As you travel east on the Kent Kangley Road, you’ll pass the “Welcome to Covington” sign. Perhaps you have wondered about the name for the gravel pit on the northeast corner of the intersection with 160th Avenue Southeast. The name given to this pit operated by King County is the Calhoun Pit. It has had little activity within the cyclone fenced perimeter in recent years, but that was not always the case. Researching of the name at local archives and libraries reveals a different image to this seemingly tranquil landscape.
Prior to 1901 the Suise Creek Lumber Company operated a sawmill at this site and later that year sold it to partners Joesph Kraus and Isaac Calhoun. Mill operations began here as the Calhoun-Kraus Sawmill in February 1902. The mill became a successful venture for the partners and a few years later, a retail lumber store was opened in Kent near the railroad tracks. The area around Cow Lake (Lake Meridian) was heavily timbered in those days and by 1907 Calhoun had possession of over 240 acres of timber in the Meridian Heights area. By 1909, the mill, logging camps and retail operations employed 65 men and produced 30,000 board feet of lumber daily.
A 60-acre millpond had been created by a dam on Suise Creek. Harvested timber that was cut to the north of the mill was floated down to the south end of Cow Lake. From there the logs were yarded down a small exiting stream east of the lake to the nearby millpond by utilizing steam donkey engines operated by some of the Calhoun-Kraus employees.
Situated at this site in 1913 were numerous structures important to the operations of a working sawmill. On the west side (160th Avenue Southeast) was a building for the sawmill and planers, a blacksmith shop and a stable. At the east side on the hill was store and cook house. In the middle of the current day pit was the lumber yard and dry kiln. At the south side of the mill site was the area that four to five bunkhouses stood. The loading platform was located west of the current roadway, state Route 516. Twice each day manufactured lumbered loaded from this platform would be hauled to the retail yard in Kent by horse drawn wagon down the old Kent-Black Diamond Road. In addition to these wagons, they utilized horse drawn tram cars (flatbed rail cars) on trackage that went to the Northern Pacific siding at Covington Station. Boxcars were loaded with high grade lumber for overseas destinations.
In 1915, tragedy struck the operation when the sawmill caught fire and burnt completely down. The mill was never rebuilt because of the lack of available timber nearby and in 1917 the whole operation was sold.
Envision the early industrial activity that occupied this site over 100 years ago. Imagine the structure and equipment nestled here and the men at work. This was possibly the earliest and largest commercial enterprise located within the current city limits of Covington. The name on the fence, Calhoun Pit, now can have an identity for travelers heading eastward on Kent Kangley Road.
What other stories could be told of our city heritage. Are there buildings left that have a tale to be told? Which residents of the area might have some answers to these questions or family histories to share? The quest of finding historical information relating to the Covington community is exciting and rewarding.
