Carbonado, Washington

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Once a booming coal mining town which was founded in 1880, Carbonado grew in population to over 1,000 people by 1900. Once there were stores, a hospital, a dancehall, and a hotel that supported the day in and day out existence of a hard working, deep loving people who worked out their living by laboring in coal-tunnels that yet remain under the present town. In 1889, many men, young and old, were killed in a mine explosion leaving families without father or brother, husband and child. Only 2% of the coal in this area was claimed during the eighty years of mining. During the 1930's, oil became a more important energy resource and the use of coal began to diminish. In 1974, mining regulations required phone lines to be installed and, because of the costs involved, the mines were closed. Today Carbonado is a small bedroom community of approximately six hundred people. Though it is a small community, within its borders are the Carbonado Historical School (founded: 1881) for grades Kindergarten through 8th grade,a great saloon built in 1878 with super homemade food!!!(360 829 4347),a post office, community church, town hall, cemetery, and an active volunteer Fire Department. (From The Carbonado Historic School District.)

In the 1880s, Leland Stanford of the Central Pacific Railroad owned the Carbonado mine. The supply was sent to San Francisco to feed the engines of the Southern Pacific and Central Pacific railroads. In 1883, the United States Geological Service pronounced the region’s coal as “true bituminous coal, hard, solid, black and clear, not equal in heat producing capacity to the best Pittsburgh coal, but a good fuel for railroad and steamship purposes”(Mineral Resources of the United States). (From historylink.org.)