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 80

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 80
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 80

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The total number of high schools in the state is 105, with an attendance of 7,202. These are conducted largely by teachers of college or university training in addition to specific normal school training; are provided with excellent and in many cases costly buildings, and have adequate equipment in libraries and scientific apparatus.

There are three state normal schools, located respectively at Cheney, at Whatcom and at Ellensburg. The enrollment of students in these three institutions was for the year ending June 30, 1904, 678, and the value of the grounds, buildings and equipment of the three was approximately a million dollars.

Of higher institutions of learning the state provides the state college at Pullman and the state university at Seattle. The former is com- posed of two institutions with two separate sources of revenue, the first being the agricul- tural college department and the second the school of science. As an endowment for the combined purposes the United States has provided a hundred and ninety thousand acres of

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land, together with an annual appropriation from the Morrill and the Hatch funds, which, in addition to the state appropriation, provide an income of about ninety-five thousand dollars a year. This institution has a faculty in all departments of fifty, and a total of enrollment for the year closed of about 750. The value of grounds, apparatus, buildings and library in the state college is three hundred and twenty-three thousand dollars.

The state university, established in 1861, and having for a number of years a precarious existence and a small and irregular number of pupils, has enjoyed for a period of six or eight years past a development hardly eqnaled by that of any other state university in the Union. When the first legislature of Washington terri- tory assembled in 1854 Governor Isaac I. Stevens recommended that congress be memorialized to appropriate land for a university. Congress granted the request by the appropriation of two townships of land for such an institution. After some abortive attempts at establishing two universities, the legislature of 1861 definitely established it at Seattle, and on May 21, 1861. the corner-stone of the first building was laid. During the following winter actual teaching was begun. Not until the administration of the seventh president, Dr. A. J. Anderson, was real college work undertaken. The income was meagre until the establishment of statehood, but from that time on the legislatures have provided generous appropriations. In 1893 the magnifi- cent location on Lake Washington was provided, and two years later the beautiful and convenient buildings now constituting the main part of the university structures, though added to from time to time, were occupied. The approximate worth of the grounds, buildings, apparatus and library of the state university is one million, one hundred and fifty thousand dollars. The faculty number twenty-seven, and the enrollment of students was about nine hundred during the year just closed. By reason of its location near the metropolis of the state, its ample equipment. its proximity to one of the most beautiful lakes in the world, and the character of the instruction given by its well-selected faculty, the State University of Washington is already becoming an institution of recognized importance and is destined to be at no distant day one of the lead- ing institutions of the United States.

From this bird's eye view of the systems of publie education in the state, we turn to take up specifically the educational work, past and pres- ent, in the counties of Skagit and Snohomish.

The school system of Skagit county may be considered as having begun with the year 1984, when the county itself was organized from the southern half of Whatcom county. Nevertheless it is fitting that we learn from the records of the latter-named county something of the pioneer

age of schools in that area which is now known as Skagit. There seem to have been no schools taught prior to the year 1872. That year was marked by the opening of several schools in pioneer communities, all of which seem to have been taught in private houses or in little shacks erected in the first place for some other purpose. As far as we can learn the first distriet on the. Skagit was organized in the fall of 1872. The school board consisted of William Sartwell, Orrin Kincaid and "Little" Johnson. This school was held in Sartwell's original log cabin, a building so low that even the children conld hardly get in without stooping. There were

seven pupils and the teacher was Zena Tingley, who afterward became Mrs. J. H. Moores. The length of term at that time was but three months. This school was housed for two years thereafter in an old cabin on John Kelley's homestead, now occupied by Peter Egtvet. Sub- sequently, by the efforts of Mrs. C. C. Ville- neuve, who went around to the lumber camps with a Siwash pilot, lumber was procured and a new building erected upon an acre of land donated for the purpose by Mr. Kelley. By reason of a difference between the people of the north and south sides of the river, this acre of land with the school building passed into the hands of Mr. Egtvet and the pioneers erected a new schoolhouse at the delta on John Wilbur's place. This was used for a number of years, until a separate district was established on the south side of the river. Among the teachers in the old Wilbur school were G. E. Hartson and Mrs. Kate Washburn.

Another one of the pioneer schools was that at Pleasant Ridge, opened in July, 1872. This school was held in Albert Leamer's house, and the teacher was Ida Leamer, at that time but fifteen years old. It is worthy of special notice that this girl, now Mrs. E. A. Sisson, secured the first teacher's certificate ever granted in the present boundaries of Skagit. Her certificate was granted by Dr. W. T. Decre, then superin- tendent of schools for Whatcom county and residing near the present site of Anacortes. It seems to be a question whether Miss Leamer's school did not open at a little earlier date than that of Miss Tingley previously mentioned. The directors of this first Pleasant Ridge school were James Harrison, John Cornelius and Charles J. Chilberg. The pupils were Fanny, Mary and Edward Chilberg, William and Arthur Cornelius, and Edgar Stacey. The next term of this same school was held in Mr. Harrison's residence, and was also taught by Miss Ida Leamer.

Still another of the pioneer schools may be noticed briefly, namely that in the Padilla dis- trict. This was opened in April, 1877, in a little school building crected by Richard Ball, who also provided it with desks and other necessary equipment. It was located on the present Purdy

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ranch, then owned by Smith and MeClellan. The district was number thirteen of Whatcom county and it included the territory from Fre- donia north to Joe Larry's slough and to the bay. The first teacher was Belle Eldridge, now Mrs. John Edens of Bellinghanı. Other teachers of the early period were Carrie Graham and Emily IIagadorn.

Another of the pioneer schools was that just below Mount Vernon in the neighborhood of which Mr. and Mrs. Isaac Lanning were pio- neers. Ida Lanning, then a girl of only sixteen, taught the first school in that district, during the summer of 1872.

Turning to the upper Skagit region we find the first school district organized there to have included the Sterling, Wilson and Sedro settle- ments. The year of its organization was ISS3, and the directors were David Batey, Daniel Benson and Emmett Van Fleet: the clerk, J. M. Smithson. The school met in a cedar shack donated to the district by J. B. Ball. Eva Wal- lace was the first teacher. The Sedro district was formed by a division from the one just described in 1886.

While the foundations of the school system were thus being laid on the mainland, the islands, whose general development at that time was faster, had acquired better educational facilities. On Fidalgo island in 1882 there were three school districts. The first was that of Anacortes, which had an enrollment of twenty- seven pupils and was in charge of Emily Haga- dorn, now Mrs. Edward Stuart, of Anacortes. There was also a school in the Best district in charge of Adelbert Van Valkenberg, and one in the Fidalgo district near Munk's Landing. This last-named school was organized about 1873, Miss Belle Eldred, of Whatcom, teaching it that year.

Schools were organized at about the same time on Guemes island, but not until 1885 was there a building for school purposes. In that year a comfortable schoolhouse was erected on the farm of William Edens, the means for which were donated by the ranchers, with the exception of a hundred and sixty dollars appropriated from the public school fund. In speaking of this school the Northwest Enterprise urges a new subscrip- tion "for desks and seats such as will not break the backs of the rising generation."

The first teachers' examination held in pres- ent Skagit county occurred during the adminis- tration of J. M. Bradley, the last superintendent of Whatcom prior to county division. The examining board consisted of Henry McBride, Emily Hagadorn and Josephine Bradley. Second grade certificates were granted to Mrs. John Chilberg, Eva Wallace, May Bradley, Edith Peck and Alice Foster; and a third grade to Leila Turner.

For a picture of early conditions in school

affairs we give herewith some of the principal features in the report of the year 1885 by G. E. Ilartson, superintendent of schools. The dis- tricts at that time were as follows, with the number of pupils in each: Swinomish, 22; Fidalgo, 37; Skagit, 42; La Conner, 96; Island, 23; Erie, 43; Samish, 49; Jefferson, 35; Wash- ington, 37; Lincoln, 73; Franklin, 50; Lyman, 43; Bayview, 54; Pleasant Ridge, 23; Calhoun, 37; Fir, 29; Sterling, 30; Wooten, 37; River- side, 64; Harmony, 26; Guemes, 35; Minkler, 18; Warner, 15; Cooper, IS; Orilla, 34. There was a total of twenty-five districts, with nine hundred and seventy children of school age. For the same period there were twenty-two teachers. The average length of time for which schools were provided was four and one-half months. The number of schoolhouses in the county was twenty of which three were built during 1885. The amount of money raised for school purposes was $5,689.69. The estimated value of school grounds, houses and apparatus was $4, 743.25. The average salary paid male teachers per month was $15.10, and the average salary of female teachers was $38.89.

To the report just given we may append the districts established during the remainder of the decade as follows: Lyman, 1886; Hamilton having succeeded to the place formerly occupied by the Lyman district; Sedro, 1886; Cypress, 1887; Ridgeway, 1887: Centerville, 1888; Bay- view, 1888; Tingley, 1SSS; Clear Lake, 1889: Sauk, 1889; Yomig, 1889; Cedardale, 1890; Gibralter, 1890.

The records of 1886 show a material increase in every respect, except the average salary paid teachers. The total amount of money raised for school purposes was six thousand eight hundred and seventy-two dollars and seventy-seven cents. Thirty-one teachers were employed. The average number of months taught was five, schoolhouses built during the year were four, the estimated value of school property was seven thousand, five hundred and thirty-nine dollars and eighty cents, and the number of pupils in the county of school age was one thousand, one hundred and twenty- one.

The year 1886 was marked by an event which could not fail to be of interest in the educational progress of the county. This was the organiza- tion of a teachers' association, effected at Avon, August 10. 1886. J. B. Moody was chosen president and May Bradley secretary. It was provided that regular meetings should be held on the second Saturdays of February, May, August and November.

Reference to occasional reports of superin- tendents during the period beween 1886 and the present date gives us a clearer conception of the advancement of all things educational during that time. We find the report of J. M. Shields, superintendent for the year ending June 30, 1891,

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shows the following summaries: Number of children of school age, 2,672, of which 1,848 were enrolled in the public schools. The number of pupils in private schools had greatly increased, being then 91. The number of teachers employed was 90. All members of the teaching profession will be gratified to see that there was a marked advance in the salaries, those of male teachers having reached $54.70 and of female teachers $46.00. The average number of months of school was 5.87, of school districts in the county, 47, of school buildings, 36, and the total value of school property, $62,273.

Consulting again the reports of superintend- ents, and taking the year 1595 as the middle period between the date last given and the present, we find that superintendent B. L. McElreath summarizes the educational status as follows: Number of children of school age, 3,528, of which 2,818 were enrolled in the public schools; 95 teachers were employed ; the average number of months taught was 5.50 and the total value of school property was $134,062.

The report of Superintendent J. G. Lowman for the year ending June 30, 1904, the latest report accessible at this writing, gives the total number of children in the county as 5,620; 4,812 being enrolled in the public schools. It is rather interesting to note that the number of the two sexes are almost exactly equal, 2,402 males and 2,410 females being enrolled. The number of teachers employed during the year was 155, and the average salary of the male teachers was $68. 16, and of the female teachers, $53 00. The average number of months taught was 7.6623. The number of school districts in the county was 80, and the number of school buildings, 74. The total value of all school property was $187,632, and amount paid ont by the county for all school purposes was $117,643.73. One other inter- esting class of statistical matter not incorporated in previous reports pertains to the character of the certificates held by the teachers of the county. These are as follows: Number of teachers holding state or territorial certificates or diplomas, 7; number holding diplomas from normal department of state university, 1; number holding certificates from state normal schools, 2; number holding first grade county certificates, 25; number holding second grade county certificates, 74; number holding third grade county certificates, 27; number having temporary permits, 12. These statistics indicate a very great increase in all the essentials of school resources, as, amount of school property, length of period taught, proportionate number of teachers and pupils, and appropriations made for maintenance.

One of the most marked respects in which not only Skagit county but the entire state of Washington has evinced a higher appreciation of education as a necessary factor in the state is the

growth of high schools. The first high school or- ganized in the county was at Mount Vernon. At

the present time there are eight high schools. Of these, three, Mount Vernon, Sedro-Woolley and La Conner, maintain full four years' courses in English, classical and scientific studies. The Anacortes high school offers three years of work, while Bayview, Hamilton, Burlington and Edison provide two years each. In addition to these the following districts maintain something in addi- tion to the regular eight grades of common school work: Pleasant Ridge, Fir, Avon, Lyman, Clear Lake, McMurray, Conn and Milltown.

Some evidence of the ambition and thorough- ness of the Skagit schools has been shown during the current year by the fullness and excellence of their exhibit at the Lewis and Clark fair. One thing worthy of special note was that the fourth and fifth grades of the Anacortes school sent as a contribution an original melody of both words and music, said by good judges to be of high quality for children of such an age.

There are few counties of the state of Wash- ington unprovided with some kind of private schools, which, in important respects, supplement and give special aim to the facilities provided by the public. Skagit county has had its share of such institutions. The first of these was what became known as Alden academy. There is considerable interesting history involved in this institution, although the forces which sustained it afterward turned their energies in another direction. In November, 1877, Rev. E. O. Tade. a Congregational minister, came in a schooner called the Fidalgo Traveler to Fidalgo island. He had for his purpose the organization of a small colony and the establishment of a Christian school after the pattern of the New England or Ohio academies. In the year following his arrival at Fidalgo island Mr. Tade erected a building and dedicated the school. It was located about two miles south of Anacortes. This school was subequently under the manage- ment of Professor A. T. Burnell, formerly of Oberlin. Although Alden Academy maintained its existence for only four years it seems to have secured the favorable attention of all the people in that portion of the county. The establish- ment of Puget Sound Academy, first located at Coupeville, and subsequently removed to Snohomish, of which we shall speak in another place, led to the abandonment of Alden Academy. The building was employed for a time as a public school, Carrie Graham being the teacher, but at the present time the building is used as a resi- dence by Mrs. R. E. Whitney.

More recently there has become established a private institution known as the Forest Home Industrial Academy. This institution is under the control of the Seventh Day Adventist church and is located two and a half miles from Mount Vernon. The institution possesses thirty-five

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acres of fertile land and has already erected sev- eral excellent buildings and is making prepara- tions for adding to its equipment. Each pupil is required to devote two and a half hours a day to industrial work. The head of this institution is L. I. Stiles. In addition to the industrial education offered this academy offers instruction in all the common English and scientific branches taught in high schools.

From whatever point viewed the educational advantages of Skagit county may well be a source of pride to her citizens and approbation by her neighbors.

We now direct our attention to the educa- tional history of Snohomish county. Snohomish county originally constituted one school district. This was district number one and centered at Snohomish City. District number was organized in the year 1569 and the first school was opened in what afterward became known as the Blue Eagle, situated on the bank of the Snohomish river, on the west side of Union avenue. This building has few rivals in Sno- homish county for the number of uses to which it has been put. Employed at one time as a church, where the soul of man was filled with truth, it became a restaurant, where the stomach of man was somewhat indifferently supplied with physical nourishment. Becoming afterward a saloon, it served the most effective purpose that its proprietors could devise, to the destruction of both soul and stomach. It afterward served a sentence for a term of years as a dance house, to be rescued from this use and fitted as a store. It subsequently degenerated to the status of a wash house, and after that ceased its active life. It seems not to have been long employed for educational purposes, for within a year or two the district constructed a very creditable school building on lots donated for the purpose by Mrs. M. L. Packard. That building fulfilled the needs of the district until 1887, when it was sup- plemented by an addition the same size as itself, and a year later an excellent school building was erected at a cost of fourteen thousand dollars which has since been the main school building of Snohomish. District number two was organ- ized from district number one in 1870, having at that time about twenty pupils. The year 1872 was marked by the organization of district number three, the Florence district, and number four, the Stanwood district. Florence was pro- vided with an excellent school building almost from the first, the building also being employed as a church, but it was a number of years before Stanwood erected a building adequate to its growing needs. The first teacher in the Florence district was Kate Bradley, and the school was held in Sly's workshop. There were no white children at that time, all the pupils being half breeds. For the next year a schoolhouse of cedar shakes was used, each family providing

desks for its own children. Terzy Bigelow was the first teacher in this building. The next year the people of Florence developed so much ambi- tion as to build and equip the best schoolhouse in that part of the county. The first Stanwood school was opened in 1876 and was taught by Mrs. Carolina Christianson, followed by Kate Bradley.

The process of subdivision went on and Lowell district, number five, was organized in 1873. As is common in our early communities, the schoolhouse was also used as a church and public gathering place. Mukilteo was the next to join the procession as district number six in 1874. The Mukilteo school was provided with an excellent building at a cost of eight hundred dollars, furnished with patent seats, and well supplied with charts, maps and blackboards. District number seven embraced Tualco and the region immediately about. This also was pro- vided almost at first with a comfortable and well-equipped school building. The eighth dis- trict, which became known as Krischell's, was organized in 1875.

We find the report of the superintendent of schools for the year 1975 notes the fact that at that time there were eight districts in the county, in six of which schools had been maintained for an average term of three and two-thirds months. District number one, embracing Snohomish City, contained nearly half the children in the county, having in that year two hundred and thirty-seven of school age. The amount apportioned for the maintenance of the district was $964.07.

The development of the educational system of Snohomish county did not differ widely from that of the other counties of our state. With the inflow of population district after district was established, building after building erected, length of period taught increased, added facilities in the way of library and apparatus provided, high schools established here and there, and a great onward impetus given to all the educational forces of the county.

The report of Superintendent Dixon in the year 1891 comments somewhat unfavorably upon the imperfect reports of school clerks and their apparent inability to present full and complete statistics. Superintendent Dixon also notes the glut in the market for teachers and as a means to avoid this condition he recommends a more difficult standard of examination. There were at that time 2,828 children of school age in the county, of which 2,050 were enrolled in the public schools and 127 in private schools. There were 67 teachers in the county, the male teach- ers receiving an average salary of $53.36 and the female teachers $45.30. The total valuation of school property at that time was $56,207, and the schools were maintained on an average five and four-tenths months. The fifty districts of the county were provided with thirty-nine school

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buildings. The outlay of the schools during that year was $24,846.60. During that year ten girls and twenty-seven young men undertook the examination for first grade state certificates, one only being successful, namely, Royal J. Tilton, of Arlington. Although Superintendent Dixon was somewhat critical of the educational condi- tions of his county at that time, he anticipated great improvements in the future. His hopes seem to have been realized, sooner, perhaps, than he expected.

We find the report of Superintendent R. E. Friars, for the year ending June 30, 1898, to show a very great gain over the condition of the preceding years. For the period covered by that report the number of school children in the county was reported as 5,002, of which 4,339 were enrolled. The number of teachers en- ployed was 143, of which 10 held state certificates, 39 first grade, 39 second grade and 55 third grade. The estimated value of school property in that report was $221, 815, and the average length of the school year six and one-half months. The report notes 115 pupils in high schools. The number of school districts in the county had increased to 78 and the number of school buildings to 75. The total expendi- tures of the schools of the county for the year amounted to $69,985.66.

Passing over the intervening period and tak- ing up the report of Superintendent Thomas A. Stiger, for the period ending June 30, 1904, we find that the number of children of school age had increased to 10,812, the number enrolled to 8,712, the average length of the school year to eight months, and the number of teachers to 213. The average salary paid to male teachers had attained the sum of $62.00 and to female of $52.00. The number of pupils in attendance at the high schools was 397, and at the private schools, 226. Nine new school buildings had been erected during that year, making a total of ninety-five buildings in the ninety-one districts of the county. The estimated value of school property was $419,582. Six high schools and six- teen graded schools were reported. Of the 213 teachers of the county, 22 held state diplomas, 2 had certificates from the normal department of the state university, 7 had elementary diplomas from state normal schools, and fourteen from the advanced course of the normal schools. Of those authorized to teach by connty certificates, 77 possessed first grade, 65 second grade and 12 third grade. The total amount expended for school purposes for the year was $210,051.64.

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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 80

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