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Re: Aerial photo Black River Jct PNW interest
Author: trackwalker
Date: 12-24-2017 - 04:59
This may be a bit long winded but lots of memories with this photo.
I may be splitting hairs, I always thought Black River Jct. was to the north where the Milwaukee/PCRR met the NP at Black River. This I always thought of as the Renton Jct for the NP. For some reason, there were always cars spotted on the NB leg of the wye by the tree where they sit in the photo. It appears that there may be some power attached to them also.
The Renton sewage treatment plant is under construction, my dad ran the electrical on that job. Yes, the Tukwila dump had quite the history. Times were changing, but it was one of the few places earlier in time that a Black man could make a decent living. If you worked at the dump, you got salvage rights to everything. When you pulled in, they came over to help unload, but in reality they were looking over the load for scrap metal and other parts and pieces to salvage and sell. Much later a fellow I worked with mentioned that he went to Seattle Prep the same time I was at Kennedy. His dad put six children through parochial schools working at the Tukwila dump. His dad always kept a low profile he said, so that the “white guys” wouldn’t horn in on his job. I can’t blame the thought pattern.
If you travel north along Interurban Ave. (West Valley Highway,) the first white splotch you see at the foot of the hill was the house I was born in. South Center is under construction scheduled to open Thanksgiving 1968.
There were several accidents at the Monster Rd. grade crossing. At least two were fatalities. When we moved from the house on Interurban in 1956 to the house in Skyway, two of our new neighbors worked at the Black River Tower. Mrs. Spught had the first trick, Mr. Nelson had the second trick. He quit eventually, he didn't like the fact that a woman had more seniority than he did. We could wander down the hill to see Mrs. Spught and she would let us pull levers for her when needed. Talk about big stuff, even thinking about it today would get you arrested.
Does anybody remember the Bum Jungle on the Milwaukee just east of the Jct? Several of the men lived there year around and a couple even had bank accounts at the Skyway branch of Peoples National Bank where my mom worked.
Thank you for posting the comments and photo. Again, lots of memories.
I may be splitting hairs, I always thought Black River Jct. was to the north where the Milwaukee/PCRR met the NP at Black River. This I always thought of as the Renton Jct for the NP. For some reason, there were always cars spotted on the NB leg of the wye by the tree where they sit in the photo. It appears that there may be some power attached to them also.
The Renton sewage treatment plant is under construction, my dad ran the electrical on that job. Yes, the Tukwila dump had quite the history. Times were changing, but it was one of the few places earlier in time that a Black man could make a decent living. If you worked at the dump, you got salvage rights to everything. When you pulled in, they came over to help unload, but in reality they were looking over the load for scrap metal and other parts and pieces to salvage and sell. Much later a fellow I worked with mentioned that he went to Seattle Prep the same time I was at Kennedy. His dad put six children through parochial schools working at the Tukwila dump. His dad always kept a low profile he said, so that the “white guys” wouldn’t horn in on his job. I can’t blame the thought pattern.
If you travel north along Interurban Ave. (West Valley Highway,) the first white splotch you see at the foot of the hill was the house I was born in. South Center is under construction scheduled to open Thanksgiving 1968.
There were several accidents at the Monster Rd. grade crossing. At least two were fatalities. When we moved from the house on Interurban in 1956 to the house in Skyway, two of our new neighbors worked at the Black River Tower. Mrs. Spught had the first trick, Mr. Nelson had the second trick. He quit eventually, he didn't like the fact that a woman had more seniority than he did. We could wander down the hill to see Mrs. Spught and she would let us pull levers for her when needed. Talk about big stuff, even thinking about it today would get you arrested.
Does anybody remember the Bum Jungle on the Milwaukee just east of the Jct? Several of the men lived there year around and a couple even had bank accounts at the Skyway branch of Peoples National Bank where my mom worked.
Thank you for posting the comments and photo. Again, lots of memories.
