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 69

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 69
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 69

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In visiting Edmonds we find ourselves unusually fortunate in the matter of hotels, there being two minicommonly good ones, the Olympic View, man- aged by O. W. Johnson, and the Commercial, managed by A. Johnson. A journey through the town discloses to us a number of rustling business men, whose occupations and business may be sum- marized as follows : General merchandise stores, W. H. Griffith, Rasmus R. Konnerup, W. H. Schli- macher ; hardware stores, Edmonds Hardware Com- pany. Adolph Cahen and Cyrus Drew, proprietors ; blacksmiths, L. McBride, J. M. Kennedy ; barbers, Ayling & Pursel; saddlery, Andrew Simondson ; physicians, O. W. Schmidt, H. W. Hall ; meat mar- kets. Otto & Shank, Mothershead & Waddle ; hay and feed store, George Hales; Edmonds Bakery, Henry Boshhart : notions and school supplies, J. C. Holmes ; transfer and express, Ed Woodfield : drug store, II. C. Hansen ; cigar factory, Fred L. Brown;

cigar store, L. C. Engle ; real estate and insurance offices, Frederick L. Brown, Col. S. F. Street. Erben & Howell ; plumbing shop, Zophis Konnerup ; dentist, Dr. W. C. Mitlan.

There is a prosperous banking institution, the Bank of Edmonds, organized in January, 1905. This is a private bank, and the directors are J. N. Otto, O. W. Johnson, W. H. Schumacher and W. H. Phelps. W. H. Schumacher is president and W. H. Phelps cashier.

Edmonds is provided with excellent churches. the Catholic, Congregational, the Free Methodist and the Swedish Methodist. The first of these churches in organization and in building was the Congregational, organized in 1890 by Rev. O. L. Fowler. The present pastor is Rev. Frank T. Bent- ley. The Catholic congregation has just com- pleted a new church building. Their pastor is Rev. Father O'Brien. The Free Methodists are led by Rev. J. F. Leise and worship in a church erected in 1898. The pastor of the Swedish Methodist is Rev.

Johnson, and this congregation also possesses a building, dedicated in 1904.

Edmonds is not lacking in that other essential of a well ordered community : to-wit, a newspaper. The Edmonds Review fills this indispensable need. This enterprising paper was founded in August. 1904, and is published every Friday by M. T. B. Hanna. In politics it is independent.

The fraternal organizations of Edmonds are the Edmonds lodge, No. 96, of the Odd Fellows, and the Crystal Rebekah lodge, No. 65; a lodge of the Woodmen ; the Independent Order of Foresters, No. 69; and the A. O. U. W .; North Star, No. 69.

There remains only to speak of the public school system of the city, and we find, as we might expect of such a progressive community, that the town of Edmonds maintains a school system which may well be a source of gratification to its citizens. The Edmonds school, district number 15, was organ- ized in 1884 with twelve pupils. It was then housed in a little building between Third and Fourth streets on a site now occupied by Dr. Hall, donated for the purpose by Mr. Brackett. Miss Box, of Tacoma, was the first teacher. In 1891 the Realty company led thereto mainly by the influence of Mr. Brackett, donated half a block to the district for a new school building. This was a very con- venient and attractive building, for the purpose of erecting which the district issued bonds to the amount of ten thousand dollars. The building oc- cupics a sightly spot and affords room for six grades. In addition to this main building there are three small buildings with one-room departments to provide for the increasing numbers of the dis- trict. The curriculum of the public school pro- vides for a two-year high-school course. The enrollment of pupils for the last year was two hundred and ninety-onc. The Meadowdale school is in charge of W. II. Cook; the Burleson

SNOHOMISH COUNTY

school of Miss Hattie Capron; and the Combine school is at the present writing awaiting an appointment. One item worth noting in connection with the schools of Edmonds is the fact that this district was the first in the county to adopt the free text-book system.

Edmonds has suffered but one fire of sufficient moment to require record, and this was on August 1, 1905. The loss was but six thousand dollars, with partial insurance.

LOWELL

Intimately associated with the metropolis of Snohomish county and partaking of many of the same advantages of location, as well as of the intelligent and progressive type of its population, is the beautiful little city of Lowell. Like so many of the other towns of western Washington the town of Lowell originated in the requirements of the logging business. The first location upon the site of the present city was effected in September, 1863, by Eugene D. Smith and Otis Wilson. Es- tablishing there the pioneer logging camp of the Snohomish river, they also acquired squatters' rights to the claims of Frederick Dunbar and Bur- lington Brown. These men belonged to the class commonly denominated "squaw men" and made locations at that point in 1861. Dunbar's house was just behind the present Lowell wharf, while Brown's was nearly at the present site of the paper mill. Dunbar's claim was in Township 28 and Brown's in Township 29. The township line separating the two claims now passes almost through the center of the town.

The first attempt at any kind of a structure at that point. aside from those of the logging com- pany, was made by Reuben Lowe about 1866. He put up a squaw dance hall on the Snohomish river. In 1810 Lowe, together with Martin Getchell, deter- mined to secure the land originally squatted upon by Dunbar. Mr. Smith not having tried to file on the land. By a compromise Lowe was allowed to file a pre-emption claim and as soon as the patent was issued he sold the claim to Baker and Jameson. and from them Smith again in turn purchased the property.

While the contest over the ownership of the claim was in progress Mr. Smith established a store just back of the wharf and in front of the present Great Northern hotel. Mr. Smith erected that pio- neer mercantile building in 1869 and soon after built the first wharf. In 1871 the postoffice was estab- lished and Mr. Smith appointed postmaster. This position he held for twenty-one consecutive years. The name of Lowell was applied by the department to the place at the request of Reuben Lowe, who was a native of Lowell, Massachusetts, and wished thus to perpetuate the name of his home town in his new western home.

The site upon which the new town was located is a somewhat hilly one, though with the beautiful Snohomish river conveniently at hand and navigable for steamboats of any ordinary size. The town was not platted until 1884. E. D. Smith and his wife, Margaret B. Smith, were the town-site proprietors and filed the plat. The surveying was done by Will- iam Jameson.

In 18CI Mr. Smith continued his building opera- tions by erecting on the hillside back of the store a two-story 'frame building which became the first hotel in the place and was known as the Lowell hotel. This building is still standing. At about the same time Mr. Smith also erected a blacksmith shop. If we may be allowed to anticipate a little we may say that in 1889 Mr. Smith also erected the first saw-mill in the place.

The great activity of 1889 and 1890 resulted in a great growth in the little place and in 1890 and 1891 we find Mr. Smith again energetically engaged in building. His additional structures consisted of a wing to his store, a large warehouse, a new wharf and the Great Northern hotel. That hotel was for the time a very costly and elaborate affair, cost- ing about fourteen thousand dollars. Messrs. Inger- soll and MeDonald about the same time built a ' lodging honse and a small grocery store.

The railroad known as the "Three S" road was built through Lowell in 1891 and a year later the town became the Pacific coast terminus of the Great Northern. The paper mill was built at about the same time. the supposition being that Lowell would be incorporated with Everett. This expecta- tion has not been realized, however, for Lowell has always maintained a separate corporate existence and postoffice.

The paper mill just referred to is one of the most important enterprises of the place. There are about two hundred and twenty-five men and women constantly employed, and it may be said in fact that the industrial life of the town depends very largely upon this paper mill.

After the depressing influences of the period of the hard times had passed Lowell went on rapidly with increasing business and population and has now attained a population of about one thousand.

Lowell has both steamboat and railroad connec- tions, together with a street-car line to Everett, and Snohomish. Located between Everett and Snoho- miish it can avail itself of the advantages of both the larger towns, while at the same time it con- ducts a surprisingly large amount of business with the population in its immediate vicinity.

The saw-mill erected by E. D. Smith in 1889 stood on the site of the present creosote factory. This mill had a capacity of sixty thousand feet of lumber, besides many laths and shingles; but in 1895 it was destroyed by fire, entailing a loss upon its owner of seventy-five thousand dollars. A new mill was erected upon the same location by Messrs.

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Foley, Adams and Crosby. The new mill had a capacity of twenty-five thousand feet per day, but it too was burned in 1898.

The creosote factory, to which reference was made, was built by the Puget Sound Creosote Com- pany, of which P. F. Dundon is the principal owner. The first structure for the creosote factory met with the same fate that had befallen the saw-mills. but has recently been followed by another plant located upon the same spot by successors of the Puget Sound Creosote Company.

Turning again from present conditions to the records of the past and glancing at the history of education in Lowell we find that the pioneer school was established in 1822. There were only six pupils, and they met in a little vacant building belonging to Mr. Smith, at the foot of the Main street of to-day. The first teacher was Mrs. Hereanus Blackman. In 1880 Mr. Smith gave the land on which to build a new school building located on what is now Second street. In 1892 the present elegant school building was erected at a cost of twenty-three thon- sand dollars.

Lowell has but one church edifice, and this was built in 1890 by means of public subscription as a union church. It was used then. as it still con- tinnes to be used, by the Methodist and Congrega- tional denominations.

Mr. Smith, whom we have seen to be the pioneer in so many enterprises in Lowell, also established the water works in the early nineties. He trans- ferred his rights to this property to the Everett Im- provement Company, which now supplies the town. The company is at present engaged in installing hydrants for fire protection and otherwise improv- ing the water system.

The paper mill is the great source of the busi- ness prosperity of Lowell. This enterprise was steadfastly maintained throughout the period of the hard times and thereby did much to sustain the industrial activity of the place. . A similar character of stability has pertained to the saw-mill, logging camps, lime industry, creosote works, and the business enterprises in general of the place, and this has given a feeling of confidence on the part of the people which has been of the highest value in the progress of the town.

Lowell has been comparatively free from dis- asters by flood and flame, though by no means en- tirely preserved from losses by fire. The most serious of these was the destruction of the saw-mills and creosote plant to which reference has already been made. In addition to that we find record of a fire on the 24th of July, 1893, which destroyed five wooden buildings on Second street. The build- ings destroyed were the grocery store of Tutteeh Brothers, the dwellings of Mrs. Samuel Holland and II. Harmon, the Holland House, owned by Mrs. Alice Holland. and the old school building. By vigo- rous effort the fire was confined to these five build-

ings, but if it had passed beyond their limits it would almost certainly have taken the entire lower part of the town. In April of 1901 there was an- other fire which resulted in the burning of a ware- house and store building belonging to Buckly & Company. The loss, though being quite consider- able, was almost entirely covered by insurance.

Lowell has never become an incorporated city. Although so near Everett as to be somewhat of a suburb to the larger place it has maintained a separate individuality which seems likely to con- tinne for some time to come.

ARLINGTON

Near the confluence of the Skykomish and the Snoqualmie rivers, on a magnificent natural town site, is the rapidly growing town of Monroe. Some- what similarly situated near the forks of the two branches of the Stillaguamish, on an equally mag- nificent natural town site is Arlington, one of the best and most progressive little cities in all the sound country. The two towns named are analo- gous in several respects, the most noticeable of which is that in the last two or three years they have each enjoyed a most remarkable growth, the one multiplying its population by five, the other by two.

In the pioneer days of any community the chief highways of transportation are the rivers and streams, hence the lands along the banks of these are the first settled and pioneer trade centers are necessarily riparian.

Arlington came into existence as a result of the building of the railroad, yet it stands practically on the same spot it would have occupied had it been built at an carfier date; when the streams deter- mined the location of towns. It thus enjoys about all the advantages of situation which an inland town can have, its waterways penetrating far into the forest and furnishing a cheap means of trans- porting shingle and saw timber to its mills, while the railroad gives it for its finished prodnet easy access to the markets of the world.

For a number of years there were two ambitious towns near the confluence of the North and South forks of the Stillaguamish, Haller City and Arling- ton, and although it must have been plain to every- one that the two must some day become one, if either amounted to anything, yet there was a spirited and at times bitter rivalry between them. Haller City was a little the older of the twain. Its first store was started about 1888 by Tvete & Johnson. During the summer of 1889. A. L. Blair, of Stan- wood. started a movement for the opening of a road from Silvana to "The Forks," and the loggers and others, tired of the exorbitant charges of Indians for canoe freighting, gave the scheme their hearty support and co-operation. The result was that the road was very soon an accomplished fact. Mr.

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Blair brought the first load over it with an ox team, Town school. As a result both towns were deprived. So great was the demand for goods, that this pioneer for several years, of the first class educational ad- vantages they might otherwise have had. Fortu- nately this error was eventually corrected by the reuniting of the two districts, when at last the towns wisely decided to come together. freighter kept two yoke of oxen going almost con- tinuously that summer, while Bert Crawford ran a tri-weekly wagon stage and did some freighting with horses.

In the fall of 1889, the White House hotel was built in llaller City by Lee Rogers and Al. Dins- more, and this with Tvete & Johnson's store and Al. Gifford's logging camp constituted Ilaller City, while just across the river was the Likens blacksmith shop. This development had come in anticipation of the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern railroad, whose preliminary survey had been made. Late that fall the railroad company gave earnest of its intention to push ahead by sending a camp of men to clear the right of way, and on the 13th of June, 1890, the construction train reached the site of Arlington. The first freight train came on the ?3d of July.

It was in 1890, that Arlington proper, as distin- guished from ITaller City, had its start. The man who platted the latter town was Maurice, son of the well-known military man, Granville O. Haller. Maurice Haller had acquired the land for this pur- pose from one John Irving, who had seenred it from Lou. Smith, the man to whom it had been conveyed by United States patent. While the town was yet in its carly infancy, Maurice Haller was accidentally drowned, and his town-site interests passed to three persons, by whom they were con- veyed to three others, namely, Theodore Haller, a brother of Maurice, Simon Rumph and a Swede of the name of Andrud. From them, the title passed. in 1892, to Charles B. Hills, of Seattle, who still has it, A. L. Blair being his agent.

Had Maurice Haller lived, the history of Haller City might have been different in several important respects from what it now is; possibly the rival town might have been platted as an addition to it, doing away with all strife and jealousy. As it was, Earl & McLeod, who were contractors on the rail- road, bought forty acres from Al. Gifford and platted a new town site, to which they gave the name of Arlington. Between it and the Haller City town site was a forty-acre tract, held by two rival elaim- ants, Thomas MeMann, and a man named Stephens. The unsettled condition of this land made it im- possible for the two towns to grow together and become one during the early days, and the inevi- table struggle for prizes soon had its inception. Both wanted the railway depot. of course. It could not be located half way between them on account of the Stephens-MeMann dispute, hence a struggle for its possession was inevitable. Arlington won. The next difficulty was over the location of the schoolhouse. The same cause was operative (and perhaps there were other canses) to prevent an amicable agreement, and the outcome was the divi- sion of the district, so that each might have its

At first Haller City grew more rapidly than its rival. Before the close of 1890, two saloons had been started with lunch rooms in connection ; A. L. Blair had put up a shed for the accommodation of teams, furnishing grain and hay; the town-site company had built a saw-mill, Ed. Walker had built the present Walker house, a large four-story build- ing, Teagar's drug store had been started, L. B. Roe had put in a four-story hotel. W. J. Brounty had a meat market and the Times newspaper had come up from Stanwood and established itself in the cabin, which had been Lou. Smith's pioneer home. A number of residences had also been built.

The first business in Arlington was the Still- aguamish Star, which sent forth its first issue on the 9th day of August, 1890. Thomas Moran, how- ever, had an "cating tent." where meals might be obtained, but the man without his blankets must go to Haller City for lodging, or make himself as comfortable as possible in a hollow stump. Two days later than the Star, the store of Earl & MeLeod began business, though its building was not con- pleted and the shelving was not all in. Next came F. P. Bonney's saloon, and a little later the first meal was served in Thomas Moran's handsome three-story hotel, "The Arlington." That same fall Jolin Z. Jones opened a general merchandise store, Hill & Moran, a hardware store and MeMillan & Rideout and E. K. Molden restaurants. The first daily mail enjoyed by the settlers of the upper Still- aguamish came with the establishment of the Arling- ton postoffice November 29. 1890. The volume of business done in Arlington during the first five months of its existence was relatively very great. "The total amount." says the Snohomish Sun in its special edition of January. 1891, "foots up to almost fifty-seven thousand dollars, nearly seventy-five per cent. of it being spot cashi. In addition to this the railroad company has done an almost equal amount of business at the Arling- ton station, the ticket sales amounting to $4,031, while the freight receipts ran up to $47,438.11,-a total of $51,460.71, and a grand total for the first five months of Arlington's existence of $108,500, in round numbers. There is now being put in here a shingle mill with a capacity of 45,000 a day and a saw-mill with a capacity of 20,000 feet a day.

Arlington has three miles of finely graded streets, the work all being paid for by the owners of the town site."

Before the hard times came both Haller City and Arlington made a very rapid growth, the population of the two in 1893 being about five hundred. The

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McMann-Stephens contest was eventually decided by the former's buying the latter out; hence the barrier which separated Arlington and Haller City was removed, and the way opened for their mani- fest destiny,-ultimate reunion. They remained apart, however, until the return of good times in 1897, when some of the principal business houses of Haller City moved to Arlington, among the num- ber being Teagar's drug store.

The financial depression of 1893-6 did not cause stagnation in Arlington as in many other towns of the Northwest. The development of these years was relatively slow, to be sure, but it was unceasing and substantial. In February, 1897, under the head, "A Lively Town," the Snohomish Tribune had the following to say regarding it:

"Arlington, so say the S. & I. train men, is the liveliest station on the line; and indeed the fresh, white lumber of new buildings as it glistens in the sun does give the town a singularly industrious air. Kelley & Company's saw-mill, is almost its only manufacturing industry, but Arlington is be- coming recognized more as a social and commercial center for the smaller places around it. * * * Quite a number of new buildings went up last sum- mer, and several more are now in progress. Mr. McGilligan has a fine dwelling house well under way, and on the hill back of the town is the new Catholic church, which will soon be ready for dedi- cation.

"Strolling along its one short sidewalk, the visitor meets with many lumbermen and mill men from stations north and south, as well as ranchers from far up and down the river; and for no reason ap- parent to the casual observer, the little town seems to prosper amid the general depression of the times."

It is needless to state that the town, which had made progress during the period of financial stringency, forged ahead with increased momentum, when the sun of prosperity once more illumined the heavens. It received a slight check in 1899, how- ever, when, on the morning of July 29th, the shingle department of the Arlington Lumber Com- pany's plant was destroyed by fire, together with the mill office, the residence of A. Gifford, the boarding house and Kranshoff's and Kennedy's blacksmith shops. As these buildings were in the heart of the city, it was with some difficulty that the fire was kept from spreading to other blocks. The mill was valued at eight thousand dollars, and was only insured to the extent of one thousand dollars. The lessee, WV. R. Sutherland, to whom the stock belonged, estimated his loss at five thousand dollars less fifteen hundred dollars insurance.

Belief was current at the time that a logger named Murphy, who entered the mill about mid- night in an intoxicated condition, was cremated in this fire. Several persons heard shrill screams soon after the alarm was sounded and this circum- stance, together with the disappearance of Murphy,

were thought to argue that he had met a terrible fate.

According to the United States census of 1900. there were 852 people in Arlington. It must be remembered, however, that at that time the town was not incorporated ; its limits were not defined and the enumerator had a wide latitude in judging how much should be included in his report. It is said that, being interested in booming the town as much as possible, he made the most of his opportunity.

This must have been true, for although Arling- ton continued to grow steadily during the ensuing three years, the enumeration made in 1903, for the purpose of incorporation, showed a population of only 800, within the proposed corporate limits. These included Haller City. Taking this enumera- tion as substantially accurate, and there is no rea- son to doubt its accuracy, the population of Arlington has more than doubled in the past two years for a recent school census shows that the people now living in Arlington number about one thousand seven hundred.

The present industrial and commercial develop- ment of the town may be seen from a list of its business establishments and business men. Its general stores at this writing are those of Johnson & Wick, Funk & Law, N. K. Tvete, John Z. Jones, G. W. Wallsteed, C. C. Brown ; confectionery and cigar stores, G. F. Heiss, John Woods & Company, Allen Brothers. Vanderhoof & Smith; bakeries G. T. Wallsteed, Mrs. M. E. Crotser; bowling alley, J. F. Wood & Company; drug stores, the Owl, J. B. Riley, proprietor, the Arlington Drug Company's and Mrs. M. C. Teagar's ; department store. Peter- son Brothers; gents' furnishing goods and shoes, Chris Duer ; hardware, the Moran Hardware Com- pany, Allen Hardware and Plumbing Company plumbers, Hoover & Dunn; jewelry, P. F. Larsen,. the Kay Jewelry Company and D. S. Pruitt, the last mentioned dealing also in groceries ; furniture, G. W. Mayberry and Thomas Moran, the latter carrying it in connection with his hardware ; harness and saddlery. S. H. Preston, K. Jesperson ; racket goods and wall paper; Mrs. F. W. Price; livery, Arlington Livery & Transfer Company, Chadburn & Archer ; hotels. Walker House, Thomas Dorgan, proprietor, the Commercial. O. L. Allen, the Arlington, Fred English. the White House Café, Joseph Britton, the Grand Central. Mrs. Minnie Kinyon, the Evergreen, Frank Miller, and the Twin City, H. Bremer: photograph galleries. L. Kirk and J. E. Asplund ; blacksmith shops, Frank Kranskoff. J. W. Gales ; barber shops, George May- berry, E. C. Pantzke ; meat markets, the Snohomish Grocery Company's, the Daisy, W. J. Brounty & Son, proprietors, the City, George Murphy, pro- prietor ; Arlington carpet weaver, C. M. McCaulley : Arlington State Bank, C. E. Bingham, president, A. E. Ilolland, vice-president, R. S. Bloss, cashier ; the Arlington Commission Company ; bicycle repair

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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 69

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