Issaquah (WA) Historical Society

Issaquah Depot Museum

Follow the railroad tracks to historic downtown Issaquah and visit the Issaquah Depot, currently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Railroad memorabilia is on display, along with a vintage caboose and other railroad cars. Pictures of Issaquah’s past show you the town as it was in early days. Tours are available by appointment.

Depot History

Photo by Thomas S. Crossley — Gilman, Washington 1890’s

The Squak Valley was little more than a wide spot in a non-existent road when the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway, led by young attorney, Daniel Hunt Gilman, made its way to the small settlement of Squak in 1888.

With the arrival of the railroad, development possibilities were endless for the small community. The black gold hidden in the hillside became the lodestar of the town. The railroad provided a cost effective method of getting the coal to market. Local farms and lumber companies had a faster and more economical way of getting their products to Seattle buyers.

In 1983, when the Issaquah Historical Society was being reorganized, members chose the historic depot as their main project, leasing the building from the City of Issaquah. The Depot Committee began the restoration of the building which was in deplorable condition.

The restoration of the Train Station is now complete, due wholly to untiring hours of volunteer effort and an extraordinary contribution of materials and dollars from the entire community. The Issaquah Historical Society dedicated the building in June of 1994.

The restoration is an exact replication of the original materials and structure.  The floors and milled trim work is of old Douglas Fir.  The flooring in the freight room is the original floor with the broad boards turned over for better appearance.  The large doors in the freight room were all sliding doors but because of safety standards today, only two were allowed to remain sliding doors.

See More Photos of the depot, and Look Inside

Issaquah Map

Directions: From I-90 , take  Exit #17 at Front Street & proceed south about one mile. At the traffic light at Sunset Way, turn left and another left on 1st Ave. into the parking lot just before the Police Station.