Carbonado () is a town in Pierce County,

Washington Washington most commonly refers to: * George Washington (1732–1799), the first president of the United States * Washington (state), a state in the Pacific Northwest of the United States * Washington, D.C., the capital of the United States ** A ...

, United States. It is located near the

Carbon River The Carbon River is a river in the U.S. state of Washington. It flows about 30 miles (48 km) from its source, the Carbon Glacier on Mount Rainier, to join the Puyallup River at Orting. Charles Wilkes called the river the "Upthascap Rive ...

in the north of the county, approximately southeast of

Seattle Seattle ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Washington and in the Pacific Northwest region of North America. With a population of 780,995 in 2024, it is the 18th-most populous city in the United States. The city is the cou ...

. Carbonado is the last town before entering

Mount Rainier National Park Mount Rainier National Park is a List of national parks of the United States, national park of the United States located in southeast Pierce County, Washington, Pierce County and northeast Lewis County, Washington, Lewis County in Washington (sta ...

Carbon River Entrance. The town also served as an important

coal mining Coal mining is the process of resource extraction, extracting coal from the ground or from a mine. Coal is valued for its Energy value of coal, energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to Electricity generation, generate electr ...

community in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, when the town operated the largest coal mine in Pierce County. The population was 734 at the 2020 census.

History

Carbonado was one of several in the

valley to be settled during an economic boom in the region. The boom was brought on by the demand for raw material in nearby growing cities such as

and

Tacoma Tacoma ( ) is the county seat of Pierce County, Washington, United States. A port city, it is situated along Washington's Puget Sound, southwest of Seattle, southwest of Bellevue, northeast of the state capital, Olympia, northwest of Mount ...

. Starting with the town of Wilkeson and moving on through Burnett, Carbonado, Montezuma, Fairfax, and finally Manley Moore, these settlements sprawled up the valley to the very boundary of

. Most of these towns were company towns, meaning that they specialized in the harvest of raw materials on the plot of land that the town was situated on ,which was owned by a commercial company. Often – and such was the case of Carbonado – the company owned the houses and energy resources as well. The energy resource in Carbonado was also the raw material that the citizens of the company town were harvesting,

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen. Coal i ...

. More than 100 miners died in mining accidents in and around Carbonado, including 31 who were killed in an explosion in Carbon Hill Coal Company's Mine Number 7 on December 9, 1899. During the time of the initial boom in the valley, Carbonado grew to rival the size of Tacoma. The railroad, integral to the transportation of people, supplies and exported materials, extended all the way up the valley, servicing the towns and several homesteads. These were settled predominantly by Polish immigrants, and supplied the towns down the valley with fresh milk and eggs. Two survive today, one known as Carbon River Ranch (the main house is the old Fairfax school and can be seen from Washington State Route 165) and the other formerly known as Huckle-Chuck. At Huckle-Chuck, the original house and one of the barns are still used and functional. At the peak of the boom both of these homesteads and the towns which they supplied were quite productive and lively. However, the boom did not last as the economy suffered a downturn, and with it came the end of the need for the lower-grade coal being mined at Carbonado and the

timber Lumber is wood that has been processed into uniform and useful sizes (dimensional lumber), including beams and planks or boards. Lumber is mainly used for construction framing, as well as finishing (floors, wall panels, window frames). ...

being harvested for use in the settlements further up the valley. Since the decline of the mining era, Carbonado has experienced extreme shrinking and small booms ultimately ending with a steady population. All of the current residents work elsewhere and what was once an economic center for the valley is now a residential community. The railroad also pulled out of the town. The Rails to Trails project has most of the actual rail line land in its possession. The time that Carbonado did spend as a coal mining town is evidenced by the cemetery, abandoned mines, an overgrown coal slag pile, a school, and the company houses left behind. The cemetery holds the memories of older and more recent dead with many of the grave holders' family still living nearby. Huge concrete monoliths that once held that cables for the mining carts point straight towards the old mine shafts and openings and stand overgrown and now only utilized by the town's children. One hill in the town started out as the coal slag pile and now has been carpeted by ivy and trees. The school makes up what is known as the Carbonado Historical School District and grades K-8th still attend there. Many of the houses that the company built and originally owned still line main street. They look very similar to each other as was the style of the company builders at the time. Although many of the miners abandoned the town, the direct descendants of the original miners still live in some of the houses. Carbonado was officially incorporated on September 13, 1948.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , all of it land.

Demographics

2010 census

As of the 2010 United States census, there were 610 people, 208 households, and 153 families living in the town. The

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

was . There were 218 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 93.1%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.7%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 1.0% Native American, 1.1% Asian, 0.2%

Pacific Islander Pacific Islanders, Pasifika, Pasefika, Pacificans, or rarely Pacificers are the peoples of the list of islands in the Pacific Ocean, Pacific Islands. As an ethnic group, ethnic/race (human categorization), racial term, it is used to describe th ...

, 1.5% from other races, and 2.5% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 4.8% of the population. There were 208 households, of which 39.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 57.7% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, 9.1% had a male householder with no wife present, and 26.4% were non-families. 18.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.8% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.93 and the average family size was 3.37. The median age in the town was 34.9 years. 43.2% of residents were under the age of 18; 9.3% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 27.2% were from 25 to 44; 24.7% were from 45 to 64; and 10.3% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 52.5% male and 47.5% female.

2000 census

As of the 2000 United States census, there were 621 people, 200 households, and 158 families living in the town. The

was 1,527.9 people per square mile (584.8/km²). There were 210 housing units at an average density of 516.7 per square mile (197.8/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 96.46%

, 0.48% Native American, 0.64% from other races, and 2.42% from two or more races.

or Latino of any race were 1.93% of the population. There were 200 households, out of which 48.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 68.5% were

living together, 4.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 21.0% were non-families. 17.5% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.11 and the average family size was 3.56. In the town, the population was spread out, with 34.9% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.8% from 25 to 44, 20.5% from 45 to 64, and 7.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 30 years. For every 100 females, there were 110.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 108.2 males. The median income for a household in the town was $50,250. Males had a median income of $38,583 versus $24,821 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $16,135. About 1.4% of families and 4.0% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 2.9% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

Frank Robinson Frank Robinson (August 31, 1935 – February 7, 2019), nicknamed "the Judge", was an American professional baseball outfielder and manager in Major League Baseball (MLB) who played for five teams over 21 seasons: the Cincinnati Reds (1956–196 ...

, founder and CEO of Robinson Helicopters, was born in Carbonado in 1930. * Paul Strand,

baseball pitcher In baseball, the pitcher is the player who throws (" pitches") the baseball from the pitcher's mound toward the catcher to begin each play, with the goal of retiring a batter, who attempts to either make contact with the pitched ball or draw ...

, was born in Carbonado in 1893.

History

Geography

Demographics

2010 census

2000 census

Notable people

References

Further reading

Archives