History of Valley Avenue
By Curt Cunningham

Before 1924 the Pacific Highway leaving Tacoma northbound toward Seattle traveled southeast through the Puyallup Valley toward North Puyallup, and Sumner. At Sumner the highway turned north and traveled on what is now called the West Valley highway.

After crossing over the Puyallup River in Tacoma, the motorist turned right onto what is now known as 54th Ave East. 54th Ave E. continues south for a quarter mile to the railroad tracks. Here the road veers to the left onto what is now known as Valley Avenue. The old highway continued on Valley Avenue for the next 6 miles and crossing the railroad tracks at 42nd St. Ct. E. about 2 miles before you reach North Puyallup. The Old Cannery Furniture Warehouse is at the east end of this road. This is where the old highway crosses back over the tracks on its way to Seattle.

Valley Ave. was originally a section of the Indian Ferry-Stuck Valley Road. This road was established in 1880 and ran began at Indian Ferry in Tacoma which is near the cemetery, and it ran southeast through North Puyallup to Sumner.  

In 1910, this road became designated as Permanent Highway #3 between Tacoma and the King County line and it became a State-Aid highway known as State-Aid Road #70. Between North Puyallup and Sumner 1.25 miles of new right-of-way was obtained for the new road. That same year the road was oiled and graveled, and 2 years later in 1912 it was paved with granatoid, which was a type of brick pavement. A year later in 1913 Valley Ave. became a section of the Pacific Highway and it would remain a part of the highway for the next 14 years.

In 1924 the Pacific Highway through the Puyallup and the Kent/Auburn valleys was bypassed by a new road through; Federal Way, Des Moines, and Sea-Tac which was known as the "Highline" road. This new route was chosen by the State Highway Department to eliminate the dangerous railroad crossings. This also saved the motorist about 5 miles from the old route.