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Town of Ruston |
| The Town of Ruston was established over a hundred years ago. What began as a community of workers surrounding the Asarco copper smelter is becoming one of the South Puget Sounds emerging jewels. | |
| Ruston's heritage is closely linked to the smelter that sustained its residents from May 1890 until its closure in March 1985. The town began as an isolated community of smelter employees in the area known to local indians as "The Maple Wood". The first house was built about 1890 by Marco Budinich. The town was platted in 1891 and the small community came to be known as Swansea or Smelterville. | |
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In 1905 the smelter
appointed a new manager, W.R. Rust, also a major stockholder. The
following year, the Guggenheim brothers bought and incorporated the the
business into their American Smelting and Refining Company. Rust
proposed incorporation of the tiny community and the dream became
reality in October of 1906. The new Town of Ruston was named in honor of
the plant manager. They boasted 600 residents, three general stores, and
a new school house.
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| The next century did not bring major changes to the community until the closure of the smelter in 1985. In 1990, the town census still showed 657 residents. The school was closed in 1986, and after a hard fought battle, the town obtained ownership of the historic school building. Although now closed, while awaiting repairs, a quaint bridge over the railroad tracks was constructed in 1941, bringing the two sides of the community closer together. | |
| The loss of the Arsarco smelter, its major tax base, brought some lean years for the community. But things are changing. Asarco, under the guidance of the EPA, began a project of soil replacement in local yards in 1993 based on concerns of past smelter emissions affecting the dirt. The program is expected to be completed in 2003, and the towns waterfront, the former smelter property, will be transformed into a beautiful system of parks and town development areas. | |
| Ruston has long reflected the best of small town life. The residents are close knit, crime and taxes are lower and the fire and police department have one of the fastest response times in the county. It is indeed one of the best places in the state to raise children and spend your retirement years. Connections are strong, not only to other residents, but to the history and community that make the Town of Ruston unique. | |
