. This photo was taken in April 1974 by Barry Kombol, who after working his regular day shift at the mine stayed for the 3 – 11 p.m. session to document the many jobs performed by underground coal miners. The smile on John’s face speaks to his pleasant countenance and the satisfaction he took from his considerable skills at mining coal. Like many of his generation, Streepy was a heavy smoker and often lit up soon after coming out of the mine, as smoking was prohibited underground. He also developed Black Lung later in life, a respiratory illness associated with breathing coal dust.
John Ross Streepy was born in Iowa in 1917 but moved to Carbonado as a youth. He attended school only through the 10th grade. In 1937 at age 20, he started his first mining job for Pacific Coast Coal doing haulage work.
He next worked as a miner for Strain Coal Co. of Black Diamond, Carbonado Coal Company, Wilkeson Products, Northwest Improvement Co., and others. John also briefly worked in the Bremerton shipyards before joining the Navy as a Seabee doing construction work during World War II. In April 1954, he joined Palmer Coking Coal Co. where he worked the next 23 years before retiring in January 1976.
In addition to his 38 years of coal mining, Streepy also served on the Town Council, School Board, and as Fire Chief for Carbonado, a small mining community in east Pierce County. John married Dora Mae Sartoris of Boise Creek in October 1941 and the couple raised three children. His grandson, John H. Streepy wrote a thesis “Carbonado:
The History of a Coal Mining Town 1880-1937,” providing a detailed look at the town. John Streepy died on Jan. 3, 2000, four years after his wife.
