Black Diamond NOW

Wood Fired Steam Locomotives

Why was coal so valuable to early railroads as they made their way west over the Cascades and on to Puget Sound?  It gave them a commodity to ship back to the Midwest and Eastern markets most certainly, but I'm not so sure that this was a driving economic force.  The northwest was also rich in timber resources and could supply an abundant low cost source of wood fuel for firing the railroad's steam locomotives, displacing the need for coal?.  There were sure a lot of wood fueled locomotives operating here.

Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives, John T. Labbe Collection of logging and railroad photographs, 1892 - 2010, Darius Kinsey photographer

The above photo shows a wood fueled 2 Truck Climax Locomotive commonly used in the logging industry.  Lot's of cheap wood scraps readily available for use by logging railroads.

Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives, John T. Labbe Collection of logging and railroad photographs, 1892 - 2010, Darius Kinsey photographer

We can see in the above photo wood stacked and ready to hand feed into the locomotive's boiler as it was needed.  If anything, a little easier to feed the boiler with wood than shoveling coal.  But wood also had some downsides, not the least of which was a propensity for generating sparks and fires along the tracks.

Photo courtesy Washington State Digital Archives, John T. Labbe Collection of logging and railroad photographs, 1892 - 2010, Darius Kinsey photographer

Even with a cone shaped spark arrester designed to limit problems with fire, this was still a problem and apparently more so for wood fueled locomotives than for coal fueled.  But even with wood fuel's advantages, coal was still king for the big railroads.  Some potential reasons include:

1. Thermal Efficiency - Burning wood generated about 3,200 BTU's per pound of fuel.  For bituminous coal, each pound generated between 10,200 and 14,600 BTU's - much higher efficiency than for wood.  (For comparison, fuel oil generates approximately 18,300 BTU's per pound of fuel - higher than both wood and coal.)
2. Thermal Density - Douglas fir, at a 50% moisture content, weighs approximately 37 lbs per cubic foot.  For coal, it is much denser at about 84 lbs per cubic foot.

As a result, burning coal required far less space for fuel storage and boiler capacity than did wood - by a factor of nearly 10x.  If you are operating a transcontinental railroad, you need to minimize storage space required and the number of stops required for refueling.  Water was already a problem but limiting the number of refueling stops was likely critical - substantially simplifying daily operating logistics.

For logging railroads, however, speeds were relatively slow and daily distances short - and wood was essentially free. Thus we see lots of Climax and Shay locomotives burning wood for fuel.

The fact that we did have coal readily available here in the northwest to fuel both the railroads and steamships connecting us with distant markets, I believe was a big big factor in our region's early development.

p.s. - I am certainly no expert in this subject but I am curious and seek to understand why.  I'm sure there were many more factors at play than I have suggested as to why coal was at one time so valuable to our region and way beyond just heating homes.  I would love to hear your thoughts.

The Royal George Saloon Circa 1912

During coal's hay day during the early 1900's, the town of Ravensdale had a population of nearly 1,000 residents.  Coupled with nearby Georgetown and Danville, the area is also reported to have supported 11 saloons and 3 dancehalls.  Sounds like a pretty happening town, especially for single miners.  The "George" seems to have gained the greatest notoriety.

Photo courtesy Roger Parry and the Black Diamond Historical Society, circa 1912

Unfortunately, just 3 years later in 1915, an explosion in the Ravensdale mine resulted in the loss of life of 31 men and mine closure.  Though mining was later resumed in Ravensdale, the town was never the same - pretty laid back you might say, much as it is today.   Add the impact of prohibition, being in the saloon business would not be where you would want to invest at the time.

For more about the "saloon" business during this period, follow this link to my earlier post Community Saloons.  More about the Royal George and Ravensdale can also be found at Black Diamond History.

Time for a Visit to the Cedar River Watershed?

Rich in natural resources and rich in history, the 90,638 Cedar River watershed owned by the City of Seattle is a real jewel.  Not only does it provide two thirds of the city's water supply and serve a total population of over 1.2 million people, it is a naturalist's dream - off limits to us all except for a few limited programs and tours held each year.  Many of us have hiked the trail to the top of Rattlesnake Ledge and have seen the beautiful forestlands below and Chester Morse Lake created by the dam in the distance.  Now you have an opportunity for a closer look.  Following is a screenshot of the tours/programs now being offered on the city's website:

I've heard and read so much about the flooding of Moncton once caused by Masonry Dam and the historic mining, railroad and logging towns of Taylor, Cedar Falls, Barneston and Kerriston.  Now we have an opportunity to see and learn from the experts.  Participation is limited and a nominal fee applies.  For example, the Watershed Tour is offered every Saturday and Sunday through September.  Reservations will be needed and capacity is limited to only 30 people each day.  The Family Watershed tour is specifically designed for the shorter attention span of youngsters.  Naturalist adventures also await youngsters.

For those not familiar with the Cedar River watershed, the following map might help.

For more information about these programs and tours, follow this link to Cedar River Watershed Programs and Tours.  I hope that you find the time to take advantage of this fun opportunity.

Diamond Stage Circa 1924

Live in Black Diamond and want to go shopping in Seattle or conduct business in the big city?  The railroads didn't always make this easy in the early 1900's.  From out of the way terminal locations to inconvenient schedules, the railroad's bread and butter was shipping coal and thus their #1 priority.  Accommodating people could often get in the way.  As a result, alternative services would occasionally spring up - providing people oriented transportation.  In 1924, The Diamond Stage Company provided "bus" service along the Seattle - Black Diamond run.

Image courtesy Roger Parry and the Black Diamond Historical Society, circa 1924

For a period, Diamond Stage maintained a terminal in what was once the Krause Saloon located just behind the Railroad Terminal.  A similar service was also maintained between Seattle and Enumclaw but I am not sure how the two services may have been connected.  The vehicle we see above was called a Locomobile and manufactured by a company called Locomobile Company of America.  They built these and other automobiles between 1899 and 1929.

Black Diamond Trails

Looking to find a shaded place for easy hiking close to home?  Try the old railroad bed which once carried passengers and coal to and from Black Diamond - now part of the Green to Cedar River trail plan.  Long term, this trail will take us all the way from Lake Washington to the Green River near Flaming Geyser State Park.  The following map shows the trail.  Most of it is hike-able and mountain bike-able and suitable for horses today, but some overpasses are needed such as at 288th and across the railroad tracks north of 288th.  In addition, most of the trail will eventually be paved to facilitate use by street bikes, trikes etc.   

The south section of the trail between 288th and Lake Sawyer park has some of the best "walking" trail you'll find.  The area is also haven to some great mountain biking so keep your eyes open for these hardy souls.  Following are several recent photos of the trail from this past weekend.

It was nice to see bikers with their dogs on a leash.  Some, like the woman above, attached the leash to her wrist.  Others attach it to the bike.

This guy sure looks like he is having fun.

Great place to teaching youngsters how to ride.

Also a great place for youngsters to carry their first backpack.  Have to carry water.  

Best parking is in the recently completed parking area on the west side (on your right heading south) along SR169 just south of 288th.  Gotta love the plant "cave" created by all the trees and bushes growing along and over the trail.

The Village of Black Diamond Circa 1887

According to Black Diamond History, the first mine in the Green River coal fields was called the #14 mine and developed by the Black Diamond Coal Company.  Why #1 was named mine #14 seems a bit odd but #14 began producing between 1882 and 1884, with the first train load of coal shipped to Seattle in 1885.  By this time, the coal fields of Newcastle, Renton and along the Carbon River were well known to buyers.  But where is Black Diamond and what quality coal can be expected from here?  Answering this question from prospective customers, I expect, was often the job of agents.  What sales tools did they have?  It was too early for photographs but not for artist drawings.

Image courtesy Roger Parry and the Black Diamond Historical Society, circa 1887

N.H. Martin, agent for Black Diamond Coal Company, aimed to impress with a hand out showing the shear size and scale of the Village of Black Diamond.  Considerable industry both to the north and the south and even a view of Mt. Rainier.  The rest, as they say, is history.

Black Diamond Train Depot Circa 1917

Black Diamond is fortunate to have several buildings in old town today still standing that date all the way back to the early 1900's.  The historic Black Diamond Bakery, Koerner's Drug and Confectionary, Kings Tavern and the Railroad Depot are good examples.  Others, of course, have long since been torn down, making it difficult to visualize where they once were.  For example, where was the Habenicht Hotel, or the Jones Hotel, or the infamous Krause Saloon?  Bit by bit, I'm going to try and put some of these pieces to the puzzle together - starting with the Krause Saloon.

Image courtesy Roger Parry and the Black Diamond Historical Society, circa 1917

In the above photo, we can see the Krause Saloon located right behind and west of the train depot.  Makes sense.  Travelers are thirsty when they arrive in town.  Great place for a boarding house too.

Lake Sawyer Scenes - Weekly Highlights

Despite the warm temperatures and a large number of boaters and swimmers this past weekend, I was surprised to see so many raptors still hanging around Lake Sawyer, including both osprey and bald eagles.  All I can think of is that the fishing must be very good.  If you want to see them, however, you best get up between 5:30 and 7 am as they set out in search of breakfast.  First to appear were the osprey.  The sequence that follows shows just how deep they will dive in search of fish.

This osprey was fully submerged from its dive and struggled to lift its prey out of the water.  Here it is struggling to rise out of the water before being pulled back into the water by the fish.  

The fish was almost too big as it turned out - probably a large mouth bass or big catfish.  Finally the osprey prevailed

The battle went on for almost a minute before the osprey finally succeeded in achieving lift off.  You can see the fish being held in the osprey's talons.

Next, with the osprey back at the nest, two eagles came by scouting the territory and brightened by the sun light.

This sequence was taken at very long distance and in a shaded area but it shows how the eagles tend to only skim the surface when they fish - seldom going under water.  Here, he/she makes the grab.

The buoy helps put size and distance in perspective.

Lots more pictures of these guys but also saw some nice mountain sunsets and sunrises from the lake too.  First, Saturday night's sunset.

The following sunrise photo was taken on Sunday July 15 showing mountain reflections just before the sun rose above the horizon.

Fun week.

Lake Sawyer Resorts Circa 1925

With 90+ degree weather last weekend, summer is in full swing at Lake Sawyer.  Lot's of wake boards, ski boats, paddle boarders and kayaks out on the lake.   A good reminder that Lake Sawyer was once home to not one, but two resorts - The Grove at Lake Sawyer and the Paradise Resort.  The Grove was located just south of the current Lake Sawyer Resort on the west side of the lake.

Photo from my personal collection and Washington State Historical Society, Asahel Curtis photographer, circa 1925

Not many rowboats these days and more boarders than skiers.  Boating attire was also rather different - white shirts and rolled up sleeves for the guys.    Following are two pictures of the Paradise at Lake Sawyer Resort, located near our current Lake Sawyer Park at the lake's south end.

Photo courtesy Lake Sawyer Grocery

Photo courtesy Lake Sawyer Grocery

One factor that drove the popularity of private resorts was the lack of public facilities.  Publically owned parks just didn't exist, which significantly limited those in the populace who could visit places like Lake Sawyer.  Park fees were beyond the means of most.  Today, we are blessed with some of the best parks around.  We pay for it through our taxes but we also gain the benefit of lands set aside for public use in perpetuity.

Edited and republished from an earlier post.

Time for a Tall Cool One (edited)

Ever hear of an early northwest mining town that didn't have an establishment catering to men with a thirst?  Neither have I and Black Diamond certainly has had it's share over the years.  We had saloons before prohibition, places to buy alcohol during prohibition and taverns after alcohol once again became legal.  And yes, patrons at one time were nearly all men.  Perhaps best known of early pubs was the Krause Saloon.  Apparently, there are many a story from the Krause waiting to be told.  Prohibition, however, ended the Krause's run.

Another public house was Kings Tavern, located next door to the old company store.  Take a look at this bar!

Photo courtesy Black Diamond Historical Society, n.d.

According to Ken Jensen, use of this building over the years included Kings Tavern, a People's Market, pool hall and during the 80's another public house called the Black Diamond Saloon.

Photo courtesy Black Diamond Historical Society, n.d.

The above building should be familiar to many of us.  In the time that we've lived here, Bob Charles had his wonderful Baker Street Books store here that included the old bar.  I still miss you and your store Bob.  As books went digital, Bob sold the store.  Plans to reopen it again as a Tavern failed to materialize.  It is now home to Black Diamond Antiques and More (also a wonderful store and well worth a visit).

For more about the history of "establishments" in Black Diamond, past and present, I encourage you to read Bill Kombol's article first published in the Voice of the Valley in 2009.  You can find it republished by Black Diamond History at this link for Boots Tavern.

Thanks to Ken Jensen for his help in offering corrections to my first draft of this article, which was a bit mixed up.

Prime Delivery Before It's Time

What do they say - Time Is Money?  Amazon, with their prime delivery service, is certainly proving this axiom of business to have real currency today.  How about historically?  In the early 1900's, the U.S. postal service dominated the delivery business but by the 1920's, competitive enterprises were gaining market share.  Apparently, people and businesses needed their information and packages delivered faster and faster, even if this meant paying premium prices.  By 1920, Postal Cable Telegraph Company in Tacoma was ready to deliver the goods.

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library, Marvin D. Boland Collection B-2921, circa 1920

Child labor laws don't appear to have been an impediment at the time.  In some large cities even today, you will find vestiges of bike document delivery services still being used - despite the digital age.

Faster package delivery was also in demand in the burbs.  

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library, Stenger-14, circa 1925

Apparently, having a specialized package delivery service like the one shown above, served as a status symbol worth telling the world about.  This photo was printed as a postcard.  I wonder how many billions of dollars we pay today to have next day package delivery service available.  Time is money - except in the bond market?

OH MY Sunsets at Lake Sawyer

We are blessed to live on Lake Sawyer and I have long promoted the lake as the sunrise capital of western Washington.  November thru February can be absolutely stunning, particularly since I can sleep in late and just walk out on our dock to snap a few pictures.  As I am now learning, though, most any time of year is great - I just have to get up a little earlier for sunrise (4 am anyone) and position myself facing west at sunset with a view of the mountain in my sights too.  Since standing on my paddle board and trying to take photographs facing whichever way using expensive equipment might be a little risky, I prefer the flexibility and fun of hopping in our kayak and paddling wherever the best vantage point may be.  In the last week, we had two of the more beautiful sunsets I have seen at the lake.

Following is a sampling from Monday night July 2, starting with the later shots first.  These have not been previously posted.

The intensity and richness of color as the sun slips behind the horizon can be pretty amazing.

For panoramas like the one above, I take multiple photos across the horizon and stitch them together using Lightroom software.  The wind also tends to die down the later we go into the evening and the glassier the reflections become.

The above panorama was taken just after the sun slipped behind the horizon.  I particularly like this one because of what almost appears to be a split screen.  Just before the sun fell behind the horizon, the following combination of sun star and cloud reflections was pretty fun to see and photograph.

My tendency is to start taking pictures too early.  The following photo was taken well before the sun met the horizon.

Best colors and pictures typically come late.  Sunday night July 8 also had some amazing colors at sunset.  Like the photos above, the most intense were last.  This panorama had me pretty contorted around in my kayak to span such a wide horizon.

Which do you prefer - a wide panorama like the one above or a closer up image like the one that follows that tends to be more color intensive?

Either way, capturing reflections on clear as glass water is the goal.

And by the way, keep your eye on the mountain.  One of these days, we'll get some real color on the clouds reflecting on the lake with dead calm water at sunset too.

If you see me in our kayak, grab your camera and come on out.  Fun time chatting with Linda and Dave Hagen last week.  Hope to see you on the lake.

Got Firewood

The Griffin family were not the only ones seeking to exploit the demand for home delivery of wood fuel early in the 20th century.  From 1913 - 1935, Rasmus Rasmussen focused his fuelwood delivery business on the west side of Tacoma including Day Island, offering "dependable delivery" as his claim to fame.  I'm not sure when Mack trucks first came on the scene but Rasmussen's West End Fuel Company had to be among the first with this new rig.

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library, Chapin Bowen Collection TPL-5975, circa 1920's

Notice anything unique about the Mack truck?  It's equipped with chain-driven spoke wheels.  Probably more torque, pulling power and dependability?

Firewood for Sale

Spending three days in the Methow Valley and North Cascades, I was surprised to see how many campgrounds still allow campfires despite the apparent high risk of forest fires.  Lots of firewood for sale signs along the roads too, apparently catering to campers and cabin owners stocking up for winter use.  Stacks and stacks of wood piled up everywhere.  It seems that quite a few people still rely on firewood as a primary source of fuel for home heating.  

Historically, of course, firewood was one THE primary source of fuel for home heating and even the source of riches for some enterprising urban dwellers.

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library, Richards Studio - C8657-2, circa 1893

Frederick Griffin arrived in Tacoma in 1889 with enough money in his pocket to buy a couple of horses and a wagon.  People needed to heat their homes and firewood was the primary source of fuel.  Griffin began by cutting and delivering firewood to those in need, eventually establishing Griffin Transfer Co. 

Photo courtesy Tacoma Public Library, Richards Studio C59-1, circa 1910

Griffin expanded his delivery service to include coal, wood, ice and then fuel oil.  Eventually, the company grew into Griffin Fuel Co. and by the 1940's  became the largest dealer of fuel west of Chicago.

How did Washingtonians heat their homes in 1940?  The follow graph shows the evolution of home heating fuel usage in the state from 1940 thru 2000.

Data source:  U.S. Census

With the increased popularity of wood pellet stoves in the 1980's and 1990's, it appears that wood fuel has made some comeback from very limited use in the 1970's.  

I love sitting around a campfire and laughing with family and friends as the smoke finds a way to make us all smell like charcoal in the morning.  Nostalgia I guess.  Let's enjoy it and be safe, safe, safe "dead out" while we can.

 

Happy 4th of July!

Celebrating Independence Day has a long history in Black Diamond and though its "face" has changed over the years, the 4th is always a day that our community looks forward to.  In the early and mid 1900's, parades were the celebratory choice and time to fix up and decorate our cars and trucks.

Photo courtesy Roger Parry and the Black Diamond Historical Society, circa 1918

Great time for advertising locally produced briquets.  The kids sure look the part with their faces smudged with coal dust.  Pretty fancy car pulling a trailer and outfitted with a cow catcher too.  Hmmm

Photo courtesy Roger Parry and the Black Diamond Historical Society, circa 1925

More children in the parade in 1925, this time riding in a 1918 Kleiber truck driven by the Henry Bellack family.  Apparently the truck motor was of some notoriety and was to be on display at the depot museum after the parade.  Could those be paved roads in Black Diamond in 1925?

No more parades these days on the 4th of July (we will have to wait for Labor Day for those festivities), but with all the Lake Sawyer goings on including boat parade and fireworks show, followed by Miners Days on Saturday the 7th, this is an action packed week and fun for all.  Following are a few of my favorite photos from recent years' celebrations.

Sergeant Lynch making sure that Jay Newton (aka Uncle Sam) doesn't get out of hand throwing candy to the kids.  Police protection is also needed as the parade makes it's way around the lake.

Ryerse's super heroes.

The Incredibles

Under attack.  Good thing it's only water.  And then the sun goes down.

Have a great day and hope to see you at Miners Day on Saturday July 7.

Water Quality - Lake 12 and Jones Lake

While updating water quality trends for Lake Sawyer, I took a quick look at water quality indicators for two other local lakes.  Lake 12 and Jones Lake will both be adversely impacted by discharge from the John Henry mine should it restart operations.  Both lakes are also currently struggling with water quality challenges.  Following are graphs showing trophic state index trend indicators provided by King County for each lake.  As a reminder, >50 = eutrophic is good for algae, catfish and cloudy water, <40 = oligotrophic is good for salmon, trout and clear/clean water.  Lake 12's numbers are as follows.

Phosphorus concentrations appear to have worsened at Lake 12 in recent years.  In addition, should the John Henry Mine restart operations, this will further increase the amount of runoff and phosphorus going into the lake, potentially adding to current concerns.

Jones Lake appears to have even greater water quality challenges and would be considered as eutrophic today.  The data shown below is the last data available, but there is nothing to indicate that things have gotten any better since then.  To some extent, Jones Lake serves as a "sink" for process water and stormwater generated by the John Henry mine, stormwater from Lawson Hill residences, SR169 road runoff and old town Black Diamond stormwater, before discharging into Rock Creek and eventually into Lake Sawyer.  Without this sink and accumulation of sediment in Jones Lake, it is likely that Lake Sawyer water quality would be worse than it is today.  And keep in mind, what happens to sinks after a while?  They can only hold so much before accumulated sediment begins to overflow and this could significantly and adversely impact  Lake Sawyer.  Here is the data we have for Jones Lake.

More about Jones Lake in a future post.