Two rivers, both named Green were originally tributaries to the White River, which historically flowed north into the Duwamish River then to Seattle’s Elliot Bay. Early expeditions to King County confused the rivers as both were left forks of the White and the color green. In time the lower fork which intersected near Auburn became the Green River, while the upper fork on Naches Pass became the Greenwater. The Native American name for this river was Smalocho.
This photo of the Chinook Highway Bridge (SR 410) over the Greenwater River was taken in the 1940s with White River barely visible looking downstream. The outpost known as Greenwater begins at the line separating King and Pierce counties. Today’s Greenwater settlement includes a general store and several restaurants, the most famous of which is the Natches Tavern whose original incarnation by Captain Dick Craine dates to the early 1920s. This image from a picture postcard comes courtesy of JoAnne Matsumura, an Issaquah historian and collector of vintage photos. Next week, more about the rivers of south King County
