Originally published in the Voice of the Valley, August 18, 2009
By Bill Kombol
Saloon and taverns have always been a part of any coal mining town, and Black Diamond was no exception. In the early days, Joe Krause ran the Black Diamond saloon and the stories of drinking and fighting coal miners were legendary.
A dozen saloon stories are told in Mining the Memories, the 1989 oral history by Corey and Diane Olson.
In the Pierce County coal mining town of Wilkeson, there were at one time more saloons than churches. In the era before bottles or cans of beer, a family member would often make the trip to the saloon to pick up a pail of beer for the coal mining father.
Emily (Merritt) Porter, a coal miner’s daughter, relates her memory of bringing home beer to her coal miner grandfather, George Morris, in the early 1900s in Wilkeson. “Going for ‘take out’ beer was called ‘rushing the can’—the can being a large-sized metal container and whoever went to fetch it was told not to dawdle or the beer would start to go flat. Beer in those days was considerably stronger with a fairly high alcohol content.”
The last surviving beer joint in Black Diamond is Boots Tavern, shown here on December 1, 1939. Originally owned by Richard “Boots” Pierotti (1903-1989), the tavern has changed hands a number of times over the years, but still serves up a cold brew for the thirsty one.
King County Assessor photo of tax parcel number 112106-9031.
It was an unforgettable experience to go there when I lived in Ravensdale in the 70s and dating a logger!
LikeLike
In my late teens, along with some of my buddies. we had adjusted ID’s. I remember Boots, saying. Bob I know you are not legal but your driver’s licence says you are so-go for it.
LikeLike