Coal Mining & Rail Industry
These five pictures combine to represent what life, equipment, and reality was for many of the workers in the old coal mines for Cougar Mountain. Back when the coal mine was operating pre-World War II, during World War II, and into the Cold War, much of the Newcastle economy and industry was built around this mine.
This mine was home to close to 500 workers when it was first built, and during war times numbers reached close to 1000. Much of the old history of the mine was pretty straightforward. The mine was first operational to harvest coal. This coal was sent all over Seattle to be used by other companies. This made a wealthy profit because at the time this mountain was being mined, coal was the main energy source for the surrounding area and demand was high.
Furthermore, after the mine transitioned out of a regular coal mine, it switched into an anti-aircraft gun site to defend against attacks from the Japanese. It could have been an issue because we are relatively the closest state to the Japanese. This mountain was chosen because it was a great elevation that could attack planes yet also stay hidden amongst the many trees. Additionally, during this anti-aircraft gun site, PACCAR Sherman tank parts were assembled for the war.
Continuing on, after the long era of the mountain being transformed into more of a military operation after the mining stage, it was transformed one more time into a Cold War Nike missile site. These missiles were hidden amongst the trees similar to the anti-aircraft guns, but during the Cold War, missiles were ready to be used. These missiles stood at the same anti-aircraft pads, just the stakes this time was nuclear war and missiles were the necessary tool.
With all that being said, that all relates to how the mountain was in the past. As we fast forward to the next section you will see what the mountain looked like after the Cold War and what it is like today. The mountain became protected and a King County Park in January 1985. Today, there are many aesthetic paths that people can walk on and see the great wilderness. However, we will focus on what remains of old mine shafts and old concrete pads where anti-aircraft and missiles were placed.
