During the 20th century, the town gradually transitioned away from coal, and today its economy is primarily based on forestry and tourism.

Coal deposits were first noted in the Roslyn area in 1883, with a large vein discovered at the upper Smith Creek canyon in 1885 by C.P.

In January of that year, Nelson Bennett was given a contract to construct a 9,850 foot (3,002 m) tunnel under Stampede Pass, completing it in 1888.

Roslyn, which lies on the route to Stampede Pass, provided the coal for the railway construction work as well as the continuing railroad operations.

Between 1886 and 1929, immigrant workers from countries such as Italy, Poland, Slovakia, Germany, Lithuania, Slovenia, Serbia and Croatia as well as from England, Ireland, Scotland and Wales came to work in the mines.

As coal-fired steam trains were being replaced by diesel power, the last mine in the area closed in 1963 as business became unprofitable.

A hub of life in the town was the Northwestern Improvement Company Store, now listed on the National Register of Historic Places; it still stands at the corner of First Street and Pennsylvania Avenue.

The recruitment of these armed forces raised the interest of Territorial Governor Eugene Semple when he heard that they harassed area residents calling themselves U.S.

This was considered a paramilitary challenge to Washington Territory authority and Semple ordered the local sheriff to disperse the unit.

Many relocated with families, and this migration was the largest increase in the African-American population of Washington Territory up until that time.

Sheriff Packwood of Kittitas County reported to Semple that relations between out-of-work white workers and the black population were strained with potential to turn violent.

[9] Black fraternal organization lodges and civic institutions were established, including Prince Hall Masons, Knights of Pythias of North America, South America, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia, Prince Hall Order of the Eastern Star, Daughters of Tabernacle, and African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Although Roslyn clings to its coal mining and timber harvesting past, it has become a tourist and recreation destination.

Tourism to the town received a boost when it was featured as the filming location for The Runner Stumbles and Northern Exposure.

As in similar small towns being transformed by large-scale capital projects and outside investment, these changes are expected to significantly improve Roslyn.

A Roslyn-based citizen group called RIDGE engaged Suncadia's owners in litigation to mitigate the effects of the resort.

[15] Roslyn is located about 1 hour 25 mins – east-south-east from Seattle, Washington According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of 4.37 square miles (11.32 km2), all of it land.

Identification as to ethnicity in 2000 was as follows: 17.9% were of German ancestry, 15.9% English, 10.3% Irish, 7.1% Norwegian, 6.6% American, 5.7% Croatian, 5.7% Scotch-Irish, and 5.1% Italian.