In the late 1800s, English immigrant Thomas Rouse homesteaded in
May Valley and worked in the local coal mines. In the 1870s, he and
15 other petitioners lobbied for better routes from their farms
into Newcastle. Rouse and another man signed a $100 bond for work
to proceed, and in 1880 King County Road #90 was built. Better
known as “Thomas Rouse Road,” it came from May Creek into
Newcastle, where it connected with the road running between Renton
and Issaquah.
Rouse worked in the mines for 50 years, retiring in 1921, and is
buried in the Newcastle pioneer cemetery (
Newcastle Pioneers).
The above coordinates put you at a historical marker along one
stretch of the original route. (I recommend approaching from the
south.)
AB = letters in Rouse’s full name
C = immigrant Rouse’s occupations
D = types of folks who traveled the road
E = A + B
F = B - D
Cache: N 47° 3D.CBB W 122° 09.FEA
Now drive the modern residential streets along the original
route, until you reach the cache, located at the end of the road by
another marker identical to the first.
Checksum (all digits): N = 31 W = 26