The coal mining town of Elk Coal, located on the flank of Sugarloaf Mountain, is possibly the most forgotten of the abandoned coal mining villages of King County. Located one and a half miles west of the now-defunct town of Durham, one and a quarter miles south of Kangley, and one and a half miles north of Palmer-Kanaskat, the town was surrounded by coal mines. 
There were multiple underground coal mining operations within three miles of Elk Coal, including the Durham, Hiawatha, Kangley, Palmer, Bayne, Occidental, Cumberland, and Navy mines, as well as the bigger Ravensdale and Black Diamond mines, which were located further west. 
Robert Pearson was an Irish immigrant who worked as a livery stable owner and homesteaded the land which would become the site of the Elk Coal mine and the town of the same name.  
Pearson and his daughter Aileen (Estby and subsequently Gregovich) also ran a store and gas and sundry station on the Kanaskat-Kangley county road, where the alternate spelling "Elkcoal" announced the town's existence to passing motorists.  Locals just referred to it as Elko for the most part, though.

A special thank you goes out to Al Hirsch for providing the music for the podcast, check him out on YouTube.
Find merchandise for the podcast now available at:     https://washington-history-by-jon-c.creator-spring.com
If you enjoy the podcast and would like to contribute, please visit: https://www.buymeacoffee.com/Evergreenpod
If you have any questions, episode ideas you'd like to see explored, or just have a general comment, please reach out at [email protected]
To keep up on news for the podcast and other related announcements, please like and follow:
https://www.facebook.com/Historyoftheevergreenstatepodcast
Thank you for listening!