An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 29

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1172

USA > Washington > Skagit County > An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 29
USA > Washington > Snohomish County > An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington > Part 29

Note: The text from this book was generated using artificial intelligence so there may be some errors. The full pages can be found on Archive.org (link on the Part 1 page).

In July, 1880, the steamer Chehalis, Captain Thomas Brannin, made the trip up the river to The Dalles in two days and a half, attaining the highest point ever reached by a steamboat, but a few days later, the Josephine, Captain Denney, reached nearly as high a point. These steamers were both of one hundred tons burden and their successful voyage demonstrated the possibilities of navigation on the Skagit. One result of the travel back and forth to the mines was the demand for numerous way stations and provision stores up and down the Skagit valley. Amasa Everett's place at the mouth of Baker river and David Batey's near the site of Sedro-Woolley, together with many other places carved out of the timber, met the demand by becom- ing supply stations, but the largest mercantile estab- lishment anywhere above Mount Vernon at this period was that of Clothier & English at Goodall's Landing, succeeding Edward Goodall, who had had for a short time previously a store at the same place. Albert L. Graham says that Ruby City, laid out on twenty feet of snow, likewise had a small store for a short time during the excitement. The fare on the steamers from Mount Vernon to the portage was at first twelve dollars, subsequently dropping to eight, and it took about two days to make the trip. While there has been in later years a consid- erable amount of gold taken from the Ruby creek mines, they have never attained the first rank as wealth producers.

In 1880 Frank R. Hamilton and wife settled at the mouth of Baker river, his neighbors being Theodore Sunter, a half brother of Mrs. Hamilton, Eli Frome, Amasa Everett, Orrin Kincaid and S. Anderson. Sunter's mother was the first white woman to settle in the neighborhood and Mrs. Ham- ilton the next. While bringing a bull up the river at this time, Hamilton and Frome blazed out a trail which in later years became the course of the river road.

This period of settlement was marked in 1881 by a fracas with the Indians in connection with the

survey of the government land, the Indians on the upper river objecting to the survey and finally breaking the surveyor's instruments. Amasa Everett was overheard by some of the Indians to advise the surveyors to kill them if they persisted in their opposition and the result was an attack on Everett by two Indians. He, in self-defense, opened upon them with his revolver and seriously wounded both, escaping in the night down river with Willard Cobb in a canoe. Everett gave him- self up at once and was tried at Mount Vernon for the shooting, but acquitted. The general body of the Indians sustained Everett and later held a great pow-wow with him, at which they adjusted their differences by his paying a small amount for the two Indians shot and the Indians paying him an equivalent amount for things stolen from his cabin. Colonel Pollock, a government agent, came soon after with an escort of forty soldiers under com- mand of Lieutenant Culver Simons from Port Townsend, and the local Indian agent to investigate the trouble. It has been stated that Colonel Pol- lock offended Mr. Everett and the Indian agent by much boastfulness and self-importance, and as a consequence they arranged with the Indians to test the courage of him and his party as they went down the river. The Indians accordingly located them- selves in an ambuscade, from which they fired upon the valiant colonel, taking pains to land no bullets dangerously near the boat, and the colonel and party made time down the river which beat all records before or since. As we shall see later on it was many years before the survey of the upper river was completed.

The consequence of the ever-increasing busi- ness and population of the upper Skagit was a memorial addressed to the postmaster-general of the United States for improved mail facilities, which memorial was indited as follows :

MEMORIAL

TO ESTABLISH MAIL ROUTE FROM MUKILTEO, SNOHOMISH COUNTY, TO LYMAN, WHATCOM COUNTY, VIA PORT

SUSAN, W. T.

TO THE HONORABLE POSTMASTER-GENERAL OF THE UNITED STATES :

Your memorialists, the Legislative Assembly of the Territory of Washington, respectfully represent :

That the mail facilities afforded to the people of the northern portion of the county of Snohomish and the southern portion of the county of Whatcom, including the valleys of the rivers Stillaguamish and Skagit, are inadequate to the growing demands; that the aforesaid tract of country is rapidly settling up, and the commercial and social interests of the people demand increased and more regular mail service. That they are now supplied once a week from mail route No. 43,108. The mail is car- ried in small open boats and often delayed by stormy weather.

That steamers ran regularly twice each week over the route hereinafter proposed, and that the mail can and will be carried without much expense to the government. Therefore, your memorialists pray that a mail route be

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATIONS

FISHTRAP PILES SKAGIT RIVER

River Canyon.

CL Nwash in His Đượcut (canee)

Photographs by D. A. Kinsey

SKAGIT RIVER VIEWS

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established with service thereon twice each week from Mukilteo on route No. 43,108; thence to Tulalip, thence to Port Susan, to Stanwood. Utsalady, Skagit City, Mount Vernon, Sterling and Lyman, a distance of about sixty Iniles.

Wherefore, your memorialists as in duty bound ever pray.

Passed the House of Representatives Nov. 22, 1881. GEORGE COMEGYS,

Speaker of the House of Representatives. Passed the Council Nov. 23, 1881.

H. F. STRATTON,

President of the Council.

Approved Nov. 29, 1881.

The petition was duly granted and the new mail route established.

The oat farmers of the Skagit were in the con- dition sometimes called being "in clover." in their crop sales of 1880; for the price of that leading staple of the agricultural section was thirty dollars per ton. It is also worthy of record that self-bind- ers were introduced that year for the first time. Two of these were owned by John Ball and R. E. Whitney and two others by parties whose names seem to have escaped record. All were wire bind- ers. The prosperity of the farming class con- tinued right on for the two years following, and in 1882 the price of oats stood again at thirty dol- lars per ton, only two dollars and a half below the highest San Francisco mark. At the same time there was much competition in the carrying trade, especially between the O. R. & N. steamships and the company centered at Utsalady, the latter em- ploying sailing ships in which they undertook to transport freight for two dollars and a quarter per ton, a price below the cost to the steamships. As a result of this the farmers were making money during those years beyond any previous experience. At this time their timothy hay was selling for twelve dollars a ton.

But continuous prosperity, to adopt the old Greek superstition, is likely to incur the enmity of the gods and we accordingly find that during the very same year that prices of products were so high and freight charges so low many of the farm- ers suffered disastrous losses by the great flood of the summer of 1882. The preceding winter and spring had been in a measure an imitation of that of 1880, and a similar summer of sudden heat pro- duced the inevitable catastrophe. E. A. Sisson, to whose diary we are indebted for this and much other valuable matter, has preserved a record of his impression that the damage to the country was greater than in the flood of 1880. although the lat- ter was a greater flood in general. In the vicinity of Sullivan's slough the agricultural district was entirely under water and the crops totally de- stroyed. On the Swinomish the fine farms of Messrs. Lindsey, Armstrong, Polson, Ball, Soder- berg and Calhoun were overflowed and erops de- stroyed, while on the Beaver marsh, five miles from

La Conner. the water was higher than ever before known. Mr. Leamer's place was six feet under water and his crop, of course, entirely ruined. The dikes were broken down in several places, and the country extending from the delta northward to- ward Padilla presented the appearance of a vast lake. It is estimated in the Northwest Enterprise of June 11th that about twenty-five hundred acres of land were inundated and that the loss sustained was not less than a hundred thousand dollars. The upper valley was not especially damaged by this flood, the river being at least two and one-half feet higher in 1819 and 1880.

The farmers were not the only sufferers from the great flood, for the loggers sustained corre- sponding losses and the north and south forks of the Skagit river were both choked with drift. The jam upon the south fork extended all the way from the sound to Fir, a distance of three miles, not only the main channel but what are known as the Fresh- water slough, the Deep slough and the Crooked slough being choked to such a degree as to bar navigation. Steamboat slough, however, was left open, and through that boats continued to pass. As a result of the creation of this great jam a public meeting was held to inaugurate measures for its removal at which Thomas P. Hastie presided. A committee of investigation reported that at least ten thousand dollars would be necessary to perform this work. B. A. Chilberg, J. T. Wilbur, Joseph Wilson and Olof Polson were appointed a com- mittee to solicit subscriptions for this purpose. About twenty-five hundred dollars was subscribed. but after using this sum dissensions arose in the application of the funds and the prosecution of the work, as a result of which the enterprise was finally abandoned, and the removal of the drift was left to the operations of Nature. Not until the year 1905 did she complete her task of removing the drift, but it gradually disappeared here and there and new channels were formed around it, so that the river is now free to the ingress and egress of vessels of ordinary size.

Attention has heretofore been devoted to a pres- entation of the developments in the mining and agricultural interests. We must now place beside those another of even greater magnitude in Skagit county, namely, the lumbering interest, which had been steadily advancing during the years from 1816 onward, though the low price of logs ( four dollars a thousand) during the latter part of the decade of the seventies was somewhat discouraging to the industry. With the opening of the year 1882. however, there was a very marked rise in the price. On March 21st there was not a single log left in the boom at Utsalady and the price offered reached seven dollars per thousand. The increased activity in all lines of enterprise which characterized that vear caused an increased demand for building ma- terial and the logging business was active through-

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out the year. The following enumeration of log- ging camps existing in 1882 is derived from the current records of the year: Joel Miller upon the eddy above the present location of the Great North- ern bridge ; Charles Jackson half a mile above Bur- lington ; Scott Jameson, Birdsview ; Day Brothers, at Lyman; J. B. Ball, at Sterling; Clothier & English, at Blarney lake on the Nookachamps ; Pippin & Jacobs, above Birdsview ; Samish Lumber Company, consisting of Richard Holyoke, John McPherson, Melburn Watkinson, William Tracy and Martin Thorpee at the Samish ; Patrick McCoy, Samish; Clothier & English, Samish; Spencer Young, Skagit delta ; Millett & McKay, Burlington. The last named was one of the most extensive log- ging companies in the Puget sound basin. This company acquired fourteen hundred acres of land, on which they logged until 1887, filling orders for the Tacoma Mill Company. They got out the first large order given in this county for cedar timber, consisting of six hundred thousand feet of logs at five dollars and a half per thousand. In August, 1883, Millett & McKay built the pioneer logging railway in Skagit county at their Burlington camp. This company also introduced the use of donkey engines in handling logs in Skagit county and in- augurated the towing system upon the Skagit river, the first steamer to tow rafts under their orders be- ing the Alki, Captain McCall, which began opera- tions in 1883. During the months of July, August and September, Inspector McTaggart scaled about fifteen million feet of logs, while there were still awaiting scaling at the close of September fifteen million more. It was estimated that the total out- put of logs for that year was fifty million, with a value of three hundred and twenty-five thousand dollars. The second logging railroad on the Skagit was introduced the succeeding fall by William Gage, a road a mile and a half in length. These roads were built of 3x5 inch maple rails, on which cars were used capable of carrying 8,000 feet of timber, often more. It was found that this system

of handling logs constituted a great saving in ex- pense. It is stated that there were in active opera- tion during the year 1882 fifteen logging camps, this enumeration including those given as estab- lished during that year, and besides a number of those of preceding years. These camps employed from fifteen to eighteen men each and from ten to twenty-five yoke of oxen.

The lumbering business of Skagit county up to this time had consisted mainly of logging, the logs being taken to the large mills at Tacoma, Seattle and Utsalady for sawing. Minkler's saw-mill at Birdsview was the first in what is now Skagit county. In 1882 a combined saw and grist-mill, run by water power from Campbell lake, was estab- lished by Frank Benn and Marcus Christianson at Deception Pass and found an immediate demand for the products of both grain and lumber.

A very deplorable accident occurred at La Conner on November 23, 1882, by which one of the most prominent citizens of the Swinomish slough lost his life. On that day, J. S. Kelly was just boarding the steamer from his small boat, intend- ing to go to his home on the slough, when in some manner the small boat was turned about suddenly and thrown against the side of the steamer. Mr. Kelly was precipitated into the water and appar- ently without a struggle sank to rise no more. Late that evening the body was discovered and conveyed to La Conner, at which place the funeral was held three days later under the auspices of the Masons and the A. O. U. W. Mr. Kelly had come to the Swinomish country from Island county in 1876 and had become so respected and useful a member of his new home that his untimely death was a matter of deepest regret to all.

With the close of the year 188? was completed another stage in the evolution of the great Skagit country, at that time still a part of Whatcom county, but, as we shall see, destined soon to con- stitute a new county in itself.

CHAPTER III

SKAGIT COUNTY, 1883-9

The multiplication of counties in one of our growing western states is by a process of fission, like the propagation of the polyps and other low or- ders of life. Upon the first establishment of Wash- ington territory there were but four counties, Clark, Thurston, King and Walla Walla. The vast areas occupied by each, becoming subject to the inflow of population, began to show lines here and there along the streams, sounds, bays and mountain chains, representing natural points of separation, and so almost immediately there began to be the pressure for division. With the beginning of the epoch of the eighties, the increasing population about the mouth of that superb stream of the Skagit. the largest and finest of the rivers of the sound basin, began to feel that they were paying a dis- proportionate amount of money into the treasury and receiving benefit in inverse ratio. The rugged range of the Chuckanut formed a barrier betwixt the two parts of the county, and along the line rep- resented by that chain of hills the battle for county division raged.

The first actual attempt at county division is mentioned in the Northwest Enterprise of Septem- ber 15, 1883, where reference is made to the circu- lation of a petition at La Conner for a new county out of southern Whatcom. The petition called for a division line on the Chuckanut mountains, running west thence between Cottonwood and Guemes island, thus bringing Guemes, Cypress and Fidalgo islands into the new county. The petition also con- templated making La Conner the county seat.

The circulation of this petition seems to have excited the wrath of the Whatcom Reveille, which paper makes the observation that if their friends in the southern part of the county were spoiling for a fight there was no good reason why they should not have it. The Whatcom paper announces that it will not object to a dividing line between town- ships 35 and 36, but that to place it a single mile north of that means a fight. The Reveille declares that the north half of the county is neither dead nor sleeping and that if the southern half invites a com- bat the north half will buckle on her armor and go in. The paper also invites a reader to stick a pin into the added proposition that the north half will go in to win. It seemed to think that the location of the district court at La Conner was a vulnerable point of attack in the case of difference and warned the representatives, both of whom resided in the

southern half of the county, to heed those "pointers."

This somewhat vigorous onslaught by the Whatcom paper drew some caustic observations from the Puget Sound Mail and the Northwest Enterprise. The Mail observes that if the Reveille reflects the sentiments of the people of the northern half of the county this constitutes an additional argument for division, for sections apparently so antagonistic should dissolve partnership. The Mail rejects the "arrogant assumption that the sun rises and sets in and about the town of Whatcom" and declares, moreover, that the division line which the Reveille would allow would give the northern county five tiers of townships and the southern only three; also it would cut the Samish settlement in the center, cut Guemes island in the center and also cut through the Skagit river. Therefore the Mail insists that whenever county division does come it must be along the northern boundary of township 36.

The Northwest Enterprise seems to have been a sort of peacemaker in the controversy and to have counseled a slow and deliberate investigation. It suggests that ambitious towns may be seeking local benefit and ambitious individuals may be striving for offices, but that hasty establishment of a new county will entail burdens which could well be postponed for a few years.

With the meeting of the new legislature in the fall of 1883, Councilman Power and Representative Kincaid, of the southern district of Whatcom coun- ty, were placed upon the standing committee on county matters, and this of course gave them a good opportunity for the introduction of such measures as ultimately resulted in county division. Early in the session Councilman Power introduced the ex- pected bill for the division of Whatcom county. It contemplated the division line on the Chuckanut range between townships 36 and 37, commencing at the mid-channel of Rosario straits, and provided for a special election of officers on the second Tues- day of the following January. H. P. Downs, F. E. Gilkey and H. A. March were named as the com- missioners to conduct the election and effect the organization of the county. There was also to be a division of the public property of the old county and the new county according to the taxable valuta- tion in each section. La Conner was to be the county seat until a majority vote of the people of

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the new county should otherwise determine. The court was to be continued at La Conner and What- com county was to be annexed to the proposed new county for judicial purposes. This bill and partic- ularly the last clause of it would seem to be the red rag to the bull, which the Whatcom Reveille had already warned the people of the southern part of the county from flaunting.

The fight on the division bill seems to have waxed hot from the time of its introduction. The Puget Sound Mail of October 20, 1883, notes that the most active opponent of the bill was Council- man Hale of Thurston county, who, the paper declared, was interested in real estate at Whatcom and was hand in glove with the delegation from the "Lime Kiln" club then lobbying at Olympia.

October 24th the council bill for the organiza- tion of the new county of Skagit was voted upon in the council and lost by a vote of eight to four, but on November 15th Representative Kincaid in- troduced an identical bill into the house. It passed . that body November 24th by a vote of eleven to seven and November 28th the same bill was pre- sented to the council and passed by a vote of seven to five. This sudden winning of victory where defeat seemed assured is said to have been the re- sult of a brilliant coup on the part of the advocates of the measure. It appears that after the defeat of the bill in the council the Whatcom lobbyists had gone home, and thereupon the new bill was intro- duced and rushed through before they had time to find out what was in progress.

The rather sudden and gratifying accomplish- ment of the hopes of the people of the southern part of Whatcom county led the Puget Sound Mail of December 1st to make some very facetious re- marks by way of "rubbing it into" its Whatcom contemporaries. The Mail delivers itself as follows :

"Verily, as our Whatcom contemporary has truly remarked, 'he laughs best that laughs last.' Wherefore do we cachinnate most audibly. To make the above more clear it may be well to state that the bill for the division of Whatcom county has passed. Therefore the bill, having passed both houses, is now the law of the land; and we now live, breathe and have our material being in the county of Skagit, which same is in the terri- tory of Washington. As we write this we are reminded of the fact that this is Thanksgiving day. Our friends. President Arthur and Governor Newell, 'builded better than they knew.' it strikes us, when they named the day, albeit they may never have heard of Whatcom county. By the way, where is Whatcom, anyhow ?"

The bill which thus formally organized the county of Skagit was introduced by James N. Power in the council and Orrin Kincaid in the house and received the approval of William A.

Newell, governor of the territory. The bill is as follows :

AN ACT

To CREATE AND ORGANIZE THE COUNTY OF SKAGIT.

Section 1. Be it enacted by the legislative assembly of the territory of Washington: That all that portion of the county of Whatcom, in the territory of Washington, lying and situate south of the dividing line between townships 36 and 37 (commencing at mid-channel of the Rosario straits and running eastward to the summit of the Cascade range of mountains), to the dividing line between said county of Whatcom and the counties of Island and Snohomish be, and the same is hereby organ- ized into a separate county, to be known and designated as the county of Skagit: Provided, That so much of Lummi and Eliza islands as lie south of the dividing line between said townships 36 and 37 shall belong to What- com county.

Sec. 2. That H. P. Downs, F. E. Gilkey and H. A. March are hereby appointed a board of commissioners to call a special election for county officers for said Skagit county, and to appoint the necessary judges and inspectors thereof. Said election shall be held on the second Tuesday in January, A. D. 1884, and notice thereof shall be published in one or more newspapers within the present limits of Whatcom county, for at least four consecutive weeks. Said election shall be conducted and returns thereof made as is now provided by law: Provided, That the returns shall be made to the commissioners aforesaid, who shall canvass the returns and declare the result, and issue certificates of election to the persons so elected to the several county offices of said Skagit county within ten days after the date of said election.

Sec. 3. That the justices of the peace and consta- bles, school and road district officers, who are now elected as such in the precincts of Whatcom county hereby set apart as Skagit county, he, and the same are hereby declared justices of the peace and constables, school and road district officers of Skagit county.

Sec. 4. That the district court, now established and holding terms at La Conner for the territory embraced within the present limits of Whatcom county, shall con- tinue at La Conner as the district court for Skagit county ; and the county of Whatcom is hereby annexed to said Skagit county for judicial and legislative purposes and all laws at present applicable to the county of Whatcom, rela- tive to the powers and jurisdiction or otherwise of said district court, shall continue in full force and effect the same as if said county had not been divided and the title of said county changed as herein provided.

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An illustrated history of Skagit and Snohomish Counties; their people, their commerce and their resources, with an outline of the early history of the state of Washington, Part 29

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.) Publication date: 1906 Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company Number of Pages: 1172

Author: Inter-state Publishing Company (Chicago, Ill.)
Publication date: 1906
Publisher: [Chicago] Interstate Publishing Company
Number of Pages: 1172