Tavern owner questions rate of water use

Originally published in the Enumclaw Courier-Herald, February 12, 1987

Black Diamond Store (left) and Saloon.

Three ordinances and a large water bill topped a brief Black Diamond city council meeting February 5.

The water bill in question belongs to William Hutchinson, owner of the Black Diamond Saloon. His one-month water usage totaled 7,245 cubic feet, or more than 54,000 gallons of water.

“I just don’t see how I could have used that much water in a month,” Hutchinson said. “I did have a couple urinals that were running, but I backed them off a bit.”

At the meeting, Hutchinson quipped that the city’s new 500,000 gallon water reservoir be built much larger. “I’m gonna use it all up in about 10 months,” he said, laughing.

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Students unearth forgotten mysteries of a historic town

5-year project to put life back into Franklin

Originally published in The Seattle Times, February 11, 1994

By Keith Ervin
Seattle Times South bureau

Lindsay Larson leads a group of students through the old cemetery they are cleaning up. Many of the deaths were caused by mining accidents. (Jimi Lott, Seattle Times)

HISTORIC FRANKLIN—Hidden beneath the maples and cottonwoods of the Green River Gorge are secrets unseen by the casual visitor.

Some of those secrets are a little more visible today than they were yesterday, thanks to eighth-graders from Cedar Heights Junior High School in Covington.

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Monster briquets attract throngs

Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, February 11, 1926

Two monster Diamond Briquets, each weighing more than 200 pounds, proved a great drawing card in the Pacific Coast Coal Company’s booth at the Southwest Washington Manufacturers’ Exposition held in Tacoma last week.

A guessing contest was held, a ton of Diamond Briquets being the prize for the person guessing closest to the actual weight of the monster briquet shown on the mantlepiece. More than 3,000 guesses were recorded. J.F. Torrence is the manager of the Tacoma agency of the Pacific Coast Coal Company.

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Black Diamond: Council seeks traffic impact

Originally published in the Voice of the Valley, February 11, 1998

By Cecilia Nguyen

Due to the potential impact the Muckleshoot Reservation amphitheater will have on the City of Black Diamond’s traffic, a resolution requesting the Army Corps of Engineers perform an environmental impact study that includes traffic flow was unanimously passed during the January 5 Council meeting.

Along with City Planner Jason Paulsen, Councilman Geoff Bowie drafted a resolution that would petition the Army Corp of Engineers to study whether or not the construction of the amphitheater in Auburn would affect traffic and emergency response time in Black Diamond.

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Modular homes builder eyes Black Diamond

Originally published in the South County Journal, February 11, 1997

Continental Industries wants to put local trades people to work

By Mike Archbold
Journal Reporter

BLACK DIAMOND — This small South County town may get its first industry in decades if the city and a Federal Way maker of modular buildings can agree on land-use issues.

Continental Industries, which makes modular homes for rural Alaska, would like to expand to 6 acres along State Route 169 in north Black Diamond, the president of the company said yesterday.

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Black Diamond prepares for Railroad Ave. street improvement project

Originally published in the Voice of the Valley, February 9, 2010

By Kathleen Kear

Bids were opened on December 22, 2009, for a street reconstruction project in the heart of the historical business district on Railroad Ave. that when completed would not only be aesthetically pleasing, but also much safer.

Twenty-three bids were submitted to the City of Black Diamond with J.R. Hayes & Sons of Maple Valley coming in as the low bidders at $676,731.89. Awarding of the contract came during the January 21, 2010 City Council meeting.

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Loading briquets for shipment

Originally published in the Pacific Coast Bulletin, February 4, 1926

Every day from 450 to 500 tons of Diamond Briquets are loaded into railroad cars for shipment to almost every point where fuel is used between Canada and Mexico on the Pacific Coast. This scene shows how the briquets are lowered from the cooling conveyor into the cars. Thousands of tons of Diamond Briquets will soon be distributed throughout the orchards of Eastern Washington, where they will be burned to protect the fruit blossoms from the ravages of frost this spring.

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