Roslyn

By Jaymi Trimble

Roslyn, a mining town nestled in Washington's Cascade Mountains, is a little town with a big history. Founded three years before Washington was admitted to the Union, Roslyn became a boomtown after the discovery of coal. Coal was king in Roslyn for 80 years, and immigrants came from all over the world to work the mines. Roslyn's remarkable history includes stories of murder, a mine strike that ended with the mine boss tied to the railroad tracks, and a bank robbery some claim was masterminded by Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid. Readers will meet characters like Tony Bailey--he turned out to be a she--who worked the mines for 11 months in 1949 before being arrested one night in a tavern for going into the women's bathroom dressed as a man. And no book about Roslyn would be complete without a chapter on the hit television series Northern Exposure, which was filmed there.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Arcadia Publishing
• Release date: Sep 18, 2012
• ISBN: 9781439636503

Jaymi Trimble

Jaymi Trimble, an award-winning journalist with a master�s degree in history, visited Roslyn and fell in love with the town. With the help of Nick Henderson, president of the Roslyn Historical Museum Society, and many community members�including Willie Craven, the first black mayor in Washington State�Trimble takes readers on a journey through Roslyn�s history.

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INTRODUCTION

Roslyn, nestled in the Cascade Mountains, is a little town with a big history. The people of Roslyn, down through the generations, are what make the history of this pioneer town, founded three years before Washington was admitted to the Union, so remarkable. It was my pleasure to have the opportunity to tell Roslyn’s story.

I intended to write a long introduction summing up the town’s factual history. What I discovered while researching was much more interesting. Every day I spent at the Roslyn Museum was like being on a treasure hunt. I got lost in the history and discovered many amazing things. My glimpses back in time came from memoirs, newspaper clippings, city council minutes, and interviews. I learned about Roslyn’s history from those who lived it.

During the past 122 years, Roslyn’s residents have shaped and been shaped by the town’s history, and although I found no photographs to go along with many of the stories, Roslyn’s tale would not be complete without them. This book is limited in space, so I have narrowed our walk down Roslyn’s memory lane to a few of my favorites. Join me in remembering: Roslyn’s number one baseball fan, Artie Woods, who sat in the stands at every game and yelled, Yip, Yip, Yip—Let’s hit a home run—Yip, Yip, Yip (Elaine Saxby also recalls Artie yelling words that she would get her mouth washed out with soap for repeating); the day the grand piano in the high school assembly room fell through the floor, leaving a gaping hole; the year Lake Cle Elum froze over and enough ice was cut by store owners to last the entire summer; Hub Cusworth’s souped-up bobsled that would come racing down Catholic Hill, turn left at the Presbyterian church, and run all the way through town; sleigh rides to Lake Cle Elum covered with blankets—singing and laughing; the Halloween when one of the local stores’ delivery wagons ended up on the high school roof; the year it snowed on the Fourth of July and all the kids ran their races in a heavy snowstorm; Friday night movies at the Rose Theatre and afterward a trip to the ice cream shop; swiping apples and lilacs on warm summer evenings while walking along the railroad tracks; when jelly beans and other candy really cost a penny at Mother Parollo’s Candy Store on the corner across from the high school; all the things kids could find in the ditch that ran through town—a treasure trove of stuff they really needed, like wire wheels and old corset stays used to make bean shooters.

Other memories are recorded in city council minutes dating back to 1889. On July 12, 1889, city council voted to revoke F. T. Trottman’s bond to operate a tavern because ladies of questionable character were entertaining in the back room of Trottman’s saloon. On June 12, 1891, city council decided to pay damages in the amount of $100 to Oscar James after his house was knocked over by a fire hose while firemen were trying to put out a fire in the residence. On June 16, 1892, a certain secret society enclosed a large piece of land in the city cemetery and ran their fences within inches of other graves. Councilman Clark stated, One dead person is as good as another even if they’re not a member of a lodge. On November 17, 1892, it was agreed that someone would have to be hired to light the streetlamps at night because the night watchman was not reliable and had been spotted in various saloons drinking and playing cards while on duty, instead of keeping law and order and tending to the streetlamps. On April 8, 1895, Mayor William Adams reported he had received complaints that the marshal was allowing favored prisoners to go home at night to sleep. Mayor Adams stated he didn’t think it was right for some to pay full penalty for their wrongs and others to be given special privileges. On June 24, 1895, the marshal was told to notify all persons having hogs, dogs, cattle, and chickens running loose through the city streets to pen them up or they would be put in the pound and owners would be charged to get them