ROSLYN’S MINING HERITAGE
The Northern Pacific Railway Company began developing the mines to harvest the rich deposits of coal in 1886, and actively recruited workers in Europe, 28 Nationalities immigrated to Roslyn, forming work and danger of mining, and committed to making their community a better place to live, citizens worked to fight fires, and disaster victims, protect their clean drinking water, and build a hospital.
The members of Roslyn-Ronald Heritage Club are descendants of the Roslyn and Ronald immigrants. They helped build the town of Roslyn, which was at that time one of the largest thriving towns in Kittitas County. The descendants left Roslyn in the years of 1936-1949 due to closing of the mines. 60 years later in 1996 they funded and built the coal miners memorial to honor their heritage, and their parents who contributed so much to the development of the area in the early 1900’s.
The statue is of a young coal miner in the years of 1908-1920 leaving the mine at the end of a workday. He sees members of his family waiting for him. He greets them with a wave and a smile. A happy ending of a workday.
1883 Coal was discovered and the following year the first export of coal was delivered to Ellensburg. 1889 Roslyn was incorporated. 1892 there was a mine explosion and 45 miners were killed. In 1893 a 50,000 pound block of coal was sent to the Worlds Fair. 1909 there was another mine explosion and 10 miners were killed. 1926 coal cutting machines replaced pick and shovels contract work, at $5.00 per day.
By 1901, over one million tons of coal were produced each year. Production peaked in the 1920’s, but during the 1930’s fuel oil and electricity were lessening the demand for coal. The last mine closed in 1963. Today, much coal remains underground. It is estimated that in spite of the many years of mining 283 million tons of coal still remain in the Roslyn coal fields.
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