Sehome Coal Wharf
by James Williamson
Original - Sold
Price
$1,400
Dimensions
26.000 x 18.000 inches
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Title
Sehome Coal Wharf
Artist
James Williamson
Medium
Painting - Pen And Ink Watercolor
Description
Sehome Coal Wharf was located in the Historic Maritime City of Bellingham, Whatcom County, Washington State.
Pen and ink, watercolor painting by artist James Williamson.
Artist James Williamson ASMA,
Signature Member of the American Society of Marine Artists
Discovery of Coal, William R. Pattle was told by the Indians that black fire dirt, coal existed on the shores of Bellingham Bay. He investigated and was the first white man to discover coal on the Pacific Coast of the United States in October of 1852 at Pattles Point between the cities of Sehome and Fairhaven.
The first coal mine on Bellingham Bay began in the fall of 1853 when two of Captain Roeder's employees went to the shore to remove a big windfall. They found that the roots of the tree had left exposed a body of black rock. Examination showed this to be lignite coal. These discoveries generated great excitement over the prospect of getting a fuel supply nearer than the Atlantic states. The Sehome Coal Mine was created and opened in 1854.
The Sehome Mine operated in a sketchy and wasteful manner. Accidents and hardships were frequent. Difficulties in mining included explosions, cave-ins, underground fires and flooding. Pick and shovel were tools of the miner-supplemented by animal power. The Bellingham Bay Coal Company, owners of the Sehome Mine, decided to work the claim in a practical manner and $100,000 would be spent upgrading working conditions. The first Coal Wharf and Bunkers were built in 1859. Located at the foot of Pine Street on Bellingham Bay, the Coal Wharf was located near the south end of the future site of Georgia Pacific Lumber Mill. The sinking of an adequate incline on the vein and a tramway from the slope to the bunkers was completed. The company also purchased three ocean-going freighters: Lookout, Amethyst, and Germania.
Mining continued after this reconstruction and for years the only coal shipped to San Francisco from an American port came from Bellingham Bay! Operations continued until 1879 when it was decided to abandon the Sehome Mine.
Coming of the Railroads, the Canadian Pacific selected the Fraser River Valley in British Columbia as the last leg of its transcontinental route with possibly a connection at Bellingham Bay. The Bellingham Bay Coal Company acted. On June 21, 1883, the Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad Company was incorporated. Optimism and Activity was rampant on the Bay. A new town-site at Sehome was being cleared. The New Sehome Coal Wharf (illustrated in this limited edition) was being constructed at the foot of Beech Street. The Sehome Coal Mine did not reopen at this time. The new coal wharf was not fully utilized, because of this closure, until the opening of the Blue Canyon Coal Mine located on the southeast shore of Lake Whatcom. Blue Canyon was opened in 1891.
The steam locomotive, coal car and crew car, painted colorful Victorian colors in artist James Williamson's Fine Art America edition is a bit of Americana and represents the type used in the 1890s. The B.B. & B.C. usually operated Baldwin steam locomotives of varying design throughout Whatcom County.
Bellingham Bay in the 1890s, recreated in the limited edition Sehome Coal Wharf the viewer is standing on the shore of Bellingham Bay looking southwest. A wooden, three masted bark (tall ship) is tied to the Coal Wharf prepared to load coal. A B.B. & B.C. locomotive with coal cars has eased into position. Coal was dumped down chutes directly from the railway cars into the hold of the vessel. Locomotives would haul logs to the wharf, rolled and dumped into the bay the logs can be seen floating along the shore in front of the coal wharf. The passenger side-wheel steamer IDAHO plies Bellingham Bay beyond the wharf. Lummi Island appears in the distance.
Uploaded
December 20th, 2012
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