The Sunset Overlook - Then and Now

A popular point-of-interest while hiking on the Tradition Plateau (Tiger Mountain) is the viewpoint on the west end of the plateau where the power lines drop down to the town of Issaquah. The point is identified as the “Sunset Overlook” on the trail map provided by the City of Issaquah.

The “Sunset Overlook” on the west end of the Tradition Plateau.

Back in the day, the vantage point provided a commanding view of the “Old Town” Issaquah streets and buildings, including Sunset Way, for which the overlook is named. Today, not so much. Today, the view is limited to features of the north end of town, such as I-90, Gilman Blvd., Lake Sammamish, Talus on Cougar Mountain, etc. The trees on the scarp prevent a view toward the south end of town. To illustrate, here is a photo taken by the bench at the overlook:

A nice view, but let’s imagine what it would be like 120 years ago, after the first logging of the Tradition Scarp. The following photo is from the Issaquah History Museums’ collection and depicts exactly that (accession number 94.029.001). The date is circa 1900. We know that it is no earlier than 1899 as that is the date the power line that runs along Sunset Way and up over Squak Mountain was constructed. A few of the streets and buildings are identified, to aid in the viewer’s orientation.

And following the old photo is the “now” photo, but how do we acquire the “now” photo given the constraints we discussed at the beginning of the article? Technology to the rescue, in the form of a drone! We can fly a little west of the scarp, away from the trees, and achieve the same field of view as the photo from 1900. Here they are, in sequence:

Much has changed, some has remained. The Sunset Way power line still follows the same route. The IOOF Hall (Stan’s BBQ) remains. The Railroad Depot remains. And, most notably, Squak and Cougar Mountains are still there, bidding us.