Issaquah Depot Museum

History:

The Squak Valley was little more than a wide spot in a non-existent road when the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway, led by young attorney, Daniel Hunt Gilman, made its way to the small settlement of Squak in 1888.

With the arrival of the railroad, development possibilities were endless for the small community. The black gold hidden in the hillside became the lodestar of the town. The railroad provided a cost effective method of getting the coal to market. Local farms and lumber companies had a faster and more economical way of getting their products to Seattle buyers.

In 1983, when the Issaquah Historical Society was being reorganized, members chose the historic depot as their main project, leasing the building from the City of Issaquah. The Depot Committee began the restoration of the building which was in deplorable condition.