Chimacum High School - Tahl Kie Chee Yearbook (Chimacum, WA)

Page 17 text:

Page 18 text:

, h TIRONDAL: w 1. .- Irondale, situated on the South shore of Port Townsend Bay was at one time a thriving boom town. The Iron Mill in- stalled there, brought about a large rise in population.' . . Irondale seht iroq -to many parts of the wbrld. Some' was used in the construction of the United States cruiser, v Charlestont. The Union Workstof San Francisco used a large e quantity of the No. l and No. 2 foundry iron, made by this furnace, for casting steam cylinders and other parts require 'ing-tgood quality of iron. On the night of January 9, 1904, the steamer Clallam went down in The Strait of Juan de Fuca; with a loss of 54 lives. She carried Homer H. Swaney, head of the steel company. Mr. Swaney was from Mc Keesport, Pa.5 where he had many associates of financial responsibility, iwilling to aid him in'making Irondale the steelrcity of.the . West. But bye his death these valuable contracts were loste and the plant was allowed to drift into financial difficult- 1650 h i 2 T ' 'x The business sections of Irondale was then made of sevaV eral saloons, two motion picture houses,two hardware Stores, four restauqants end a number of other stores. The popula- tion was then abbut 2,000. - , During 4the time of the constructibn of the Irondale Iron Mill, there was a building being built near the mouth of The Chimaoum Creek,, The idea of the building was to es- . tablish, a herseshoe factory. Due to the fact thattmachine- ry was taking the place of horses and there was no demand for horseshoes the-plant never operated for this purpose. It Jwas leased later on by the Booth Fishery Corporation and wag used as a 'headquarters for the fishing and trapping equipment. In 1935 the fish traps were voted out and the . cempany moved. The building was then sold and moved to a l-new location. - - i . t Well, the boom town days are over and Irondale has set- teled down to a peaceful quiet community with one store and a wrecking yard. .