History of the Middle Fork

Cougar Pete

Cougar Pete was the first ranger in the Snoqualmie National Forest and a real local character. In this photo he is in front of the skin from a grizzly bear he tracked through the Middle Fork and killed. Even in later life, when supposedly confined to a retirement home, Dick Kirby as a USFS technician would find Cougar Pete in the Middle Fork and bring him back to North Bend. The world probably needs a few more Cougar Petes.

(Photo from Dreams in the Wilderness: Stories from the Middle Fork and provided by the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society. All rights reserved, contact the SVHS in North Bend, link below, for use)

      It has become obvious to me that researching the history of the Middle Fork raises questions about what should be public and what should not. Unfortunately, many people seem to believe they are free to take old items out of the forest or seem to delight in vandalizing remains. I have discussed this situation with a couple of experts and enthusiasts on the area and the subject and have come up with the following basic rules for this websit:

      1. I do not give exact locations of relics (unlike the big trees, which I am showing locations of)
      2. I show pictures of remains and artifacts but not their exact locations.
      3. If you would like more specific information about locations of historical interest in the Middle Fork, feel free to contact me to discuss.


I would ask that, as you explore the Middle Fork, you abide by the following:
      1. Leave all artifacts as you found them. Never remove them from the forest without permission.
      2. Be careful as you approach off-trail artifacts or ruins, attempt to not create a new trail.
      3. Be careful telling others about artifact locations, they might not share your appreciation for conservation.
      4. Remember, you are probably not 'discovering' this artifact. Someone else has seen it and left it there for you to enjoy. It is, now, part of the forest.

thank you

Chronology

____________	_______________________________________________
1855	Indian Wars around North Bend
1869	Jeremiah Borst and Arthur Denny use the Middle Fork to access present day Snoqualmie Pass where they discover iron ore on Denny Peak
1896	Andrew "Dutch" Miller discovers copper at La Bohn Gap
1897	Mining at the Laura Lindsay Mine
1901	Exploratory mining begins at Rainy Mine on Quartz Creek
1900-1907	Two mine shafts are sunk at the Dutch Miller Mine and 150-200 tons of ore are removed for transport. Horses are used to take some out for tests but then operations are halted.
1907	Middle Fork timber surveyed by David Shiach.
1923	The North Bend Timber Company starts logging up the Middle Fork (around Camp 15).
1928-29	Railroad extended to 1 mile past Taylor River. Camp Brown is built (named after Robert Brown, civil engineer for laying track on the Middle Fork railroad who was run over and killed by a backing locomotive in 1928).
1930	Nordrum Lookout constructed on the East flank of Quartz Mountain just above the confluence of the Taylor and Middle Fork
1933	Code of Self Government (The Lumber Code) commits industry to sustained yield.
1934	NBTC secures loan which includes provisions to log the Pratt Valley.
1935	Rail Line and Camp Brown rebuilt from damage during logging slowdown of the Great Depression.
1936	Railroad bridge over the Middle Fork to the Pratt Valley is completed.
1936	Caterpillar logging begins on South side of the Pratt River.
1921-1943	Rail line is active along the Middle Fork.
1935-1941	Pratt rail spur is active.
1937	NBTC abandons Camp Brown
1937	Pratt rail line reaches "The Switchback". Pratt Maintenance camp built (sand houses for sand used as traction aid on steep tracks).
1939	Construction of CCC Road
1939	United Cascade Mining Company submits proposal for a Mines to Markets road to the Dutch Miller mine. Various geological surveys around the mine and road surveys are performed over the next fifteen years in support of this.
1940	Great Fire in the Pratt Valley
1941	Pratt logged to Thompson Lake
1941-42	Railway pulled out of Pratt Valley
1942-1948	Truck logging focussed on the West Side of the Middle Fork, Granite Creek and up the Taylor
1951-57	Active copper mining at Rainy Mine on Quartz Creek
1972	Ore-Timber Industrial Slide Company submits proposal to use snow vehicles to haul ore from the Dutch Miller Mine
1976	Alpine Lakes Wilderness area is created

Names of the Middle Fork drainage

Taylor: William Taylor, an early pioneer, came to the greater Snoqualmie Valley in 1872. He is the founder who first platted North Bend. Mr. Taylor was a farmer, county commissioner from 1888-1891, and operated the general store from 1895 to 1907. In 1929 he helped lay out the route of the Mt. Si trail (the 'Old Trail', now accessible from the Little Si trailhead) which was dedicated as the "Taylor Memorial Trail". He passed away in 1941 at the age of 88 and is buried in the North Bend Cemetary.

Pratt: In 1887, prospector George A. Pratt staked claims for iron ore on Chair Peak in 1887.

Burnt Boot Creek: Named by a prospector (Revington?) in 1888 or 1889 after he fell asleep by his fire and, well do I need to say it?.

Bryant: Bryant Peak was named for Sydney V. Bryant of The Mountaineers.

Chair: Chair Peak is named for its shape as viewed from Kaleetan Peak.

Chikamin: Chinook jargon word for both "metal" and "money" is the name for this peak.

Dutch Miller Gap: Named after Andrew Jackson "Dutch" Miller who prospected La Bohn Gap deposits in 1896.

Goldmyer: William Goldmyer was an early Seattle settler, logger, farmer, Fall City resident, and miner. Read more about him and his hotsprings.

Hinman: The mountain whose Western glaciers are the true headwaters of the Middle Fork is named for Dr. Harry B. Hinman who lead the Mountaineer's first outing up Mt. Stuart in 1914.

Kaleetan: This peak was originally named "The Matterhorn" but was later renamed, by The Mountaineers, for the Chinook Jargon word for "arrow head".

Lake Kulla Kulla: Chinook jargon for "bird".

LIttle Big Chief Mountain: Named for Lorenz A. "Little Big Chief" Nelson, member of the 1925 Mountaineers party to the area.

Lundin: Lundin Peak is named for J. W. Lundin, pioneer forest ranger..

Lemah: This five-fingered peak is named for a native word for "fingers".

Mowitch Lake: Chinook Jargon for "deer".

North Bend: Named after the location where the Snoqualmie River bends to the North. Originally named Snoqualmie but name was changed by the railroad due to confusion with Snoqualmie Falls (current day Snoqualmie).

Nordrum: Nordrum Lake and Nordrum Lookout are both named for Martin Nordrum, a pioneer who lived up Quartz Creek.

Overcoat: Overcoat Peak was named by Albert Sylvester (who made the first ascent) for the overcoat he left on top.

Si: Josiah Merritt staked a claim at the base of Mt. Si, being one of the first settlers when he arrived in 1862 after little luck in California searching for gold. He was a character and curmudgeon known affectionately as Uncle Si. The mountain in his backyard was named in his honor. He passed away in 1882 and is buried in the Fall City Cemetary.

Talapus Lake: Chinook jargon for "coyote".

Thompson: Thompson Peak and, presumably, Lake are named for R. H. Thomson (landmark spelling is incorrect), a Seattle city engineer.

Treen Peak: Named for Lewis A. Treen, supervisor of the Snoqualmie National Forest 1918-1931.

      The following three Krolls maps are from 1936 through 1937. They show many features in the Valley and give an excellent idea of what it was like. Especially interesting is the mainline and spurs of the NBTC railroad. Some of the features are "representative" in nature and are not to a level of accuracy one might expect in a modern map.

The Middle Fork and Taylor confluence including much of the Middle Fork trail and the Taylor River trail.

The Pratt river and valley. Note the railroad only extends to the switchback/kickback.

The lower Middle Fork valley towards what is now Exit 34.

Bibliography

Wood & Iverson: Loggers of Tiger Mountain by Ken Schmelzer, Oso Publishing, 2001

Pratt River Logging Camp Evaluation an archeological report prepared for the Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest by S.A. Boswell, S.K. Campbell, L.C. McConaghy, and C.J. Miss, Northwest Archeological Associates, Inc., December 19, 1990.

Little History of North Bend-Snoqualmie, Washington by Jack R. Evans, SCW Publications, 1990.

Cascade Alpine Guide Volume 1 by Fred Beckey, The Mountaineers, 1973.

Jack's History of Fall City by Jack E. Kelley with Ruth Pickering, 2006.

Climbing Washington's Mountains by Jeff Smoot, Falcon Guide, 2002.

Exploring Washington by , Van Winkle Publishing Co, 1975

Preliminary Feasibility Evaluation of Dutch Miller Mine by Bill Palmer, Washington DNR Library files, November 1988.

Firm wants to use snow vehicles to haul ore from wilderness area The Seattle Times, September 5, 1972