You can see the parking lot full, but most people headed to the lake - a more family friendly hike, shorter with a lot less elevation gain.  Though the trail to Crystal Peak is only 3.8 miles one way, it has 3,100 feet of elevation gain, so be prepared for a workout.

Getting to the trailhead is easy.  Drive Hwy 410 east from Enumclaw and continue into the park, passing by the Crystal Mountain Ski Resort turnoff.  Just before the park's Sunrise entrance, you will see a large parking area with space on both sides of the road.  A sign is also visible here identifying this as a trailhead.  Killer views.  Here's a panorama from the top.

 

Pickles

It's that time of year.  Fresh locally grown cucumbers are now being picked and available for purchase at your nearby farmers market.  My favorites are the smaller pickling cucumbers that we once tried to grow in our garden.  However, after penciling it out and calculating my yields, we figured that $20 per pound was a little steep so I finally gave it up.

Cucumbers were once big business in our area.  Dick Farman and his brother established Farman Brothers Pickle Company in Enumclaw in 1944, packing and shipping 65 tons of pickles per year in the early days.  Known for consistent quality, Farman broadened their line of pickles and added sauerkraut.  By 1970, the "Pickle King" and his business grew to employ 44 full time and 200 seasonal employees selling over 7 million tons of pickles each year.  Following acquisition by Nalley Foods, which in turn was acquired by AgriLink Foods in 1975, the Enumclaw plant was closed and shifted to other plants - but "King Pickle" and the Farman brand remain to this day.

Where did Farman get their cucumbers for pickling?  The Puyallup Valley for one source, including Rosario Farm in Alderton located between Sumner and Orting and not far from where I grew up.

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library, #39962, circa 1962

Pictured above are farmer Narciso Rosario at the far right with some of his pickers.  Rosario farmed 12 acres of cucumbers with an expected yield of 85 tons or 9+ tons per acre.  That's a lot of cucumbers and an important source of supply for Farman's in Enumclaw.

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library, #39961, circa 1962

As we can see, harvesting pickles was a family affair and an important source of summer employment for students.  According to the photo's description, pickers were paid 1 cent per pound with a beginner picking about 300 pounds a day and an expert more than twice that much.  And no sloppy attire allowed.

 

 

Coal, Land Grants and Timber - Fuel for the Northern Pacific

Why were investors in the Northern Pacific Railroad interested in expanding westward from their base of operations in Minnesota?  After all, we are talking about laying nearly 2,000 miles of rail through sparsely populated lands subject to harsh weather, building bridges required to cross innumerable rivers and streams and scale the imposing heights of both the Rocky Mountains and Cascades.  Who in their right mind?  How about Abraham Lincoln for one.  Anxious to see the country expand westward, in 1864 Lincoln signed the Pacific Railroad Act, expanding from 10 to 20 acres of land grants in alternating sections for each mile of road built and further arranged for early release of federal loans in the amount of $32,000 to $48,000 per mile of road.  Not enough to cover a railroad's expenses, but seed money.  That same year, Lincoln signed a land grant for the Northern Pacific - and so it began.

Armed with nearly 60 million acres of potential land grants and seed money loans, who could resist the potential of accessing the potentially rich farmlands of the upper Midwest and vast timber resources of the Pacific Northwest?  Who could resist access to the bountiful deposits of high quality inexpensive coal in the Carbon River and Green River watersheds to fuel their locomotives and provide a ready customer for their transportation services.  Not investors in the Northern Pacific.  Following is a map showing the alternating land grants the Northern Pacific earned once Stampede Pass was completed providing a direct route to Tacoma. 

Map courtesy of Washington State University, circa January 1, 1887

The darker hatched boxes are land grants.  Those with black dots are federal lands.  Virtually the entire area in the Enumclaw Plateau and west were either land grant lands or federally owned land.  Even with seed money loans from the feds, NP investors found raising money a difficult task.  Two bankruptcies later, the urgency to complete Stampede pass was urgent.  Absent completing a route providing direct access to Puget Sound, these land grants would have been forfeit.  Hence the NP's urgency.  What did land grants sell for?  Following are the NP's stated terms of sale in 1887.

The price of Agricultural Lands ranges chiefly from $2.60 to $6.00 per acre.  If purchased on 5 years time, one-fifth cash.  At end of first year, interest only on the unpaid amount.  One-fifth of interest and principle due at end of each of next four years.  Interest at 7% per annum.

On Ten Years Time - Actual Settlers can purchase not to exceed 320 acres of Agricultural Land on Ten Years Time at 7 percent interest, one-tenth cash at time of purchase and balance in 9 equal installments beginning at the end of the second year.  Purchasers on the 10 year plan are required to settle on the lands purchased and to cultivate and improve the same.

Timber Lands - Cash or by special agreement.

Simple interest in their terms of sale - simpler times.

 

 

More Lake Sawyer Lumber Company Photos - Circa 1925

As previously posted, the Lake Sawyer Lumber Company was incorporated in 1919 and operated until closed in 1934 as lumber demand waned during the great depression.  Thanks again to Peggy Hawkins, following are a few more pictures of the sawmill as it was in 1925.  We believe that all photos were taken by the renown photographer Clark Kinsey.   Steam from the dry kilns can be observed in several of these pics along with the black smoke from the smoke stacks.

This above photo shows some of the crew and the two Neukirchen brothers on the far right in vests.  Joseph Neukirchen to the far right is Peggy Hawkin's grandfather.  And finally, my favorite photo of them all showing the log conveyer/chain used to transport logs from the lake up to the mill head rig.

 

The Incomparable Shi Shi Beach

Our recent three day hiking trip to the Olympic Peninsula to explore the Hoh Rain Forest, 2nd Beach at La Push and the incomparable Shi Shi beach has to be one of our best.  Each hike was great but we found that Shi Shi lived up to its reputation as one of the premier destinations in the  Pacific Northwest.  At four miles one way, the Shi Shi trail has three distinct segments - a well maintained forested trail for the first mile, mud, mud and more mud for the second mile and then all beautiful beach.  Boots are a necessity through the mud but it's well worth the trek.  Once at the beach, you can ditch the boots and enjoy wide sandy beaches and great views of this area's unique "sea stacks".

During low tide you will find lots of tidal pools with crab, muscles, snails and colorful anemones, particularly at the southern end of the beach.

We were blessed with clearing skies and sparse crowds - except for the birds. 

The highlight had to be all the wildlife.  We saw eagles, falcons, gulls, oyster catchers, deer on the beach and much more.  I've never seen this much concentrated bird activity anywhere before.  Viewed from afar, eagles were fishing/scavaging near the ocean breakers.

It was lunch time and this falcon had just downed a gull.

Several Oyster Catchers were feeding on muscles during low tide.

A family of bald eagles made their nest on top of one of the sea stacks.

We also saw several falcons and eagles battling for territory - this eagle avoiding being dive bombed from above.

A doe and her fawns walking the beach oblivious to all the drama in the skies above.

We'll be heading back to Shi Shi soon, this time with our tent.

 

 

 

Wandering the Trails of the Hoh Rain Forest

After all these years, we finally made it to the Hoh Rain Forest and what a treat.  Biggest lasting memory - all the huge Sitka Spruce.  They are numerous and enormous. The cascades mountains that we wander frequently have lots of moss, ferns, salal and other shaded plants but not the big Sitka Spruce of the Olympics.  Wonderful trails too.  You can hike for about as long or as far as you want spending a week or more.  We chose a 6 miler along the Hoh River and were rewarded with sunshine.

No glacier melt in these streams. 

Trying to take pictures in the shadows of the forest is challenging at best.  Bright rays of sun scattered across the forest floor tend to blow out everything else, leaving you with either a very dark picture or a harsh overly bright image.  But, I keep trying.  Here is a picture of a waterfall with the primary focus on the surrounding forest, not the waterfall.

Still too much contrast.  Finally, I found a spot that better sums up my view of the trail with all the intense colors with a bit less brightness.

A great hike.  If you haven't been there, worth adding to your must do list.

Washington State Rail Infrastructure - Then and Now

Our increasing use of light rail when visiting Seattle has raised my curiosity about state rail infrastructure and capacity.   Apart from a few short-line railroads, Amtrak and Sound Transit, the BNSF is about all that is left of the large carriers.  Yet we sure see lots of containers, grain, coal and oil being moved via rail, but even more being transported by trucks (truck driving is the #1 job in our state).  How much rail capacity do we have in Washington State today compared to when rail was king?

According to American-Rails.com, today we have 56% of the rail capacity that we did at the peak in 1920 - about the same as most other states.  This measures miles of rail, not freight bulk and weight capacity, which is likely higher than it was historically.  Here are the numbers.

The BNSF has quite a monopoly these days, but counterbalanced to some degree by trucking and even air freight.

Origins of the First Aid Kit

How many of us make sure to carry a First Aid Kit when we go hiking as an important part of the ten essentials?  How about at home - a First Aid Kit in the bathroom cabinet?  Or perhaps at work in case of an accident?  To whom do we owe the credit for inventing this simple but important product?

According to American-Rails.com, the First Aid Kit has it's roots in the railroad industry.  As the story goes, Johnson & Johnson co-founder, Robert Wood Johnson, was on a train trip through the Rockies where the railroad was is in the midst of major construction and expansion.  Johnson happened across the railroad's surgeon and witnessed the injuries and safety issues they faced.  The result was a letter sent by Johnson in 1888 to railroad surgeons around the country.  To quote:

"We are about to get up a railway emergency case, and wish to make one that will be of real service in the field it is intended for…it is our wish to get suggestions from practical railroad surgeons. We already have them from one of two of the surgeons of the largest western railroads." 

By1890, Johnson & Johnson began offering what was known as the "Railway Station and Factory Supply Case".  Further refinement of the package soon led to development and introduction of the venerable Band Aid brand of adhesive bandages that we still use to this day.

Photo courtesy American-Rails.com

Big Timber

Yet another example of loggers and their tools dwarfed by big timber - this time an enormous spruce.  Notice the wedges inserted to keep their saws from binding.

Photo courtesy Washington State Historical Society, S1992.39.10, circa 1912

Entertaining Out of Town Guests

When we have guests coming to town, where should we take them?  Obvious musts include the Black Diamond Bakery and History Museum.  A walk in Lake Sawyer park and a hike into the Green River Gorge or nearby State Park offer great examples of our area's natural beauty.  Still, it can be overcast, threaten rain and an urban experience in Seattle can best fit the bill.  If you are headed that way, my recommendation hands down is a visit to the Chihuly Garden and Glass exhibit at Seattle Center.  We made our first trip last weekend and I was just blown away (no pun intended).  Following are a few pics taken with my cell phone.

This canoe and it's reflections were just amazing.

The ceiling of blown glass was so incredibly colorful.

And the glass blown bowls - what can I say?

How Chihuly is able to maintain the intensity of color is a mystery.  Great lighting, but still!  Stepping outside into the atrium, we continue to see wonderful color.

And then the garden.

There is so much more to see.  We are definitely headed back and this time with my good camera and lenses.  For an extra bonus, I also highly recommend taking light rail into Seattle.  We park at Tukwila station, disembark at Westlake and then take the monorail to the center.  Couldn't be easier and much less expensive than trying to find parking in Seattle.  No traffic to fight.  Makes for a much more mellow experience too.

 

 

 

Pirates of the Northwest

Pirates in the northwest?  No - not a baseball team nor swashbucklers of the kind we see during Seafair, but a truly unique brand of brigand.  Log pirates.  Transporting logs via water was simple and fast.  Encircle a collection of logs with a boom and you could transport large volumes long distances with the aid of only one or two tugs.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, # 516.4721, Clark Kinsey photographer, circa 1935

However, as timber prices increased and small sawmills sprang up in more remote areas, there became a ready market for contraband logs.   All a pirate need do is cut a chain holding the boom together, pull out as many logs as you can from the boom and away you go.  Who's to know.  Log piracy apparently reached a peak during the 1917 to 1928 period with quite an organized network of pirates creating greater and greater losses for timber owners.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, CUR916, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1878

As economic losses grew, timber owners banded together to lobby the State legislature for ways to protect their interests.  The result was establishment in 1925 of the State Log Patrol.  Although not an official law enforcement agency, members/officers were deputized with the lawful authority to arrest log pirates and seize evidence and equipment.  Member timber companies provided full funding for the patrol.  In the end, it was a combination of factors that doomed the pirates.  Patrols sure helped but economic conditions during the great depression likely provided the coffin.  Private log patrols were also created which proved a less expensive option for the big timber companies.  Private log patrols continue to this day, licensed by the State.

Lake Sawyer Log Dump Circa 1925

Yesterday's blog post showed the location of Lake Sawyer Lumber Co.'s sawmill at the north end of Lake Sawyer.  The following aerial view shows the location of the log dump to the southwest at the present day site of Lake Sawyer Sunrise Resort.

The above photo was taken in 1936 two years after the mill was closed.  Lake Sawyer Black Diamond Road is clearly visible along with what appear to be two narrow gauge logging rail lines.  Following are two photos of the log dump in action.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, Clark Kinsey photographer, circa 1925

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, Clark Kinsey photographer, circa 1925

I'm surprised at the relatively small size of the logs.  They almost look like second growth and perhaps they were, resulting from a forest fire in the area during the mid 1800's?

Lake Sawyer Lumber Company - Incorporated September 20,1919

Having earned their chops with a sawmill and logging operation based in Issaquah, the Neukirchen brothers began to search for a new source of timber and potential mill site.  Their answer - Lake Sawyer and the Lake Sawyer Lumber Company incorporated in September 20, 1919.  By this time, competition for timber had grown intense on Tiger Mountain and up the Cedar River valley, yet plenty of timber still remained in the Lake Sawyer area, tapped previously only to meet the limited needs of local coal mines.  With the lake providing plenty of area for log storage, mill feed and railroad access close by, the lake's north shore made for a perfect sawmill site.  The aerial image that follows was taken in 1936 showing the mill location not long after it closed in 1934.

Look familiar Jack Sperry and Phil Acosta?  A short line railroad delivered logs to the log dump that can be seen extending out into the lake.  The rail line that once served Black Diamond and now a biking/hiking trail can be seen going north-south.  A second log dump was located at the southwest end of the lake near the current Lake Sawyer Sunrise Resort.

Thanks to records maintained by Erik Erickson, we know that the company logging/mill operation included 2 donkey engines, 1 high lead logging side, 30 men, 3 miles of logging railroad, 1 geared locomotive, 1 rod locomotive, 8 log trucks, 20 flat cars, 50 MBF daily total lumber production capacity, steam powered circular saw head rig, automatic trimmer that could saw logs 60 feet in length and a dry kiln with 15 MBF daily capacity.  Here's a view of the mill looking southwest toward the lake.

Photo courtesy of Peggy Hawkins (granddaughter of Joseph Neukirchen).  Peggy and her husband still have a cabin on the lake near the old mill site. 

Following is a photo of what appears to be the rod locomotive used to move lumber and logs around the mill.  According to the Issaquah Press, in 1928 John Neukirchen (brother of Joseph) had a "run in" with the locomotive at the mill, severely damaging the Willys-Knight auto he was driving and resulting in some personal injuries.  Perhaps that is why we see the locomotive parked off to the side of the rail track.

Photo courtesy of Peggy Hawkins

Thanks again go to Peggy Hawkins and Erik Erickson who have been most helpful in helping understand the mill's history.  More photos of the mill and logging operations in future posts.

 

Peacock Farm - Hobart Circa 1889

Land grants were the financial fuel enabling the Northern Pacific Railway to complete its transcontinental rail line from Minnesota to Puget Sound.  Having already gone bankrupt twice, quality land was being sold by the NP at a reasonable price for those astute enough and financially secure enough to take advantage.  Frederick Weyerhaeuser's acquisition of 1 million acres of timberland is perhaps the most notable bargain acquisition. However, other settler families also took advantage, including the Peacock family who in 1888 purchased 200 acres of NP land in the Hobart area.  The price tag?  $4 per acre.  Following is a photo of the Peacock family farm taken in 1889.

Photo courtesy Washington State Historical Society and Maple Valley Historical Society, 2014.4.22.1, circa 1889

Note the location right next to the railroad, making it handy for shipping farm products and for people transportation. The narrative on the photo is interesting:  

Charles logged the land and built a house and barn and other buildings.  In addition to farming, Charles did logging, owned a sawmill and did carpentry work.  The Peacocks lived in nearby Franklin where Charles worked in the coal mine before moving to this land.

To successfully make it as a settler required a wide varied of skills and lots and lots of determination.  A willingness to also take seasonal work in Seattle or other towns was also common.  Everyone in the family worked, doing whatever was required.  This appears to be one case where the "settler stereotype" lives up to its hype.

p.s.  Members of the Peacock family continue to live in the Maple Valley/Hobart area on land originally settled by the family in 1888.

Black Diamond 4th of July Parade Circa 1925

Parades were a big deal during the early days of our community, including a gala event regularly held on the 4th of July.

Photo courtesy of Black Diamond Historical Society and Roger Perry, circa 1925

It's fun to see the truck and people all decked out.  The background buildings in the above picture are also interesting.  I didn't realize there were residences along Railroad Avenue at the time.

Photo courtesy Black Diamond Historical Society and Roger Perry, circa 1918

The above photo shows even more residences in the background.  Perhaps this was taken in Morganville?  Gotta love the Briquets.  For more about the parade in 1918, follow this link from the Black Diamond Historical Society to Black Diamond Parade, July 4, 1918.

These days we have a boat parade around Lake Sawyer on the 4th.  Hope to see you there.  Will have my camera taking pics and water cannon at my side for protection.