HistoryLink Tours

Wilbur Sylvester, a prominent citizen of early Issaquah, built a small house on this site around 1900. When the City of Issaquah later acquired the property and wanted to use the building, it had deteriorated so badly that the city had little choice but to tear it down and build a replica. The replica house’s small meeting room is used by various local organizations as well as by the city, but it’s primarily known as the meeting place and headquarters of the Issaquah Alps Trails Club.

The Issaquah Alps Trails Club was co-founded in 1979 by Cougar Mountain resident Harvey Manning in order to preserve open space in an area stretching from Cougar Mountain near Bellevue east to Rattlesnake Mountain south of North Bend. In the 40 years since, its members have proven to be effective advocates not only in preserving open space and in educating the public of why it is important to do so, but in establishing a vast trail network throughout the Issaquah Alps.