Tom Walton sent this discovery to share:
We hiked up to the old ghost mining town of Monte Cristo [earlier this week] off the Mountain Loop Highway and came across the most peculiar West Seattle historical item. Some remnant girders from the 1978 West Seattle Bridge are being used as a bridge once again – but instead of cars, it’s hikers crossing the South Fork Sauk River.
We hadn’t heard of this, nor of Monte Cristo; its story is told by HistoryLink here.
Love these kinds of historical stories! HistoryLink is such a cool resource.
I haven’t been up to Monte Crisco in over 10 years but i remember the road being gated and the bridge over the South fork of the Sauk River being washed out in apx 2003. I know the cabins were abandoned after this, bought out and the mine operations cleaned up in 2015.
This is a wonderful hike. It is described in my book, Hiking Washington’s History, and I have hiked it several times. However, the crossing of the South Fork Sauk River near the beginning of the hike, at the old Twin Bridges site, is on a log or by wading when the river is low. (See this photo in a recent trip report on the Washington Trails Association site.). The Twin Bridges were washed out as mentioned in the caption in the older photograph.Is the contemporary photo a crossing of the river farther along or has work been done since early July this year? It would be a wonderful improvement to have such a bridge at the Twin Bridges site. Just curious.
There should be a couple easystreet stickers under the I-beam lip just out of your photo.
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