Diablo takes its name from Diablo Canyon, named by early prospectors and miners for the difficulty of traversing it.[4]
History
Pre-Settlers
Before settlers arrived the Kwabatsabsh people, now a part of the Upper Skagit Indian Tribe, lived in the area. These people continued to live there well after others arrived, and it may have held some spiritual importance to the tribe.[5] Interviews with the Kwabatsabsh people have helped indicate when past disasters had happened, such as the flood in 1815.[6]
Before Diablo
Before Seattle City Light created the town of Diablo there was a family living in the area, a homesteader by the name of Lucinda Davis and her children.[7] At the time the area, then known as Cedar Bar,[8] was only accessible by a difficult trail from Newhalem.[9] The Davis family opened an inn that served hundreds of local miners, forest rangers, and hunters.[7] The inn included rather modern amenities for its remote location, including electricity and a radio.[3][10]
First house at Cedar Bar
Lucinda Davis and her Dog
In 1904 the Reaburn climbing party renamed what had previously been known as Stetattle Peak to Davis Peak in honor of the Davis family.[11]
After the Forest Homestead Act of 1906 the National Forest Service reevaluated the validity of the Davis claim. Their claim for 100 acres was reduced by the Forest Service, who wanted forty acres for, among other things, a ranger station. After years of back and fourth, their claim went to patent in 1910, and title papers were finally signed in 1917.[12] At around the same time Seattle City Light started to show interest in the area, and started condemnation proceedings. In 1929 after surveys of the area and expansions of the hydro project lead to the Davis family losing their land, they ended up moving to Sedro Woolley.[3][7]
The town of Diablo developed as two separate parts, Reflector Bar upstream and Hollywood (Cedar Bar) downstream. The two developed mostly separately, only connected one road and previously rail. The land in Hollywood is owned by Seattle City Light, and the land in Reflector Bar is owned by the National Forest Service.
Reflector Bar
View from top of incline railway looking down toward Reflector Bar (1987)
Named for the small reflector shelter built there, Reflector Bar was the site of the ranger station that the Forest Service had built.[14] In 1927 the Forest Service allowed City Light to occupy the area.[17]
In late 1927 or early 1928 a railroad bridge was built over Stetattle Creek connecting the line from Reflector Bar to Newhalem. The rails were electrified, although a steam engine was also brought in to climb the steep grade.[18][9]
By 1928 Reflector Bar had many buildings laid out in a U-shape with a mess hall in the center. In addition to the many cottages in the U, there were 10 larger four-room houses built for upper management of the dam project. Around this time there was also a tennis court built, one of the only amenities, the others being a small zoo[18] and at some point a swimming pool.[19]
Two years after the dam was completed, in 1932, many of the buildings were demolished. The powerhouse for the dam still needed to be constructed, so for a time Reflector Bar was home to a 300-ton crane made by Harnischfeger Corporation. In 1934 a water tower was built, now a prominent landmark in the town, and the mess hall was converted into a commissary, carpenter's shop, store room, and recreational hall.[18]
In 1942 Reflector Bar may have been an Aircraft Warning Service site, but seemingly was never used as such in practice.[20]
By the 1970s most of the buildings had been demolished and replaced with lawns, despite previous plans to turn the area into a wild garden.[18]
Hollywood
The area where the Davis ranch was had been renamed from Cedar Bar to Hollywood, and there were at one point in the mid-1920s around 20 shacks were scattered throughout the Hollywood area, possibly built by the Davis family to rent out to employees before the condemnation of their land. In 1935 a building was donated for use as a school to teach 8 children. In 1946, due to a population bolstered by the construction of Ross Dam, a much larger school was built.[18] The building still stands, converted into a dining hall, visitor center, and museum.[1]
Due to complaints from employees about the crude construction of the buildings, and lack of sewer or water connections, in 1938 City Light built 5 more houses, plus an apartment which could fit 10. By 1938 only 5 of those original shacks still stood. By 1952 it was decided that 36 new buildings were to be built. 11 in Reflector Bar, and the rest in Hollywood. It was reasoned that the old buildings could be kept, and so 60 as originally planned was not required. Eventually all but one of the houses built in 1938 still stood.[18]
The Diablo area has had floods recorded as far back as 1815,[6] but after a particularly rough winter of flooding leading into 1950 City Light decided to fill in the lower areas of Hollywood, increasing the elevation 890 feet. This was done partially to alleviate flood damage, but also in preparation for the new Gorge Dam being built downstream. It was at this point that all the original 1920s shacks were demolished to make way for redevelopment. The redevelopment and regrading of the Hollywood area that took place in the 1950s is widely what still stands today. Railroad tracks were removed, the rail bridge was paved over, roads were regraded and repaved, 28 new houses were built, the sewer and water systems were updated, sidewalks were installed, as well as street lights.[18]
From July 29, 2023, to October 1, 2023, a wildfire caused the closure of the North Cascades Highway (State Route 20) and evacuations of recreational facilities, the three dams in the area, as well as the community of Diablo itself.
Today
In 1972, when City Light decided to automate their dams, most people living there were relocated. Only essential employees were kept. The town stays under City Light control,[9] but is now used to house National Park Service employees and employees from the North Cascades Institute which run the nearby North Cascades Environmental Learning Center.[1]
Seattle City Light and the Park Service also work together to maintain the trails in and around Diablo.[1]
From 1928 until the start of World War II, City Light offered guided tours of the Skagit River Hydroelectric Project. From Rockport, visitors rode City Light's steam locomotive 23 miles to Newhalem. The next day, visitors boarded another train to Diablo, where they toured the powerhouse and rode an incline lift to the top of the dam. Next, they rode a barge or tour boat to Ruby Creek, then returned to Rockport. Over 100,000 people visited the Skagit Project by 1941. After the war, shortened tours resumed.[24]
Since 1986, Diablo has been home to the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center. The center provides lodging, getaways, lake tours of Diablo Lake, photography and art classes, and a conference center.[25][26] The North Cascades Institute, which runs the center, partners with Seattle City Light to offer tours of the dams and powerhouses.[27]
↑ Ray W. Felton, “Speaking of the Skagit Power Plants,” The Seattle Star, August 17, 1926, as quoted in Luxenberg, Historic Research Study, 101.Historicd
↑ Morse to Pagter, 22 September 1927, Engineering Subject Files, Record Series #RA 2627-03, Skagit River Power Supply Correspondence, Seattle Municipal Archives
↑ Wilma, David (2010). Power for the people: a history of Seattle City Light. Seattle, Washington: History Ink, in association with University of Washington Press. p.44. ISBN978-0-295-98576-3. OCLC613433169.
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