1949 Map of Black Diamond

About this map

The Northern Pacific railroad tracks trace the industrial pulse of this King County landscape, connecting the coal-rich settlement of Black Diamond with surrounding hamlets like Morganville and Kummer. This 1949 survey, with revisions into the late 1960s, documents a transition between early extractive industry and post-war recreational development. While the Coal Mine near Jones L speaks to the region's mining heritage, the emergence of the Flaming Geyser Park Swimming Pool and residential clusters around Lake Sawyer and Pipe Lake signals a shift toward the suburban and leisure-oriented growth that would eventually define south King County.