Largely a settlement of Scandinavians engaged in farming and dairying, it was founded in 1865 as Tolt for the Indian band living nearby. In 1917, the State legislature renamed the town Carnation for the neighboring dairy farm, which supplied the goods for Carnation Evaporated Milk Company, founded and based in Kent, south of Seattle.
Today, you’ll see the town’s original name everywhere, such as at Tolt-MacDonald Park, a 574-acre park with trails and campgrounds at the confluence of the Snoqualmie and Tolt rivers. There a few notable historic buildings that remain and show off the town’s immigrant, farming, and dairy roots.