Category: Uncategorized


  • Katie Kanim Borst

    Katie Kanim Borst

    Katie (Kate) Kanim Borst was a Snoqualmie Tribe member whose life spanned the dramatic transition of the Snoqualmie Valley from an Indigenous homeland to a majority Euro-American farming community. Born in 1855 at the mouth of Griffin Creek near Pleasant Hill (Tolt), she was raised within the cultural traditions of her people during a period…

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  • Josiah โ€œUncle Siโ€ Merrit

    Josiah โ€œUncle Siโ€ Merrit

    Josiah โ€œUncle Siโ€ Merritt (c. 1814โ€“1882) Josiah Merrittโ€”widely known as โ€œUncle Siโ€โ€”arrived in the Snoqualmie Valley in 1862. The prominent peak now known as Mount Si was named in his honor, a reflection of his early presence and lasting local reputation. Originally from Ohio, Merritt left his wife, Sally, and their three young children during…

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  • Lucinda Collins Fares Gordon

    Lucinda Collins Fares Gordon

    Lucinda Collins Fares Gordon (c. 1830sโ€“1880s) Lucinda Collins is remembered as one of the earliest non-Native women to settle in the Snoqualmie Valley. She and her husband, Joseph Fares, homesteaded what became known as the Toll Gate Farm at the western entrance to present-day North Bend. In local histories, she is often described as the…

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  • History of Elk in the Snoqualmie Valley

    by Harold Erland After 14 years of research, observation and study of elk in the Snoqualmie Valley, I will set my findings to print in order to better document, explain and understand the elk in the Snoqualmie Valley. Because of hospitable conditions, the presence of elk in prehistoric times west of the Cascades is assumed…

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  • Spring Updates

    Spring Updates

    Dear Friends, Exciting things are happening at the Museum! Iโ€™m thrilled to share that I am stepping into a full-time role as Executive Director in June after 19 years of being here part-time. This means more time dedicated to growing our programs, improving our exhibits, and ensuring our museum continues to educate and inspire visitors…

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  • The Welding Shop

    The Welding Shop

    Guest Post by David Dreyer My father, Bill Dreyer, apprenticed as a boiler maker with the Union Pacific.ย  He worked as a welder and heavy equipment repair for the contractor, Guthrie and Co., which was building the Cascade tunnel under Stevens Pass for the Great Northern.ย  With the termination of that project my folks moved…

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  • Fall 2023 Newsletter

    Fall 2023 Newsletter

  • Welcoming Kaitlyn!

    Welcoming Kaitlyn!

    We would like to welcome Kaitlyn as the Museum’s new Visitor Services Assistant.ย She began working at the museum as a collections volunteer, and is excited about her newย role. She enjoys welcoming visitors into the museum, and providing them with information about Snoqualmie Valley and its history. Kaitlyn has a bachelor’s degree in Sociology from the…

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  • 2023 Annual Meeting

    2023 Annual Meeting

    Join us for our Annual meeting on Sunday, November 12, 2023 at 1pm! This year it will be held in the Northwest Railway Museum’s Train Shed Exhibit Hall at 9320 Stone Quarry Rd in Snoqualmie. In addition to board elections, this yearโ€™s meeting will feature a series of talks on Trains, Planes and Boats in…

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  • Snoqualmie Tree Farm

    Snoqualmie Tree Farm

    adapted from a 1992 article by David Battey The Snoqualmie Tree Farm is 90,000 acres, which is nearly twice the size of Seattle and stretches from Snoqualmie Falls nearly 25 miles north into Snohomish County and nearly as far east from Duvall and Carnation. Weyerhaeuser owned and operated the tree farm, improved the gravel roads,…

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