Local Historian Cristy Lake Receives Prestigious Award

Cristy Lake, Assistant Director of the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum and Collections Registrar at the Northwest Railway Museum, was honored with the Jim Ellis Spirit Award at the annual Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust (MTSGT) Celebration on December 4^th in recognition of her steadfast commitment to the preservation of cultural heritage throughout the Snoqualmie Valley.

The Mountains to Sound Greenway Trust, founded by legendary civic leader Jim Ellis, is dedicated to conserving and enhancing Washington’s natural landscape, ensuring the protection of over a million acres.

The Jim Ellis Spirit Award recognizes Cristy for her many preservation successes, such as her heroic rescue of railway artifacts from the unexpected closure of the Bellingham Railway Museum, her retention of regional history at the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Museum, and notable contributions to the Trust’s Heritage Area Advisory Committee.

“I am greatly honored to receive this award as a representative of the countless hours our local heritage community puts into stewarding our collective past,” Cristy said. “I am just a small part of a team of countless volunteers and staff in our community that work in multiple organizations to preserve, share, and document the significant history our community has experienced. Each of these volunteers and staff embodies the spirit of Jim Ellis by endeavoring to make a better world for future generations.”

The award recognizes individuals who embody Jim’s values and vision.

“Jim Ellis was one-of-a-kind, a well-respected leader communities dream of,” said Kevin Burrows, president of the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society. “He made the Seattle area a better place to live. It is a significant honor to receive an award in his name.  We are so fortunate that we have people like Cristy in our community who embody his spirit and champion his vision.”