Roslyn

a diamond in the rough

Roslyn started as a coal mining settlement in the late 1800s. Today, it is a well-preserved historic town with plenty of artists, small businesses and community volunteers.

Roslyn

Roslyn’s history has followed a series of booms and busts. Between the late 1800s and 1910, the population of Roslyn swelled from a few hundred to more than 3,000 — its all-time high. e last coal mines shut down in 1963, and today the population is just under 1,000.

Roslyn boomed again when the awardwinning television show “Northern Exposure” came to town in 1990. e lm crews and actors left when the show ended in 1995, but “Northern Exposure” gifts are still for sale at Cicely’s Gift Shop. Dedicated fans travel from all over the country for Moosefest, a “Northern Exposure” fan festival, and tourists take photos in front of the Roslyn Cafe mural in the summer.

Today, 25 cemeteries highlight the city’s diversity and heritage, as do the Croatian Picnic, heritage dinners, Coal Miners Days and other yearly festivals. e town is bordered by a 300-acre, cityowned forest. Miles of nonmotorized trails wind through the mixed forest of pines and rs and connect with the nearby Coal Mines Trail, a ve-mile railroad easement between Cle Elum and Ronald. e tall trees in the forest hide slag heaps and remnants of mining infrastructure.

Other destinations near Roslyn include the Alpine Lakes Wilderness north of town and the Brick Saloon, which is the oldest continuously operating bar in the state.

the historic roslyn cemeteries

The Roslyn cemeteries cover 15 acres and consist of 25 separate cemeteries formed prior to the turn of the 20th century. The cemeteries refl ect a rich ethnic mix that came to the area to work in the coal mines. A visit is a step back in time. Getting there: from Pennsylvania Avenue, head west and up the hill, merging on to Fifth Street and then Memorial Drive.