My home town...

Renton Washington...

The first European settlers in this area was in 1853.
The towns first businesses were lumber and coal.
That followed a brick factory that is long gone, but the high school that was built with those bricks is still being used.
And finally Paccar- making rail cars to haul coal and lumber.. then various things.. and today the makers of Peterbilt and Kenworth trucks  

Renton officially became a city in 1901

In 1941 Boeing opened a plant in town making the famous B-29 bomber.

Today the two biggest employers are still Paccar and Boeing.

As for the population..
When my mom was born it was 10,000
When I was born it was 25,000
Today it is 100,000

As for what is the photograph? This a an original 19th century coal miners hat. A little kerosene, a wick and down in the mine they went..