A Brief History of Early Fall City
By Curt Cunningham

Fall City lies in the picturesque Snoqualmie River Valley, approximately three miles downstream from the awe-inspiring Snoqualmie Falls. This small town takes its name from its proximity to the falls and it is believed that George Boham, the town’s first postmaster, chose the name in 1872 when he established the post office there. Originally known as “The Landing,” Fall City served as the head of navigation for canoes on the Snoqualmie River and had been used by the Snoqualmie Tribe for thousands of years.

The First People

The first people of the area were the Snoqualmie Tribe, who have lived in the area from time immemorial. The Snoqualmie have a legend of "Moon the Transformer", who, according to their beliefs, made this world habitable. The Snoqualmie people established their lives along the Snoqualmie River, from its headwaters in the Cascade Mountains to its confluence with the Skykomish River near the town of Monroe. Their largest village, YELL’h (“Raging River”), was situated on the north side of the river, directly opposite the present-day town of Fall City. This village, with its 18 longhouses, served as an important cultural and social center for the Snoqualmie people.

The Snoqualmie relied on the abundant resources of the river and surrounding forests, sustaining themselves with salmon from the river, plants, and berries gathered from the forests, and game hunted in the surrounding area. They were skilled in fishing, weaving, and tool-making, often using cedar, a tree sacred in their culture, for crafting canoes, houses, and clothing. This village was not only a place of shelter but also a gathering point for storytelling, trade, and ceremonies that honored their connection to the land and the spirit world.

Early Routes to Snoqualmie Falls

Long before roads connected the Puget Sound region to Eastern Washington, the Snoqualmie people as well as people from other tribes followed numerous trails to reach either side of the mountains. These ancient routes wove through dense forests, along river valleys, and across challenging passes. The most prominent route to and from Snoqualmie Falls from points in the north Puget Sound region was the Snoqualmie River.

The river route to the Falls from Puget Sound began at the mouth of the Snohomish River near present-day Everett. Travelers paddled upstream, following the Snohomish River to the confluence of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie rivers near Monroe. From there, they journeyed up the Snoqualmie River to reach the falls.

Another prominent route was known as the Na-Qui-a-ka Trail, (and early word for Lake Sammamish) led overland from Renton. This path, was known by the early settlers as "The trail from the Falls of the Snoqualmie to the mouth of the Cedar River," and would later become part of the Snoqualmie Wagon Road, playing a key role in regional transportation. The Sunset Highway between Renton and Issaquah follows the path of this ancient trail.

For those coming from Seattle, there were a few options. The first was the Ridge Route. This trail ran from Seattle over Beacon Hill to Skyway and down to the mouth of the Cedar River. (The northern part of Beacon Ave. and all of Renton Ave. follow closely to this old trail.) They would then take the Na-qui-a-ka Trail for the remainder of the journey to the falls. The second route followed the Lake Duwamish (Lake Washington) Trail which began near Pioneer Square in Seattle and ran southeast to Seward Park. From there you took a canoe trip across Lake Washington to the mouth of Coal Creek, followed by a short portage through what is now known as Eastgate to the canoe landing near today's Vasa Park. Then another canoe trip would take you to the south end of Lake Sammamish where travelers would then follow the Na-Qui-a-ka Trail.

There was another trail which began in Renton and followed up the Cedar River to the Jenkins and Meridian prairies known as the Cedar River Trail. These prairies are located southeast of Maple Valley. When gold was discovered in Colville and later in Canada. Prospectors from Seattle used the the Ridge Route from Seattle to the meet the Cedar River Trail in Renton while on their way to Eastern Washington over Yakima Pass. They would meet other parties from Olympia and Steilacoom at the Meridian Prairie and then travel over the pass as one large group.

Another trail came up from the White River west of Buckley. This trail merged with the trail coming from Meridian Prairie at the Cedar River near the town of Selleck. The combined trails then followed the Cedar River upstream to Rattlesnake Prairie (now Rattlesnake Lake). Here, travelers could connect with a trail descending from Yakima Pass in the east for the journey to Eastern Washington.

Travelers going to the falls followed a trail that branched off from Rattlesnake Prairie, descending into the area now known as North Bend, where it intersected with the Snoqualmie Pass Trail. However, this latter trail could only accommodate foot traffic due to the numerous downed trees blocking the western approach that fell during the winter months as it continues to do today. Those traveling on horseback typically took the Yakima Pass route when traveling to the falls or to the mouth of the Cedar River from Eastern Washington.

Once the trails converged at North Bend's Rangers Prairie, travelers followed the Snoqualmie River to the top of the falls. From there, the path turned southwest, ascended Snoqualmie Ridge, and descended toward the Raging River’s mouth at Fall City.

These trails were more than routes; they connected communities, fostered trade, and held cultural significance for the Indigenous peoples of the region. The network of paths leading to Snoqualmie Falls reflects the skill and knowledge early travelers had in navigating the land’s diverse and challenging terrain. The trails mentioned in this article are but a few of the many trails that crossed over the Cascade Mountains by the first people who made the Pacific Northwest their home.

Fort Tilton

During the Puget Sound War of 1855, the Northern Battalion, led by Captain Howe, built a fort 1.5 miles below Snoqualmie Falls. Named Fort Tilton after Adjutant General James Tilton of the Washington Territory Volunteers, it was completed in April 1856. The fort served as a supply depot for battalion forces stationed there, as well as at Fort Alden located at the top of the falls, Fort Smalley (where Tollgate Farm is located in North Bend) and a forward camp on Rattlesnake Prairie where soldiers could watch the trail going over Yakima Pass. Supplies for the fort arrived by canoe, traveling up the Snohomish and Snoqualmie Rivers to the landing point at Fall City. The goods were then taken over a trail to Fort Tilton and then over trails built by the volunteers to the forts and camp above the falls.

A military road, more accurately a rugged trail, was constructed to connect Seattle to Fort Tilton. This road initially followed the old Ridge Road over Beacon Hill and Skyway before descending down into Renton. From there the trail followed the eastern shore of Lake Washington to the mouth of May Creek. At May Creek the trail turned eastward through Newcastle, to Coal Creek before crossing over Cougar Mountain to Issaquah, where it joined the Na-Qui-ak-a trail, completing the route to the fort.

While soldiers could complete the journey from Seattle in a single day on a forced march, it typically took two days. However, since there was never an attack at the posts on the Snoqualmie River this military road was seldom used and fell into disuse after the war, and by 1860 it had largely faded between Renton and Coal Creek. In 1877, after the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad reached the town of Coal Creek, travelers once again began using the old military route over Cougar Mountain to reach the Snoqualmie Valley and beyond. In the 1880s, George Tibbetts ran a stage line along this section of road from the Coal Creek depot to his hotel on Tibbetts Creek near Issaquah, where his stages would carry travelers over Snoqualmie Pass to Ellensburg. Today, King County has preserved the area around the Coal Creek mines, and visitors can walk along a portion of this historic military and stage road.

The Settlers Arrive at Fall City

In the 1860's a "new comer" would go in occasionally and settle down on a quarter section of land, but these events were like angels’ visits, few and far between. An unknown traveler wrote in the summer of 1867 that there were around a dozen settlers in the Valley below the falls and all of them had orchards which were bearing fruit. In 1869 George and Edward Boham arrived and George opened up a trading post on the south side of the Snoqualmie River near the ford. (The Last Frontier Saloon in Fall City occupies the spot where the trading post once stood.) James Taylor arrived that same year and settled on the east side of George Boham near the mouth of the Raging River. 

In June of 1871 John G. Janicke who became a prominent citizen of the town arrived and settled about 2 miles downstream from Boham. Janicke who was an attorney had intended to start a colony of European immigrants on the upper Snoqualmie River. He became Justice of the Peace in the mid 1870's and practiced law well into the 1890's from his office in Fall City.

On the 1873 BLM section map it shows Edward M. Cudworth, Rufus Stearns, Watson Allen and Mr. Bagby living in the area. Stearns lived on the north side of the river across from Taylor, Watson settled at the mouth of Tokul Creek where he started a sawmill. Cudworth and Bagby settled about a mile down stream on opposite sides of the river.

On June 10, 1872 George W. Boham established a post office in his store and he named it Fall City which could be said was the beginning of the town. Edward Cudworth was the courier who brought in the mail at that time. Also in 1872 James Taylor's brother David "Doc" Taylor along with his cousin W. H. Taylor left the east coast to join James at Fall City. On August 24, 1874 James Taylor purchased four acres from George Boham where his store was located. Daniel who became a prominent merchant of Fall City may have taken ownership of Boham's store when the Boham's sold out and moved to Missouri. In 1877 it was reported that Doc Taylor was now the postmaster.

Then around 1875 a settlement began. This is when Jeremiah Borst purchased a number of tracts of land around Fall City owned by Edward and George Boham and 185 acres which was owned by Watson Allen. He paid $2,500 for the Boham's land and $1,600 for Allen's and said he made good purchases. In 1877 Fall City consisted of a school located across the river, a store and a house with barns and some outbuildings fourteen in number along with Allen's sawmill up the river at the mouth of Tokul Creek. Between 1875 and 1878 there was on average about one new family a month, until about fifty families in all were there by 1878. That year Fall City had the sawmill, a store, blacksmith shop, post office, and school.

On March 30, 1879 it was reported that James Taylor became the postmaster of Fall City though it appears he gave it up after about 40 days because on May 13, 1879 it was reported that John P. Berry became the new postmaster of Fall City. On December 17, 1879 the Fall City mail carrier wrote to the Seattle Post Intelligencer that the mail during his time as carrier had never failed to reach Seattle the same day that it was sent except during the strike at Newcastle where the train left before the scheduled time. He then said; "that the Fall City mail arrived at Seattle within eleven hours, notwithstanding the vast amount of philosophy mailed at the enlightened burg, and the miserable trail misnamed the Snoqualmie Road."

In the spring of 1886 Jeremiah Borst had a section of his 40 acre farm surveyed and platted by John Janicke for the Fall City town site. Captain Reese of the steamer Eagle bought the first lot and helped to build up the young town. That year the town consisted of a small hotel, a few outbuildings and a ferry. The article also said that the proprietor of the hotel was the postmaster.

Transportation History of Fall City

The Steamers and Railroads

In the early days of Fall City, transportation options were few and challenging. Reaching this small but strategic settlement required an arduous journey up the Snoqualmie River, by canoe, from distant towns like Snohomish, Seattle, and even Olympia. The journey spanned over 40 miles from Snohomish, around 70 miles from Seattle, and over 100 miles from Olympia—a daunting trip for those who made excursions to the falls for a few days or came to find a permanent home.

The prospect of river-based steam transportation offered new hope to visitors going to the falls and the farmers who wanted to take their produce to market in Seattle. One of the first proposals for steamboat service on the Snoqualmie River appeared in the Weekly Pacific Tribune on September 10, 1875. According to the report, local entrepreneurs were considering building a light-draft boat to navigate the winding Snohomish and Snoqualmie rivers up to Fall City. By January 22, 1876, this vision came to life with a steamer ready to operate between Snohomish and Fall City during the high-water months, when river conditions allowed passage. Steamboats, unlike canoes, could transport substantial loads of goods and supplies, making them an essential link to the outside world for Fall City’s residents. This development spurred growth, bringing both settlers and essential supplies to the fledgling town.

The river boats flourished and many steamers began to ply the river. They could only reach Fall City when the water was high enough and much of the time they would land a few miles downstream. John Janicke once boasted his farm four miles downstream was the head of navigation on the Snoqualmie River. Goods of all kinds as well as passengers and tourists visiting the falls took the steamers. There were landings all along the Snoqualmie and on October 10, 1876 a traveler took the steamer Nellie for a trip up the Snoqualmie River to Fall City. He boarded the little steamer at Packard & Jackson's wharf in the town of Snohomish. Captain Wright was in charge. There were 25 passengers and all kinds of freight.

They disembarked at 7:45am and in twenty three minutes they reached Fiddler's Bluff. After an hour and twenty six minutes they passed by Mathews' place at the forks which he said was the fastest of any boat at the time. After dropping off two passengers and taking on Mr. Mathews they left the landing. The next stop was at Radcliff's which took them fifty two minutes and they reached Duvall's place at 11am. After landing two passengers and freight they continued up the river arriving at Elwell's place at 11:35am. They landed several passengers and considerable freight.

After resuming their journey they arrived at Mr. Peets at 12:08pm. They stayed just a few moments and they were off for Boice's with more passengers and freight who were going to Clark & Wilber's camp. They then passed the bluff below the farm of J. Entwhistle where the Fanny Lake had to turn back on an earlier run. They passed over that shallow and rough part of the river without incident and continued upstream which he said was never traveled by steamboat before. At 2:30pm the Nellie reached the Tolt River and F. Dolan's camp.

They resumed their journey at 2:35pm and soon entered slack water which was known as the "Ten Mile Bend." They encountered many difficulties and finally they reached a place one mile below Fall City. After several attempts the steamer could not continue any further due to the shallowness of the river. Here they tied up for the night and the passengers left for Fall City and the cargo was unloaded and hauled into town. The running time from Snohomish to Fall City deducting time lost making landings was exactly seven hours and twenty eight minutes. The next morning the tourists who visited the falls returned and the little steamer began its journey back down the river.

However, the dominance of river transport began to wane with the arrival of the Seattle, Lakeshore & Eastern Railroad in 1889, marking a significant shift in the region's transportation landscape. Though the railroad’s original ambitions included reaching Spokane, the line ultimately extended only to Sallal Prairie, east of North Bend. Even so, the railroad became a critical artery between Seattle and the Snoqualmie Valley, making travel and trade significantly faster and more reliable than by river. Due to the rugged terrain around Fall City, the railroad was built on the hillside about a mile south of town, requiring trains to ascend a grade to reach the valley above the falls. The depot was conveniently located near the old Snoqualmie Wagon Road, and in the same year, King County constructed Road #234 (also known as the Daniel Taylor Road) to connect the depot with Fall City, easing travel on an improved section of the Snoqualmie Road between the town and the rail line.

Over the following decades, roads in the region continued to improve. By the late 1910s, the opening of the Sunset Highway further reduced reliance on river transportation. This highway, designed to connect Seattle with Eastern Washington, became a more practical option for travelers and trade alike, reducing the necessity for the once-crucial steamboats. Finally, in 1917, the steamboat era quietly concluded as the last riverboat made its journey down the Snoqualmie River to Everett, signaling the end of an era. The advent of improved roadways and railroads had transformed transportation in the Snoqualmie Valley, with the Sunset Highway symbolizing the final shift from river routes to modern land-based travel, paving the way for Fall City’s continued growth and integration with the broader Pacific Northwest.

Fall City's Early Roads - From River Travel and Rough Trails to Wagon Roads: The Need for Connection

In Fall City's earliest days, the Snoqualmie River served as the primary lifeline for the handful of settlers and farmers living near "The Landing" below Snoqualmie Falls. Supplies were delivered by canoe, and later by steamboats beginning in the mid 1870s, which provided an important link to Seattle. But this mode of transport was slow and costly for the farmers to get their produce to the markets in Seattle. These farmers initially hoped the nearby logging camps would buy their produce, but the camps never purchased as much as was hoped. It then became clear that the Fall City farmers needed a faster and more reliable way to reach the larger market in Seattle. The solution? Wagon roads. However, building roads through the dense Pacific Northwest forest was no small feat.

The Seattle-Renton-Fall City Route: Early Connections

In 1860 a passable wagon road connected Seattle to Renton, where a bridge had been built that year just north of the confluence of the Black and Cedar Rivers. East of Renton, however, the journey became treacherous. The trail heading toward the Snoqualmie Valley was little more than a rough path carved out thousands of years ago by the Snoqualmie People as stated earlier in this article.

On October 19th 1861, David Maurer filed a petition for a county road from Squak Prairie in Issaquah to Rangers Prairie near North Bend. Also in 1861 another petition signed by 18 settlers of the area were asking for a county road from the Black River bridge to Squak Prairie in Issaquah. Both of these petitions were approved and the county combined them into one road between the Black River Bridge in Renton and Rangers Prairie near North Bend. This new county road was designated as County Road #7. The road was located and marked following the path of the Na-qui-a-ka Trail to the falls and the trail over Snoqualmie Ridge but no improvements were made to make it a good road.

That began to change by the mid-1870s as the settlement of Fall City was growing and the need for an overland route became necessary. Travelers like "Rusticus," who chronicled his 1875 journey to Snoqualmie Falls from Seattle, described the road as "impassable for wagons" and fraught with obstacles even for horseback riders. The section between Renton and Fall City was particularly poor, often reduced to little more than a narrow trail barely wide enough for two horses to pass each other.

Then in 1876 a traveler wrote that after a stop at Renton the next fifteen miles to Issaquah was through boundless forest wild and lonely and they saw no bird or beast all day long. The next day on the trail from Issaquah to Fall City, it was also wild and lonely and no one could travel over the road without feeling a sense of utter loneliness and desolation. 

Efforts to improve the road began in earnest by 1877, leading to a road that wagons could pass through. On October 6, 1879 a Seattle Post-Intelligencer correspondent by the initials E. M. took a trip from Seattle to Ellensburg and said the following; "There exists a good wagon road via Renton and Cedar river to Squak valley. It is presumed that but little more will be needed, besides what is being done this fall, to make a wagon road from Squak valley to Falls City. From there to the crossing of Snoqualmie river, opposite Mrs. Lucinda Gordon's place on the prairie, is a passable wagon road; so that this wagon road may be said to be substantially completed for a distance of 42 miles from Seattle to this point."

In 1879, another traveler described the trail between Renton and Issaquah as deeply rutted by cattle, with sections of road cut from six inches to two feet deep into the ground and in places these ruts stretched for over a quarter mile. These challenges persisted until the railroad over Stampede Pass in 1886 ended the large cattle drives which tore up the road, allowing for lasting improvements.

Today between Renton and Fall City the Sunset Highway (State Route 900) and the Issaquah-Fall City Road follow the path of this ancient route.

Squak Valley to Fall City - The Issaquah-Fall City Road

The Issaquah-Fall City corridor has its roots in the Na-Qui-a-ka Trail. It later became part of the military route in 1856 connecting Seattle and Fort Tilton. In 1861, it was designated King County Road #7. In 1883, this section of road became County Road #99 also known as the D. H. Thomas Road which began in the old coal town of Newcastle and terminated in the town of Snoqualmie at the top of the falls.

The Issaquah-Fall City Road underwent numerous changes over the years. At Duthie Hill, for example, the original path ran north into the bike park before ascending the hill to the crossing of Canyon Creek further north than the current road and climbing the eastern side through a series of "S" curves. By 1901, improvements to the section across the creek resulted in its redesignation as King County Road #561 or the James Foresman Road. Continued upgrades in 1903 and again in 1908 created the modern Issaquah-Fall City Road as we know today. This road remained the main route to Snoqualmie Pass from Seattle until 1912 when the route switched to run up Issaquah Creek to Preston.

Duthie Hill Road and the Cyrus Darst Road

In 1877, a new road was proposed to connect Fall City and Issaquah that avoided the current route through the canyon and the marshy ground at the foot of the hill on the eastern side of Canyon Creek. Petitioned by Cyrus Darst, this road became King County Road #65, known as the Cyrus Darst Road. Starting at the west end of Fall City on what is now State Route 202, it continued west down SE 40th St. to 308th Ave. SE where it turned north for about a quarter mile before turning west toward the golf club along a now abandoned path that ran south of Highway 202. At the golf club the road climbed up Duthie Hill on what is now known as Duthie Hill Road and connected with the Snoqualmie Wagon Road west of Canyon Creek which was also known at the time as Half Way Creek.

In 1887 Road #65 was extended west a half mile from 308th Ave S. to meet the Snoqualmie Road (Issaquah-Fall City Road) This section became a new section of County Road #99 known as the D. H. Thomas Road Extension (now 40th St. SE) This gave travelers who took the road across Canyon Creek a direct route into town from the west. In later years SE 40th St. was severed east of 310th Ave.

The Roads North to Snohomish and Woodinville

Before 1879, the only connection between Fall City and the town of Snohomish was by river. The first overland route, completed that year, required fording rivers and navigating rough trails. Improvements in the 1880s, including the Woodinville-Duvall Road, aimed to link Fall City to the growing towns to the north.

The Skykomish River was deep and you had to swim yourself and your horse across, but you could ford the Tolt River at Carnation while on your horse. The trip from Seattle to Fall City on horseback going by way of Snohomish in 1879 took four days to complete. By September of 1879 a good wagon road was completed from Snohomish to Park Place near the forks of the Skykomish and Snoqualmie just south of Monroe. 

On September 12, 1883 William Pattison began operating a ferry across the Skykomish and ran ads saying; "Persons traveling up the Snoqualmie River will find a convenient and safe transfer at Pattison's Ferry below Park Place."

In the summer of 1885 a proposal was made for a new road from the north end of Lake Washington to the Snoqualmie River that would become the Woodinville-Duvall Road. It was thought that traffic would use this new road between Seattle and Fall City because at the time the Snoqualmie Wagon Road was still a miserable road due to it being badly cut up by the cattle that were driven over it. This idea never came to fruition and the road was not constructed until the mid teens. This may have been because the Northern Pacific completed its line over Stampede pass the following year and the cattle from eastern Washington would be transported over the rail to the markets on the Sound relieving the pressure off the Snoqualmie road.

In August of 1886 a traveler from Snohomish took a trip over Snoqualmie Pass. He wrote that; "Since my visit to the Falls and the hop ranch two years ago, new clearings, and extensive improvements, too numerous to mention at this time, have been made at different points along the road above the King County line, improvements in everything but the road, which, more properly speaking, is little more than a cattle trail, which late forest fires have made almost impassable."

"Inquiring why this was thus, I was told that as the settlers of the upper Snoqualmie did most of their trading in Seattle going over the road through Issaquah and paid but little attention to the river road. For the benefit of those who in the future may have occasion to cross the mountains either to or from Snohomish, I will state that the worst part of the road is found between Cherry Valley and Falls City. If this road was made passable for teams, much of the immigration to western Washington via the Snoqualmie pass, that now stops in the vicinity of the prairie or goes on to Seattle, would come into the Skykomish and Snohomish valleys."

Fall City Eastward

The Snoqualmie Wagon Road continuing east out of Fall City was on the south side of the river going over Snoqualmie Ridge to the top of the falls. The first road on the north side of the river was built in 1872 and ran from Edward Cudworth's farm which was located about a mile downstream from Fall City and ran eastward to Allen's sawmill at the mouth of Tokul Creek. To cross the river you had to use a ford which was located between the bridge and the mouth of the Raging River. At times of high water members of the Snoqualmie Tribe would ferry people across in their canoes for a small fee.

In November of 1875 Rufus Stearns who lived on the north side of the river opposite the town petitioned for a new road on the north side of the river to the top of the falls. He said that communication was becoming frequent between the settlers in Fall City and those residing on the prairie above the falls, and there was no road on the north side of the river. His petition asked for the county to appoint viewers to lay out and locate a road from the schoolhouse in Fall City to the ford opposite the Borst house on the Snoqualmie River above the falls. This would become King County Road #61 or the Rufus Stearns Road and was completed in 1879. This was the year that John Berry was granted a license to ferry people and livestock across the river, providing a more reliable, though still limited, crossing option.

By the summer of 1888, the need for a bridge was undeniable. On a Saturday evening August 5, 1888 a mass meeting was held at Fall City concerning the need for a bridge over the Snoqualmie River. The matter was fully discussed, and finally culminated in a set of resolutions, which were adopted. The preamble stated that the construction of a good and substantial bridge at Fall City was becoming more and more a public and a vital necessity, owning to the building, equipment and operation of the Seattle Lakeshore & Eastern railway, to the fast increasing number of enterprising people who were constantly settling in the area, to the demands of the general traveling public, the town being situated upon the principal highway between Eastern and Western Washington and because of the better trade relations which would accrue to this section and Seattle.

The resolution was delivered to the commissioners by Doc Taylor soon after adoption. The county quickly approved the resolution and authorized the construction of the bridge. The county let a contract to the Portland firm of Hoffman & Bates for $11,000. The iron bridge was completed by December of 1888 and was the most expensive bridge constructed by the county at the time. There was one span which was 270 feet long, of the Howe truss model with two piers consisting of iron cylinders filled with concrete. The bridge was about 12 feet above high water and was 16 feet wide in the clear. This is when most of the traffic switched to the north side of the river and the old road over Snoqualmie Ridge between the depot and the town of Snoqualmie began to fade out and was later abandoned by the late 1890's.

The first bridge lasted for 12 years before it suddenly fell into the river. It collapsed without apparent cause but if the bridge had been inspected it would have revealed the necessity for repairs and would have saved the county the cost of a new structure. After the bridge fell the county adopted a new policy to to prevent another disaster and hired I. K. Wentzel at a rate of $3 a day to inspect all the bridges in the county on a regular basis. Wentzel was said to be a recognized authority on bridge construction. The county quickly rebuilt the collapsed bridge which lasted until it was replaced by a new concrete bridge in 1917. This new concrete bridge was built as part of the road improvements for the new Sunset Highway. This concrete bridge lasted for 63 years until it was replaced in 1980 with the current bridge.

The Sunset Highway and Yellowstone Trail

By the late 19th century, Fall City had become an essential stop for travelers heading over Snoqualmie Pass or visiting the iconic Snoqualmie Falls. The convergence of roads from Renton, Kirkland, Bothell, and Snohomish cemented its role as a hub. In 1915 Fall City became a junction of two important highways. This is when the Sunset Highway opened and the Yellowstone Trail was completed to Seattle. These new highways brought even more traffic, spurring the development of hotels, restaurants, and gas stations, further boosting tourism and commerce. At Fall City the Sunset Highway going westbound ran north to Preston before turning west toward Renton where travelers could continue on to Tacoma or Seattle. The Yellowstone Trail from Fall City ran west on the Redmond-Fall City Road to the Kirkland Ferry which took them across Lake Washington to Seattle.

The Bothell Branch: An Alternative Route on the Sunset Highway

In 1925, the Sunset Highway split into two distinct routes at Fall City. The main route extended north to Preston before heading west toward Renton. Meanwhile, a secondary path, known as the Bothell Branch, continued west along the Yellowstone Trail to Redmond, then turned northward toward Bothell.

Before the Sunset Highway officially opened in 1915, state planners faced a crucial decision: which direction should the route take around Lake Washington? The Kirkland Ferry Route, though popular for reaching Snoqualmie Pass and serving as the final segment of the Yellowstone Trail, was excluded from consideration as part of the state road network. The primary goal was to eliminate reliance on ferry crossings. Instead, the southern route around the lake was selected, largely due to its proximity to Seattle’s burgeoning industrial zone south of the city. It wasn’t until a decade later that a northern route around the lake was formally added to the Sunset Highway.

In February 1925, the Bothell Branch of the Sunset Highway was signed into law. Officially designated as Primary State Highway 2 BO (PSH 2 BO), it was also commonly referred to as the North Branch of the Sunset Highway. This new route connected Fall City to Redmond, then continued northward through Woodinville before heading west through Bothell, where it would connect to the Pacific Highway.

The creation of the Bothell Branch significantly boosted traffic and tourism for the communities of Redmond, Woodinville, and Bothell. By 1927, the local Bothell Sentinel newspaper was promoting the North Branch as a superior route around Lake Washington. Unlike the main route, the branch offered a flatter and safer drive, free of steep hills or hazardous curves. Its slightly shorter distance made it a favorite among drivers, though it remained classified as a branch road.

Decline and Legacy: The Preston - North Bend Cutoff

Beginning in the 1920s, an idea emerged for the construction of a new highway connecting Preston with North Bend, running past Echo Lake. In December 1930, the Preston Improvement Club sent a letter to Charles M. Dial, President of the Associated Improvement Club of the South End, seeking support for this proposed highway. President Dial responded on January 9, 1931, stating that such proposals were typically referred to a Road Committee for review. However, when he presented the matter to the members at a club meeting on January 8, many were already familiar with the situation and impressed by its merits. As a result, the usual procedure was bypassed, and the club unanimously endorsed the project.

On February 2, 1931, the Preston Improvement Club sent a letter to King County Commissioner J. A. Earley, with a copy forwarded to Samuel J. Hunes, Director of Highways in Olympia. The letter included a petition signed by 200 individuals from Preston, Upper Preston, and members of organizations such as the Improvement Club of the South End, the Kiwanis Club of Issaquah, and the Commercial Club of North Bend. Additionally, the letter noted the endorsement of the Automobile Club of Seattle. The club emphasized that many people had worked tirelessly on this proposal and believed the time had come for serious consideration of the project. They urged collaboration between King County and the State to include the new highway in the State Highway System and make it a reality.

The letter highlighted several benefits of the proposed highway. It would open up new, resource-rich areas, shorten the distance between North Bend and points west by over four miles, and offer a better grade than the existing Sunset Highway. Moreover, it would alleviate congestion between Fall City and North Bend. The road would also provide a crucial connection for Maple Valley, Black Diamond, and Enumclaw through Taylor and Kerriston to North Bend, saving 15 to 30 miles and linking parts of King County that previously lacked roads. The letter further noted that King County had surveyed the route in the late 1920s, but the records had been lost, necessitating a new survey by the county and the state highway department.

On November 27, 1933, King County approved the proposal for the cutoff. However, it took three years for the State Highway Department to authorize the project, delaying the start of construction until then. Completed by 1942, the bypass rerouted traffic away from Fall City, creating a direct connection between Preston and North Bend. This shift had devastating consequences for Fall City businesses, many of which depended on the steady flow of travelers heading over Snoqualmie Pass. While attractions like Snoqualmie Falls and the Bothell Branch of the Sunset Highway offered some reprieve, Fall City never regained its status as a regional transportation hub. Meanwhile, North Bend emerged as the new "Gateway to Snoqualmie Pass," taking over the distinction that Fall City had held for 70 years.

The Renton–North Bend Cutoff: The Evolution of Highway 18

The story of Highway 18 begins with the 1931 proposal for the Preston–North Bend Cutoff, which envisioned a connecting road through Maple Valley, Taylor, and Kerriston. However, this plan was ultimately shelved. Five years later, in 1936, another idea emerged: the Renton–North Bend Cutoff. Detailed maps were drawn, outlining a route that would run east from Renton along NE 4th Street, pass Lake McDonald, and connect to the present-day Issaquah-Hobart Road. The road would continue southeast through Mirrormount, bypassing Maple Valley by four miles to the northeast, and follow what is now the modern alignment of Highway 18 to the freeway. This proposed route was situated roughly three miles northwest of the now-abandoned ghost towns of Taylor and Kerriston.

In 1949, a new proposal took shape, aiming to shorten travel times to Snoqualmie Pass for traffic originating from Olympia and Tacoma. Known as the Echo Lake Cutoff, this project sought to provide a more direct connection. It would take another 15 years before this vision was fully realized. The completed route, which most know today as State Highway 18, begins in Auburn and terminates at Interstate 90 near Echo Lake, approximately four miles west of North Bend. This alignment significantly improved regional connectivity, shaving over 20 miles off the journey from Tacoma to North Bend and becoming an essential link in Washington’s highway system.

Fall City Today: A Living History

While Fall City is now a quiet bedroom community, its historic charm and rich transportation legacy remain. Visitors can take the Fall City Historic walking tour that includes 15 signs that tell the story of its history, from the early days of Native American trade routes to the bustling railroad era. Highlights include the original 1904 Fall City Masonic Hall, the iconic Hop Shed, and the historic Fall City Hotel site. At Snoqualmie Falls , there are places to park at the bottom and the top, with a trail that runs between them. The trail spans about 1.5 miles, is moderately steep in places, and offers stunning views of the cascading falls and surrounding forest. 

Along the way, visitors can spot remnants of old Road #61 and enjoy interpretive signs detailing the area’s natural and historical significance. At the site of the railroad depot you can park and walk on the abandoned railroad grade eastward to get a glimpse of the falls or go west all the way up to Preston and down into Highpoint. You also can take a walk on the old Chicago Milwaukee & St. Paul Railroad grade now known as the Snoqualmie Valley Trail and walk across the historic trestle across Tokul Creek. These attractions, combined with Fall City’s rich history, scenic beauty, and easy access to outdoor activities, make it a unique and unforgettable destination for visitors.