Mineral, Washington

Mineral is an unincorporated community and census-designated place (CDP) in Lewis County, Washington,[4] on State Route 7 near the Pierce/Lewis county line. Mineral originally began as a logging camp and mining town. Prospectors searching the area for gold instead found coal and arsenic. By the early 1920s, the mines closed, and with a devastating fire to the town's largest sawmill, Mineral began to turn to tourism as its main industry, primarily through recreational fishing on Mineral Lake.[5]

Mineral, Washington
Census-designated place
Downtown Mineral
Downtown Mineral
Mineral is located in Washington (state)
Mineral
Mineral
Mineral is located in the United States
Mineral
Mineral
Coordinates: 46°43′01″N 122°10′51″W
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountyLewis
Area
[1]
 • Total0.66 sq mi (1.72 km2)
 • Land0.66 sq mi (1.72 km2)
 • Water0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation
1,470 ft (448 m)
Population
 (2010)[2]
 • Total202
 • Density304/sq mi (117.2/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
98355
Area code360
FIPS code53-46090
GNIS feature ID1523205[3]

The Mineral Log Lodge, built in 1906, was listed to the National Register of Historic Places in 1975.[6]

History

The town was founded no later than 1897 on the shore of Mineral Lake, adopting the name from the lake and the veins of ruby of arsenic in the region. The area would be referred to as Mineral City and Mineral Creek in its early days.[7][5] The lake was once known as "Goldsboro Lake".[8]

Primarily a timber community, arsenic mines would open and the population peaked at 1,000 residents by the 1920s, with a flourishing downtown district. However, mining efforts would cease due to more efficient methods being available to obtain the mineral, and the largest mill, owned by the Mineral Lake Lumber Company, would be destroyed by fire in 1922 and never rebuilt. The town would shrink in size and would become a "bedroom community".[5][9]

In 1985, Mineral was the location of the Mineral, Washington murders, one of the most famous unsolved murder cases in the United States.

YMCA Campground

Over 500 acres (200 ha) were purchased by the YMCA of Greater Seattle in 2021, with support from the Nisqually Indian Tribe, to create a campground north of Mineral on the lake. The land was originally part of the Nisqually people's dominion which was yielded in the 1854 Treaty of Medicine Creek.[10] Plans included acquisition of up to 1,600 acres (650 ha) acres in several phases over forthcoming decades. Members of the Mineral community were overwhelmingly against the campground.[11][12]

After several community meetings, environmental studies, and local endorsements, a rezoning of the area was denied by the Lewis County commissioners in November 2022.[13] The land was zoned as a forest resource. The YMCA proceeded with a lawsuit against the county in December. Despite the veto of the "master planned resort", the YMCA completed their timetable to purchase 1,600 additional acres two months later in early 2022. The larger tract adjoins the original land purchase and the YMCA proposed that the parcel remain as a "working forest".[10]

Follow-up community meetings and a county commissioner revote in early 2023 remained against the zoning for the campground.[14][15]

Geography

Mineral is in northeastern Lewis County, 3 miles (5 km) south of the Pierce County line. The community sits at the southern end of Mineral Lake, 4 miles (6 km) south of Elbe and 12 miles (19 km) north of Morton. It is 1.5 miles (2.4 km) east of State Route 7.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the Mineral CDP has an area of 0.66 square miles (1.7 km2), all of it recorded as land.[1] Water from Mineral Lake flows north down Mineral Creek to the Nisqually River, which reaches Puget Sound northeast of Olympia.

Parks and recreation
Mineral Log Lodge

Mineral affords views of Mount Rainier. Mineral is most noted as a fishing destination. The lake is stocked yearly with rainbow trout and other fish species. On the opening weekend of Washington's fishing season, the town more than triples in population due to the influx of anglers. The local catch-phrase is "Mineral Lake, home of the 10 pound trout."[16][17]

Mineral is the location where one of the tallest specimens of Douglas fir was recorded, measuring at approximately 120 meters (390 ft) high.

Mineral is also near the location of the famous Kenneth Arnold UFO sighting in 1947.

Local attractions
Shay locomotive No. 11 laying partially dismantled in the "House of Gears" at the Mount Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum

Mt. Rainier Scenic Railroad

A railway line that runs from Elbe to Mineral is operated with steam locomotives and historic cars. The route leads through forests, crosses the Nisqually River and ends at the Mt. Rainier Railroad and Logging Museum in Mineral.

Climate

This region experiences warm (but not hot) and dry summers, with no average monthly temperatures above 71.6 °F. According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Mineral has a warm-summer Mediterranean climate, abbreviated "Csb" on climate maps.[18]

Education

The Mineral Elementary School, opened in 1944 as a replacement for a previous school that burned down, closed in 2003.[19] Students in the community are overseen by the Morton School District.[20]

Government and politics

Politics
Presidential Elections Results
Year Republican Democratic Third parties
2020[21] 64.90% 281 32.56% 141 4.02% 11

Mineral has historically leaned heavily towards the Republican Party and Conservatism. As Mineral is an unincorporated community, there are no defined bounds and the precinct may be incongruous with the census boundaries.

The 2020 election included 6 votes for candidates of the Libertarian Party and 2 votes for write-in candidates.

References

Line notes
  1. "2020 U.S. Gazetteer Files –Washington". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  2. "Total Population: 2010 Census DEC Summary File 1 (P1), Mineral CDP, Washington". data.census.gov. U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved March 4, 2021.
  3. "Mount Rainier". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2008-10-15.
  4. "Mineral". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  5. Emerson, Amy (April 6, 2002). "Booming log town to bedroom community". The Chronicle. pp. A1, A6. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  6. "National status for lodge". The Daily Chronicle. April 19, 1975. p. 17. Retrieved 22 July 2021.
  7. "Mineral Nuggets". The Chehalis Bee. Vol. 13, no. 40. February 26, 1897. p. 1. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  8. Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington geographic names. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 167.
  9. "Not Rebuild Mill". The Chehalis Bee-Nugget. Vol. 40, no. 6. July 14, 1922. p. 2. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  10. Vander Stoep, Isabel (January 19, 2023). "Updated: Amid Lawsuit, YMCA Purchases Remainder of Land From Mineral Lake to Nisqually River". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  11. The Chronicle Staff (September 24, 2021). "YMCA Officially Acquires 500 Acres at Mineral Lake". The Chronicle. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  12. Gardner, Jackson (May 1, 2020). "Locals Uneasy About YMCA of Greater Seattle's Proposed Campsite on Mineral Lake". The Chronicle. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  13. Vander Stoep, Isabel (November 8, 2022). "Plans for YMCA Camp at Mineral Lake Halted by Lewis County Commissioners". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  14. Vander Stoep, Isabel (February 15, 2023). "In Do-Over YMCA Rezone Testimony, Sheriff Among Several to Voice Concerns". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  15. Vander Stoep, Isabel (March 1, 2023). "'I Don't Think I'm Ever Going to Be Convinced': Lewis County Votes Down YMCA Mineral Lake Rezone, Again". The Chronicle. Retrieved June 27, 2023.
  16. Mason, Kimberly (April 26, 2010). "Mineral Lake 'Home of the 10-Pound Trout' Opens". The Chronicle. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  17. Mohney, Russ (April 14, 2000). "Mineral Lake ready for season opener". The Chronicle. p. C1. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  18. Climate Summary for Mineral, Washington
  19. Latson, Jennifer (November 27, 2003). "Mineral Elementary closes its doors". The Chronicle. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  20. Vander Stoep, Isabel (November 22, 2021). "Remote Mineral School Residency Program Continues to See Diverse Talent". The Chronicle. Retrieved 15 December 2021.
  21. "Lewis County 2020 Election". Results.Vote.WA. Results.Vote.WA. Retrieved July 21, 2021.
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