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Even boring machines can be interesting.

Even boring machines can be interesting.

With Big Bertha in the news on a regular basis we got to thinking about boring machines in general. Or rather, interesting boring machines.  One in particular comes to mind, from the historic coal mining community of Roslyn, Washington: From Roslyn local historian, Sue Litchfield: Steep-pitched mines predominated the Roslyn-Cle Elum Coal Field, making it more expensive to extract coal than the relatively flat coal seams in the east and Midwest. In an effort to cut costs Tom Murphy the…

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Happy 125th birthday to Roslyn

Happy 125th birthday to Roslyn

1930 Labor Day Parade in Roslyn. (Photo courtesy Roslyn Heritage collection) It’s a small town in Kittitas County, tucked into the foothills of the Cascades a few miles northwest of Cle Elum. Years ago, it was celebrated as the setting for Cicely, Alaska, the fictional town in the 1990s TV series “Northern Exposure.” But now, Roslyn can celebrate its 125th birthday, if you go with its “first birthday,” that is. Roslyn originally was incorporated on Feb. 4, 1889, nine months…

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The Roslyn Library Inhabits a “New” Space.

The Roslyn Library Inhabits a “New” Space.

Jail door from original Rosyln city jail Formerly the library was shoehorned into a series of small rooms on the main floor of the Roslyn City Hall. A combination of civic fundraising and grant writing allowed the City of Roslyn to jack the historic building up and rebuild and renovate the space beneath the main floor. The City Library now inhabits a spacious portion of that ground floor with the Roslyn City Council Chambers.  These quarters are only temporary as…

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Mining the Past with Roslyn Heritage

Mining the Past with Roslyn Heritage

Every day, thousands of motorists make their way along Interstate-90 as it winds through Snoqualmie Pass before sloping gracefully to the Columbia Plateau. This often-traveled highway affords beautiful views of central Washington: from rugged, snow-capped mountain peaks to rolling, golden fields. Most cars fly past Roslyn, a tiny mountain town a few miles north of Cle Elum, without realizing that it is home to a fascinating, one-of-a-kind cemetery; the state’s oldest continually operated bar; and was the setting of a…

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