Save(d) Coal Creek: One Year Later
By Sally Lawrence, Steve Williams, and Elaine Duncan
On December 10, 2024, the Bellevue City Council voted to acquire the former Milt Swanson coal-mining homestead on Lakemont Boulevard for $19.2 million, with about half of the funding coming from King County through a Conservation Futures grant. What a satisfying and exciting end to a six-plus-year campaign!
Thank you, Bellevue City Council! Kudos as well to the Trust for Public Land, which opened critical conversations with the landowner. And heartfelt thanks to our awesome and persistent supporters, including IATC. TOGETHER, WE DID IT!
Maryann Olson (Parks Dept) and Steve Williams (Newcastle Historical Society).
Our goals: To preserve the coal-mining-era heritage of the property as a public park, to preserve an existing wildlife corridor, and to improve the trail connections between King County’s Cougar Mountain Park and Bellevue’s Coal Creek Natural Area.
In September, members of Save Coal Creek and the Newcastle Historical Society walked the property with staff from Bellevue Parks and Community Services. We were pleased to see meaningful progress: trash and debris have been removed, and the horse barn is now boarded up and secured behind a chain-link fence. Split rail fencing has replaced the not-so-nice barbed wire along Lakemont, allowing animals to cross more easily. Invasive plants have been flailed down, and game cameras—along with regular visits by Parks staff—are helping deter trespassers. (The property is not currently open to the public; if you observe any trespassing, please report it to the police non-emergency number. Complaints such as graffiti can be reported through the MyBellevue app.)
The cameras also confirm active use of the property by local bears, deer, coyotes, and other wildlife. This activity explains Parks’ removal of the old roadside apple tree, which had become an attractive nuisance and a traffic hazard for animals.
Park ranger Curtis Kukal and Newcastle Historical Society member Mike Intlekofer stand on a berm that leads to the horse barn. When the Primrose Mine was developed in 1926, this berm formed the bed of a railway leading from the mine opening (located a half-mile further north along what is now Lakemont Boulevard) to a trestle crossing Coal Creek.
The Parks Department has not yet determined when it will request budget resources to begin a master planning process for the Swanson property. That said, the Parks Planning Division will be conducting preliminary assessments of community priorities over the next year or so to help guide future decisions about the site. The City has assured Save Coal Creek that we will be included in these discussions, and we will notify this group of any future opportunities for public input.
Caught on Parks’ game camera August 2025
The department is currently finalizing a contract for removal of the structures on site, except for the historic barn, and hopes to complete this work in the first quarter of 2026. Vegetation management will continue, including clearing invasive species and planting select native species in and around the critical-area buffers along the back edge of the meadow. The Parks trail crew is also planning a meadow trail loop that will connect to the site from the old gate off the Coal Creek Trail.
Hiker safety at Red Town—delayed: Bellevue’s Transportation Division had begun planning for a safer crosswalk at the Red Town parking lot crossing of Lakemont Boulevard SE. This month, staff shared that, unfortunately, budget cuts have placed further design work on hold while the division focuses on projects already under construction. The plan would have included safety alerts, such as Rectangular Rapid Flashing Beacons, for motorists approaching from the west (Newcastle) and the north (on Lakemont). The project remains in the Transportation Facilities Plan and continues to be a priority for when funding becomes available.
The City will begin work on its next two-year budget in early 2026. If you share our concerns about pedestrian safety at this location, please consider contacting the Bellevue City Council to advocate for moving this project forward.
UPCOMING EVENTS
The Industry That Fueled the Growth of Seattle: The Coals of Newcastle and Coal Creek
Coal Mining History Talk
Saturday, January 24, 1:00–3:00 PM
Lewis Creek Park Visitor Center
5808 Lakemont Blvd, Bellevue
How Did Loggers Take Down Huge Cedars and Wrestle Giant Logs?
A talk on Eastside logging in the late 19th century and early 20th century
Saturday, February 21, 1:00–3:00 PM
Lewis Creek Park Visitor Center
5808 Lakemont Blvd, Bellevue
Save the Date! Milt Swanson’s Birthday Party
Saturday, March 28, 2026
Take a hike and join the Newcastle Historical Society and Save Coal Creek at Red Town Trailhead. Celebrate with cake, balloons, a kids’ scavenger hunt, and relics and tools from historic mining days!
Members of Save Coal Creek and Milt’s younger sister Ruth (in red chair) celebrate the late Milt Swanson’s 106th birthday in March 2025 at Red Town Trailhead (photo by Bob Cerelli)
Coal Creek Trail’s new side-trail connection to Forest Drive: The new trail is in the permit process, and work is expected to start in spring 2026. The long-planned trail will begin just east of the Cinder Mine Trail junction, head north across Coal Creek via a bridge, and connect to a Forest Drive neighborhood near Lakemont.
Learn more about Save(d) Coal Creek and IATC’s advocacy work.