Maple Valley's first railroad station, built in the early 1890s, was replaced with the building shown in this photo in the early 1920s. This was one of only five village depots in the United States which was both a depot and a train dispatcher's office. Depot personnel dispatched Pacific Coast Coal Company trains from Black Diamond to Seattle and served as telegraph operators for Chicago, Milwaukee, and St. Paul (Milwaukee Road) trains from Tacoma. The building housed depot employees and their families upstairs.
This 1920s photo shows the second Maple Valley railroad depot. The building was torn down in 1952, and a third depot was built on the site. The third depot was demolished in the 1980s.
Handwritten on image: 11749 Signs in Image: Wells Fargo & Co. Express, Western Union Telegraph and Cable Office
Typed on verso: Maple Valley Depot
Same as SHS19173
ID Number: 1978.6585.28
Date: Circa 1920
Physical Description: 1 photographic print : b&w ; 7.75 x 9.75 in.
Additional Information: View the finding aid for this collection at https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:80444/xv71147
Credit: MOHAI, Pacific Coast Company Photograph Album, 1978.6585.28
