Irondale Iron and Steel Plant - Irondale, Washington
N 48° 02.597 W 122° 46.062
10U E 517314 N 5321137
Irondale, near Port Townsend, marks the place where activity in iron making appears to have first existed in Washington.
Waymark Code: WM5GFE
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 01/03/2009
Views: 46
The remains of this furnace complex are fairly easy to access, but little in the way of signs has been provided. The ruins are located about six miles south of Port Townsend on the northeast corner of the Olympic Peninsula. The quickest way to drive from Seattle (about 50 miles) is to take the Edmonds Ferry. A parking lot is available at the following coordinates - 48° 02.663’, 122° 46.091’. The ruins are back up on the hill from the water’s edge under the trees, and this is where the waymark coordinates were taken. Be careful walking around, there are several shafts deep enough to break bones should you fall in and at least one of them is hidden under vines like a tiger trap. Signs at the site warn people to be careful but are not specific.
The first iron furnace west of the Rocky Mountains is located in Lake Oswego, Oregon (see Waymark WM1C65). This furnace was in operation intermittently from 1867 until 1885. Occasionally when the Lake Oswego furnace was closed, the workers would travel to Irondale to seek employment at this furnace.
For a complete history of the site including photographs taken during the plant’s operation, see the Historic American Engineering Record web site listed below under ‘Web Address:’. The following history is derived from the State of Washington, Division of Geology, Bulletin No. 27, Iron Ore, Fuels and Fluxes of Washington, by Shedd, Jenkins and Cooper, 1922 - (visit link)
HISTORY OF THE IRON INDUSTRY IN WASHINGTON
The iron ores of the State of Washington have been investigated several times by several different individuals and concerns. The railroad companies, during a very early period, collected such data and still have on record various private reports. Different iron and steel companies of American, Scotch [sic], and English interests have also made investigations. The United States Geological Survey has published from time to time reports on the iron ores of special districts of the State. The State Survey published a report on the iron ores in 1901, and the Bureau of Industrial Research, University of Washington, compiled another report in 1917. All the published reports on the iron ores and the iron industry of Washington are included in the bibliography placed at the close of this present article.
Irondale, near Port Townsend, marks the place where activity in iron making appears to have first existed in Washington. The production of pig iron has been recorded by the United States Geological Survey for the State up to 1890. But since that date the tonnage of iron produced by Washington has been recorded by the federal survey together with the production of other western states all in a lump sum for each year:
YEAR PIG IRON
(in short tons of 2,000 lbs. each)
1881………………………………… 1,200
1883………………………………… 2,317
1884………………………………… 540
1886………………………………… 1,857
1887………………………………… 1,586
1888………………………………… 4,093
1889………………………………… 10,371
In 1880 the Puget Sound Iron Company organized, built a furnace at Irondale, and began operating in February, 1881. At first local bog iron ores were put into the furnace, but these being unsatisfactory, magnetite from Texada Island, British Columbia, was mixed and later used almost to the exclusion of other ores.
The plant at Irondale went through a few years of success and several of failure, until 1902, when the Pacific Steel Company took it over. At first charcoal had been used as fuel at Irondale, but this company employed some coke in the furnace, the material coming from Cokedale, Washington. The iron ore was obtained not only from Texada Island, but also from other localities, which included the deposits at Hamilton, Skagit County. Limestone for flux was shipped in from Roche Harbor.
For a total period of eight months during the years of 1917 and 1918, the Pacific Coast Steel Company operated a reconstructed plant at Irondale, using left over ore from China, mill cinders, some ore from Texada, and some bog ore from British Columbia.
Visit Instructions:
Please post a photo of you or your GPS with the iron furnace ruins.