Seattle’s Coal Legacy
Seattle’s Coal Legacy by John M. Goodfellow, published by Arcadia Publishing in 2019, explores the significant role of coal in shaping Seattle’s development during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. This 128-page book details how, by the 1900s, Seattle emerged as a major coal port, with key mining operations in Issaquah, New Castle, Renton, and Black Diamond. The narrative highlights the transformation of Seattle from a frontier town into an industrial hub, driven by its coal industry and the skilled workforce it attracted.
Readers will find a comprehensive account of how coal mining influenced various sectors, including maritime, manufacturing, and transportation, ultimately contributing to Seattle’s growth as a major city. Goodfellow’s work emphasizes the skills and knowledge developed during this era, which laid the foundation for Seattle’s future. The book provides insights into the historical context of coal’s impact on the region, making it a valuable resource for those interested in local history and industrial development in the United States.
Official synopsis Publisher
In the 1880s, Seattle became a major coal port in the United States.
By 1908, Puget Sound was the third-largest coal port, after New York and Baltimore. For Seattle, the major coal mines were in Issaquah, New Castle, Renton, and Black Diamond, with many other smaller mines throughout King County. Until the petroleum revolution, Seattle exported most of its coal to San Francisco. Because of coal, Seattle became a center for skilled engineers, machinists, and miners for the maritime, manufacturing, mining, and railroad industries, differentiating itself from other lumber towns on Puget Sound. Seattle’s Coal Legacy is the story of a frontier town going through an industrial revolution in its own time. The skills and knowledge developed during the coal era–engineering, finance, transportation, manufacturing, etc.–made Seattle the major city it is today.
John M. Goodfellow, as well as his parents and grandparents, grew up in Seattle. He received his master of arts at New York University, studying the history of the measurement of length as a social construct. He thinks of himself as a philosopher of technology who uses history as evidence.
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