Celebrating America’s 250th: Northwest Walks Featuring Industrial Heritage

[This article is part of The Highline Journal’s America at 250: Northwest Stories.]

The Pacific Northwest has a variety of trails to explore, which celebrate the history of industries that are vital to our region. Do you like to walk or hike? Do you like to see historical sites, including industrial heritage? In this story, we suggest three unique places where you can walk or hike and see examples of American industrial history.  

Logging Heritage at Dash Point State Park

Federal Way was once a logging area. Walking in Dash Point State Park is a way to celebrate this important part of our region’s history.

Dash Point State Park has two ecosystems. The first is the beach, which is wide, flat, and sandy with lots of sand dollars.  This beach is very different from the rocky and narrow stretches of sand at Seahurst in Burien and other beaches on the east side of Puget Sound. The second ecosystem includes trails that cross streams and hills. On a recent visit to one of these woodland trails, I saw several tree stumps with distinctive notches. These massive trees were cut down by loggers who cut niches in the base of the tree to insert boards for standing while sawing. I can’t recall ever seeing these types of stumps in the Seattle area. The tree growing out of a stump is also quite distinctive; usually, nurse logs are much lower on the ground.

Coal Mining Heritage in Newcastle and Red Town

Most people know the story of Black Diamond: it was the site of many coal mines, some operating nearly 100 years into the  1960s. However, there were many other areas in the Puget Sound region that also had coal mining operations. Red Town; now a part of Cougar Mountain regional park, is one location of these mines. There were several others in the Newcastle area, including in the area where the golf course is now located.  

Note from the Washington Trails Association: The Red Cedar (Coal Creek Parkway) trailhead is closed for King County’s Coal Creek Sewer Upgrade Project. Sections of the trail near the trailhead are also closed. Please follow posted trail detours and stay out of fenced construction areas. Other trailheads such as the Forest Drive; Coal Creek Family YMCA; Cinder Mine; and Red Town trailheads are open.

Cougar Mountain regional park has many trails. Some are typical hiking trails, but as noted on the Washington Trails Association web page for Red Town, there are others that have historical signs and exhibits.  This article from Historical Hikes has more historical details, while this article from History Link has the full history. 

Georgetown

For people who like industrial heritage, brick buildings, and a few train tracks thrown in for good measure, Georgetown is a great place to explore. Though there are some art galleries, restaurants, and stores, there are also a lot of buildings that feel like they have not changed since the time Georgetown was an independent city, over 100 years ago.

The best-documented site is the Georgetown Steam Plant. –a newly opened trail from Georgetown to South Park

–the area near the Rainier Brewery south to the old Georgetown City Hall

–a food tour, self guided, 1.3 miles, as outlined in this ebook. 

This article from History Link has a good overview. For more information about exploring Georgetown, I suggest the Friends of Georgetown History web site. Learn about historic homes, the straightening of the Duwamish, a cemetery on the side of Beacon Hill, and more. 

We invite readers to be part of this series!
America at 250: Northwest Stories

Have you visited a Pacific Northwest site that deepened your understanding of our nation’s past? Do you have a personal story connected to a local landmark? Do you have recommendations?

As we approach America’s 250th birthday, we hope to tell the story of our country through the voices of our community — one place at a time.

Send your story to idea to us at info@TheHighlineJournal.com