The Ginder Lake mine opened in late 1938 in an attempt to recover coal in an area between two significant faults. Though both Black Diamond’s and Ravensdale’s mines operated on the highly valued McKay seam, the two operations were disconnected due to displacement of bedrock creating geologic faults. In 1938, Pacific Coast Coal Co. leased a large block of coal in the Ginder Lake fault zone to the William Strain Coal Co. Initially mining commenced through an opening adjacent to the Black Diamond-Ravensdale Road. That mine was driven east, towards the lake.
The Ravensdale road was originally constructed with red cinders, a byproduct of coal, which may have given the lake its name. Some early maps show it as Cinder Lake, though a pioneer Black Diamond family had the last name Ginder, which it has been traditionally called. In order to facilitate additional mining, Ginder Lake was drained, lowering it nearly 10 feet and cutting its size in half. Secondary access to the Ginder block of coal was gained through a steeply-pitched slope on the east shore of the now shrunken lake.
However, the new Ginder Lake slope with its 70 degree downward pitch proved deadly to Charles Tenio, a rope rider who fell 200 feet while riding on the front end of a loaded coal car. Months later the Ginder Lake operation claimed another victim, Leo Stallcop who slipped and bumped his head on a timber. Weeks later Stallcop collapsed, dying shortly thereafter.
An autopsy revealed massive hemorrhaging, a result of the earlier fall. The Strain Coal Co. mine produced about 200,000 tons of coal between 1939 and until it shut down on July 10, 1941. Shortly after it closed, the lake purportedly drained into the abandoned workings until equilibrium was restored and the lake refilled. This photo of the Ginder Lake mine crew dates to 1939 and comes courtesy of the Foothills Museum in Buckley.
Notes on back of the photo state it was copied by Jerry Kuranko and may have come from a negative provided by Galan Boswick, a coal miner for Palmer Coking Coal Co. Ginder Lake is privately owned by Palmer and closed to the public.
