Melmont, Washington | |
|---|---|
  Melmont  Melmont | |
| Coordinates: 47°01′51″N 122°02′00″W / 47.03078°N 122.03335°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Washington |
| County | Pierce |
| Founded | 1900 |
| Time zone | UTC-8 (Pacific (PST)) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC-7 (PDT) |
Melmont is a ghost town in Pierce County, Washington, USA. The town was founded in 1900 when the Northwest Improvement Company, a subsidiary of Northern Pacific Railway, started the Melmont coal mine.[1] The town consisted of a schoolhouse, a train depot, a saloon, a hotel (which housed the post office, a butcher shop, and store), and rows of cottages that were used as housing for the miners. Each row accommodated a different nationality, the miners being seemingly self-segregated.[2] The coal was used exclusively for use by Northern Pacific, and when they switched from steam locomotives to diesel and electric models, the economic base of the town was destroyed.[1]