Those who regularly drive north on State Route 169 will be familiar with this stretch of highway as seen in this 1940 photo of a Pacific Coast Railroad (PCRR) locomotive pulling a load of empty coal cars towards Black Diamond. The vantage shows the highway descending towards the Cedar River at old Maple Valley where Cascadia Pizza (formerly Testy Chef), Foley’s Market, and the food bank are now located. The train’s engine is on a trestle just above Witte Road’s intersection with SR 169.
This railroad was built from Renton along the Cedar River in the early 1880s. From here the rail line traveled south adjacent to Lake Wilderness and through Summit (now Four Corners) to serve the coal mining towns of Black Diamond and Franklin that were being developed. In old Maple Valley three different rail stations formerly occupied sites where Highway 169 passes under S.R. 18. Near those stations the rail tracks split in three directions. One of the two PCRR branches turned northeast towards Hobart and Taylor. A second leg operated by the Milwaukee Railroad proceeded southeast following the Cedar River through the Seattle watershed to Snoqualmie. The third, representing this rail line and trestle continued to transport Black Diamond coal until it was decommissioned in 1970.
Two of those old railroad grades were acquired by King County Parks and converted into walking and biking trails. Due to past widening of Highway 169, the area previously occupied by this PCRR railroad trestle is now within the embankment of the expanded road. So that portion of the Cedar to Green trail was relocated downhill onto the path where Milwaukee trains once rolled. The merged trails cross over the Cedar River on the bridge once used by the Milwaukee line. The Fred Habenicht Rotary Park fronts the river between the state highway and trail.
This photo #P85.182.1 comes courtesy of Dick Peacock and the Maple Valley Historical Society, which operates two museums on Witte Road across from the library. You can learn more about the museums, find volunteer opportunities, or join the historical society by visiting their website at www.maplevalleyhistorical.com
