Enumclaw’s agricultural scene and the Black Diamond Historical Depot Museum are featured in 4Culture’s launch of Destination Heritage, a program encouraging King County tourism of historic places.
4Culture, King County’s Cultural Services Agency, in partnership with the King County Historic Preservation Program, created the Destination Heritage guides – agriculture, maritime and industry – to highlight a significant themes of King County’s history. The free resources invite visitors and residents to explore the character of the region by featuring historic landmarks, museums, festivals and scenic drives.
An entire page is dedicated to the Enumclaw Plateau agriculture loop drive.
The colorful, printed guides are being distributed at visitor information centers, hotels, landmarks and destinations throughout King County. A Web site with printable guides, audio clips and more information is available at www.destinationheritage.org.
More than 70 featured sites offer visitors a variety of family-friendly activities like getting out on the water in heritage boats, picking berries and produce at historic farms and riding on vintage trains. The Destination Heritage guides aim to offer visitors a sense of place, connecting urban landmarks with rural and suburban historic sites, and encourage people to explore by car, by bike and on foot. The guides include a mix of well-known tourist attractions like Pike Place Market, alongside a variety of historic sites that are off the beaten path.
The guides are designed to deepen the experience of visiting King County communities for visitors and residents alike.
Black Diamond Historical Depot Museum, 32626 Railroad Ave., made the list for providing a glimpse of life in a frontier mining town in the late 19th century. Constructed by the Black Diamond Coal Company, the town’s population included immigrants from Italy, England, Wales, Sweden, Finland, Norway, Austria, Germany, Poland, Croatia and other nations. The museum is in the historic railroad depot and features a variety of artifacts from the area’s mining history and also offers a walking tour guide to historic sites in the community that include the Black Diamond Cemetery. The cemetery was established in 1884 and documents the community’s diverse ethnic origins. The site is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is a designated City of Black Diamond Landmark.
For information on the museum call 360-886-2142 or visit www.blackdiamondmuseum.org.
The Enumclaw Plateau Historical Museum, 1837 Marion St., also gets a plug. The museum is open limited hours so call 360-825-2297 for information.
The booklet notes Enumclaw is an agricultural area that was known for decades for its dairy farms and produce. Heritage barns dot the landscape in small communities such as Krain, Wabash and Osceola. This suggested tour route offers a leisurely glimpse of the historic agricultural landscape and spectacular views of Mount Rainier. The route can be enjoyed by car or by bicycle.
The booklet suggests that travelers:
1. Head west on Southeast 400th Street.
2. North on 212th Avenue Southeast.
3. West on Southeast 384th Street to the historic Neuwaukum Grange Hall.
4. South (left) on 180th Avenue Southeast.
5. East (left) on Southeast 400th Street.
6. South on 196th Avenue Southeast which winds its way around the southern tip of the Plateau. The road becomes Southeast 456th Way and then Southeast 452nd.
7. South on 244th Avenue Southeast.
8. Right on state Route 410 and then a quick left on Mud Mountain Road.
9. Left on 260th Southeast, right on Southeast 472nd Street, left on 268th Avenue Southeast, right on Warner Avenue.
10. Left at 284th at the Enumclaw Expo Center and follow this north through the historic farming area of Veazie; turn left on Southeast 392nd and back to Krain.
A second drive begins on the Green Valley Road near Auburn and winds past Canter-Berry Farms, an 1879 timber-framed barn at 19102 SE Green Valley Road that houses a blueberry shop and blueberry fields and stables horses. A right turn at the Whitney Bridge or at the Black Diamond-Enumclaw Road (SR 169) brings you to the Enumclaw Plateau.
Another listing with local connections is in north King County, Carnation Farms/Camp Korey at 28901 N.E. Carnation Farm Road in the rural town of Carnation.
In 1899, grocer E.A. Stuart and a fellow business partner founded the Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Company in Kent, Washington, using new technology to preserve milk so it would have an extended shelf life in grocery stores. Stuart changed the company’s name to Carnation, and in 1910, he established a breeding farm near the town of Tolt in the Snoqualmie Valley. The town later changed its name to Carnation, in honor of the famous farm.
The local connection came in 2008 when the Carnation Farm facility became a private, donor-funded camp serving seriously ill children named after Enumclaw’s Korey Rose and created by his parents Tim and Donna Rose. Korey lost his leg to cancer. During Enumclaw’s 2004 Relay For Life, he organized a high school team that raised more than $14,000 of the $90,000 total. Shortly after the event, his cancer returned and claimed his life. Enumclaw’s 2005 Relay For Life was dedicated to Korey. Tours of the historic facility may be available by special arrangement, but the property is not generally open to the public.
Support for the guides was provided by grants from the National Trust for Historic Preservation and the Preserve America program of the National Park Service, along with local support from 4Culture and the King County Landmarks Commission. For more information about how to request copies of the guides, visit www.destinationheritage.org.
