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 62

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 62
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 62

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Already the legitimate outgrowth of the con- ditions referred to have manifested themselves in the growth upon the shores of Puget sound of a number of cities which seem destined to attain large population and wealth. Of the relative advantages in local site and in commercial connections of these various cities this is not the place to speak. It may suffice to say that each of them has its peculiar con- veniences, attractions, resources and commercial connections. Each has also its peculiar history. Whatever may be said of the others this may be said of Everett, that, while the baby of them all in point of age, it has had a rapidity and energy of growth which have caused the rest of them to rub their eyes and stare at the infant prodigy among cities as if it were expanding like the figures in some Eastern romance under the wand of a com- pelling genius.

In 1890 there was a beautiful bay, a sightly hill covered with timber, a magnificent view of distant mountains and winding streams, -no city. In 1905 the bay is there. the hill is also there, but the timber has vanished and in its stead from hundreds of picasant homes and animated streets a population of twenty-two thousand people looks forth upon the same distant mountains and winding streams and secs the streams and shores, scenes of a restless activity which may perhaps be paralleled but can- not be surpassed at any point upon the western Mediterranean.

Betwixt the two ends of this brief space of

fifteen years lies all the history of that epic of our world. the creation of a Western city. Everett has, like her sister cities of the sound, received various picturesque nicknames, but the one in most common vogue is perhaps "City of Smokestacks." While not the most picturesque name that could be de- vised this is an appropriate one, for Everett cer- tainly has attained the most conspicuous place of any of the sound cities as the location of manufac- turing interests. But lest it should be thought that its other interests are less it may be emphasized here that this city is also notable for transportation facilities both by rail and water or for the interests of shipping, fishing, horticulture, and agriculture.

Turning to the history of the founding of this young giant among our Washington cities, we find that the beautiful peninsula early attracted to its forested shores the pioneers of Puget sound, though the settlement was a small one. First of these men came Dennis Brigham, whose arrival, as near as can be ascertained, was but little less than half a century ago. He took as his claim a strip of land stretching three-quarters of a mile in length along what is now the Bayside district of the city. A little later came Erskine D., commonly known as Ned Kromer, who took a claim adjoining Brigham on the south. Kromer was in charge of the telegraph line at this point .- that Asiatic overland line so daringly con- ceived in the early sixties and so substantially begun. Neil Spithill, along the Snohomish river; John Davis, at Blackman's point; Ezra Hatch, near the site of the Great Northern viaduct on Hewitt av- ente ; John King, at the site of Robinson's mill ; William Shears and a man named Clark were other carly settlers on Everett's site. In 1883 came Edmond Smith, who bought 160 acres from Brig- ham and occupied the tract as a ranch until the progress of the city drove him out.

The year 1889 really marks the beginning of Everett's history, for in that year the idea of building a town upon the peninsula first took sub- stantial form. In the fall Wyatt J. Rucker, his brother Bethel J., and their mother Mrs. J. M. Rucker arrived, she becoming the community's pioneer white woman. The Rucker brothers, form- erly residents of Tacoma, had been strongly at- tracted by the harbor advantages presented by Port Gardner bay, and that year quietly made extensive soundings. A little later Wyatt J. Rucker pur- chased Edmond Smith's farm. Soon William G. Swalwell became associated in the acquisition of

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land upon the peninsula and in 1890, Frank B. Friday joined the little group. Together they began an active campaign to secure land. W. J. Rucker took as his homestead forty acres lying at the foot of Hewitt avenue on the bay; Mr. Friday filed on 160 acres east of Rucker's claim, while Mr. Swalwell took forty acres at the eastern end of Hewitt avenue. A great deal of the land in the vicinity had been taken prior to that time by log- gers and a considerable region had already been logged off. None to amount to anything, however, had been brought under cultivation. E. D. Smith was engaged at the time in logging in the vicinity of Lowell, while Messrs. Crow and MeShane were operating near the site of the present smelter, which, it is said, was at that time a wild, stump- ridden spot. In order that the town builders might have sufficient land for their purposes, E. D. Smith afterward sold them one tract and donated another tract. In thus contributing substantially to the founding of the city of Everett he was actuated by the same public spirit which has characterized all his acts during his long residence in the county. In the course of the next few months the Rueker group had acquired title to something like eight hundred acres of land. Without losing any time they entered with an energy which characterized all their subsequent operations upon the improvement of their places.

As soon as the Ruckers had secured sufficient land, the town of Port Gardner, Everett's pre- decessor, was laid out by W. J. and B. J. Rucker, the papers being dated August 22. 1890. This little would-be city occupied fifty acres, embracing what is now the choicest property in the Bayside section of Everett. Its promoters were deeply in earnest. They even had their eye on the county seat and went so far as to reserve a block of the site for the court-house purposes, to be do- nated when the time arrived. Curiously enough, this court-house site lies only a short distance from the site now occupied by the county building. To promote substantial buildings, the Rucker broth- ers offered Englebert Bast, a subsidy of five lots if he would ereet a two-story brick block at Port Gardner.

But alas for Port Gardner's aspirations! Before the project was well under way, before the plat was recorded at Snohomish (it had been held in abevance at the request of the Ruckers), a new and mightier town-site enterprise appeared, backed by forces so powerful and so anxious to control the peninsula that the Port Gardner was abandoned. its promoters instead taking an interest in laying the foundations of Everett, and contributing freely of their land as subsidies.

Early in 1890, Henry Hewitt, Jr., of Tacoma. came to the Everett peninsula. Ile had excited to a degree the interest of Charles Colby of New York City in the founding of a city somewhere upon the

peninsula as a location for the steel barge enterprise and other extensive plants in which Mr. Colby and associates were interested. As a representative of Mr. Colby, John F. Plummer inspected the proposed site in company with Mr. Hewitt and, as a result of-the visit and reports, the Colby-Hoyt syndicate, backed by Rockefeller money, decided to prosecute their plans and commissioned Mr. Hewitt and his agents to secure the land necessary for the build- ing of a great city.

To hide the real object of acquiring so large an amount of land in a body, it was given out by the promoters that they intended erecting a saw-mill with a capacity of one hundred thousand feet daily, and that a branch to it would be built from some point on the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern then being constructed inland.

It is an interesting fact in the history of Everett that it was founded for the express purpose of maintaining industrial organizations on a great scale. It is said that the group of capitalists of whom Mr. Colby was the head had first intended locating their enterprise at Anacortes, but not find- ing property at such prices as they deemed satis- factory and fair, they looked further, with the result that the magnificent location at the month of the Snohomish river was eventually chosen.

In the fall of 1890 the agents of the New York syndicate completed a bargain with Messrs. Rueker. Swalwell and Friday by which they se- cured the half interest held by Messrs. Swalwell and Friday in the eight hundred acre tract pre- viously described and besides this one half of the remainder from Mr. Rucker as a subsidy. A part of this tract was still in the condition of unpatented homestead, but at the earliest possible moment the claimants commuted their entries and thus with little delay the large area indicated passed into the entire possession of the syndicate.

In November, 1890, the Everett Land Company was incorporated, Henry Ilewitt, Jr., being chosen president. During the winter of 1890-91 there were some transactions in real estate, but the majority of people in the vicinity did not have entire confi- (lence that the great plans which had been hinted at in various ways would materialize and hence there was no special speculation. In the spring of 1891 the work of clearing, grading, surveying and platt- ing the town site was begun with a large force of men and steadily pursued thenceforward. It be- came apparent to all that there was large capital behind the work and as a natural consequence the advance guard of the eager army of speculators and investors and settlers began to turn their at- tention to the stately site upon Everett peninsula. One very fortunate result of the extensive acquisi- tion of land by the syndicate was that the entire city was laid off in accordance with a general plan which has been adhered to since, so that the misfitting streets and irregular additions which characterize

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so many of our new towns have been avoided in Everett.

The land company, however seemed to take its time for platting and laying out the city site and there was great demand for some land that could be purchased and brought into immediate uºc. Therefore in September, 1891, Mr. Swalwell placed upon the market what was known as Swalwell's first addition. This addition was laid out at the river bank on the eastern end of Hewitt avenne and was composed mainly of land purchased from the Neil Spithill homestead. It was platted by the Swalwell Land, Loan & Trust Company, which practically represented the financial interests of Mr. and Mrs. Swalwell. At the time of placing this Swalwell addition upon the market the only residents upon the tract were the Swalwell and Spithill families. The house in which Mr. Swalwell lived at that time is still standing upon Maple street just south of Hewitt avenue directly at the rear of the Pioneer drug store building. Mr. Spit- hill and his family were living on a claim di- rectly north of the other.

The books still in possession of Mr. Swalwell show that W. N. Webster was the first purchaser. his purchase consisting of two lots on Jewitt avenue near the river. The price paid was one thousand dollars. The customary terms of purchase of lots were fixed at one-third down and the re- mainder in one and two year payments. The business of the company was transacted in a little office which stood on Chestnut street just off Hewitt avenue.

Improvements began almost immediately on a large scale along the river side. The Swalwell company built a ten thousand dollar wharf at the foot of Hewitt avenue and up and down the avenue and along the river front tents, shacks, huts and rough frame structures seemed fairly to grow out of the ground, so rapidly did the process of build- ing take place. Within ten days a thousand people were gathered and all the quaint and exciting features of a boom city were in progress. Unlike many of our boom towns, however, there was never a pause in the growth, for within a year five thousand were actively engaged in making permanent homes. In fact, beyond any city of the state of Washington, Everett seems to have been created out of hand with a definite purpose of city construction and organization ; therefore, the frequent era of law- lessness and instability never was in this city. Few crimes are recorded of that foundation stage. Church services seem to have been inaugurated by various denominations almost at once and the usual meeting place was in the land company's office. A public school building also was erected on Broadway avenue.

In December, 1891, Mr. Swalwell laid out a second addition which included the larger part of

his homestead. Some conception of the real estate market of that time may be formed from the fact that on the first day of sale, December 4th, the transfers amounted to ninety-eight thousand dollars. Lots to the value of about two hundred thousand dollars were sold in these two additions within a few weeks.

The river side seems to have been the first point of rapid improvement, but in a short time two tracts bordering the bay were placed upon the mar- ket and the rush of buyers turned in that direction. The bay side settlement seemed soon to become somewhat of a rival of that of the river side, but in a short time the two parts became amalgamated and their common interests led to a common growth. It is recalled by some of the old settlers that for a short time the only communication between the bay side and the river side was a trail which passed across the chief location of the present Everett on fallen trees. There was at that time a postoffice at the bay side near the Rucker residence, which was on the right of way of the Great Northern railway between Hewitt and Pacific avenues near the present water tank.

It would be impossible to give a correct list of all the men who started into business in that earliest period of Everett's history. As one of the old timers expresses it, a score of men were trans- acting business almost before the ink on their pur- chase papers was dry. Among the earliest business establishments may be mentioned the Pioneer drug store, in charge of George Woodruff, E. M. Metz- ger's general merchandise store, a combination store and lodging house in charge of C. W. Miley, a store conducted by B. E. Aldrich, a furniture store be- longing to J. H. Mitchell and a number of saloons. A number of steamboats at that time began making regular trips to Everett, among them the State of Washington, the Greyhound, the W. K. Merwin, the City of Quincy, the Washington, the Mable and the Anna M. Pence. They were said to have been loaded down to the guards every day.

Mrs. B. L. Mitchell, the lady who was appointed postmistress of the new town on Port Gardner bay, informs us that it was named Everett in honor of Everett Colby, a son of the head of the syndicate which founded the town. Upon repairing to her future home Mrs. Mitchell found no one living there except the Rucker family, Mrs. Emma Hol- land, Daniel Sinclair, John King, Richard Cleary, and Messrs. Miley and Henderson, who had just opened their store on the shore of the bay below the Rucker place. The store occupied a rough frame building made of unpainted and unplaned boards between which were wide open cracks. Mrs. Mitchell arranged to open the postoffice in that building and for a time lived there with the Miley family. The postoffice was opened for business in July of 1891. Mrs. Mitchell makes mention of the great activity of the Everett Land Company to-

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gether with the Rucker Brothers in the clearing of the town site, laying out streets and otherwise inaugurating the city that was to be.

The postoffice remained in the Miley building until the winter of 1891-92, when, as it was becom- ing apparent that both the bay side and the river side settlements were sure ultimately to merge, it was agreed by both portions of the budding city that the postoffice should be established upon the crest of the hill at the point where Hewitt avenue passes over it. A two-story frame building, which still stands, was accordingly erected there upon a lot owned by Mr. Mitchell at the corner of Hewitt avenue and Lombard streets. The tremendous influx of population made the business of the post- office very heavy and difficult to handle. Four per- sons were kept constantly busy and in a short time it was found that two delivery windows kept open nearly all the time could not accommodate the crowds. Inasmuch as the office was up to that time recog- nized only as a country office without allowance for clerk hire the Chamber of Commerce determined to provide an extra man at a cost of fifty dollars a month to assist, but even then the postoffice accommodations were entirely inadequate to the de- mand. After having thus inaugurated the post- office business of Everett, Mrs. Mitchell lost her position by reason of political changes, and O. E. Reay was appointed postmaster.

In the Eye of November 16, 1891, mention was made of the great improvements in and about Ever- ett, particularly in the vicinity of Lowell. It is stated that the paper mill then in process of erection was expected to be the largest in the United States. There was also an excellent hotel known as the Paper Mill hotel which was used as headquarters of the paper mill company.

The road from Lowell to Everett was in that paper declared to be the worst in the entire county. Immense quantities of lumber were hauled over this from Smith's mill to the new buildings in pro- cess of erection at the bay side and river side set- tlements, and many times the wheels of these heavily loaded wagons would sink to the hubs re- quiring six-horse teams to pull them out.

The correspondent of the Eye on that occasion says that the first thing which he recognized as part of Everett was the Sherman & Morris brick- yard. At Swalwell's Landing, as he called it, he obtained a good view of the business buildings which then were going up on all sides. He thought that rents were very high in that part of Everett, in- asmuch as a building twelve by sixteen feet used for a dry goods and clothing store rented for eight dollars per month, while an adjoining building which had attained the colossal proportions of ten by twelve, and had a tent roof, rented for six dollars per month for use as a boot and shoe store. These buildings were distinguishable from each other by numbers written over the doors. A number of neat

cottages had been erected at various places along IJewitt avenue. The attention of the correspondent was divided between the mud of his immediate surroundings and the beautiful distant scenery. He describes Hewitt avenue as a mile and a half long and a hundred feet wide. It certainly had the making of a magnificent street, as has been demon- strated since. The correspondent makes mention of a small store in possession of P. K. Lewis, from which there was a beautiful view of Hat island, with Camano and Whidby islands and part of Mukilteo in the distance.

At that time the nail factory was projected to be located midway between the western terminus of Hewitt avenue and the old Western Union telegraph office. The land was in process of being cleared at that time and as a result litter of every conceivable sort was lying on all sides waiting for fire to remove it. The correspondent thought there were about forty families at that time in Swalwell's addition besides several hundred laborers who were engaged in clear- ing and grading and who lived in shacks and tents in various parts of the town.

So rapidly had Everett progressed during the first year of its existence that in the Northwest magazine of February, 1892, E. V. Smalley speaks as follows: "A year ago nobody believed that it would be possible to create a new town on Puget sound. Tacoma was already a town of forty-five thousand, while only twenty-seven miles away by water was Seattle with about the same population, both important, established commercial centers. At the extreme lower or northern end of the sound were the twin cities, New Whatcom and Fair- haven, with probably ten thousand people, while on the western side of the sound was Port Townsend with about four thousand population and a superb harbor. Olympia, the handsome capital city, had experienced a remarkable growth from a village to a bustling town of six or seven thousand people. Many efforts to start new towns on real estate speculations had proven abortive, and indeed there were perhaps a dozen such still born cities to be seen by travelers on the sound. When, therefore. early in 1891 it was announced that an effort would be made to establish a city at the mouth of the Snohomish river, only thirty miles north of Seattle, people generally looked forward to chronicling a fresh failure. This would have been the case had the town's foundation been land speculation, but the founders of Everett started the town on a wholly different basis. They had plenty of money and were determined first to create great solid enterprises that would support a population. This was some- thing new and unparalleled, a radical departure from the old method of clearing a site, building a wharf and hotel, and then calling for industries and population.

"The history of Everett on the high, handsome peninsula at the mouth of the Snohomish, as told

SNOHOMISH COUNTY

me on the spot, is about as follows: two years ago the leading capitalists interested in the great steel barge whaleback shipyard at Superior, Wisconsin, sent Captain MeDougall, the inventor of this novel style of vessel, to the Pacific coast to look into the matter of establishing a similar shipyard at some point on Puget sound. The captain returned and reported that profitable employment could be found for the whalebacks in the Pacific coast-carrying trade. A rumor of an intention to duplicate the famous Superior plant at some point on the sound set all the sound cities and towns at work to secure the prize. The company wanted plenty of level land with good water frontage, but this was very difficult to secure at any of the large towns except at a heavy price. The result of the first investiga- tion was that it was almost settled at one time that the plant would go to Fidalgo near Anacortes, in favor of which strong influence had been brought to bear. The leading capitalists interested in the whaleback enterprise were Charles L. Colby and Colgate Hoyt, directors of the Northern Pacific, Charles W. Wetmore and John D. Rockefeller, of the Standard Oil Company. * * As the plants * broadened and matured it was determined to secure manufacturing concerns of exceptional solidity, and until these different plants were ready for business to sell no lots. In this way the enterprise was placed on a much higher basis than that of land speculation. Nobody was invited to settle in the town till there was business to do which would support a population.

"Arrangements were made last summer by the Everett Land Company for the immediate establish- ment of the following manufacturing concerns : first, the Pacific Steel Barge Company, to build the McDougall model: second, a paper mill that would rank with the largest in the world, to manti- facture a superior grade from the spruce and cot- tonwood on the river; third, a wire nail mill. to make nails from steel bars imported by the ship load from Belgium; fourth, a large saw-mill. Work was begun at once. The buildings of the ship yard are rapidly going up and I saw on the 24th of February a huge fir timber placed in position upon which the keel of the first Pacific whaleback was to be laid. The saw-mill has been temporarily held back because of so many small mills being erected."

The surveying and platting of the site of Everett was probably the most accurate and complete of that of any of the sound cities. On account of the har- mony of the operations and plans of the founders of the city it was possible to give the survey a completeness and consequently to impart to the town site a symmetry of which the beauty and con- venience of the present city are most gratifying results. Richard Nevins, Jr., of Seattle, was placed at the head of the topographical engineers who laid out the town site. He had had extensive experience in surveying tide lands and harbor lines, and had

surveyed the sites of Anacortes. Detroit, Mukilteo and Port Angeles. The chief additions made to the original plat of the city of Everett during its first year were Swalwell's first addition, East Ever- ett. Everett Land Company's first addition and Friday's first addition. Many additions were sub- sequently made so that there now stand recorded ninety-five different plats.

In the Eye of December 26, 1891, mention is made of the arrival of the whaleback steamer, C. W. Wetmore, laden with iron to be used in the con- struction of another whaleback at Everett. There was in the cargo also a supply of machinery for the nail factory and paper mill. Great curiosity was felt by the people of the sound in this curious look- ing craft. The fact was recognized also that she was intimately associated with the very purpose for which Everett was founded, the whaleback yards being one of the vital enterprises of the new place.

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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 62

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