February 4, 2010 –February 10, 2010

Roslyn's Start

On February 4, 1889, the town of Roslyn incorporated in Kittitas County, only to lose that status later in the year when Washington achieved statehood, and territorial incorporation laws were declared unconstitutional. The bustling mining town re-incorporated in 1890.

Only a few years prior to incorporation, there was very little human habitation at the town site. That changed in 1886 with the discovery of vast seams of coal below ground. Within two years the population had grown to more than 1,000 people. In 1888, a huge fire destroyed the entire business district, which was almost immediately rebuilt. Jobs were plentiful in the mines, but so were labor struggles.

On August 17, 1888, miners struck for an eight-hour-day, and the Northern Pacific Coal Company brought in trainloads of black miners as strikebreakers. When the company brought in armed guards to protect the strikebreakers and to intimidate miners, a constitutional crisis ensued. The territorial government viewed this as a private militia and ordered the guards dispersed or arrested. After the strike was settled, many black miners stayed on, and Roslyn grew to become one of the most ethnically diverse towns in the state. Many years later, it became the first Washington community to appoint, and later elect, a black mayor.

As a mining town, Roslyn had its share of tragedies, including the worst coal mining disaster in state history, which killed 45 miners in 1892. Another tragic disaster in 1909 was less deadly, thanks in part the use of new respirators that were on display at Seattle's Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition, and were rushed across the state to aid in the recovery.

After 1910, the nation's shift from coal to oil as a fuel source led to a slow decline in population that went on for decades. The last mines in Roslyn closed in 1963, and the local economy became more reliant on logging and tourism. In 1990, the community got a big boost in notoriety when the popular TV series Northern Exposure chose Roslyn as its filming location. The population in recent years has remained stable, but just outside city limits, a large new recreational-residential resort may draw thousands of new residents to the region yet again.

Music and Art

In the wee hours of the morning, on February 6, 1931, Seattle police responded to a noise complaint, only to discover noted pianist Vladimir Horowitz tickling the ivories at a private soiree. This week also marks the February 7, 1954, announcement by the Seattle Symphony that Milton Katims would guest-conduct during the upcoming season. Audiences so loved him that he continued to wield the baton for years, leading the orchestra into grand new realms of classical music.

Another of Seattle's cultural institutions also celebrates an anniversary this week. On February 8, 1952, the Frye Art Museum opened to the public on Seattle's First Hill. Stocked with the art collection of Charles and Emma Frye and designed by architect Paul Thiry, the "jewel on the hill" is one of the few art museums in the country that doesn't charge for admission.

Old Passages, Freshly Mined

County Addition: On February 4, 1851, the Oregon Territorial Legislature created Pacific County in what is now Southwestern Washington. Poised at the mouth of the Columbia River, the county's lighthouses have aided many sailors steer toward safety, while the Fort Canby Life Saving Station and National Motorboat Lifeboat School have helped some of those who did not.

Lost in Transition: On February 8, 1886, James Manning Colman left his Kennydale home by rowboat to testify in front of a Seattle grand jury. The former Georgia legislator was murdered somewhere along the way by an assailant unknown. Colman's absence might have drawn more attention, had it not occurred during the aftermath of Seattle's anti-Chinese riots.

Naming the Fort: On February 8, 1900 -- three months after Seattle celebrated the return of local volunteers in the Spanish American War -- a somber burial was held for two men who didn't make it back alive. Also killed in the Philippines was Major General Henry Ware Lawton, eponym of the military installation established in Magnolia the very next day.

Movie Report: On February 10, 1909, the Palace Theater opened in Vancouver. It only cost a dime to see six one-reel silent films. Eight years later, the Liberty Theatre opened in Northport on February 7, 1918, making it the second movie house for the small Stevens County town. And on February 5, 1930, talking pictures arrived at the Issaquah Theatre, which has since been remodeled for stage plays.

Tossed Out: One year after putting him into office in the 1910 election, Seattle voters recalled Mayor Hi Gill on February 7, 1911, for his permissive attitude toward gambling and prostitution. All was forgiven three years later, when they voted him back in for two more terms.

Walk Out: On February 6, 1919, industry and commerce in Seattle ground to a halt as tens of thousands of workers launched the nation's first general strike. The stoppage was urged on by Anna Louise Strong in a fiery editorial in the Seattle Union Record (at the time, America's only daily newspaper published by organized labor), but the dream of sparking a proletarian revolution soon sputtered out.

Road Closed: On February 8, 1972, after years of protest, Seattle citizens endorsed the cancellation of the R. H. Thomson Expressway, which expired officially on June 1, 1977. The cross-town thoroughfare was to parallel Interstate 5 from Bothell to Renton, ripping up the Arboretum and bisecting the Central Area and Rainier Valley. Also nixed was the Bay Freeway, which would have linked SR 520, I-5, and SR 99 along the south shore of Lake Union, where the "Mercer Mess" remains to this day.

Open Skies: This week marks three major events in the history of civil aviation and Boeing, with anniversaries of the maiden flights of the Boeing 247 on February 8, 1933, the Boeing 727 trijet on February 9, 1963, and the 747 Jumbo Jet on February 9, 1969. These planes represented a triumph of aeronautical engineering, but Boeing management and its plane-designing engineers did not always see eye to eye, which precipitated a 40-day strike by SPEEA members starting on February 9, 2000.

Quote of the Week

I'm just an old chunk of coal
But I'm gonna be a diamond some day.

                             --Johnny Cash

Image of the Week

Asotin County has experienced bad floods over the years, but none as severe as the one that struck on February 7, 1996.