Back to Full List Milt Rides the Rails and Tracks our History Milt Swanson Mixed Media with Model Railroad Parts, Photos, Maps, Coal, Lantern Sherry Pepke, artist Historian Milt Swanson was born in 1918, and lives in a remodeled miner's cottage - Company House-#180 where his family has lived since 1923. Both his father and grandfather worked in the mines. His grandfather died in a mining accident, 1,000 feet under the property. Milt's acreage is next to the railroad grade trail where rail cars moved coal to Lake Washington, where it was then taken to Seattle and San Francisco. After serving in the Coast Guard in World War II, Milt worked for the B & R Coal Company as a mechanic until 1962. Today, he is a collector and a hobbyist, and has a Newcastle Museum of railroad artifacts and mining memorabilia on his property. Once inside his home, you are able to hear the geological history of east King County. Milt tells many stories about the mining and logging of one hundred years ago. Small mining camps located on our hills have been torn down or were removed as the mining came to an end, leaving miles of underground shafts. Milt also has a vast knowledge of the old days of the railroad in the Issaquah area. Inspired by her talks with Milt, artist Sherry Pepke created a mixed media piece which is an interactive three dimensional design that hangs on the wall. It includes a movable "Speeder" on a track with a railroad signal, lights and a bell. It has photographs, maps and some painted areas. A piece of coal and a carbide lantern is incorporated, and the artwork is framed with model railroad track. Sherry Pepke comes from a long line of artists and nature lovers. Her family members were pioneers who came west to settle in Colorado during the silver and gold rush in the 1850s. Both she and her husband grew up in King County and enjoy the history of the area, and walking through the forests. A third grade teacher at Clark Elementary, Sherry likes to instill in young children a love for their heritage and country. She believes that the Collective Memory project will inform and encourage students to explore their past and make a lasting record of it. Personal Item: Coal, Miner's Lamp