Alpine, King County, Washington facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Alpine, Washington
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 Alpine, King County, Washington
Location in Washington (state)
Alpine, King County, Washington
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | King |
| Founded | late 19th century |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
Alpine was once a small town hidden deep in the Cascade Mountains in Washington State. It was a "ghost town", which means it's a place where people used to live and work, but now it's empty and mostly gone. Alpine was special because you could only reach it by train, not by road! It was about 8 miles west of Stevens Pass.
Contents
Alpine: A Lost Town in the Mountains
Alpine was founded in the late 1800s. It was first built to house Japanese workers who helped build the railway. Another town nearby, called Corea, was home to Korean workers.
Early Days and Name Change
The town was first named Nippon. In 1903, a rich person who owned a lot of forests and lumber businesses decided to change the town's name. He changed it from Nippon to Alpine. By 1917, Alpine was known as a station on the Great Northern Railway line.
Life in Alpine
At its busiest, Alpine had between 200 and 300 people living there. Most people in Alpine worked in the logging industry, cutting down trees. The town was built to support these workers and their families. Since there were no roads, the railway was the only way to get in and out of Alpine.
Why Alpine Disappeared
Around 1929, the nearby forests had been completely cut down. This meant there was no more work for the loggers. So, everyone left Alpine. After the town was empty, it was intentionally burned down. This is why Alpine is now a ghost town.
Alpine in Books
Even though Alpine is gone, it lives on in stories! The author Mary Daheim writes mystery novels that are set in a fictional version of Alpine. Her family lived in the real Alpine from about 1916 to 1922, before she was born.
