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 63

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 63
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 63

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Throughout the fall and winter of 1891, great numbers of men and quantities of material arrived. and the work of grading the city and equipping the great factories which were to be the foundations of the industries of the place went rapidly forward. The contractor in charge of the grading work was J. H. Morrison. The labor of grading seems to have been first directed toward Hewitt avenue, cer- tainly to be regarded as one of the finest avenues in the West.

Mention is made in the Eye of October 3d of work upon the foundation of the Wire, Nail and Steel works and the immense warehouse of the land company four hundred feet in length. At right angles with the warehouse were the other company buildings which were to be used for various purposes in connection with the Steel and Iron works and factory. The contract provided for the completion of these immense buildings within a year. It is scarcely understood even at the present time how extensive were the plans and how minutely arranged were the details of the great enterprises inaugurated at Everett fourteen years ago. The company was also engaged at the same time in putting up a splendid hotel, three stories high, with basement. 118 by 122 feet in size, completely surrounded by verandahs and equipped in every respect as a thoroughly modern hotel.

The Great Northern railroad was completed to Everett in the fall of 1891 and trains began mak- ing more or less regular trips in November. The exceedingly important part which the Great North- ern railroad was to bear in the development of Everett and the entire sound country was beginning to become apparent in the fall of 1891. It became known at that time that J. J. Hill and the English- men, Lord Mount Stephens and Sir Donald A. Smith, were heavy owners in the stock of the land company. This company had acquired not only a thousand acres of town site but also about three thousand acres of tide lands adjoining. In most

H.C.Anderion Farm Stanwood-

Wagner photo

FARM OF H. C. ANDERSON, STANWOOD

City of Everett

Built at Eresett

IN THE HARBOR, EVERETT

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cases the company had been buying up these lands quietly at comparatively low prices.

WVe derive from J. H. Mitchell some data as to the earliest business men of the river side of Everett which are worthy of preservation. Among the pioneer grocers were B. E. Aldrich. W. A. Usher. D. F. Powers and E. W. Metzger. Arthur A. Bailey operated a fruit stand, E. Kirmes was the pioneer jeweler, A. A. Brodeck dealt in gents' furn- ishing goods, W. N. Webster was a leading dry goods merchant, while Henry Sahlinger was the first clothier. The pioneer hotel, known as the Everett, was built in 1891 and operated by August Johnson. It still stands on Everett avenue near the Snohomish bridge. George and John F. Hart, who were engaged in the saw-mill business on the river, built the Hart hotel and opera house upon the cor- ner of Pacific avenue and Maple street. This build- ing is still standing and is known as the Van Horn house. The publie hall part of it was the main re- source of Everett for many years for public gather- ings. Among the noted resorts in pioneer Everett was a saloon with the sanguinary nick name, the "Bucket of Blood," built without doors, of which Fritz & Heeny were the proprietors. This was located at the corner of Hewitt avenue and Market street near the river and was among the early buildings of the river side. The name was given because of the large amount of blood shed there.

Not until about the fall of 1893 did the bay side settlement begin to equal that of the river side. and in fact the latter was the real center of the town until about 1900.

Among the various records of interest in the carly history of Everett we find in the Everett Times of December 17, 1891, a story of the founding of Everett as related by Henry Hewitt, Jr. This gives so fully and furthermore, preserves so per- fectly the spirit of the era to which it belonged that we give a liberal extract from it. Mr. Hewitt first mentions the numerous places in Washington and Oregon which he visited looking for a location for the great enterprises with which he was connected, and then continues as follows :

"I came along to the mouth of the Snohomish river and went by boat up the different channels a number of miles above Snohomish to the forks of the Skykomish, then back and landed in the harbor of Port Gardner. I there took private soundings of the harbor and found it to be the best on the sound in our opinion. After making these investigations we skirted the Puget sound shore back to Tacoma. We decided that the harbor of Port Gardner would be a splendid place for a city if railroads could be induced to run there, especially in view of the fact that no city was located at the mouth of such a large valley. At that time the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern railroad was just entering Snohomish and was the nearest railroad. Further explorations convinced me that the timberl

country back of us was exceptionally rich and I immediately began buying on the Snohomish and its various tributaries. Then being convinced that the Skykomish pass would eventually be used by any railroad passing the mountains between the Cana- dian Pacific and the Northern Pacific I decided that Port Gardner had a future.

"When I found that the Great Northern was going to build a line from New Westminster to Portland I immediately began buying the land at the mouth of the Snohomish river. I interested a large number of New York capitalists, including Charles L. Colby, Colgate Hoyt, John D. Rockefel- ler, Barney Smith, and the American Steel Barge Company and many other Eastern capitalists of note and wealth. I was instructed to buy up all the land in and about that vicinity without limit as to price or quantity. We have purchased in the neigh- borhood of nine thousand acres. We feel confident that a large city is our future. We have fresh water navigation for ocean vessels for eleven miles above Port Gardner. * *

"Investigating the outer harbor of Port Gardner I find that we have splendid anchorage about one mile by five, not exceeding from forty-five to ninety feet of water, with a clay bottom, making anchorage as good as at any point on Puget sound. The largest vessel may come up and anchor and ride without the slightest danger. *

"The present stock companies, including the Everett Land Company, which are now controlled by the promoters of the enterprise. have a sub- scribed capital of two million, three hundred thou- sand dollars, which includes four hundred thousand for the paper mill, three hundred thousand for the nail works and six hundred thousand for the steel barge works."

The pioneer bank, Bank of Everett, opened its doors for business in December of that same busy year of 1891. It had a capital stock of fifty thou- sand dollars and its officers were : president, John E. McManus ; vice-president, A. C. Peters : cashier. C. B. Stackpole ; trustees, R. M. Mitchell, M. Swart- out, W. F. Brown, Englebert Bast, N. B. Dotson. A. C. Peters and John E. McManus.

During the third week of December. 1891, there were incorporated four companies, cach with a capital of fifty thousand dollars, as follows: The Everett Water Company, Everett Street Railway Company. Everett Telegraph and Telephone Com- pany, and Everett Light and Power Company. These corporations were organized to utilize the rights and privileges reserved by the owners of the city's site at the time of duplication.

The rapidity of growth of Everett during the first year of its existence is well indicated by some figures pertaining to the postoffice. In August. 1891, the business transacted amounted to $5.28. In December of the same year, $96.28; in January. 1892, $159.00, and in May of 1892. $402.16.

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The Presbyterian denomination has the dis- tinction of having erected the first church in Ever- ett. This was begun in March, 1892, and carried forward to completion during the summer follow- ing. This church was placed upon a lot donated by Mr. Swalwell just north of Hewitt avenue.

The first months of 1892 were marked by the inauguration of several important enterprises. The Bayview hotel was opened on January 14th, under the management of James Casey. The building and furniture cost about forty thousand dollars. During the same month regular daily mail service began over the coast line of the Great Northern railroad. and in February the Sunset Telephone Company began installing the first telephone system. About that time, also, a large force of men were at work upon the Monte Cristo railroad to the newly opened mines. The Hewitt-Lombard bank was organized and opened its doors for business in February of the same year.

With the opening of the year 1892 Everett was becoming so much of a city and the hopes and expectations of its inhabitants were so boundless, that there was a general movement in the direction of organized municipal life. The building known as the "Wigwam," a rough, barn-like structure, erected in 1892 by Clark & Company at the corner of Hewitt and Wetmore streets, began to be used as a general public gathering place and as a center of the civic life of the town.

On March 19, 1892, this movement resulted in a general election of citizens to represent the differ- ent portions of the town, constituting a committee of twenty-one to act as an informal council until such time as incorporation should be effected. The members of this committee were as follows: From Lowell, E. D. Smith, E. H. Hallebeck, E. D. Inger- soll and A. S. Pruden; East Everett, W. O. Hay- den. S. L. Gates, A. H. Gamel, James Hambly, C. W. Caddigan, D. E. Powers, C. D. Sweeney, W. G. Swalwell. E. L. Bogart, George Noyes and J. S. Borland ; West Everett, J. H. Mitchell, J. J. Maney, P. K. Lewis and J. P. Murphy ; Barge Works, W. M. Ross and G. L. Lazier. This committee chose as officers the following : president, C. D. Sweeney ; vice-president. A. H. Gamel ; treasurer, W. G. Swal- well; secretary, E. L. Hallenbeck ; assistant secre- tary. E. T. Bogart.

A week later the volunteer fire service of Ever- ett became established by the formation of three companies : The Everett Volunteer Fire Engine Company, No. 1, consisting of forty members with W. J. Gillespie as president ; Fire Company A, with thirty-nine members, James Hambly being the president : and the Everett Volunteer Hook and Ladder Company, No. 1, of which Dr. O. N. Mur- dock was chosen president. These various com- panies have maintained their existence for many years and become important factors in the protec- tion of the city.

In April, 1892, a movement took shape and culminated on the 27th of that month in the organi- zation of a business men's association. A group of the prominent business men gathered in the office of the Swalwell Loan & Trust Company and proceeded to organize by the election of J. R. Haw- ley as president, and a board of directors consisting of James Hambly, N. M. Neeld, J. P. Murphy, George J. Sherry, W. M. Ross, George L. Hutchins, R. M. Mitchell, C. D. Sweeney, C. B. Stackpole and Captain Ilayden.

At a meeting of the Business Men's Association on June 8th it was decided to reincorporate as the Chamber of Commerce of Everett. A hundred and twenty-three members subscribed their names and took up at once the question of incorporating and building a chamber of commerce building. The incorporators were J. R. Hawley, Schuyler Duryee, WV. G. Swalwell, A. Gamel and Samuel H. Nichols. During the year a contract was awarded to R. C. Jordan for erecting a building, at a cost of $11,800, on the corner of Oak and Wall streets.

Growing directly out of these various civic movements there was presented to the county com- missioners on February 17, 1893, a petition asking for incorporation of the city of Everett. By reason of differences arising in respect to the boundary lines action was deferred until at a public meeting on February 22d the opposing factions compro- mised by agreeing to except from the city limits all the manufacturing district and tide lands and adopted boundaries drawn in such a manner as to carry out that agreement.

Upon the presentation of the amended petition to the board of commissioners they acted at once favorably and incorporated the city under those modified boundary lines. April 27th was designated as the date of election and as a preparation for this a number of tickets were placed in the field. There were two citizens' tickets, a people's party ticket, and a Republican-Democratic fusion ticket. Nearly nine hundred voters were registered, but over a hundred of these failed to vote. Incorporation was carried by a vote of six hundred and seventy to ninety-nine and the fusion ticket prevailed, though the mayor received but three majority. The follow- ing is the list of city officers chosen at that first city election in Everett: Mayor, Thomas Dwyer, Democrat ; treasurer, James Hambly, Republican ; attorney, H. D. Cooley, Republican ; clerk, C. P. Clark, Republican ; marshal, Dennis Crowe, Peo- ple's party ; health officer, Dr. O. V. Harris, Denio- crat : assessor, Charles Reed, Fusionist ; councilmen, W. G. Swalwell, J. J. Maney, Samuel H. Nichols, (). N. Murdock, W. J. Gillespie, S. E. Thayer, C. A. Swineford.

The first meeting of this first city council of Everett was held in the "Wigwam" on May 8th. The following evening a meeting was held at which the mayor delivered an inaugural address and estab-

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lished the office of the city engineer, the city police department and the department of street commis- sioner. By vote of the council L. A. Nicholson was appointed city engineer, F. C. Tubbs, street commissioner, Julian L. Sbay police judge, and George A. Shea captain of the city police force. May 19th the council authorized the purchase of a suitable equipment of fire apparatus. At a meet- ing in October the city council contracted for a new building to be used as a city hall to be erected on the corner of Broadway, just east of Hewitt avenue. This building with some improvements is still employed for muncipal purposes.

As is scarcely necessary to say to anyone who saw Everett during those years or to anyone who has read these pages, the years 1891 and 1892 were ones of tremendous activity. Yet it was not of a feverish or speculative sort. On the other hand the vast enterprises under way and the fact that a permanent population of laborers as well as of busi- ness and professional men were engaged in the erection of permanent and substantial buildings, as well as in the inauguration of every species of solid industrial activity, saved Everett from the collapse which beset many less substantial places during the hard times soon to come. Everett was indeed too solidly constructed to suffer serious back- sets, although in common with all other Pacific coast cities the movement of her active life was checked for a time. During the two years prior to the panic enterprises were undertaken and events occurred of such amount and variety that it would transcend our limits to mention even a tithe of them. We can record here but a few of the business under- takings and events which were of the most impor- tant bearing upon the progress of the city.

Among these miscellaneous events of importance we find record of the contract made by the Everett Land Company with Hoge & Swift of Portland, agents of the American Tube & Iron Company of Youngstown, Ohio, to lay three and a half miles of water mains. The contract was completed on June 1, 1892. On the first of May the great steel barge works were finished. This immense manu- factory was built on two thousand piles, upon which was planking a thousand feet long and two hundred feet wide. We find also an item in the Everett Times to the effect that the first brick build- ing on the bay side division of Everett was begun on February 29th, the owner being Mathew P. Zindorf.

At about the same time the gigantic nail works were inaugurated and entered upon active life. April 21, 1892, witnessed the installation of the two mammoth engines, which were set in operation by a touch from the hands of two children. Agnes Duryee and Alec Campbell. Upon the arrival of the Orbis from Amsterdam with a cargo of steel wire all preparations were made for the actual pro- duction of nails and on May 11th, in the presence

of hundreds of interested spectators, the first nail was manufactured from a silver dollar furnished by Manager Whitney. The first keg of nails was shipped to the New York office of the company, after which an order for two carloads for Schwab- acher Brothers of Seattle was entered upon and completed in two days.

The following brief enumeration of the manu- facturing establishments at Everett in the summer of 1892 will give the reader some conception of the vast gathering of industrial interests at the place :- Pacific Steel Barge Company, Puget Sound Wire Nail & Steel Company, Puget Sound Paper & Pulp Company, Everett Chair Company, Smith Lumber Company, Dewey Lumber Company, Hart Lumber Company, Industrial Mill Company, Everett Tile works, Bast Brick works, Sherman & Wasson Brick works, Everett Mill Company, Parminter & Robin- son, Darling & Allen, Everett Sand & Brick Com- pany, Blackman Brothers Shingle factory. These works had a combined capital of $1,753,000, em- ployed 925 men, with a monthly pay roll of $:2,100, and a monthly product of the value of $310,000.

From the issue of the Everett Times of Decem- ber 8, 1892, we learn that about five million dollars was expended during the year in investments in the various manufacturing establishments, business blocks and residences, street improvements and public buildings. From the same paper we learn that the following banks, named in order of age, and having a combined capital of $475,000, were then doing business in Everett: Bank of Everett, Hew- itt-Lombard bank, Rucker, First National, Everett National, Fidelity Trust & Savings bank, and Puget Sound National.

During the summer of 1892 the first brick build- ing on the river side, a splendid three story struc- ture on the corner of Hewitt avenue and Pine street, was erected by W. G. Swalwell, at a cost of thirty thousand dollars.

Three immense enterprises were taking shape during this same period, viz., the smelter plant of the Everett Reduction Company, the completion of the overland line of the Great Northern railroad, and the completion of the Everett & Monte Cristo railroad, which was itself the most important ad- junct to the operations of the great smelter. One million, four hundred thousand brick were ent- ployed in building the smelter and were provided by the Everett Brick & Tile Company. The im- portance of this great metal refinery may be real- ized from the fact that Seattle offered a subsidy of three hundred thousand dollars for its establish- ment at that city. The offer of eighty acres of land, however, in East Everett, was considered more advantageous by the company. The capital stock of this company was nine hundred thousand dollars, held by New York capitalists, who also controlled the Three S road and its extension to the mines, the Everett & Monte Cristo road.

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The Great Northern Railroad Company com- pleted its through line and ran its first overland passenger train from St. Paul in June, 1893, and on the 25th of that month the first train passed through Everett. This was indeed an event of great moment to the new town and the entire statc.

Another valuable industry was established in the closing months of 1892, namely the Everett tan- nery, owned by Bardeen, Perrin & Company, still in operation. It employs hemlock bark, being the only tannery in the state to make use of this kind of bark.

An important event of the same busy year was the official listing by the Everett Land Company of their lots in the bay side district. This region had been held back by the land company and Rucker Brothers until the great industrial enterprises of the place should be started. On March 1st they placed on the market two thousand. one hundred lots of the main site of Everett. These lots were sold under the restriction that each purchaser should erect a building of the value of at least one thousand dol- lars, but with this restriction the lots were sold on very casy terms. The amount of money paid for lots sold during the summer, together with the in- vestments required to comply with the building re- strictions, was $2,584,400.

The growth of the schools of Everett during this same period kept pace with that of the in- (lustrial enterprises. In September, 1891, there was one school building and two teachers. In Septem- ber, 1892, there were nine school houses with ten teachers and six hundred pupils.

One of the notable events of 1893 was a legal contest before a special jury of the Superior court of Snohomish county upon the question of the appraisement placed by the tide land commissioners upon the tide lands adjoining Everett. The pro- prietors of the town site desired to use a portion of the tide lands as a fresh water harbor, and while the case was pending in the courts action in that direction as well as the incorporation of the city was delayed. At the final trial the special jury decided that the act of the tide land commissioners in raising the appraisement by twelve thousand dol- lars was not justified and that therefore the lands must be sold at the former figure. The settlement of this question removed a great obstacle to the growth of the city. At about the same time the suit of Charles F. Jones to recover possession of three hundred and twenty acres of land, a part of the Everett Land Company's holdings, was decided in favor of the company and this at once removed another obstacle to the progress of the city.

The year 1893 was marked by the beginning of work on the Great Northern railroad tunnel under the city, by the completion of the street car system belonging to the Everett Electric Railway Company, which ran its first cars on July 3d, and by the in- auguration of regular train service on the Everett

& Monte Cristo railroad. AAnother event of far different nature was the establishment of the Ever- ett hospital. This was the work of a devoted com- pany of Everett women, and their invaluable labors were recognized by the board of trustees in the appointment of a board of lady managers, at the head of which was Mrs. Augusta Plummer Foster. The association built a substantial home upon Broadway avenue, but by reason of the subsequent establishment of the Catholic hospital and still another by Mrs. Friday, the Everett hospital build- ing was sold to the Norwegian school known as the Bethenia high school and the furniture to Mrs. Friday, who has retained the name of the Everett hospital to the present time.

The disastrous state of business throughout the country during the years 1893-4-5 produced a temporary suspension of operations in nearly all of the great manufacturing plants of Everett and several of the banks met the fate which came to so many banking institutions throughout the state, but in spite of these disasters the barge works launched the magnificent steamship, City of Everett. on October 24, 1894. It was a gala day for Everett, and it was estimated that not less than twelve thou- sand people witnessed the launching of this, the first whaleback built upon the Pacific coast. At twenty-cight minutes past two in the afternoon Superintendent Calderwood gave the signal and five axmen severed the ropes which held the ship in position upon the ways. As she started to glide into the water a young lady, Miss Katrice Lentzy. broke the traditional bottle of champaign over the bow and said, "I christen thee City of Everett. God speed thee." The ship glided into the bay with- out the slightest mishap, eloquent speeches were delivered by Judge Delancy and Governor McGraw, and a general jubilee accompanied this notable event.

In spite of the retardation of industry through the hard times there was an immense amount of traffic at the port of Everett. During the year ending June 30, 1896, the total exports by water amounted to 22.326 tons, valued at $1,538,582. There were exported by rail 94,856 tons, valued at $610,000. The total imports by water and rail were 122,015 tons, valued at $1,185,937.

A work of incalculable value to Everett is the harbor improvement in charge of the United States government, the primary object of which is to ex- cavate a harbor at the mouth of the Snohomish river which may serve as a fresh water harbor. The primary motive leading the Chamber of Commerce and the municipality of Everett to urge this upon the general government is the well-known fact that ships which have become covered with barnacles upon their ocean voyages become cleaned by lying for a few days in a fresh water harbor and thus avoid the large expense for dry dockage entailed

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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 63

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