Black Diamond NOW

Lake Sawyer Sawmill Circa 1922 - 1934

For those not familiar with the history of Lake Sawyer, commercial activity began here in the early 1920's.  The Lake Sawyer Mill Company operated a sawmill and logging operation at the northeast corner of the lake between 1922 and 1934,with some periods of shutdown due to economic conditions in 1927 and early 1928.  Employment ranged from 20 to 30 men producing 40 to 50 thousand board feet per day.  This would be considered in the mid-range of mill capacity in the northwest during this period.  Facilities consisted of one circular head rig saw, an automatic trimmer, dry kilns and lath mill.  Logs up to 60 feet long could be processed.  Company logging operations fed the mill with 3 miles of 45# rail, 1 geared locomotive, 1 speeder, 2 donkey engines, 1 high lead logging operation, 8 log trucks and 20 flat cars. 

The following aerial photo taken in 1936, shows the mill site not long after shutting down.  

Following is a closer image showing site rail access.

A short spur apparently connected the mill to Northern Pacific’s Stampede Pass mainline, making for efficient transport of lumber to market.

The company also had two log dumps, one at the mill site as shown above and another at the southwest part of the lake on property currently the site of the Sunrise Lake Sawyer Resort.  Remains of log dump piling at the mill site can still be found.  Apparently, rather than remove the piling, the tops were cut off making it easier for small boats to navigate - but the stubby piling can still be found there underwater.

Following is a photo of the log dump located on the southwest side.

Company logging operations utilized high lead logging technology including spar trees for yarding and loading.  In the following photo, note the high climber standing on top and crew members suspended from the ground by cables.  This is one of the better photos I've seen that shows a complete high lead logging operation including spar, cables, donkey engine and rail loading area.  The size of this spar tree is impressive to say the least.

Photo courtesy Ted and Debbie Strand, Lake Sawyer Grocery circa 1920's

In May 1928, John Neukirchen, one of the owners who were based in Issaquah, apparently had a run in with their locomotive.  As reported in the Issaquah Press at the time, “Mr. Neukirchen received minor injuries when the Willys-Knight he was driving was struck by a switching train at the Lake Sawyer mill.  The car was demolished.”    

Photo courtesy Erik Erickson, circa 1928

Judging from the photo, the locomotive used readily available wood waste for fuel and was likely used for moving railcars around the mill site.  It had also likely seen many years of prior use.

Here's the mill as seen from the lake, which served as a handy log pond for receiving, sorting and feeding logs into the mill.  You can also see the rail track leading down to the log dump and conveyor up into the mill.

Photo courtesy Peggy Hawkins, granddaughter of mill co-founder Joseph Neukirchen.  The photo was taken by noted photographer Clark Kinsey

Following mill closure in 1934, equipment was removed and sold and the lands on the east side of the lake owned by the mill were platted for sale to those looking to build a vacation cabin on waterfront property.  In essence, this was the owner's exit strategy from the business and I'm sure that it served them well.  Bill Kombol recently ran across several old maps showing these East Shore lots as they were drawn by the Neukirchens at the time.  Apparently, these specific maps were not recorded, but they sure look a lot like what we see today.  Bill was kind enough to share this with us.  Perhaps some of you can find your lot on this map.

Thank you again, Bill, for sharing with us.

Photography Roadtrip

How many iconic sites in Western Washington can you photograph in 36 hours?  With son Craig II in town recently, we decided to give it a go, starting with wildflowers at Mount St. Helens - a first for both of us.  What a place this time of year. The Penstemon and Indian Paint Brush are just amazing.  Their bright colors in contrast to the nearly desolate landscape near the Johnston Ridge Visitors Center, then directly in the path of massive volumes of volcanic ash as the mountain erupted, makes for a special place. 

For me, however, photographing wildflowers with the mountain as a backdrop is a real challenge.  For best results, you need to take pics early in the day or late in the day.  How to keep the flowers in focus and from blurring while the mountain remains clear and, and vise versa, is another challenge.  Finally, after lots of coaching from Craig and lots of images, I finally got one I liked.

As good fortune would have it, the cloud formation over the mountain makes the image.  By this time, it wasn't long before sunset and we had two places to look.  One, face the mountain looking south, or two, turnaround and see the sun set behind us to the northwest.  As luck would have it, we got some nice colors looking both ways.

The best luck I had getting wildflowers in a sunset shot was to turnaround and shoot the wildflowers backlit by the sunset.

Next on our plan was to catnap in the car while we awaited arrival of the Milky Way and for the moon to set.  No luck here since neither of us could sleep so we headed out before the moon set.  Good thing.   We ended up needing the light provided by the moon to help brighten the mountain on the side we were on.  The night lights of Portland can tend to drown everything else on the north side out.  It worked.

Soon after this photo was taken, the moon set and the mountain got very dark.  Mission accomplished at Mount St. Helens.  

Rather than waste time sleeping, why not head south to Trout Lake and see if we could get there in time for sunrise.  We made it with 30 minutes to spare and were rewarded with sunrise views of both Mt. Adams and Mt. Rainier in the background.  Nice colors too reflecting in the river.

Not much happening in Trout Lake at 5:30 in the morning, so why not head to the Panther Creek waterfall near Carson?

An hour later - nice waterfalls.  Hard to find but worth the trip.  Time for some breakfast, so back to Trout Lake, then on to Lake Takhlakh located just northwest of Mt. Adams to set up camp.  Great views of Mt. Adams and the Milky Way from here - and finally a couple of hours of sleep in our tent.  Unfortunately, the rains came and chased us out, but where to?  How about driving to Tipsoo Lake and hopefully get there in time for sunset?  

What can I say?  Tipsoo is a special place and we made it home well before midnight.  2 hours sleep in 36 hours?  Not bad.

 

 

Yeah - Time for Raspberries

While strawberries are still being harvested in the Puyallup Valley, raspberries are now coming on strong.  My favorite to pick and eat for sure.  I ate so many as a youngster picking with my mother and sister, I'm not sure that growers ever made much money off of me.  But, you only got paid for each full flat you picked, so perhaps it all evened out - except for a few rows that had pretty low yields.  Following are a few photos of families picking raspberries in the Sumner area during the late 1800's or early 1900's.

Photo courtesy Robert Jowett, n.d.

Berry picking was indeed a family affair.  Sunday was picture day in the berry fields too and this family is quite well dressed for the occasion.  Notice how nicely displayed the full flats of berries are.  One lady even brought her young child apparently in a "stroller" of some type.  The size of these rows of berry vines is impressive.  Yields must have been really high.

Photo courtesy Robert Jowett, n.d.

It appears that children eating what they picked has a long history too.

Judy planted raspberries here at Lake Sawyer perhaps 5 years ago and they are growing strong.  About ready for our second picking this year - and sooooo sweet.

Sumner and the Puyallup Valley Circa 1888

Have you ever wondered what it looked like when early settlers first began to arrive to stake their claim to land or jobs in mining and logging in the 1860's and 1870's?  There were trees and lots of trees!  Forests of centuries old Cedar, hemlock and Douglas Fir, 150' tall and taller densely covering the forest floor - not what we see today except at rare locations.  Transportation was exceedingly difficult.  You had to hack your through and closely follow meandering rivers and streams to get anywhere or follow foot paths established by Indian tribes over many years.  Those seeking their fortune in the Black Diamond area were fortunate, at least so far as transportation went.  Where there was coal, there was money to build railroads.  But stray very far and you were deep into the forest. 

Was Enumclaw like we know it today as an open farmland plateau and home to dairies and pasture for cattle?  NO, it was dense forest.  In her books about the early pioneers of Enumclaw, Buckley and the Carbon River areas, Nancy Irene Hall makes this vividly clear.  The railroad again made access easier to town but there was much to do to clear these lands before there would be farms.  How about the Puyallup Valley?  This area was closer to established population centers and had rivers as a means of getting around but this rich valley also had to be cleared of dense forest before it could be farmed.

A clear indicator of all this timber can be found in some historical photos taken in 1888 of the Sumner area.  Right in the middle of the valley - Ryan's sawmill.

Photo courtesy Robert Jowett, circa 1888

What appears to make this mill unique is the lack of a log pond to make handling and sorting easier.

Photo courtesy Robert Jowett, circa 1888

Transportation of logs the old fashioned way.  

Photo courtesy Robert Jowett, circa 1888

The size of this operation is also surprising. A mini town grew up adjacent to the mill in this unlikely location. Obviously, there was timber available and a demand for lumber.

Photo courtesy Robert Jowett, circa 1888

It looks like they may have been in the hops business too, using their readily available wood waste to supply the dry kilns needed for drying hops.

There was nothing easy about being a settler or logger or mill worker or farmer during this period.  Unfortunately, today we find little land still being farmed, replaced by new homes and warehouses.  That's economics 101, I guess.

Thanks go to Roger Parry for make these very interesting  photos available.

Kelly Butte - An Abundance of Wildflowers

My quest for finding wildflowers in bloom this year has been decidedly disappointing.  Except for a road trip to Mount St. Helens, many areas closer to home remain snow covered and those like Suntop, which is snow free, have had few blooms.  No worries, Kelly Butte is the place to go.  Though shrouded in clouds yesterday, it turned out to be a great day for photographing the colorful big three - bear grass, Indian paint brush and lupine (and Judy too).

As I've learned, one of the reasons that bear grass, a member of the corn lily family, can be so spotty to find is that plant colonies normally bloom only every 5 to 7 years.  This is an off year at Suntop, but parts of the trail to Kelly Butte were in full bloom.  Definitely one of my favorites.

If you look closely, you'll find drops of water clinging from the flower tips.

I love paint brush.

The real surprise was finding lupine in bloom this early.

More water droplets hanging from the flowers and leaves.

Just 3.4 miles round trip and 1,100 feet of elevation gain, the hike to Kelly Butte is a great day hike close to home, whether shrouded in clouds or sunshine.  Great views of Mt. Rainier too.  For directions, follow this link to Washington Trails - Kelly Butte.  Enjoy.

 

Hire the Handicapped - It's Good Business Circa 1949

When I think of landmark civil rights legislation, I think first of the 1960's and enactment of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.  However, for Americans with disabilities, equal rights protection was a long time in coming.  The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) did not become law until fairly recently - in 1990.  To my surprise, however, government sponsored programs promoting the hiring of handicapped workers have a much longer history, dating all the way back to mid 1940's.  Perhaps the impetus at the time was filling the shortage of workers in our factories during WWII, but programs initiated then survived long after - because they worked.

Bill Kombol recently passed along copy of a document sent to businesses dated September 1949 from the State of Washington State Employment Security Department titled "Hire the Handicapped - It's Good Business".  I must say, the person that authored this letter knew what they were talking about.  So much uncommon common sense.  The last paragraph of the letter I found to be both simply stated and very profound.

For me, this is one of the better letters of policy that I've seen in some time.  It clearly reflects the values that "we" hold dear and cuts through the rhetoric of misperception and fears held by many about a specific segment of the population.  Thanks Bill.  You made my day.  Now, in these increasingly polarized times,  if only ………………………….

For those interested, following is a complete copy of the letter.

 

Strawberry Pick'n Time

Time now for pick'n strawberries - the sweetest and juiciest around.  In the days BW (before warehouses) in the Puyallup, Sumner and Kent Valleys, there were few places in the world that could match the quality and quantity of berries grown here.  First up - strawberries and we are now in peak season.  Who was willing to do the backbreaking work of picking strawberries back then?  Women.

Photo courtesy Washington State Historical Society, 1043.42.15064, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1910

Apparently there were strict norms regarding attire.  A skirt, upon which you placed your knees to prevent causing scrapes and abrasions, a multi-layers blouse, always white, to keep you warm and a "Sunday-go-to-meet'n" hat to protect you from the sun.  Women were also often accompanied by their children.

Then came immigrant families primarily from Japan and the Philippines who would in time account for a large share of both labor and farm ownership/operations.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, SOC0022, circa 1910

Perhaps this was picture Sunday and like we saw with loggers, this Japanese family in Kent dressed up to have their picture taken.  I still can't believe how hard of work this is, bending over to pick the berries and carry flats of berries that when full were quite heavy.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, 1983.19.1593.1, Webster & Stevens photographers, circa 1920

It takes a strong person to carry two full flats like this.  During the pre-war and war years, as Japanese immigrant U.S. citizens were placed in concentration camps and World War II industries placed increasing demands on our local workforce, growers were required to recruit pickers for berry crops from outside the area, including 80 First Nations Indians living in British Columbia pictured in the photo that follows.  Wages topped an eye popping 50 to 70 cents per hour.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, PI-23856, Seattle PI, circa 1943

And then, post war, Japanese U.S. citizens returned to their farms, employing many of us teen baby boomers to harvest their crops.

A lot has changed since then.  Now we can buy fresh strawberries 12 months a year thanks to advances in ag science and refrigerated delivery systems.  As good as these berries may be, at least to my palette, there's nothing like a fresh strawberry grown in Sumner and the Puyallup valley.  There is still one u-pick berry field that I have found between Sumner and Orting, but think I'll wait for the raspberries and black berries to ripen so I can stand up while I pick.

 

Lake Sawyer Grocery - 72 Years of History and still Going Strong

Which businesses in Black Diamond have been in business the longest?  Incorporated in 1933, Palmer Coking Coal has to rank right up there if not at the very top.  Maybe #2 and certainly in the top 5, the Lake Sawyer Grocery store began business all the way back in 1946.  That's quite a long time for a once gas station/convenience store and now grocery store.  The following photo taken in 1958, shows the store right after its first major remodel. Photo courtesy Ted and Debbie Strand, circa 1958

Often times, gas stations like we see above, were primarily focused on automobile service and sale of gasoline.  It appears the business model here was different, well before the 7-11/Circle K convenience store model became the standard.  Selling groceries was always part of the business.  Given the relatively remote location of Lake Sawyer at the time, it's not surprising that having groceries locally available for cabin owners could be a winner.  The store was again expanded in 1961 making room for carrying even more groceries.  Eventually, gas pumps were removed and the business was all about groceries.

Why and how has Lake Sawyer Grocery succeeded for such a long time.  It has to be the Strands - Ted and Debbie - who have owned the store now since 1977.  Their continuity and dedication over the years makes stopping here a must for many in our community and the store continues to thrive.  Thanks Ted and Debbie for your wonderful contribution over the years to our community.

For more about the store's history, follow this link to a nice article written by Ken Jensen and published on the Black Diamond History website titled Lake Sawyer Grocery and the Strands - Constants over the Years.

 

Photographs of the Week

It's a great time of year.  Flowers blooming, sunny skies and wildlife aplenty.  For me, this was Osprey week.  These amazing birds continued to put on quite a show at Lake Sawyer.  With fish making up 90% plus of their diet and youngsters to feed, activity levels were as high as I have seen them all year.  So graceful in flight.

For shear "lift power", Ospreys rival their oft competitor bald eagles.  They also don't just skim the surface when they spot their prey like eagles do, they dive and at times become fully submerged.  This big catfish was last weeks prize catch.

Early morning hours seem to be the best times to watch them.  Meanwhile, the air wars continued as eagles raided the nests of other birds, including this poor crow who is attacking the eagle with his talonless crow feet.

Back at home, the music serenade kicked into high gear with this newbie hummingbird practicing for her graduation solo performance.

Capturing photos of hummingbirds in flight is fun and challenging.  Caught this little guy sampling our garden plants highlighted by the morning sun (shallow depth of field, ISO set at 5.6, accounts for the blurred effect on the flowers while keeping the bird in focus).

This Flicker is another regular guest - and suet thief.

We have a birds nest right over our heads as we go through the door to our deck.  This mom (aka Roberta) is pretty frustrated with our comings and goings.  Maybe just a bad hair day as she scares us half to death flying off when we go out on the deck.

Great news last week - Chinook Pass is now open.  Although Tipsoo Lake is still mostly covered in snow, it won't take long before wildflowers begin to bloom.

Here's a view of Yakima peak from upper Tipsoo Lake.

Even a red Columbine at Suntop.

And a sunset panorama from Suntop.

Great weeks ahead.

 

Why So Many Plum Trees In Black Diamond?

No doubt our community still has more than the normal assortment of plum trees planted in resident's yards compared to other communities, but nowhere near what it used to be.  According to Howard and Dorthy Botts, most every home had a virtual grove of plum trees in the back yard.  For fruit?  Well, not exactly - wine and italian brandy, otherwise known as grappa, is more to the point.

Grappa today is made by distilling pomace and grape residue, mainly the skins but also stems and seeds left over from the wine making process.  Execpt that early in the century, wine in our area was typically made from plums and the residue from this process became a form of Italian grappa - powerful stuff ranging from 60 to 120 proof.  This is the brandy referred to in my earlier post about "Black Mary" and the bootlegging history of our community.

If you are looking for holiday gift selections, I highly recommend giving copies of the book "Black Diamond - Mining the Memories".  It provides an interesting oral history of our community's heritage and is quite entertaining, including the nearly 8 pages devoted to the role that bootlegging played in our history.  To quote Carl Steiert, "Our second industry here was bootlegging.  Sometimes I think it was number one. On Friday and Saturday nights, half of Seattle and Tacoma would be here".  To get a copy, just stop by the Black Diamond Historical Museum.  Its a great gift, fun read with some interesting historical photos.

For the most part, the local plum harvest was for family consumption - Italian plum wines being an important part of the diet.  Innocent and all in the family.  However, as we saw with "Black Mary", there were exceptions that went further.  Quoting from an article believed to have been published in 1921 from the Seattle PI, "Deputy Sherriffs Herbert Beebe, Fred Brown and Matt Starwich raided Joe Premonsnick's ranch in Black Diamond.  25 gallons of white liquor distilled from raisin grape brandy were confiscated."  Apparently Mr. Premonsnick was able to accomplish this distilling using just a "tea kettle, wash boiler, tub and with a link of slide trombone".  Now that's ingenuity!

What wasn't ingenuous, however, was that Mr. Premonsnick was raided in the first place.  The protocols at the time required that the feds first contact the sherriff before any raid was to take place.  For those in "good standing", they would receive notice of a raid well in advance and thus be able to hide the stash.  There were some interesting hiding places, I am told, including using an outhouse.  Oh my.

So apparently Black Mary and Mr. Premonsnick somehow got on the wrong side of the sherriff, which ultimately led to their downfall. 

The next time you visit the Museum, I encourage you to visit the room set aside for display of the "special implements" used at the time.

Plum wine or Grappa anyone?

 

Black Diamond Scenes - St. Barbara Church Then and Now

One of my projects this summer, when not on the trails, is to go wandering about town with my camera.  We have so much wonderful history in Black Diamond, it's fun to see the historic areas as they are today and try to visualize what it was like to live here in earlier times.  I probably have more fun stopping and talking with people along the way than anything, but the photography is fun too.  Periodically over the summer, I'll post some photos from my wanders comparing community landmarks as they were and are Then and Now - starting today with St. Barbara Church on Lawson Hill. 

Originally built in 1910, St. Barbara Church is impressive - classic design and built to be "what churches should look like".

Photo courtesy Black Diamond Historical Society, circa 1910

The above image was originally published in the Enumclaw Herald along with an article celebrating the St. Barbara Church dedication.  Total cost of construction and finishing touches - $2,200.  Quite a legacy.

A photo taken in the 1950's shows little change except for a new parish hall, providing office space and meeting rooms.  The church itself, at least on the exterior, appears to be unaltered and clearly well maintained.

Photo courtesy Black Diamond Historical Society, circa 1950's

What does St. Barbara Church look like today?  Here's a photo taken during my recent wanderings.

My goodness!  The original church is now over 100 years old and there is no mistaking the building's origins.  It has been wonderfully cared for.  What a jewel for our community and in many ways, symbolic of our community's uniqueness.  We in Black Diamond love our history and take great pride in where we live - Then and Now.

Renton "Vitrified" Plant - What?

Before roads were paved with asphalt, what "topping" was used to provide a stable driving base?  If you answered brick, you win the prize.  Seems like a pretty bumpy ride driving over bricks but that was state of the art for road building in the early 1900's.  When virtually the entire city of Seattle burned to the ground in 1889, what materials would you use to rebuild?  Brick and clay pipe, of course.  You can't fight fires without water and you need clay pipe to supply the water.  You also need buildings that won't catch fire quite so easily.  In addition, having roads that fire fighting equipment can be moved on without bogging down in the mud would sure help.

Seattle pioneer Arthur Denny was among the first to respond to the need for brick and pipe as rebuilding materials by establishing the Denny Clay Company and coal mining/clay processing plant at Taylor in 1892.  A few years later in about 1901, several entrepreneurs joined together to build the Renton Clay plant, with this plant focused primarily on producing bricks for paving.  Soon, forces were joined and the Denny Renton Coal and Clay Co. was born.  Located on the west side of the Cedar River, the Renton plant was big.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, CUR790, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1910

The Renton plant at the time was thought to be the largest brick paving plant in the state, if not the country.  It also appears to have been a rather "messy" process with clay particles from the furnaces spewed rather widely.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, CUR789, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1910

How were bricks made you ask?  By "vitrifying" clay, heating it to over 2,000 degrees for several days until it is nearly liquid and turned to "glass" so as not to absorb moisture.  Coal for fuel and clay for making bricks sure seems to have made a happy marriage and what better place than Renton close to the where the demand for paving bricks was the greatest in the state.

One of the best summaries of clay pipe and brick manufacturing history in the state has been published by Black Diamond History.  You can find it at Renton History Built With Bricks.  Well worth the read.

Lake Twelve - Another Local Gem

With my attention so often focused on Lake Sawyer, it's easy to overlook our other local gems such as Lake 12 located just east of town.  Like Lake Sawyer and Lake Wilderness, Lake 12 shared in the boom times for summer resorts during the 1920's.  Following is a photo of the beach area full of summer guests enjoying a day at the lake.

Photo courtesy Washington State Historical Society, Curtis 49149, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1925

There appear to have been quite a few row boats for rent.

Photo courtesy Washington State Historical Society, Curtis 48389, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1925

Though you can only see their heads, the resort had quite a large float with a water slide.  Note that even the men wore tops.  Following is a view from the shore.  This would seem to indicate that the former resort was located at the west end of the lake.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1925

The following photo tells a lot about the times.

Photo courtesy Washington State Historical Society, Curtis 48387, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1925

Don't worry about bringing your own bathing suit.  You could rent one.  One size fits all?  Even though you were on the beach, dresses were apparently still the attire of choice.  What to drink?  Orange Crush and Coca Cola, of course.

For those unfamiliar, the lake does have public access and boat launch area at the southeast end of the lake provided by Washington State Parks.  Boating requires old fashion man power.  No power boats allowed.  If you haven't been their, well worth stopping by.

Lake Tapps Circa 1947

Ahhh, the days of no electricity, no running water and no indoor plumbing.  That was life growing up on a houseboat on Lake Tapps in the late 1940's and early1950's.  At the time, Lake Tapps operated only as a reservoir for the Deringer power plant located in the valley below.  The lake bed had been logged leaving lots of stumps and floating debris.  Who would want to live there?  Those days would come but not yet.  The only way to get around was by boat or along unpaved logging roads.  Following is a photo from my early days showing the road to the lake.

My sister Lynn and I are pictured going for a walk.  The only development I am aware of on the lake during this period were several floating cabins strung together by a boardwalk.  

Our houseboat is shown on the immediate right - photo taken in 1947.  As you might expect, houseboats were virtually all summer use only, except for a few families, like ours, who had no money and couldn't afford to live anywhere else.  My grandfather worked at the power plant and no doubt got us a place here through his contacts.

This view from the lake shows our A-frame houseboat right in the middle.  Pretty neat setting except for a few inconveniences, like taking a bath in a tub using water heated on our wood stove and brought in by bucket.  Like making a run for it to the privy on shore when you had to go or using an emergency chemical can that had to be dumped after it got full.  Learning to read by candlelight - very romantic I'm sure.

Kind of like being on vacation every day, I guess.   Dock party circa July, 1949.

Somehow, we managed to get a sailboat for use on the lake.  My dad's pride and joy, but sure scared the heck out of me.  You can tell, I'm really excited.

Sailboats are tippy in the wind and I had to move from side to side so we wouldn't tip over!  Time for stern concentration.

Here's my favorite picture, showing my sister Lynn fishing off the dock.  

Unfortunately, Lynn passed away two years ago.  Always looking out for her bro.  Great memories of life at Lake Tapps.  Probably one of the reasons we bought a fixer upper cabin here at Lake Sawyer.  Great place to live.  We even have electricity, running water and indoor plumbing!  And while the house was still a mess, the first thing we did was buy a sailboat.

 

Willamette Iron & Steel Works - King of Steam

It's fair to say that steamships, railroads, coal mining and the timber industry provided the foundation for building the northwest into the powerhouse economy we have today.  The common ingredient during their hay days in the late 19th and early 20th century - they all relied on equipment powered by steam.  Where did this equipment come from?  Most parts and equipment were supplied by manufacturing companies based in the Midwest.  The exception, focused on building anything powered by steam, was Willamette Iron & Steel Works based in Portland Oregon.  Open for business all the way back in 1865, Willamette got its start building and repairing steamships for the burgeoning shipping business.  As the country entered both World War I and World War II, Willamette was there to fill a need for minesweepers, patrol craft, submarine chasers and small lighters.  Willamette built over 72 ships during WWII alone.

Midwest manufacturers of railroad locomotives were slow to fill the unique needs of the northwest timber industry  Willamette stepped in and designed and built it's version of an improved Shay locomotive for use by northwest logging companies.  Who was king of building steam donkeys used to power log yarding and loading?  Between 1901 and 1931, Willamette built over 2,500 steam donkeys, filling the need as only a local northwest based company could do.

Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, Estelle Hall collection, 1917 - 1927

The photo above shows a donkey engine purchased from Willamette by Merrill and Ring Logging Company in Clallam County.  Notice how big it is.  A Willamette 12 x 14 compound yarder like the unit shown above had as much or more straight ahead pulling power than the biggest 13 x 18 donkey then being built.

What happened to the company?  Remarkably, despite the end of an era for steam power, Willamette found a way to continue to survive before finally closing in 1990.  One of its last products manufactured - fire hydrants.  135 years is a long time to remain in a heavy manufacturing business.  A whole lot of change during that time.

When Engineers Get It Wrong

Although Washington State is generally known for its engineering prowess, not all projects have gone well.  What would you say are the top three engineering disasters in our state's history?

I expect that Galloping Gertie comes first to mind for most of us.

Image courtesy University of Washington Libraries, 290.51, circa 1940

How many fatalities resulted from the bridge collapse?  Fortunately, no humans lost their lives.  However, one three legged dog named Tubby, who refused to leave the car that he was, perished.  The good news, failure of the Narrows Bridge ushered in a whole new paradigm of thought - wind makes a difference and must be considered in design of bridges and building structures.

What other engineering disasters come to mind?  Less known and earlier in the 20th century was the flooding caused by failure of the Cedar River Dam just above Rattlesnake Lake near North Bend.

Photo courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, #5897, circa 1911

This is what happens when water infiltrated down and under containment, eventually blowing out the outlet dam and flooding the downstream town of Cedar Falls and Rattlesnake Lake.

Photo courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, #709, circa 1911

Photo courtesy Seattle Municipal Archives, #7551, circa 1911

Fortunately, as best I can determine, there were no fatalities and dam(n) designers learned from their previous mistakes.  Understanding underlying soils is paramount.

Unfortunately, these lessons were apparently not learned well enough resulting in the Oso mudslide of 2015 in which 43 people lost their lives and many who survived lost their homes.

Photo courtesy Seattle Times, March 21, 2014, Markus Yam photographer, and National Geographic article by Brian Clark Howard, March 24, 2014

One can only hope, that with the horrible loss of lives resulting from this incident, that lessons have been learned and corrections to past practice are now in place to prevent future such catastrophes.  The price paid has been too high not to have prevented this from happening again.

 

 

Lake Sawyer Wildlife of the Week

Though we were out of town for much of the week, our wildlife friends did not disappoint.  Some are regulars, others passing through and most will be heading north over the next month for summer vacation.  None are more dependable than a great blue heron who flies by our dock most every morning at about 6:30 am.  A true creature of habit, it landed this day on our dock before taking up patrol in an area we maintain for growing rushes.  These reeds provide great shelter for little fish and attract lots of birds in search of a snack.

We regularly see river otters visiting this same area but this is the first time we've seen a beaver passing by.

Also for the first time, I saw a juvenile bald eagle dive down and snatch a fish out of the lake, taking advantage of the early morning sun.

If you look closely, you'll see the fish's head being held by the eagle's talons.  My pic of the "snatch" was not very good - a long way away and the lake was covered with "cotton" from the cottonwood trees, but this one clearly shows the fish in the eagle's grasp.

The air wars continued last week, this time with a brave crow trying to protect its recently hatched chicks from this notorious nest robber. 

Speaking of young birds, I saw this Hooded Merganser mother carefully shepherding around her youngsters in Frog Lake. 

Getting big.

What bird makes the most noise around your home?  At our house, it's definitely the Stellars Jays.

A member of the crow family (known as Corvedai), these birds are very wily, have a great memory and capable of solving complex problems.  Very noisy too.

Have a great week.

Tree Toppers

Afraid of heights?  Forget being a tree topper.  What are the qualifications for such a high profile job?  Insanity would probably help.  Experience in the circus maybe?  Here's the job.

Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives, AR-07809001-ph003696, n.d.

Note the guy sitting on top of the tall spar tree to the left of the railroad engine.  He's way up there, maybe 100' or more.  Teamed with a steam donkey and cable rigging fastened on top of the spar, you've got the ideal set up for efficiently yarding and loading logs on railcars - also known as high lead logging.  Not only does a tree topper need to climb the tree, cut off the top and attached rigging, he has to also limb the tree on the way up of all branches using his trusty axe.

Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives

I trust this job payed bonus wages.  An extra $0.10 an hour?

One question:  Once you've topped and limbed a spar tree, how long could it be used before it became dangerous and subject to breakage?  The amount of weight being hoisted and stress on the now dead tree had to be huge.