Milwaukee Hotel in Maple Valley
Maple Valley Train Station, built in the 1920s at a cost of $2000
Tahoma High School, Maple Valley, 1920s
Gaffney's Lake Wilderness Resort, Maple Valley, 1950s
Patio at Gaffney's Lake Wilderness Lodge, Maple Valley, 1950s
Maple Valley, a King County community nestled 10 miles southeast of Renton withinthe sheer-cliffed Cedar River valley, grew from its outskirts inward toward itscenter. Originally a hodgepodge of homesteader cabins, its growth can be attributedto the lumber industry, coal mining, railroads, watersheds, and highway development.
Name Drawn From a Hat
The first settlers in what is now Maple Valley were George Ames, Henry Sidebotham, and C.O. Russell, who took up claims in 1879. The three were improving a trail beforethey brought their families in. One of them suggested that they name the futurecommunity. Ames proposed Vine Maple Valley, but Russell thought Maple Ridge to bea better name. They placed their choices on slips of paper, and placed them in ahat.
Vine Maple Valley received two out of the three votes, so they made it unanimous.They also decided to name the voting precinct after the first child born in thenew community. Later, Arthur Russell was born, providing the name Arthur to theprecinct and the first post office, located originally in the Russell home.
Wood, Water, Steel, Coal
In the early 1880s, settlers' cabins sparsely dotted land surrounding the creeksthat fed the Cedar River. Around 1882, Ames and Russell built a sawmill to processthe lumber needed to build homes. Over time, the mill burned down twice, and thoughit was rebuilt, Ames eventually gave up and moved to Pacific City, near Auburn.
In 1887, Russell laid out the town, now called Maple Valley, but it wasn't platteduntil 1890. The communities of Hobart and Taylor sprang up nearby, but the railroadhelped solidify Maple Valley as the centerpiece. In 1885, trains began to haul coalover a narrow gauge track from the nearby mining town of Black Diamond. The trackwas widened in 1904.
In 1907, the Milwaukee Road pushed through the Cascades to a point just east ofthe town. As the tracks were laid westward, workers moved into the area. The NorthernPacific Railroad, to the south, also had a need for rail workers. More residentsmeant more lumber milling, which provided more jobs. Along with all this, the Cityof Seattle had chosen the Cedar river as its watershed, and much work was neededthere.
Black Diamond was the hub of local coal mining activity to the south, but MapleValley also had a stake in coal. Cedar Mountain, located just north of town, wasmined starting in 1884. The mine never produced as much coal as did other minesin the area, but it averaged 90, 000 tons per year and employed hundreds of men.Cedar Mountain was mined as late as 1947.
A Small Town Amidst Industry
Maple Valley grew, but since industry was located some distance from its core, itretained a quiet, rural atmosphere. By 1909, it had a general store, two hotels, a barber shop, restaurant, blacksmith shop, and two saloons. Within a few years, another hotel, store, and blacksmith would take up business.
Early schools were shacks at best. One of the first schools was built on pilings, which allowed impish school lads to bump it up and down using a plank as a lever.In 1910, a two-room school was built, but soon a larger school was needed. A three-flooredbrick school was built in 1920. In 1926, students made up the name Tahoma for theHigh School, combining the first two letters of the three districts it served:Taylor, Hobart, and Maple Valley.
With the influx of residents, farming became important to provide food for hungryminers, lumbermen, and their families. Dairy, poultry, and berry farming were themain staples grown in the area, and other foodstuffs were bought in Renton. Fishingfor salmon in the Cedar River was popular, but the creation of the watershed weakenedmany salmon runs. Pioneers remembered the days when the river was so thick withsalmon that they could be caught easily using only spears and gaffes (and sometimesbare hands).
Weekend Getaways
Beginning in the 1920s, the increase in automobile use brought more people intothe area. Nearby lakes became vacation getaways for Seattle residents. Lake Wilderness, once home to one of the larger lumber mills in King County, became a resort lake.Fishermen and hunters had come to the lake for years, but in 1925 Tom and Kane Gaffneybegan developing a resort with a ballroom, roller rink, and a mouth-watering chickendinner restaurant.
By 1949, the resort included 60 rental cabins, a bowling alley, and a nine-holegolf course. During World War II, when gas rationing was in effect, busloads ofpeople came to dance on Saturday nights. Gaffney's Resort was one of the most popularvacation spots in the county. The resort operated until 1964, when King County boughtit and turned it into a regional county park.
Byway on the Highway
The increase in automobile use increased the need for more roads. For years, theMaple Valley road was the only way through town. Maple Valley was so quaint, thatmany people referred to it as the fourth crossing, because travelers from Rentonwere able to find it by counting the bridges they crossed as they made their waydown the road.
In the early 1960s, work began on a major highway from Auburn, which cut throughthe hills northeast to North Bend. This new highway crossed the Maple Valley roadright in the center of downtown. Many structures were moved or demolished as thehighway came through. Fortunately during this time, Maple Valley residents begancapturing much of their history, in order to preserve the memory of what once was.
Today (2004) Maple Valley, like many towns in Seattle's ever-expanding suburban ring, has its share of shopping centers, gas stations, and housing developments.But, since Maple Valley residents were spread throughout the hillsides for so long, a burgeoning core took longer to develop. Lakes, streams, woods, and parks, alongwith abundant wildlife, still provide a very rural feel to the community.