A sacred place for the Snoqualmie People
The Snoqualmie People have lived in this valley since time immemorial. In their tradition the falls are where Moon the Transformer created the first woman and first man, and the mist rising from the base joins heaven and earth. The site has long been a place of prayer, ceremony and burial, and it still is. The falls were listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2009 as a traditional cultural property, after years in which Puget Sound Energy objected to the nomination.
Charles Baker and the 1899 power plant
Surveyors guided by Native people brought the first outsiders to the falls in 1848, and the first tourist party came in 1855. In 1898 engineer Charles H. Baker, out of work since the Panic of 1893, began building a power plant inside the rock beside the falls. On July 31, 1899, his 18-month-old daughter Dorothy threw the switch, and Plant 1 became the world’s first completely underground power plant. A second powerhouse followed downstream in 1910. See the hydroelectric museum for more.
The lodge, the railroad and the tourists
The Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway reached the valley in 1889, and its first train to the falls was a tourist excursion; naturalist John Muir visited the same year. Cars followed on the Sunset Highway, and a roadside inn, the Snoqualmie Falls Lodge, opened above the falls in the late 1910s and became famous for its country breakfast. An observation deck was built in 1968, and by the late 1990s the falls were the second most visited tourist attraction in Washington after Mount Rainier.
Twin Peaks, protection and the 2019 purchase
In 1988 the old lodge was rebuilt as Salish Lodge, and two years later David Lynch and Mark Frost’s Twin Peaks put the falls and the lodge in its opening titles. PSE won a new federal license in 2004 and rebuilt the plants, park and historic buildings between 2010 and 2015. In 2019 the Snoqualmie Indian Tribe bought Salish Lodge and about 45 acres beside the falls for $125 million, returning part of its sacred site to tribal ownership.
Frequently asked questions
Why is Snoqualmie Falls sacred?
For the Snoqualmie People it is where Moon the Transformer created the first woman and first man, and the mist joins heaven and earth.
When was the Snoqualmie Falls power plant built?
Charles H. Baker began building it in 1898, and Plant 1 started on July 31, 1899, as the world’s first completely underground power plant.
Who owns Snoqualmie Falls?
Puget Sound Energy owns and runs the park and power plants. The Snoqualmie Indian Tribe owns Salish Lodge and about 45 acres beside the falls.
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