Monohon, Washington
Encyclopedia
Monohon was a small town located on the east side of Lake Sammamish
(then known as Lake Squak), near the present-day intersection of East Lake Sammamish Parkway and NE33rd Street in the city of Sammamish
. The community was originally part of a town named Donnelly, founded by Simon Donelly who built a sawmill
there, but then grew big enough and was far enough away from Donelly that they created their own town, Monohon in 1888. The new town was named after Martin Monohon who had homesteaded 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) there in 1877. The railroad along the east side of the lake was completed in 1889, and the Donnelly mill was moved to the site of Monohon.
By the turn of the century, there were twenty homes in Monohon, and the lumber mill was updated with the latest machinery. The mill also completed a new water system for the community. This brought both new wealth and new settlers to the community, which soon more than doubled in size. By 1911, the town's population had reached over 300. A 20-room hotel was built overlooking the lake, along with a church and a community meeting hall. The dock was used to ship lumber and dairy products on the lake. Growth slowed, but continued over the years.
During the height of the prohibition era
, the small town was raided by King County sheriff officers looking for 'bootleggers'
. 50 gallons of moonshine whiskey were reportedly confiscated.
In 1925, the entire town was destroyed by a fire. The sawmill, hotel, depot, post office, and all but about 10 homes were completely consumed. The mill was rebuilt, but the town never recovered, and all but disappeared when the great depression hit in 1929. The sawmill continued to operate for many years after, but was repeatedly burned and rebuilt. The mill finally closed forever in 1980.
Lake Sammamish
Lake Sammamish is a freshwater lake east of Seattle in King County, Washington, United States. The lake is long and wide, with a maximum depth of and a surface area of . It lies east of Lake Washington and west of the Sammamish Plateau, and stretches from Issaquah in the south to Redmond in...
(then known as Lake Squak), near the present-day intersection of East Lake Sammamish Parkway and NE33rd Street in the city of Sammamish
Sammamish, Washington
-Surrounding cities and communities:-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 34,104 people, 11,131 households, and 9,650 families residing in the city. In 2007, the population is expected to pass 40,000....
. The community was originally part of a town named Donnelly, founded by Simon Donelly who built a sawmill
Sawmill
A sawmill is a facility where logs are cut into boards.-Sawmill process:A sawmill's basic operation is much like those of hundreds of years ago; a log enters on one end and dimensional lumber exits on the other end....
there, but then grew big enough and was far enough away from Donelly that they created their own town, Monohon in 1888. The new town was named after Martin Monohon who had homesteaded 160 acre (0.6474976 km²) there in 1877. The railroad along the east side of the lake was completed in 1889, and the Donnelly mill was moved to the site of Monohon.
By the turn of the century, there were twenty homes in Monohon, and the lumber mill was updated with the latest machinery. The mill also completed a new water system for the community. This brought both new wealth and new settlers to the community, which soon more than doubled in size. By 1911, the town's population had reached over 300. A 20-room hotel was built overlooking the lake, along with a church and a community meeting hall. The dock was used to ship lumber and dairy products on the lake. Growth slowed, but continued over the years.
During the height of the prohibition era
Prohibition in the United States
Prohibition in the United States was a national ban on the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol, in place from 1920 to 1933. The ban was mandated by the Eighteenth Amendment to the Constitution, and the Volstead Act set down the rules for enforcing the ban, as well as defining which...
, the small town was raided by King County sheriff officers looking for 'bootleggers'
Rum-running
Rum-running, also known as bootlegging, is the illegal business of transporting alcoholic beverages where such transportation is forbidden by law...
. 50 gallons of moonshine whiskey were reportedly confiscated.
In 1925, the entire town was destroyed by a fire. The sawmill, hotel, depot, post office, and all but about 10 homes were completely consumed. The mill was rebuilt, but the town never recovered, and all but disappeared when the great depression hit in 1929. The sawmill continued to operate for many years after, but was repeatedly burned and rebuilt. The mill finally closed forever in 1980.