Mount Rainier serves as a dramatic backdrop for Black Diamond, a small community that is nestled in the foothills of the Cascade Mountains.

Casey Elmer, 8, center, joins classmates at Black Diamond Elementary in saluting the flag and saying the Pledge of Allegiance at the start of the school day.

The mining of "black diamonds" is a big part of the town's past. Pacific Coast is the only major employer there today, with 46 workers.

A dog seems to stand guard at the Black Diamond Jail, which is part of a railroad museum.

Parents join their kids on the walk home from Black Diamond Elementary School. Nan Holman, in the plaid shirt, has lived in town 16 years and had three boys attend the school.

Carl Steiert sits in the Black Diamond Museum, a place filled with items from the townÕs colorful past.

Worker Bob Jacobs frames one of 13 new houses at Black Diamond Estates. Plenty of housing is going up all around the town, and the growth has some residents worried.

The Black Diamond Bakery, opened in 1902, is a local legend. Above, baker Gordon Gotcher removes bread from the famous brick oven at the bakery. The current owner still burns half a cord of wood a day baking the popular breads in the old oven.

Dave Ellison and his 2-year-old namesake head home after a trip to the grocery store. Ellison says he likes Black Diamond's small-town feel.

Emil Rossi remembers when bootlegging was the No. 2 industry (after coal) in the community of Black Diamond. Here he checks out a coal car on display outside the Black Diamond Museum.