Sheriff Hodge will clean up Black Diamond

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, June 30, 1911

Deputy Starwich detached to run down Italian criminals who cause trouble in mining communities

Sheriff Robert T. Hodge

Following the receipt of several Black Hand letters by officials and foremen of the Pacific Coast Coal Company at Black Diamond and Franklin, Sheriff Hodge has determined to clean up the community and to deport the foreigners who are supposed to have been the cause of the troubles.

In furtherance of this Matt Starwich, King County’s $1 a month deputy, who has more arrests to his credit than any other deputy in the state, yesterday was detailed to go to Black Diamond for a month to rid the place of undesirables.

While Starwich is at Black Diamond, Deputy Sheriff Scott Malone will patrol the Ravensdale district, Starwich’s regular territory.

The plan to clean up the community is the outcome of the attempt to assassinate Resident Superintendent Christianson and family on March 29, and of which a number of discharged Italian laborers were suspected.

Read Full Post »

Hobart blaze perils timber at watershed

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, June 30, 1940

The stubborn fire near Hobart, twenty-five miles east of Seattle, which is believed to have been set by a firebug early last week, burned on unabated last night over an area of almost 1,800 acres of cutover land while weary crews battled to keep it within present confines.

Immediately threatened are the huge stands of virgin timber near and on Seattle’s Cedar River watershed. The flames licked their way into this first-growth timber in several spots late yesterday and only by hard work were the crews able to check their spread.

Read Full Post »

Hobart oldsters see school go

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, June 29, 1959

By John Reddin

Reminiscing: William Peacock, 73, astride his 30-year-old riding horse, Coalie, recalled the early days of Hobart School, in the background, to Steve Dickman, left, 9, and Jimmy Thompson, 10, who attended the school until it was decided recently to tear it down. Hobart school children will attend a new consolidated school near Lake Wilderness. —Times staff photo by John T Closs.

While small boys romped and scuffled nearby, middle-aged parents and oldsters of Hobart, east of Maple Valley, yesterday were busy tearing down the old Hobart country school.

The four-room frame schoolhouse, with its traditional school-bell tower, long has been a landmark on the Issaquah-Ravensdale road. Built in 1909, the four-room school has served its purpose. Pupils will attend a new school under construction near Lake Wilderness under a school-district consolidation.

Read Full Post »

County album: Volunteers help sort mass of photos from assessor’s file

Originally published in The Seattle Times, June 29, 1983

By Herb Balanger
Times South bureau

The Lester train depot was 52 years old when this picture was taken in 1940 for the King County tax assessor’s office. It is one of thousands being processed and filed by the Regional State Archives center in Burien. Numbers at the left identify when the picture was taken (June 19, 1940) and the assessor’s file number; numbers at the bottom indicate section, township and page in the assessor’s log book and tax lot number; Depot #9 indicates it is the building number in the group belonging to the railroad.

A group of volunteers from the Association of King County Historical Organizations has been hard at work since March trying to preserve what Mike Saunders, archivist, considers “the most comprehensive countywide local history photo collection in the state.”

The work, being done at the Regional State Archives in the former Sunset Junior High School in Highline, will probably be completed in September. Saunders said.

The job involves going through 70,000 to 90,000 negatives from the county assessor’s files dating from a Works Progress Administration project of 1936–1940, in which all the real property in the county was inventoried. Additional photos were taken through 1973 updating the changes to the buildings.

Read Full Post »

Sharing the good ol’ days

Originally published in the MVHS Bugle, June 1995

Vivian Mathison talked about her school days at the April 17th Hobart get-together sponsored by the Maple Valley Historical Society.

My name is Vivian Mathison. I was Vivian Kelley when I lived in Hobart from 1930 to 1939. My family moved to Hobart from Kerriston on March 17, 1930.

Our family consisted of our parents, Will and Maude Kelley, Lois, Vera, Grace, and me. Also Mike, our black and white Spitz dog given to us by the Higgins family when they moved away.

I was 10 years old when we moved to Hobart and I entered Miss Bock’s 4th grade. My special friend right away was Vivian Peterson. We were the two Vivs, and remained best friends all through school, attending Tahoma and graduating in 1938.

From my point of remembrance our family’s special friends were the W.D. Thompsons, the Lonnie Triggs, Norma Purdy, Vivian Peterson, Dave Conard, and Gerald Bartholomew. My sister Lois and Gerald, and Dave and I enjoyed going to the dances at Lake Wilderness.

Read Full Post »

Burnett holds meeting to arrange festivities on ‘big day’

Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, June 28, 1922

By James A. Maltby

Burnett Team in front of “outdoor mine.”

On the hillside back of the mine office, last week, was constructed the beginning of what might be called an “outdoor mine.” It consisted of a “chute” made of boards, a cleared space for a counter, another cleared space for a second “chute,” and a path where the gangway was to run—all to be enclosed in boards instead of being underground and enclosed in earth.

“That?” said A.L. McBlaine, who was looking after the construction. “That’s for our Mine Rescue Team. We’re building the ‘mine’ so us to reproduce conditions underground, so far as possible. The men will train in it under gas, handle a stretcher, rescue men, and get thoroughly acquainted with their apparatus.”

Read Full Post »

Among cities and towns of Washington: Black Diamond and Franklin

Originally published in The Coast magazine, June 1, 1906

The Green River above Franklin, Washington

June is the month and summer is the time in which to take a trip to Black Diamond and Franklin, Washington, for then the trees are green and blooming flowers fill the air with pleasing odors; for then the sportsman can whip the fish-filled Green River and lure the gamey trout from placid pools to repose within his basket; the birds fill the air with charming melodies; all nature smiles and glows with new and increasing life to shine in growing splendor; and, then, the grand snow-capped mountain—Mt. Rainier—looks more beautiful and lovely than at any other time of the year as it towers high above all its surroundings, a crystal gem of purest white, held in a setting of everlasting and eternal green.

Read Full Post »

Erik Luoma struck by engine in the yards at Black Diamond last night

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, June 27, 1902

Luoma, born in Finland in 1870, was a laborer at the Lawson Mine. Date of the photograph at Black Diamond cemetery unknown.

Erik Luoma, a laborer, about 30 years of age, was run over and fatally injured in the Columbia & Puget Sound railroad yards at Black Diamond at 10 o’clock last night.

The engine and train crew of passenger train No. 1 which had finished the passenger run was making up a special freight in the yards, when the accident occurred. The engine was backing with a string of cars when Luoma was seen sitting on the track a few yards ahead of the engine. He was apparently asleep and the engine struck him before it could be stopped. He died a short while afterwards as a result of the injuries.

The body is held at Black Diamond awaiting instructions from the coroner, who was notified this morning. Deputy Coroner Wiltsie went to the scene of the accident this afternoon.

Luoma was a Finlander, who lived with his wife and child at Osceola. He is supposed to have been drinking yesterday and not knowing what he was doing sat down on the track and went to sleep.

Read Full Post »

Fire sweeps little mining town during early morning

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, June 26, 1913

FRANKLIN, Thursday, June 26 — The hotel building belonging to the local coal mining company and twenty-one frame dwelling houses were destroyed by a fire that started here at 2:30 o’clock this morning. The loss to the hotel and contents is about $16,000. The extent of the loss to the other buildings has not been determined.

The origin of the fire has not been learned but it is thought to have started on the second floor of the hotel.

Read Full Post »

Bullets fly in battle with thugs: Three cracksmen wreck outer door of strong box of Pacific Coast Coal Store at Black Diamond

Originally published in The Seattle Daily Times, June 24, 1920

Watchmen on alert, opens fire on gang

Sends two shots after fugitives—they turn and reply with three, but make escape in darkness

Three cracksmen about 12 o’clock last night blew the outer door of the safe in the general store kept by the Pacific Coast Coal Company at Black Diamond, engaged in a revolver battle with George Upton, aged watchman, who drove them away, and escaped without obtaining any loot.

Read Full Post »