Maple Valley’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 4 old photos of Maple Valley. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The area was settled in 1879 by three men who were improving a trail and brought their families in. When a name for a future community was proposed, the names Vine Maple Valley and Maple Ridge were suggested. A vote was taken by writing the names on slips of paper and placing them in a hat. Vine Maple Valley won by 2/3, but the word "Vine" was later cut by the post office because it made the name too long.
The town's early history mainly had to do with coal, lumber milling to build homes, and a railroad that ran through town. Coal was brought in from Black Diamond to the south, but the town itself also mined coal from Cedar Mountain. The mine was used as late as 1947.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Maple Valley’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Maple Valley’s history is told.
1 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🔁Retake an old viewStudents and teachers at Maple Va…, c. 1891: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Maple Valley, decade by decade
1990s
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Students and teachers at Maple Valley School, ca. 1891 (c. 1891) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Historic places
National Register · via Wikidata
From Wikimedia Commons (5) and the National Register (1). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.