October 15, 2026 - During the early years of the Washington Territory, the story of coal mining in southeast King County was really the story of railroads. For without a railroad, there would be no coal mine. But in many cases, without a coal mine, there would be no railroad.

The coal mining town of Ravensdale, originally called Leary, was no exception. Still, it came rather late to the area’s coal mining boom, preceded in 1885 by the establishment of Black Diamond and Franklin. Those two mining towns owed their founding to the extension of a new branch of the Columbia & Puget Sound Railroad from Renton. To make that happen, the Black Diamond Coal Mining Company and Franklin’s Oregon Improvement Company both committed funds to secure its completion. 

Leary, later Ravensdale, needed to wait until the 1898-1900 construction of a new Northern Pacific Railway line to join the coal surge of the late 19th century. After Northern Pacific completed the connecting leg of its transcontinental line in 1888, passing through Palmer, Cumberland, Enumclaw, and Buckley on the way, it soon became clear that a direct route to Auburn would improve access to the Seattle market. The Palmer Cutoff, completed in 1900, was the name given to the new NPRR mainline through Ravensdale and Covington to Auburn. Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railroad still runs eastbound trains on that same route most every day.

Records show that a prospector named William Peak discovered coal in the Ravensdale area around 1890. Yet, without a railroad, mining prospects were stillborn. John Leary, a prominent Seattle businessman and leader in building the Seattle & Walla Railroad (later Columbia & Puget Sound), led efforts by the Seattle & San Francisco Railway and Navigation Company to open the coal mines in 1899. In 1902, the Northwestern Improvement Company (NWI), a subsidiary of Northern Pacific, acquired the town and mines of Leary and renamed it Ravensdale.

Washington State coal output doubled from 1.2 million tons in 1890 to 2.4 million in 1900, then climbed another 62% to 3.9 million tons by 1910. Ravensdale’s volume grew from 48,000 tons in 1900, then averaged 130,000 tons per year until November 16, 1915. That fateful day, a catastrophic mine explosion claimed the lives of 31 miners. It was the third-worst coal mine disaster in Washington State history. The calamity tore the fabric of the town apart, leaving 20 widows and 35 fatherless children.

This photo was taken two years prior to the 1915 devastation. The only identified miner is Andy Gorjup, second from the left in a dark shirt, vest, and jaunty hat. His clothing suggests he was a cut above the other miners, likely because he worked as a mine engineer and electrician.

The picture was taken at the engine house of NWI’s Ravensdale No. 2 Mine, probably during equipment dismantling. Construction of the Ravensdale No. 2 surface structure began in November 1909, but the mine was not profitable, then idled in April 1911, remaining so until its abandonment in February 1913. The No. 2 mine was also known as the McKay Slope. 

In 1913, the State Inspector of Coal Mines, James Bagley, reported that NWI had “moved a 24” x 48” direct connected link reversing hoisting engine from the McKay mine to the No. 1 mine, at which mine it is now being used.” The large machine on the right, which looks like a giant fishing reel with a steel cable, is likely the hoisting engine from the McKay No. 2 mine, before its relocation. 

Like many of the average 200 to 300 coal miners who worked at the Ravensdale mine between 1900 and 1915, Andreas (Andrew or Andy) Gorjup emigrated from Europe and found work as a coal miner. Born in Reifnitz, Krain, Austria, in November 1885, Gorjup arrived at New York in May 1902, just 16 years old. His final destination was listed as Leary, via Black Diamond, Washington. In 1906, Andrew Gorjup married Maria (Mary) Arko, with her brother John Arko and sister-in-law Josefa (Gorjup) Arko as witnesses. John Arko perished in the 1915 Ravensdale mine explosion nine years later. Next week, more about the lives of Andy and Mary Gorjup.

This photo comes courtesy of JoAnne Matsumura, an Issaquah historian. It is only the second known photo of the original Ravensdale No. 2 mine. Doug Boomer Burnham, a Tahoma High School photography instructor, enhanced the photo. Michael and Donna Brathovde provided genealogical details about Andy and Mary Gorjup, plus information about the Ravensdale No. 2 mine. The Brathovdes have been researching Ravensdale history since 2014.