Issaquah Washington Main Street Ice Cream Barber Pole Real Photo Postcard

Issaquah, Washington, originally founded as Gilman in the 1880s, became a prominent center for coal mining and timber in the Puget Sound region. Renamed Issaquah in 1899, its main street, depicted in this postcard likely from the late 1900s to the 1920s, reflects the characteristic appearance of a burgeoning frontier town with unpaved roads and early automotive presence.

This era marked Issaquah's growth as an economic hub, providing essential services and goods to the surrounding mining and logging communities. The wooden commercial buildings housed diverse businesses, from general stores and ice vendors to real estate offices, highlighting the town's role in supporting regional industrial expansion and catering to a rapidly increasing population in the early 20th century Pacific Northwest.