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 68

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 68
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 68

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Carrying our vision down from the early history of the town to the present. we find that it has had a steady, healthy growth correlative with that of the rich and varied region surrounding it. The vear 1898 was one of the most important in the history of the place, for it marked the inauguration of the fishing business at the mouth of the Still- aguamish. The cannery established at that time

Baling Hay-

Stanwood Cooperative

IN THE STANWOOD SECTION

THE NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY

ASTOR, LENOX TILDEN FOUNDATION

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has continued to be one of the best-conducted on the sound and an important agent in the distribution of trade. The first installment of fish for this can- nery known as the Friday fish cannery, consisted of a thousand fish, which were converted into seven thousand cans of extra quality canned salmon. The cannery, as first opened, had a capacity of between four and five thousand cases per day and employed fifty men.

Stanwood became an incorporated town of the fourth class in September, 1903. The first officers chosen were the following : Mayor, D. O. Pearson ; councilman, O. R. Allen, Ira Galloupe, Iver Jolin- son, H. Hafsted, Charles Chadbourne. The fol- lowing year the municipality erected a town hall on the corner of Irvine and Oliver streets at a cost of seven hundred dollars. The town has not yet acquired its own water system, and that necessity is furnished by water works installed in 1888 by H. Orchard, now owned by Peter Harvey, deriv- ing its supply from Lake Young, four miles distant.

Although enjoying steamboat connections of a very convenient and economical nature, the citizens of Stanwood felt that they could not afford to let the Great Northern railroad, only a mile distant, be neglected, and accordingly a steam suburban line of standard track connects the town with the station. This line was built and is managed by John W. Hall.

There is as yet no general electric lighting system in the town, but R. J. Mclaughlin operates a private plant at his shingle mill and has under- taken to furnish lights to buildings in various por- tions of the town.

The reader will form a better impression of the opportunities of business in this town when he learns something of the great production of the tide flats immediately adjoining it. It is estimated that the oat crop exported from Stanwood in 1905 amounted to about sixty thousand dollars, and the hay crop about twenty thousand.

One of the most interesting business enterprises of Stanwood is the co-operative Creamery Associa- tion. This conducted a business of fifty thousand dollars during the year past. Its officers are N. P. Leque, president ; - Nelson, vice-president ; O. Fjerlie, secretary ; Andrew Anderson, treasurer and manager. It is estimated that the output of this creamery for the current year will exceed two hun- dred thousand pounds.

The lumbering business centering in Stanwood is one of its most important features. The Stan- wood Lumber Company's mill, of which A. S. Howard is president and manager and C. D. Bennic is secretary and treasurer, has a capacity of twenty thousand feet per day and employs fifteen men the year round. R. J. McLaughlin's shingle mill em- ploys fifteen men and manufactures a hundred thou- sand shingles per day. Those two mills are located directly in the town. Within a short distance are

five other mills, as follows : John IIall's shingle mill, manufacturing 150,000 shingles per day ; Manley & Church shingle mill, 65,000; Benedict's shingle mill, 48,000; Becker's shingle mill, 60,000; Cedar Home Lumber Company, 75,000 shingles and 20,- 000 feet of lumber. The majority of the business done by these mills centers in Stanwood.

Mr. Pearson estimates the commerce of Stan- wood at two hundred and fifty thousand dollars a year.

Of the general lines of business in Stanwood we make the following summary. Hardware stores : Stanwood Hardware Company, Peter Leque, president, Iver Johnson, manager ; general merchandise, D. O. Pearson, George J. Ketchum. People's Union, S. A. Thompson & Company : physicians, Drs. O. R. Allen and D. McEachern ;

dentists, Drs. Joseph Mondy, E. L. Hogan ; black- smith and wagon works, Ole Aalbu ; photographer. J. T. Warbass ; harness store and shoes, A. Jack- strom ; fruits and confectionary, H. L. Hewitt, W. B. Norris, A. E. Hall; meat markets, The People's Union, in charge of Ole Berge; the Frye-Bruhn Company, Andrew Olson, manager; builders and contractors, Plett & Paddock ; teamsters, Ben Wil- lard; Drugs, Klaeboe Drug Company; tailor, Benjamin Stoulp; livery, J. W. Hall ; millinery, Mrs. May Watson ; postoffice book store and post- office, A. E. Hall, postmaster ; restaurants, Mrs. L. Edwards, John Wickdall; hotels, Hotel Stanwood, I. L. Galloupe, proprietor, the Palace, W. H. Con- ners, the Melby, O. K. Melby ; miscellaneous stores, Novelty store, E. A. Dimmick; furnishings and jewelry, K. Knudson; laundries, Mrs. S. Miller, Chinese laundry ; undertaker, Ben Willard; bak- ery and restaurant,-Patterson : lawyer, G. N. Mitchell.

There is a good hospital at Stanwood known as the O. R. Allen hospital, established last year by Dr. O. R. Allen. There are two telephone com- panies, the Sunset Telephone Company, of which Martha Matthews is the local manager, and the Farmers' Mutual Telephone Company, of which Grace Love is manager.

The regular steamboats making stops at Stan- wood are the stcamer Lily, William Cole, captain, and the Skagit Queen, H. H. McDonald, captain, stopping at Stanwood three times weckly. Captain McDonald has been for fifteen years on the route between Mount Vernon and Seattle, stopping at Stanwood and other points, and has been a great factor in lowering rates of traffic.

One of the most interesting things in connection with the business enterprises of Stanwood is the co-operative association known as the People's Union. incorporated in April, 1903. This association con- ducts a store and a meat market. Both have been a great success. The store was conducted at an expense of ciglit per cent. of the gross earnings, paid an interest of one per cent. on the paid up

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shares, and had a surplus of over two thousand dollars at the expiration of the first sixteen months. The officers of this association are, president, Christian Joergenson : vice-president, AAndrew Anderson : secretary, O. A. Prestrub; directors, C. F. Hanson and 11. Thorson : manager and treas- urer, E. G. Keep.

Stanwood has a well-conducted bank, known as the Bank of Stanwood, which was organized in August, 1904. It occupies a brick building at the corner of Main and Broadway streets. The offi- cers are H. C. Anderson, president ; Peter Leque. vice-president: W. C. Brokaw, cashier; S. A. Thompson, assistant cashier.

Stanwood has had well conducted schools from the beginning of its history. The first schoolhouse was erected about 1880 and is now occupied as a residence by John Carlson. The first teacher in Stanwood was Ella Granger. The present school building was constructed in 1892 at a cost of five thousand dollars. It is a well built structure, con- taining six rooms, and occupies a sightly location upon ample grounds owned by the district at the northern edge of the town. The present directors are C. R. Durgan and George J. Ketchum, A. S. Howard, clerk. The public schools provide ten grades of instruction, the last two being in a union high school composed of districts four and eighteen. The teachers at present in the Stanwood schools are Catherine Anderson, principal, Harry T. Raymond. Effie Bates and Jessie Havens. The enrollment of the year closed was a hundred and seventy.

As seems to have been usually the case in this region, the Methodists were the pioneers in relig- ious work, the first church services being conducted in 1877 by C. Derrick at the home of F. H. Hancock and wife. At a later time Rev. B. F. Van Deven- ter held regular services at Stanwood as a part of the Skagit circuit. Later Rev. A. Atwood served in the same field. The present Methodist church building was erected in 1889 under the pastorate of Rev. M. C. Van Tyne. The present pastor of this church is Rev. E. B. Reese, who divides this charge with Florence. The strong Norwegian population of Stanwood is represented by the Luth- eran Trinity church, the first society of which was organized in 1876. The first church built by this denomination in 1879 was burned in the fire of 1892. A new church was erected in 1890, which has be- come the meeting place of a strong denomination. The pastor at the present time is Rev. H. M. Tjernagel.

The present city government of Stanwood is composed of the following officers : D. O. Pearson. mayor ; Carl Ryan, clerk ; K. Knudson, treasurer ; George Mitchell, attorney; A. Tackstrom, O. R. Allen, George Ketchum, J. W. Hall, N. R. Olson, councilmen.

Any account of one of our towns would be in- complete without a full reference to the representa-

tion of the press. Stanwood possesses an excellent weekly newspaper, in the Stanwood Tidings, pub- lished every Friday. Lane & Clemens are the publishers and Charles T. Price is the editor.

EDMONDS

The shore line of Snohomish county from Ever- ett southward is mainly one long. bold headland not available for town sites. But almost at the southern extremity of the county lies the beautiful and en- ergetic little city of Edmonds upon one of the most attractive sites anywhere upon the shores of the sound. Upon a gentle slope rising from the water to a succession of benches, singularly well adapted for the building of a town, this pleasant little city cannot fail to arrest the attention and preserve the interest of the traveler. Not only is the location a beautiful one, but the view in all directions is one of the finest. The magnificent expanse of Admiralty inlet lies to the westward, beyond which stretch the timbered slopes of Kitsap county, while high above all tower the serrated heights of the Olympic mountains. At first sight the breadth of the harbor upon which Edmonds lies would suggest the possibility of heavy winds and seas, but experience shows that the harbor is seldom visited by severe storms and that the facili- ties for wharfage and anchorage are of the best.

It does not require a very vivid imagination to picture to oneself the time when this well-built town of eleven hundred people will be multiplied by twenty. thirty or fifty and the magnificent beach and sightly slopes above will be dotted with residences, manu- factories and business establishments of every sort. Truly Edmonds has all the conditions necessary for the creation of one of the large cities of Puget sound. And it may be interjected in this connection that while Puget sound will doubtless follow the ordinary course of human experience in that some one large city will predominate over all others, yet there can be no doubt in the mind of a discerning observer that this naturally finest commercial region of the world offers unusual facilities for the main- tenance of a large number of splendid cities not greatly differing in wealth and population. There can be no question that Edmonds will ultimately occupy a place in the list of superb cities with which the shores of Puget sound will soon be marked. While the manufacturing and shipping resources of this place attract first attention, yet on the logged off lands adjoining there are all the natural resources for a highly developed agricul- tural region.

Edmonds already has excellent transportation connections, being upon the coast line of the Great Northern railroad and having four passenger trains each day. Steamers in any numbers may visit her wharves and even at the present time one of the fast steamers of the sound connects the city

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six times a day with the large cities north and south.

Turning from the bright present of this city to a brief view of its history we learn that the site upon which the town is now located is a part of the original pre-emption claim of Pleasant H. Ewell, whose patent bears date, October 10, 1866. On March 25, 1870, Mr. Ewell sold his place for two hundred dollars to Morris H. Frost, Jacob D. Fow- ler and Nat B. Fowler. It was thought by the purchasers to be a good agricultural location, al- though being partially timbered. Mr. Ewell had built a log cabin on the first bench, which was doubtless the first building erected anywhere in that vicinity.

In 1870 there came a man destined to have a prominent part in the history of Edmonds. This was George Brackett. He found a man named Daniel Hines making shingles at that time. Mr. Hines afterward located on what is now the Potts place two miles south of town. It seems to have been of the nature of an accident that Mr. Brackett located here. He was going across the bay in a canoe and on account of rough weather landed and thus had the opportunity to observe the superb location and to form the impression that it would sometime become the site of an important city. However, he did not remain at that time, but re- turning in two years found Thomas F. Kennedy living on the shore just north of the Ewell place. J. C. Purcell had also located a claim on the tide lands adjoining the Ewell place on the south. In 1876, while Mr. Brackett was engaged in logging at Ballard, he purchased the original Ewell claim of Messrs. Frost and Fowler for six hundred and fifty dollars. He at once entered into the logging business on his claim and also put in ditches for the purpose of draining the marshy flat upon the first bench. He built a house upon the site now occu- pied by his modern residence.

In accordance with the usual method of pro- cedure the next step in the growth of the town was the establishment of a postoffice, Mr. Brackett be- ing the first postmaster. Mr. Brackett was an admirer of Senator Edmunds of Vermont, and desired to name the new founded place after him. but through an error in writing the o instead of the it was inscribed in the government records, and hence the name thus appears.

There was little improvement in the place until 1883, when Mr. Brackett put up a building for a postoffice on the site now occupied by the Com- mercial hotel; also built the first wharf a little north of the present wharf. Soon after Mr. Brack- ett brought a stock of goods into his postoffice building and so became the first merchant of Ed- monds.

On August 23, 1881, the plat of Edmonds was (ledicated by George Brackett and wife, Etta E. Brackett. This plat embraced an area two blocks

in breadth and five blocks deep extending inland from the old wharf. In February, 1885, Mr. Brack- ett sold his store business and turned over the post- office to Matt E. Hyner. The next addition to the business resources of the town was the City hotel, erected by Charles Dietz in 1887. This was located on Front street and was recently burned. Two years later the Bishop hotel. now called the Olympic View hotel, was built by the Edmonds Improve- ment Company, of which James H. Bishop was president. In 1888 the store of Johnson & Ash- croft, now occupied by Otto's saloon, was built, and in the same year Fred L. Brown established a cigar factory. Eighteen hundred and eighty-nine was marked by the establishment of the first drug store by John N. Martin and by the very impor- tant fact that in that year Mr. Brackett erected at his wharf the first saw-mill of the place, a mill of a capacity of twenty-five thousand feet of lumber per day. This mill carried on an excellent business until 1883, when it was destroyed by fire. Messrs. Codd & Dwyer leased this mill and added to it a shingle machine. In the same year of 1889 two brick yards were established on the old Hines place south of town by the Wells Brick Company and Bryant & Stanley.

Eighteen hundred and ninety will be recalled by everyone as marking the height of the boom. In that year a very important step was taken in the progress of Edmonds by the establishment of the Minneapolis Realty and Investment Company, of which James H. Bishop was president, Galin H. Coon vice-president and manager, D. B. Ward, secretary and treasurer. and several other Minne- apolis men stock holders. This company purchased four hundred and fifty-five acres of land of Mr. Brackett, embracing the site of Edmonds and land adjoining. Mr. Brackett still retained a hundred acres of his land and received thirty-six thousand dollars for the part sold. The company made a new plat of the town which provided for a strip nine blocks in breadth by six deep. The men in this company formed in a short time a new organ- ization known as the Edmonds Land & Improve- ment Company. The chief undertakings of the new corporation were the erection of the Bishop hotel already referred to, and the construction of a new ocean wharf. The building now used for the post- office was also erected by that company as their office building. As is only too well known by most of the people then resident in Edmonds and the rest of the sound country, the boom was soon followed by the crash and among many of the prom- ising enterprises that "went broke" was that Minneapolis company. Its career came to an end and by foreclosure of mortgage the property re- verted to Mr. Brackett. The hard times of course checked all manner of speculative enterprises, but Edmonds being so comparatively small and new a place, having at that time only two or three hundred

SNOHOMISH COUNTY

inhabitants, and also having such bountiful and substantial resources in sight, suffered less than most of her neighbors, and has since gone on with a steady, substantial growth, with no backward stages.

We find that Edmonds, during that foundation period of her history, was attracting the attention of one of the omnipresent correspondents of the Sun, for in the issue of that excellent paper for December 25, 1889, we find a good description of the place and its surroundings. Particular mention is made of the fact that the bight in the shore line known as Brown's bay, was so well protected by Ten Mile point from the heavy south winds of winter as to be an excellent harbor for vessels and also a good location for log booms. The fine tim- ber was also noticed as furnishing material enough for several saw-mills for years. The establishment of orchards and farms in the region immediately adjoining is also noticed. Mention is made, too, of the inexhaustible supply of the finest of clay, for the utilization of which, as we have seen, two large brick yards were established that year. A discovery of a coal vein within three miles of Ed- monds was also chronicled by the same correspon- dent. With a good eye for all the beauties of scenery he did not fail to notice the magnificent distant marine and mountain views visible from Edmonds upon which the visitor of the present day wishes to exhaust the panegyrics of language. He also calls attention to the fine location of Edmonds for attracting steamboat traffic, since practically all steamboats up and down the sound could easily land with but little additional expenditure of time and trouble. He observes that there was a school of fifty pupils. one incorporated church, the Con- gregational, and an excellent public hall, started by the Edmonds Public Hall Company, of which Dudley Brown was president and Frank Ashcraft manager. It appears, however, that Mr. Brackett completed that structure, which, after having served for some time as a house of worship for the Free Methodists, becaine and is still used as a public hall

The building activity in Edmonds was so great in 1890, and particularly its steamboat facilities were so good, and upon the completion of the Great Northern railroad its rail connections were so con- venient, and in addition to these advantages its attractiveness as a manufacturing center was so marked, that it was believed by many at that time that it would have an undisputed march to the head of the column of all the cities north of Seattle. Such was the conviction expressed in the Sun special of 1890. But, as has of course been devel- oped in later times, Everett was destined to attain that coveted pre-eminence.

In the same active year of 1890 A. C. Allen platted the site of North Edmonds, consisting of fifty acres of land laid out in lots of fifty by a hun-

dred feet, with streets of eighty feet in breadth. Mr. Allen also erected a three story hotel known as the Alameda, now used as a residence. The small stone pier at the same point was built at that time. Among other enterprises inaugurated by Mr. Allen at that period was the Snohomish nursery. Among the citizens of North Edmonds at that time, besides A. C. Allen, the proprietor, were Willard M. Allen, J. N. Currie, H. G. Chase, Fred McKilligan, M. J. Berg and O. C. Sorenson. The proposition was made by the proprietor of North Edmonds to give both a residence lot and a business location to anyone who would guarantee to establish a mill or a factory.

Turning from the Edmonds of the past to that of the present we may say that anyone seeking cither pleasure or profit might well make this com- ing city of Snohomish county and its attractive surroundings a prolonged visit ; but we will, if you please, run through it somewhat more rapidly than inclination would justify and see with our own eyes what the rising young city now contains. We find. first of all, an excellent water system. This is owned at the present time by Yost & Sons, pur- chased by them of W. D. Perkins, who in turn had bought the pioneer system started by Mr. Brackett. Mr. Brackett had secured on March 3, 1893, a franchise from the city council to put in a system of water works at the place. The system has been much enlarged and improved in recent years and not only furnishes an excellent supply of water but affords thorough fire protection. The water sup- ply is drawn from springs upon the hill three-fourths of a mile from the city. Edmonds also possesses an electric light plant, which, when developed ac- cording to present plans, will furnish abundant light for both street and residence purposes.

We find that this ambitious young city has been for fifteen years incorporated as a city of the fourth class. Its birth into that order of cities took place in August, 1890, and the first officers were the following: Mayor, George Brackett; clerk, Frank Ashcraft; marshal, F. II. Darling; police judge. George P. Bartlett ; street commissioner, James Ault ; treasurer, T. C. Roscoe ; councilmen, William Plumber, Wellington Smith, Peter Schreiber, Fred L. Brown and Captain W. H. Hamlin. In early times the council meetings were held in Brackett hall. At the present time the municipal building on Fifth street' is used as Council Chamber. The present city officers are the following : Mayor, James Prady, city clerk, George M. Lyda ; marshal, C. T. Roscoe ; treasurer, W. H. Schumacher ; street com- missioner, Eric A. Wickland; councilmen, L. P. Arp, C. J. Carlson, Z. Howell, W. J. Rowe and Russell Mowat.

Among the other important public institutions is the Edmonds Chamber of Commerce, having a membership of fifty. Its president is Zopher Howell and secretary, Col. S. F. Street. This is a

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very active organization and is accomplishing much for the city.

Taking up the general lines of business in Ed- monds we may note that there is an active though not large agricultural community immediately sur- rounding it. As in most other cities of the sound the foremost business is wood and lumber. An enormous business is done in the handling of cord wood and shingle bolts. It is estimated by F. H. Darling that during the past fifteen years at least a quarter of a million dollars' worth of wood has passed over the Edmonds city dock. One boat alone, the Greyhound, has taken a hundred and twenty thousand dollars' worth of wood. This city wharf is now owned by a corporation consisting of A. M. Yost, S. J. Mothershead, George M. Bart- lett, Samuel Foultner and F. H. Darling, the last named being manager. This wharf has been ex- tended from time to time until it now extends three hundred and fifty feet from shore. The steamers City of Everett and Telegraph have been making regular trips thrice daily to Edmonds from Scattle and Everett, though the Telegraph has been now transferred to the Columbia river.

The lumber and shingle business centering at Edmonds is of vast extent, embracing seven large mills, all of which manufacture shingles and several in addition saw lumber. These mills with their daily capacity are as follows: A. M. Yost & Sons, 70,000 shingles and 20,000 feet of lumber ; Edmonds Shingle Mill, owned by Charles Peterson and Chris Anderson, 50,000 shingles: Western Shingle Company, 100,000 shingles; George HI. Mowat & Company, 120,000 shingles ; Mowat Lim- ber Company, 10,000 shingles and 40.000 fect of lumber ; Keystone Mill Company, 100,000 shingles; James Brady, 10,000. Besides these lumbering establishments there are two others three miles distant which are tributary to Edmonds. These are the Echo Lake Shingle Mill and Lake McAleer Lumber Company.

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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 68

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