Tono, Washington
Encyclopedia
Tono, Washington is a ghost town
in Southwest Washington. It was a company-owned mining town founded in 1907 by the Washington Union Coal Company, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad
to supply coal
for their steam locomotive
s. Tono was located in southern Thurston County about 20 miles south of Olympia, Washington
, 5 miles south of Tenino, 2 miles east of Bucoda at the end of a railroad spur. The town was named Tono
in 1909 by one of the many Japanese railroad workers.
At its peak in the 1920s Tono had over 1,000 residents, 125 houses, a hotel, a hospital, a general store, and a school. The town flourished until 1932 when the railroads began switching to diesel locomotive
s and the Union Pacific sold the mines to the Bucoda Mining Company. Afterwards the mines operated intermittently while most of the residents moved away. Many of the vacant houses were sold and moved to nearby communities. By 1950 there were only a few buildings and residents left in Tono. The last full-time residents of Tono were John and Lempi Hirvela, who moved there in 1923. The Hirvelas lived in the last surviving home, the former mine superintendent's residence, until 1976.
In 1967 the Pacific Power & Light Company revived operations at the Tono field, now known as the Centralia Coal Mine
. PP&L purchased the property including the town site (and the Hirvela's home) and began strip mining the area to supply coal for the Centralia Power Plant
in nearby Lewis County
Mining operations obliterated most of the former town site in the 1980s. All that remains of Tono are a few overgrown foundations.
Ghost town
A ghost town is an abandoned town or city. A town often becomes a ghost town because the economic activity that supported it has failed, or due to natural or human-caused disasters such as floods, government actions, uncontrolled lawlessness, war, or nuclear disasters...
in Southwest Washington. It was a company-owned mining town founded in 1907 by the Washington Union Coal Company, a subsidiary of the Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
to supply coal
Coal
Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock usually occurring in rock strata in layers or veins called coal beds or coal seams. The harder forms, such as anthracite coal, can be regarded as metamorphic rock because of later exposure to elevated temperature and pressure...
for their steam locomotive
Locomotive
A locomotive is a railway vehicle that provides the motive power for a train. The word originates from the Latin loco – "from a place", ablative of locus, "place" + Medieval Latin motivus, "causing motion", and is a shortened form of the term locomotive engine, first used in the early 19th...
s. Tono was located in southern Thurston County about 20 miles south of Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
, 5 miles south of Tenino, 2 miles east of Bucoda at the end of a railroad spur. The town was named Tono
Tono, Iwate
is a city located in Iwate, Japan. The city of Tōno lies near the center of Iwate Prefecture in the floodplain of the Sarugaishi River. It is known as "The City of Folklore" for its rural nature, its preservation of traditional culture and especially for the collection of folktales, Tōno...
in 1909 by one of the many Japanese railroad workers.
At its peak in the 1920s Tono had over 1,000 residents, 125 houses, a hotel, a hospital, a general store, and a school. The town flourished until 1932 when the railroads began switching to diesel locomotive
Diesel locomotive
A diesel locomotive is a type of railroad locomotive in which the prime mover is a diesel engine, a reciprocating engine operating on the Diesel cycle as invented by Dr. Rudolf Diesel...
s and the Union Pacific sold the mines to the Bucoda Mining Company. Afterwards the mines operated intermittently while most of the residents moved away. Many of the vacant houses were sold and moved to nearby communities. By 1950 there were only a few buildings and residents left in Tono. The last full-time residents of Tono were John and Lempi Hirvela, who moved there in 1923. The Hirvelas lived in the last surviving home, the former mine superintendent's residence, until 1976.
In 1967 the Pacific Power & Light Company revived operations at the Tono field, now known as the Centralia Coal Mine
Centralia Coal Mine
Centralia Coal Mine is an open-pit coal mine, owned by the Canadian based TransAlta Corporation. The mine is currently shut down. Also referred to as the TransAlta Centralia Mining operation, the coal mine is located approximately northeast of the city of Centralia, in Lewis County, in the US...
. PP&L purchased the property including the town site (and the Hirvela's home) and began strip mining the area to supply coal for the Centralia Power Plant
Centralia Power Plant
Centralia Big Hanaford power plant is a major coal-fired power plant supplemented with newer natural-gas-fired units. It is located east of Centralia, Washington, United States in Lewis County. As of 2006, it is the only commercial coal-fired power plant in Washington State...
in nearby Lewis County
Lewis County, Washington
Lewis County is a county located in the U.S. state of Washington. As of 2010, the population was 75,455. The county seat is at Chehalis, and its largest city is Centralia....
Mining operations obliterated most of the former town site in the 1980s. All that remains of Tono are a few overgrown foundations.
External links
- Tono at Geocites
- Tono at Ghosttowns.com
- experiencewashington.com
- http://content.lib.washington.edu/cdm4/results.php?CISOOP1=all&CISOFIELD1=CISOSEARCHALL&CISORESTMP=%2Fcdm4%2Fresults.php&CISOVIEWTMP=%2Fcdm4%2Fitem_viewer.php&CISOMODE=thumb&CISOGRID=thumbnail%2CA%2C1%3Btitle%2CA%2C1%3Bsubjec%2CA%2C0%3Bdescri%2C200%2C0%3Bnone%2CA%2C0%3B20%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOBIB=title%2CA%2C1%2CN%3Bsubjec%2CA%2C0%2CN%3Bdescri%2C200%2C0%2CN%3Bnone%2CA%2C0%2CN%3Bnone%2CA%2C0%2CN%3B20%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOTHUMB=20+%284x5%29%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOTITLE=20%3Btitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOHIERA=20%3Bsubjec%2Ctitle%2Cnone%2Cnone%2Cnone&CISOSUPPRESS=1&CISOBOX1=Tono&CISOROOT=all&x=0&y=0University of Washington Libraries]