History Corner: An Old Steam Valve on the West Tiger RR Grade
There is an interesting artifact located along the West Tiger RR Grade, about 100 yards east of Fred’s Corner. It appears to be a steam valve assembly left behind by the logging operation of the High Point Mill in the 1920s. The artifact sits in a small creek bed (often dry) that is a tributary to High Point Creek. In recent years, it has become buried under muck and debris.
Having seen it years ago, I knew where to look, uncovered it and decided to excavate it enough so that hikers on the trail could see it if they knew where to look. The operation was successful, and it now sits in roughly the same location, but beside the stream, where I hope it will remain visible. Here are a pair of photos depicting the artifact:
Steam valve assembly along the West Tiger RR Grade trail with hikers on the trail above. Photo by Tom Anderson.
Steam valve as seen from the trail above (with human for scale). Photo by Tom Anderson.
Being a curious person, I wanted to see if I could learn more about this artifact. On examination, I found the word “WILLAMETTE” cast into the valve casing, a valuable clue.
Steam valve casing with "WILLAMETTE" embossed in the cast iron. Photo by Tom Anderson.
Now, knowing that this area was logged by the High Point Mill, I consulted the “Pictorial History of the High Point Mill” by Eric Erickson (available from the Issaquah History Museums). From my reading of the book, I knew that the mill had as many as seven steam donkeys from several manufacturers, and at least one was from the Willamette Iron and Steel Works of Portland, Oregon. Most likely, the “Willamette” on the valve casing was a shortened reference to that manufacturer.
I searched for pictures of Willamette steam donkeys to determine if such a valve assembly could be seen. I was lucky enough to find such images at www.HMdb.org, a website specializing in historical markers in public places. In this case, the historical marker is for a steam donkey engine on display in Saint Maries, Idaho. (You can descend that rabbit hole at https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=109998 ). Here is a photo extracted from that site, with the steam valve identified:
Steam donkey engine built by the Willamette Iron and Steel Works. Photo by Cosmos Mariner, June 26, 2013, courtesy HMdb.org.
If you are curious why the valve assembly appears to be two valves in a row, it’s because they serve different functions. The top valve with the circular handle was the master steam shutoff valve, while the valve below was the throttle control used during operation. It could be actuated from full on to full off with just a ¼ turn of the control rod extending horizontally from the valve. This enabled the operator to engage, disengage and adjust the speed of the winch operation with the necessary precision.
Perhaps one of the valves had failed, necessitating replacement in the field, and the failed assembly was discarded nearby, where it remains today.
If all this talk about steam donkey engines has piqued your interest, we are lucky in Issaquah to have two on display and a logging mural on Sunset Way, also depicting one in use by a local mill crew. If you want to view them, start your tour by visiting the Harvey Manning statue at Bush St and Rainier Ave (the official address is 110 SE Bush Street). There, in the little park that parallels the Rainier Trail, is a logging history display sponsored by the Issaquah History Museums that features a steam donkey engine built by Puget Sound Iron and Steel Works as the centerpiece, along with various other artifacts related to logging in the steam era. Notice that this engine also has a lever on a horizontal bar attached to the steam valve to serve as the throttle control for the winch operation.
Steam Donkey Engine along Issaquah’s Rainier Trail. Photo by Tom Anderson.
For the next stop on the tour, travel north on the Rainier Trail about 100 yards to Sunset Way. The mural is on the end of the Sunset Ale House building on the north end. Viewing the mural is best from the north side of the street, looking south. Sometimes, cars are in the way, and then there is that obnoxious utility pole. Oh well - you have to move around a bit to take it all in.
“The Mill Street Logging Scene” - a mural based on historic photographs provided by the Issaquah History Museums. The piece's title is based on the fact that Sunset Way was known as Mill Street up until 1960. The left side of the scene is based on a photo of a High Point Mill crew around a Climax 40-ton engine in 1923 (the photo was taken along the West Tiger RR Grade, not far from where the steam valve artifact rests); the middle of the scene is based on a photo of the Issaquah Lumber Company mill from 1935; the right side of the scene is based on a photo of an Issaquah Mill crew with a steam donkey engine from 1903. The artist, Larry Kangas, also created the Darigold mural on Front Street North, two murals at the Issaquah Fish Hatchery, and two murals at the Issaquah Café. Photo by Tom Anderson.
The next stop on the tour is another 50 yards north on the Rainier Trail at the historic Issaquah Depot. There, on the siding on the depot's west side, a flatcar with a steam donkey engine perched on top, manufactured by the Washington Iron Works Company. The manufacturer described this machine as a “Compound Geared Yarder.” A “yarder” conveys logs from where the tree was felled to some point of collection.
Steam Donkey Engine at the Issaquah Depot. Photo by Tom Anderson.
If you still long for more steam donkey lore and would like to see one in action, here is a video of a working Willamette steam donkey engine at Sturgeon’s Mill in Sebastopol, California:
https://youtu.be/vcIIcLkb_mg?si=eDvjaHG7BRYZT-gx
Lastly, as a testament to the power of these awesome machines, here is a sketch from an (alleged) eyewitness to the ability of the Willamette steam donkey to pull the sun closer to Earth—an alternate explanation for the global warming situation. 😊
Promotional sketch from the Willamette Iron and Steel Works catalog, circa 1903.
Courtesy the Collection of Ken Schmelzer.