Alder, Washington

Reliance is an unincorporated community in Pierce County, Washington. It is located off Route 7, on the shore of Alder Lake.

Alder Lake is a 7 mi (11 km) long reservoir on the Nisqually River about ten miles south of Eatonville, Washington, It was created by the construction of Alder Dam by Tacoma Power in September 1944. At the very eastern end of the lake is the town of Elbe, Washington. The name of the lake recalls the former small town of Alder, which was flooded in 1945 by the impounded water of the lake and disappeared. The extinct town, in turn, was named for alder trees near the original site. The current community of Alder is located north of the lake. In 2021, Intel gave its 12th generation Intel Core processor the codename Alder Lake after the body of water.

La Grande is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Pierce County, Washington, United States. As of the 2020 census, La Grande had a population of 121. La Grande is located along Washington State Route 7 3.5 miles (5.6 km) southwest of Eatonville. La Grande has a post office with ZIP code 98348.

Alder Dam is a concrete thick arch dam on the Nisqually River in the U.S. state of Washington. The construction began in 1942 and was completed in 1945. At this time Alder Dam was among the tallest dams in the United States, although this title has since been surpassed. The impounded water behind the dam forms Alder Lake, stretching about 7 miles (11 km) upstream with a capacity of 241,950 acre-feet (0.29844 km3). With 28 miles (45 km) of shoreline, the lake is a popular recreation spot close to Mount Rainier National Park. Water from Alder Lake is sent into two generators at the base of the dam, each of which produces 25 megawatts for a total nameplate capacity of 50 megawatts. Two miles downstream is LaGrande Dam, site of the first dam in the area, dating from 1912, and rebuilt in 1945 along with Alder's construction. Most of the energy produced at the dam is sent to the city of Tacoma, about 25 miles (40 km) north. Both Alder and LaGrande dams are owned and operated by Tacoma Power. The name of the lake and the dam recalls the former small town of Alder, which was flooded in 1945 by the impounded water of the lake and disappeared. The current community of Alder is located north of the reservoir.

KTDD (104.9 MHz) is an FM radio station licensed to Eatonville, Washington, and serving the southern Puget Sound region including Tacoma. KTDD is owned by 247 Media and carries a Contemporary Worship radio format. The station holds periodic fundraisers to support the on-air ministry. KTDD has an effective radiated power (ERP) of 17,000 watts. The transmitter is off Alder Cutoff Road East in Eatonville.

Elbe () is a census-designated place (CDP) in Pierce County, Washington, United States. The population was 39 at the 2020 census.

The Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad (reporting mark MRSR) formerly the Mt. Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum (MRRR), is a steam-powered heritage railroad operating in the U.S. state of Washington between Elbe and Mineral. The railroad travels on trackage that passes through thick forest just south of Mount Rainier. The depot, gift shop and ticket office are located in Elbe. The train travels to the Logging Museum exhibits located in Mineral. The MRRR runs its collection of vintage rail equipment over 7 miles (11 kilometers) of track, part of Tacoma Rail's Mountain Division.

The Elbe Evangelical Lutheran Church (also known as the Little White Church of Elbe) is a small church in Elbe, Pierce County, Washington, USA. The church has been listed by sources, including Ripley's Believe It or Not!, as the world's smallest functional church.

Eatonville is a town in Pierce County, Washington, United States. It is 32 mi (51 km) south of Tacoma. The population was 2,845 at the 2020 census. The town motto is "Better Together."

The Mashel River is a river in Pierce County, in the U.S. state of Washington. It is a tributary of the Nisqually River, which it enters about 3.6 miles (5.8 km) southwest of Eatonville, at Nisqually river mile 39.6.

Mineral is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lewis County, Washington, on State Route 7 near the Pierce/Lewis county line. As of the 2020 census, Mineral had a population of 193. Mineral originally began as a logging camp and mining town. Prospectors searching the area for gold instead found coal and arsenic. By the early 1920s, the mines closed and a devastating fire to the town's largest sawmill ended the early, peak years of the community. Mineral began to turn to tourism as its main industry, primarily through recreational fishing on Mineral Lake. A local attraction is the Mineral Log Lodge, listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Mineral Log Lodge is a historic lodge located in Mineral, Washington. The landmark was added to the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 1975. Known originally as the Mineral Lake Inn, the log cabin lodge was constructed in 1906 out of solid timber. Initially the inn was to be of use as a retreat for wealthy citizens from Seattle and Tacoma. However, the lodge was not a successful venture at its beginnings due to difficulties in reaching the rural inn. Coupled with losses to Mineral's economy and population during the 1910s and into the 1920s, ownership, in order to increase business, turned to activities such as alcohol and gambling which were considered legally and morally unacceptable at the time. The inn was often raided by law enforcement. The lodge changed ownership several times afterwards, becoming a sanatorium for a brief time and later used for corporate or employee retreats for logging companies. The venue was used to entertain business and political dignitaries in the state in the mid-20th century but eventually fell out of use, becoming a private residence for decades as a house for caretakers. By the early 2000s, the lodge was reopened as a bed-and-breakfast. The Mineral Log lodge, noted also for its dormers, an attached, matching kitchen building, and views of Mount Rainier, is considered to be in a mostly unaltered state, surviving in good condition with a large amount of original craftsmanship remaining during its lifetime.