Coal Mines Trail
Roslyn-Ronald-Cle Elum Heritage Club | Roslyn, WA
The Coal Mines Trail—a former railroad spur connecting three central Washington towns—is embedded with hidden history. The route has been significant to Indigenous peoples for ceremonial and food-gathering purposes since time immemorial. More recently, the trail was used by immigrants and migrants, including hundreds of African Americans who traveled to the area to begin a new life after the Civil War. Understory led community partners in creating new trail-wide signage that shares local history from diverse perspectives.
Services Provided:
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Project Management
From biking brainstorms to fabrication coordination, this complex project required thoughtful and flexible management.
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Interpretive Signs
We led the development, design, and fabrication coordination of several types of signage. Iterations were shaped by audience evaluation.
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Custom Illustration
Angela created ink portraits of local characters portrayed on the signs.
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Reseach & Content Development
Interviews with community members, literature reviews, and museum visits informed the narrative for the trail.
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Interpretive Planning
We worked closely with many project partners to develop themes, stories, and designs, including descendants of Roslyn’s Black Pioneers.
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Interpretive Writing
Label-writing unfolded easily with the interpretive plan as a solid foundation.
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Grant Writing
Understory helped write narratives and provided cost estimates for grant applications prior to project kick-off.
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Audience Evaluation
Coal Mines Trail interpretation was crafted in response to a robust audience evaluation process, including iterative prototyping of draft designs.