The sign below the chimney says Hiway Grocery and in the eve above the door the lettering reads Post Office – Kanaskat. But there on the window-door is stenciled Post Office – Palmer, Wash. Such was the confusion between adjacent towns with no formal boundary or definition of place, yet whose histories are decidedly linked. Palmer was generally associated with the Northern Pacific railway station while Kanaskat referred to the collections of homes nearer the Green River. This structure was located on property historically owned by the Northern Pacific Railroad who controlled much of the property in the area. This building dates to 1920 as were a number of others in this area during the years following construction of the Kanaskat Bridge over the Green River by King County in 1918. When enlarging the photo interesting details take shape. A sign by the far left window advertises availability of the Seattle Post Intelligencer newspaper. Posters below and beside the window painted “Dry Goods” and “Ice Cream” advertise movies starring Wallace Beery including “The Man for Dakota” and “Slave Ship.” This April 1, 1940 King County Assessor photo to tax parcel #102107-9042 comes courtesy of JoAnne Matsumura, an Issaquah historian and collector of photos. It’s unclear where this building still stands, has been torn down, or incorporated into another.
