The first aerial photographs of King County were taken in 1936 and remain available to us today through the county's iMap website. So much fun comparing then and now parts of town with the most recent aerials taken in 2019. Many of you may recall that in addition to the sawmill at the north end of Lake Sawyer, the sawmill also maintained a log dump on the west side of the lake to support logging operations in this area that spanned the period 1919 to 1934. Following is one of the photos of the log dump in operation taken by photographer Clark Kinsey in 1928.
Image courtesy University of Washington Libraries, CKK0197, Clark Kinsey photographer, circa 1928
Does that island in the background look familiar? Following is an iMap aerial photo taken in 1936, just two years following sawmill closure. The log dump was still quite visible.
Note the two railroad tracks shown entering the site at the bottom. Logs were dumped here and then floated up to the mill. Here's a broader 1936 view.
The lake outlet to Covington Creek can be seen not far above the log dump. No weir during this period and not much sign of other human activity, except for the Grove Resort located near the bottom of the picture below the two islands. Following is a photo of the Grove Resort, where you can see the two islands in the background and the boat house as well.
Photo courtesy University of Washington Libraries, Asahel Curtis photographer, n.d.
Here we are again with this same iMap view taken in 2019.
The Lake Sawyer outlet is now clearly shown as are a whole lot residences all around the lake. Where the log dump was once located, we now have the Lake Sawyer Resort.