Keyword(s): Janet Oakley
The City of Arlington is situated in one of the most beautiful river valleys in Western Washington, the Stillaguamish. Flanked by the river and its forks, this rural Snohomish County town has a rich h...
The town of Darrington, located in Snohomish County 30 miles east of Arlington, was once known as the Burn or Sauk Portage. Darrington got its name from the flip of a card. With settlement beginning...
Once called the "City of Smokestacks," Everett has a long association with industry and labor. Its first beginnings were two Native American settlements at opposite sides of the heavily wooded region,...
The City of Granite Falls, located in Snohomish County, is situated in the foothills of the Cascades between two rivers: the Pilchuck and the South Fork Stillaguamish. The town is the gateway to the s...
The little settlement of Jordan, Snohomish County, is set in a rural and picturesque valley on the south fork of the Stillaguamish River. Named for the hometown of an early pioneer, it lies halfway be...
Skagit County encompasses some of the most spectacular scenery in Washington state. From Rosario Strait and the flats (a riverine delta) to the forested gorges of the Skagit River to the craggy Cascad...
Whatcom County was established on March 9, 1854, by the Washington territorial government from a portion of Island County. The name Whatcom derives from a Nooksack word meaning "noisy water" and it wa...
On August 26, 1856, U.S. Army Captain George Pickett (1825-1875) arrives on Bellingham Bay from Fort Steilacoom to construct a military installation. Pickett's job is to build a fort that will deter t...
In September 1857, construction begins on the Whatcom Trail to connect Bellingham to Everson and the international boundary with Canada. The track will follow an existing Indian trail called the Nook-...
On July 5, 1858, T. G. Richards & Co. purchases a lot "having a front on E and Centre Street" in the town of Whatcom on Bellingham Bay for $600. They start building a brick warehouse that will be ...
In 1863, Michael H. Sullivan (1840?-1912) and Samuel Calhoun build the first dike in Skagit County. They prove that the treeless flats between the Sullivan and Swinomish sloughs, once thought useless ...
In September 1863, lumberman Eugene D. Smith and his partner Otis Wilson arrive on the Snohomish River to set up the first logging operation on the river. Experienced at logging with oxen, Smith settl...
On August 17, 1868, the Coleman party reaches the summit of Mount Baker, the first climbers in recorded history to do so. Mount Baker is one of the most striking and powerful features of the northwest...
In the summer of 1876, partners Joe Wilson and Donald McDonald begin removing a massive logjam on the Skagit River. For nearly 100 years, its lower section, located a half mile below the fledging town...
In May 1884, Kent Prairie School opens. The year before, settlers in north Snohomish County had petitioned the county superintendent of schools for a second time to form a school district of their own...
In 1885, Alvinza Gardner Tillinghast opens his Puget Sound Seed Gardens on the Padilla Flats in Skagit County north of LaConner. Already experienced in growing cabbage seed, Tillinghast operates the b...
In May 1888, Nels K. Tveit and his partner, N. C. Johnson, arrive at the "forks" of the Stillaguamish River to set up the first store in the area. Experienced at running general merchandise stores in ...
On June 27, 1891, Snohomish County School Superintendent B. H. Dixon approves the formation of School District No. 51, created out of two existing districts. The first school session is held in a loca...
On December 21, 1891, the so-called "whaleback" freighter Charles W. Wetmore arrives to great fanfare in the budding town of Everett on Port Gardner Bay in Snohomish County. The design of the steel-hu...
In 1893, Dr. Frank Chappell (1846-1927) arrives in Granite Falls and sets up the first medical practice. A smallpox epidemic in Snohomish County logging camps exposes a pressing need for doctors. He ...
On November 12, 1894, the Woman's Book Club of Everett passes a resolution to petition the mayor and common council of Everett to create a free public library for the city. They will secure their firs...