Nagrom, Washington

Nagrom was a town in King County (Washington). A logging company town, Nagrom was located in the Green River watershed between Enumclaw and Lester. The town was built by the Morgan Lumber Company and named after E. G. Morgan, the company founder and owner ('Nagrom' is simply 'Morgan' spelled backward). The site was chosen for its access to timber, and suitability to build a sawmill and mill pond. In 1910, Morgan petitioned the Northern Pacific Railway, which operated the rail line out of Puget Sound and up over Stampede Pass to build a spur into the small town. The railway balked, but Morgan persisted and eventually the railway relented. The spur into town was built in 1911. A Post office was established that same year, along with a telephone and telegraph exchange.

From 1911 to 1924, the Morgan Lumber Company continued to work the area for timber and to run the sawmill at Nagrom. In 1921-22 the population topped out for this town with an estimated 450 residents. In 1924, however, the company went out of business, presumably due to a post-World War I fall in lumber prices. Logging continued, but at a slower pace, as trucks began replacing railroad in the logging industry. The Forest service began managing the forested land in the area in the 1930s with the help of the Civilian Conservation Corps.

Also during this period, the City of Tacoma acquired the water rights to the Green River watershed, and began buying private land all along the Green River. By the 1960s, nearly all private homesteads had been bought, and access was to the area was difficult. The roads were gated off by either the city of Tacoma or the Forest Service. Today there are no residents in Nagrom.^[1]

Geography

The town was located at 47°13′31″N 121°36′08″W / 47.22528°N 121.60222°W / 47.22528; -121.60222

References

1. ^ John A. Phillips, III (March 20, 2002), Spelled In Reverse. E. G. Morgan and a Town called Nagrom, http://home.netcom.com/~whstlpnk/nagromv2.html, retrieved 2010-11-09