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Monohon, Washington

Ghost towns in King County, WashingtonHistory of King County, Washington
Sawmill at Monohan on Lake Sammamish, ca 1910 (MOHAI 5548)
Sawmill at Monohan on Lake Sammamish, ca 1910 (MOHAI 5548)

Monohon was a small town located on the east side of Lake Sammamish (then known as Lake Squak), near the present-day intersection of East Lake Sammamish Parkway and SE 33rd Street in the city of Sammamish. The community was originally part of a town named Donnelly, founded by Simon Donelly who built a sawmill there, but then grew big enough and was far enough away from Donelly that they created their own town, Monohon in 1888. The new town was named after Martin Monohon who had homesteaded 160 acres (0.65 km2) there in 1877. The railroad along the east side of the lake was completed in 1889, and the Donnelly mill was moved to the site of Monohon. By the turn of the century, there were twenty homes in Monohon, and the lumber mill was updated with the latest machinery. The mill also completed a new water system for the community. This brought both new wealth and new settlers to the community, which soon more than doubled in size. By 1911, the town's population had reached over 300. A 20-room hotel was built overlooking the lake, along with a church and a community meeting hall. The dock was used to ship lumber and dairy products on the lake. Growth slowed, but continued over the years. During the height of the prohibition era, the small town was raided by King County sheriff officers looking for bootleggers. 50 gallons of moonshine whiskey were reportedly confiscated. In 1925, the entire town was destroyed by a fire. The sawmill, hotel, depot, post office, and all but about 10 homes were completely consumed. The mill was rebuilt, but the town never recovered, and all but disappeared when the great depression hit in 1929. The sawmill continued to operate for many years after, but was repeatedly burned and rebuilt. The mill finally closed forever in 1980.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Monohon, Washington (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Monohon, Washington
Southeast 33rd Street,

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Wikipedia: Monohon, WashingtonContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 47.579722222222 ° E -122.07472222222 °
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Address

7-Eleven

Southeast 33rd Street
98075
Washington, United States
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Sawmill at Monohan on Lake Sammamish, ca 1910 (MOHAI 5548)
Sawmill at Monohan on Lake Sammamish, ca 1910 (MOHAI 5548)
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Nearby Places

Issaquah Creek
Issaquah Creek

Issaquah Creek is a small stream flowing through the city of Issaquah and nearby communities, in the U.S. state of Washington. Its headwaters are on the slopes of Cougar, Squak, Tiger, and Taylor mountains in the Issaquah Alps. Tributaries of Issaquah Creek include Holder Creek, Carey Creek, Fifteen-mile Creek, McDonald Creek, East Fork Issaquah Creek, and North Fork Issaquah Creek. The creek empties into the south end of Lake Sammamish. The lake's outlet is the Sammamish River, which in turn empties into Lake Washington and ultimately Puget Sound.Issaquah Creek's drainage basin is over 75% forest land and less than 10% urbanized or cleared. The basin is one of the three most significant in urbanizing King County. The upper and middle portions of the basin have been identified as a Regionally Significant Resource area due to their exceptional fish habitat and undeveloped character. The entire basin is an important salmon migration and spawning area. Carry Creek and Holder Creek, in the upper Issaquah Creek basin, provide particularly excellent salmonid habitat.Every October people gather on its shores to watch the salmon traveling upstream. Fishing in Issaquah Creek is only practiced legally by anglers under age 15 and by the local Native Americans.. Issaquah Creek and its tributaries support Chinook, coho, and sockeye salmon (both anadromous sockeye and resident kokanee), coastal cutthroat trout, and steelhead. Chinook and coho are reared by the state Issaquah Salmon Hatchery, located three miles upstream from the creek's mouth. The hatchery has been releasing Chinook salmon into Issaquah Creek since 1936. Data for the early 2000s indicate that approximately two million Chinook smolts have been released each year.