I miss you Sam!!

I miss you Sam!!
I miss you Sam!!

Monday, March 1, 2010

That's My World - Black Diamond Coal Mine

That's My World is hosted each week by Klaus and the My World Team, Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy and myself. It's a fun opportunity to share the lovely, interesting things that make up your world with others from all over our world! Click on the icon to sign up!



Soon after I moved to Seattle I learned about a place called the Black Diamond Coal Mine. It has a very interesting history and I managed to sign up for a tour of the area. I had just begun to play with my son's camera and this was an opportunity to see what I could capture. It was a fun trip and we had fantastic food at the Black Diamond Bakery/Restaurant which has gained fame for its food/baked goods.

First some history courtesy of Wikipedia. For those of you who live in much older countries around our world, this being considered "history" will probably make you laugh. But we are a very young country and the northwest was one of the later additions still.

Beginning in the 1880s Black Diamond was a rural coal mining area. Eventually a town grew up around the mine and was named in honor of the Black Diamond Coal Company of California, which owned and operated the mine. The town was home to around 3,500 people by the early 1900s, many of them European immigrants; most of the working men were involved in producing coal. This coal was transported to Seattle via the Pacific Coast Coal train.



After World War I, the town shut down the mine as it was no longer viable. However a second mining boom spurred growth in the town in the early 1930s on the strength of multiple mining operations promoted by the Morris brothers through the Palmer Coking Coal Company. Mining has continued until recently through the Pacific Coast Coal Company, formerly of San Francisco. The prospect of future mining operations remains strong.

The town has been home to many famous residents, including folk musician Brandi Carlile (who grew up a few miles east in Ravensdale). The minor-league baseball star Edo Vanni was born at Black Diamond in 1918. This city was put onto the official maps on February 9, 1954, which is considered its birthdate.


The main building of the Black Diamond Historical Museum is the former train station, which served the Columbia & Puget Sound Railway 1884–1916 and the Pacific Coast Railway 1916–1951. According to a sign at the museum, there were originally two trains a day to Seattle, later only one. Regular passenger service ended in 1925, but a train still brought men to the mine until 1931, and trains continued to haul coal and freight into the 1940s.

This was the jail -- how about a night there to sober up!!!



The Black Diamond Bakery achieved regional fame in the 1970s for the quality of its breads and other baked goods, and continues to attract destination shoppers. The town's late 20th century population growth has been mostly as a commuter community for people with jobs in Seattle, Bellevue, and other suburban centers.

Bakery then!


And the bakery/restaurant today!



Rose Hill Cemetery
Although little remains of the coal mining communities, a historic cemetery serves as a monument to the lives of the former residents. Buried here are children who died in epidemics, women who died in childbirth, and men who died in mining disasters and of other things. Although over 10 nationalities resided in the mining area, Rose Hill Cemetery was a protestant burial ground, and many of the people buried here were Welsh.

Over the years, vandalism has taken its toll on the cemetery, which the Park District is attempting to restore.

The two photos of the bakery are courtesy of Wikipedia.

45 comments:

bobbie said...

An interesting bit of history, Sylvia. Thanks for sharing it.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

That's very interesting Sylvia.

Anonymous said...

interesting photos!

Ramosforest.Environment said...

Beautiful railroad station. Beautiful World.
Luiz Ramos

Randi said...

That´s a very interesting post with great shots. The jail looks really nice! Thanks for sharing!

Carver said...

Fascinating place Sylvia and great tour. That's a shame about the vandalism.

Anonymous said...

that's a nice story!

Anonymous said...

Thank you, Sylvia. I enjoy touring old mines, whether in person or through a blog. How interesting that this area could one day be a mining town again some day.

Joe Todd said...

I like coal mines and we do have them in Ohio. Actually, the UMW got their start in a small town near Lancaster,Ohio. At one point the miners set the mine on fire and it is still burning.

Anonymous said...

When I come back up in June I'd love to see this. So interesting and the photos are wonderful. Thank you for sharing this my friend. Rabbit, Rabbit

Rajesh said...

Interesting snaps and history.

DeniseinVA said...

Loved your post Sylvia, so interesting and I enjoyed all the photos.

Marie said...

Thanks for the tour Sylvia and have a great week.

Xavi said...

Thanks again for visiting Sylvia, your photos and stories are always interesting.
I hope you have a good day.

This Is My Blog - fishing guy said...

Sylvia: What a neat trip to the mine with neat photos.

Eve said...

I didn't realize that was there - thanks for the information! I can't wait to check it out next time we head over that direction! :)

Sistertex said...

I loved reading all about this, very cool. Thank you!

Anonymous said...

Excellent post, Sylvia! Pretty interesting!

My name is Riet said...

What a very interesting post Sylvia.

SandyCarlson said...

Fascinating place, Sylvia. So much seems to come and go. Black Diamond is a wonderful name.

Photo Cache said...

What a delightful little town to visit. A must see for history buffs.

www.ewok1993.wordpres.com

Sistertex said...

Hi Sylvia,
Thanks for visiting my blog...apparently I linked the wrong post to the 'That's My World' site. I have gone back and linked the correct post now, but could not remove the previous link...to the Sepia Scene: August Sky.

Don't know if you can do that or not being a host (you are still a host??), but thought I would mention it in case you can remove the wrong one and leave the second linked one (Night Side). If not, I'm good with having them both up there if you are. :)

Thanks so much, so sorry for the trouble.
Sistertex

Sallie (FullTime-Life) said...

Sylvia -- a very interesting piece of history (and as Northwesterners, it really is history.) We have driven that road or near it anyway quite often but did not know about the mine or the bakery; the information is going in our "someday visit" file. Thanks for sharing. Most interesting post.

Carolyn Ford said...

How interesting this is! I also giggle a bit when we talk of American history and especially out here in the west. Europe must roll their eyes...but, it's history to us!
What a great tour you took and then took us too. Thank you. This is a must see the next time I am in your area. Great photos to accompany the post, as well. Have a splendid week...rain or shine!

soulbrush said...

your posts are always so interesting. i do enjoy them. thanks so much for choosing me to host this week's mwt. i do enjoy showing everyone my London. hugs xx

Anonymous said...

Fantastic post for My World, Sylvia! My "My World" post is available on Mary Tomaselli's Photos.

BTW, I read what you sent to Thom: Absolutely hilarious...I hope it's alright to send out to some of my friends! Ha!

Anonymous said...

Nice to learn a little more about your world. Have a great week, Sylvia.

Gunsside said...

Very nice and interesting post !
Thankyou for comment ;)

marcia@joyismygoal said...

the only thing better than red is old wood panted red:)

Indrani said...

Interesting shots of this historic place!

magiceye said...

that was so interesting

Diane AZ said...

Sounds like an interesting tour and the train station is charming. Looks like the Black Diamond Bakery sure has expanded!

Lantaw said...

its great that they managed to preserve those structures. it must have been a busy settlement before

Ebie said...

This is my kind of tour. I love the old feel.

They did a good job refurbishing the restaurant.

P.S. I love your post on the generic drugs, it is a riot!

Linda Reeder said...

I did a post on Black Diamond last fall, the first time we had finally taken the time to stop and explore and learn about the history. And of course we had lunch at the bakery!

Anonymous said...

What a fun place to visit! That jail is tiny! Funny how the bakery has expanded in size though... ;-)

Kathie Brown said...

Wonderful post! I hope they save the cemetary!

Victoria Tsavdaridou said...

Thank you so much for this interesting post!!! I like very much all this information and the photos!!!!

Jo said...

A wonderful post, Sylvia. I enjoyed the history and the information. I love mining towns having lived in a few in my lifetime. I trust you are enjoying a wonderful week.

NatureFootstep said...

The old buildings withs its history is always interesting.
I would be happy to receive some of your weather. :)

Wolynski said...

Never knew you had mining in the north east. As quaint as the town is, mining is a dirty, claustrophobic , dangerous job - have to admire the people who do it. You did well with the camera and that bakery sounds fabulous.

penny said...

This is a wonderful glimpse into the past and present history of this wonderful Seattle icon.
Thanks for sharing it, Sylvia

happily retired gal said...

Thanks for the virtual guided tour of this interesting place. I enjoyed the history lesson and in the recesses of my mind think I might have visited this spot years ago ;-)
Hugs and blessings,

Marites said...

i'd like to try the breads in the bakery. the bakery itself looks cozy. thank you so much for the background info, the place itself looks quaint.

Marites' Travels.

Anonymous said...

My grandfather was a coal miner. I heard some scary stories about mines from him when I growing up. Not too many years ago, Mr Wren and I were visiting a copper mine out west, and when I mentioned the family connection, the retired miners there all immediately said they were glad they weren't coal miners, because that was so much harder and more dangerous.

On the other hand, I met a current-day coal miner at a friends graduation a year or two ago, and from his description, a lot has changed. But it's still hard and dangerous work.

What Can I Say?

What Can I Say?
I'm interested in almost everything. Use to like to travel, but it's too expensive now. I take Tai Chi classes, swim, volunteer in a Jump-start program for pre-schoolers. I'm an avid reader and like nearly everyone these days I follow politics avidly. I'm a former teacher and Special Projects Coordinator for a Telecommunications company, Assistant to the President of a Japanese silicon wafer manufacturing company. Am now enjoying retirement -- most of the time. I have two daughters, one son-in-law and two sons scattered all over the country. No grandchildren.

Portland Time