Many of us know the Lake Youngs Reservoir as a rural recreation trail that parallels a watershed perimeter fence operated by the city of Seattle. This reserve lies to the west of Maple Valley, north of the city of Covington and to the south of Petrovitsky Road near Fairwood. On an early trek around the graveled trail I became curious about the origin of the watershed and what it was like prior to Seattle taking possession of the land.
Passersby would never know that Swan Lake was the name given to this pristine lake in the foothills of Washington Territory by a survey party for the swans that were seen swimming on the lake during an 1867 federal land survey. To the Native Americans it was known as bisxwuqid “where there are swans.” A decade before this survey a trail was cut by the military just to the west side of the lake that eventually went to Black Diamond, then across the Cascade Mountains as a means to protect the people of the White River Valley and greater Puget Sound region during the 1855 Indian uprising.
Settlement began in the area surrounding Swan Lake in the 1880’s. McElhoe, Ranta, and Hering were among a few of the early homesteaders who filed patents on land near the lake. By 1891 the Swan Lake School began in a log schoolhouse a quarter mile west of the lake with 15 students. It’s new location in 1905 would have been another quarter mile west on Larson Road (148th Ave SE) across the street from the Army Reserve site and within the watershed boundary fence. The school was used for elections, a church and public assemblies and continued operations at this site until condemnation proceedings were finalized in 1921.
In addition to the residences built at Swan Lake there were business enterprises involved in harvesting the natural resources near the lake. The Covington Lumber Company incorporated in 1901 and maintained a large cutting crew camp on the southeast shoreline. A rail line ran the length of the lake from the north and continued south passed the log camp to the sawmill site at Covington. Another logging company operation during the early 1900’s was known as the Bowers Timber Company which was located at the northeast side of the lake. In 1917 a coal vein was discovered at the north end of the lake by Howard Allen. The Northwest Improvement Company operated a mine there for numerous years. Later the Lake Youngs Coal Company operated a mine. The remnants of the mining operation remained for many years with a trestle standing near the Old Petrovitsky Road until the 1970’s.
Reginald Thompson began exploration of Cedar River as a water resource for Seattle, and in 1897 the surveys were complete. The next year the city started acquiring properties. By 1917 condemnation proceedings were begun on properties at Swan Lake Reservoir. The building of the dams at the east side and south end were begun in 1922. Water from the Cedar River Pipeline diverted into the lake, which is one mile wide and two miles long. Increased to 790 acres from the original 548 acres and raised the level of the lake 20 feet. The following year water superintendent L.B. Youngs died and the reservoir was officially named for him by 1924. Near this time the perimeter fence was built and Lake Youngs effectively disappeared from the public use.
Today the lake can hardly be seen from the trail. I wonder even more about the tall timber, the early homesteads and pastures, or the noise of the logging operations surrounding this lake. Tours can sometimes be organized with the Cedar River Watershed, and one day maybe I will satisfy some of my curiosity and take a trip back into yesterday.
