Everett, Washington - Ladies Of The Grand Army - Ladies Musical Club - , 1926 (part 3 of 4)

East Stanwood

Very naturally the location of the railway station three-fourths of a mile from Stanwood had a strong tendency to draw population. The newer churches were built in that locality, which was between Stanwood and the Village of Cedarhome, and in 1906 this movement culminated in the founding of East Stanwood. C. J. Gunderson was the chief promoter and he established a general store and the Bank of East Stanwood. An electric light plant and waterworks were installed in 1911, and a post office was established in 1913, with Mr. Gunderson as postmaster. Hotel Bartz at East Stanwood was erected in 1914. West Stanwood continued to grow, however, new additions were platted and the new high school, under Prof. J. B. Bowers, with a corps of nine teachers, was opened in 1914. The initial service of the Baptist Church was also held in September of this year at Cedarhome. The town site plat was filed January 9, 1906, by W. C. Brokaw as Giard's first plat of East Stanwood and was dedicated by F. H. and Anna Giard.

The Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Company began operations in East Stanwood in 1914; the city water system was extended to the plant and it began working nine hours a day. This eventually led to the abandonment of the Cooperative Creamery, established in 1894. The condensery concern became the Carnation Milk Products Co. in 1916; it is now one of the largest plants in the Northwest: 200,000 pounds milk daily from 7,000 cows, factory covers 36,000 square feet, has a tank 103 feet high, and makes its own boxes. East Stanwood also boasted a newspaper of its own when the Bulletin was established in September, 1914, with Frederick Ornes as editor and Helene Moore news editor. F. H. Giard was the first mayor of the new incorporation.

The Stanwood Grain Company maintains one of the big industries of East Stanwood, grinding grain food for poultry and cattle, and has an immense warehouse, the company buying, selling and storing grain, hay and other farm produce, and one of the three lumber plants of the district is situated here. Ivar Prestlien operated the first sawmill in 1884; its capacity was only 4,000 feet of lumber daily and its power was a 16-horsepower boiler and engine.

Stillaguamish Band

There was no little rivalry between the two towns, especially when East Stanwood was first founded, and the old town rejoiced when, on the Commercial Club agreeing to furnish rooms, the Stillaguamish Band moved its headquarters from East Stanwood to Stanwood, to the building now used by the public library. The

Stillaguamish Band, organized in 1903 under the direction of H. M. Tjernagel, was for many years considered one of the best musical organizations in the Northwest. It never included less than twenty-four pieces, owned a fine set of instruments, and was composed of talented musicians.

East Stanwood Commercial Club

The principal business street is also part of the Pacific Highway, and both Stanwood and East Stanwood are popular with auto tourists and wild fowl hunters, the district being a natural rendezvous for migratory game birds, and East Stanwood maintaining a fully equipped auto camp park within the city limits. One of the choicest salt water bathing beaches of the Northwest is also an unusual attraction for pleasure and health seekers. The East Stanwood Commercial Club owns an exceptionally large and well appointed community clubhouse and social center, whose establishment is largely credited to the directors of the East Stanwood State Bank. This clubhouse has: accommodated the important community assemblages and activities for more than a decade, and it was here that the historic gettogether meeting and banquet was held on Wednesday, June 16, 1926, when the dual-city Stanwood Kiwanis Club received its charter, the Lutheran Ladies' Aid Society of East Stanwood providing a bounteous spread, and Rev. G. O. Lane of Our Savior's Lutheran Church of Stanwood delivering a memorable invocation. This two-town unity club has thirty-eight members, and its weekly dinner meetings have so far invariably enjoyed an almost 100 per cent attendance from both towns. The officers are: C. W. Brokaw, president; James F. Thompson, vice president; A. D. Hall, treasurer; C. E. Castle, secretary ; O. E. Thompson, trustee; C. J. Gunderson, W. G. Hansen, J. A. Hartney, H. E. Parsius, I. A. Rygg and R. E. Hill, directors.

East Stanwood Schools

The East Stanwood public school building is a large and handsomely designed structure, situated in the midst of the providentially elevated residential part of the town to the eastward on a plateau commanding an inspiring panoramic view of the snow-tipped Olympic Range across the Sound to the westward, several hundred acres of berries being cultivated on these neighboring highlands.

Cedarhome, a well populated and prosperous pioneer community center, is the principal suburb of East Stanwood, two and a half miles northeast of it and reached by a paved highway. A complete modern fire protection system for East Stanwood is now being installed, including a 30,000-gallon tower reservoir for pressure and distribution, 4,270 feet of 6-inch wood and metal pipe line, ten new hydrants, etc., financed by a bond issue.

In August, 1926, the State Highway Commission announced its intention to construct and pave a strip of new highway two and one-half miles in length, straightening and rerouting the Pacific Highway from East Stanwood north, thus avoiding two railroad crossings and the detour a mile westward through Stanwood, whose 30- and 40-foot business streets are often congested by automobile traffic, which would be considerably relieved by this project, contemplated for completion in 1927.

Up-River Pioneers

SETTLEMENTS PASS THE FORKS - SOUTH FORK SETTLERS - RAIL RUMORS BRING MANY IN 1882 - PIONEER HARDSHIPS - CURT J. MURPHY - DR. OLIVER'S ADDRESS - FOURTH ON KENT'S PRAIRIE, 1884 - PICNIC SETTLERS - WAGON TRAIL TO FORKS - GLENDALE POST OFFICE - DR. W. F. OLIVER - SETTLERS ON BIG BURN- - SETTLERS IN 1887, 1888 - NEWCOMERS IN 1889-1890.

Settlements Pass The Forks

The history of the Stillaguamish Valley for the late seventies and the early eighties is almost entirely personal history. As the sap runs up the tree in the springtime, through the trunk, along the branches to the twigs, and then buds into foliage, so the lifeblood of civilization found its way up the valley of the Stillaguamish. There were no new towns, no great undertakings, nothing that smacked of "booms" or excitement. Just a steady, quiet flow of the tide of settlement, pushing back the woods, dotting the valleys with little clearings, building schools and homes, planting orchards, and reaching each year a little farther up the stream.

The conditions, and the obstacles to be overcome were almost identical for all the pioneers, whether they came to the tideflats or ventured "above the jam" a decade later. And with some variation of details the history of all these early settlers is much the same. In some way, through letters, or newspapers or friends they heard of the wonders of Puget Sound and of the richness of the Stillaguamish Valley. With their scant belongings, but with brave hearts and strong hands and high courage they came on a tiny steamer to the little settlement at Stanwood. Here they prospected for land or were directed by a friend, and here they purchased their supplies - just the plainest, most necessary things, for there was no money to spare and every pound was an added burden. With these meagre belongings packed in an Indian dugout canoe they were paddled up the river. Later, when the best lands near the mouth of the stream had been taken they ventured "beyond the jam" and this meant miles of weary, back-breaking packing over the rough, poorly blazed trail. When they came to the land which was to be their home they were confronted by their friend and enemy, the great, towering, silent woods. For weeks and months they were lost to all the outside world; buried in the forest. They had almost no social contacts. The next neighbor might be miles away and those miles were very real ones, for they were through almost trackless and impassable woods. There were no horses, few oxen save in the logging camps; no means of transportation except canoes and legs. When the supplies were nearly gone, and not until then, the settler went to Stanwood for more. This nearly always meant more than a day's journey and involved hardship and expense. There . were few who had sufficient means to see them through until the land could be made productive and thus the majority were obliged to seek work in the logging camps or to ply their trades in the cities during the winter months. Thus they cleared their claims on the installment plan- - installments of good hard work, interspersed with installments of equally strenuous labor in shop or mill or logging camp. The women endured a still harder lot. The men saw other men occasionally, but the women saw other women, white or Indian, but rarely. They faced the pangs of motherhood, often alone and without help or care save such as their husbands could give them. But there was no ebb to this tide of civilization; it went on and on, now to the Forks, then up the North Fork, and up the South Fork, until even the tiniest rivulets at the headwaters tingled with new life.

South Fork Settlers

There were fewer recruits in 1879, but it is noticeable that they proceeded farther up the river. Huldo Hevely settled close to Silvana, but Rasmus Knutson was not daunted by the three jams he had to pass and packed his supplies twelve miles up the river from Stanwood. He owned one of the first wagons - one made with solid wheels cut from fir logs, and hauled by oxen. Matthew M. McCaulley came in February, 1879, with the intention of taking a claim but went to logging instead and, in 1883, he became the first settler on the South Fork. The writings of the good pastor, C. Joergenson, were responsible for the coming of Ole Nass, in 1880. He bought land of James Perkins and became one of the citizens of Florence. The first male teacher in the Florence school district was Alex Robertson who taught the school in 1880. There were seventeen pupils, four white children, two Indians and the rest half-breeds. The district extended from the Skagit County line to the Tulalip reservation and from the Sound to the summit of the Cascades, except for a small district near Stanwood. Robertson was later better known as the justice of the peace.

B. C. W. Schloman was a new arrival in 1881, and his mother, who accompanied him, is said to have been the first white woman on the upper river, in the neighborhood of Arlington. It cost Schloman $10 to get a canoe load of goods up to his claim from Stanwood, and he brought the first cows up the river on a deck fastened upon two canoes lashed together. He went with John Robinson on the expedition which explored the headwaters of the Stillaguamish, the expedition being headed by Charles Burns, and for a time he was postmaster, the post office, called Schloman, being at his home. He moved to Silvana in 1887 and to Arlington in 1890. His brother, John, who came in 1882, was one of the pioneers of Darrington in later years. Lars P. Hanson, who died in 1900, was a newcomer at

Rail Rumors Bring Many In 1882

Immigration to all points on the Sound increased rapidly in 1882 as there was much talk of railroad building and general conditions were much better. Many of the newcomers could not stand the hardships and staid but a short time, but among those who became permanent residents may be mentioned Peter Ness, who first settled on the Pilchuck but who afterwards lived at Stanwood where he built the first piledriver and drove the piles for the first boom and wharf at that place. He -went back to his native Norway, in 1888, but soon returned with a bride. Halvor P. Husby was another Norwegian who settled first at Stanwood; moving to Norman in 1885. He stated in later years that when he came to the valley there seemed to be nothing but woods, that there were no wagon roads until several years after he came and that he got his supplies and his weekly mail by canoe. Ludwig O. Stubb took a claim in 1882, but followed logging for more than nine years. There was not a horse in the valley, he related, and the only ox outside a logging camp was owned by Iver Furness. Erick O. Anderson was but a lad of eighteen when he located at Silvana. Later he was the first mailcarrier over the forest trail from Stanwood to Arlington and on to Oso. Robert Britton located a half mile below the forks and it was his testimony that the river was the only means of transportation when he came and that he helped to build the first trail.

Pioneer Hardships

Marion Gooding reached Stanwood in 1882 and in the summer of 1883 made the canoe trip up the river with John Z. and Henry Jones, both of whom became citizens of Arlington. The canoe struck a snag on the return trip and Gooding had a narrow escape from drowning. A log jam obstructed the river and a portage of a quarter of a mile was necessary. Mr. Gooding told in later years that often in packing goods he was obliged to put them on logs which he "cooned'' across the sloughs and he told of one high water experience when he cooked his meal on a cedar stump which served for both stove and table. Among the arrivals in 1883 was the seventeen year old Norwegian lad, Severt Engeseth. He came to join his uncle, near Silvana, and was soon employed as the mailcarrier between that point and Stanwood. He had an adventurous career, working in the woods, joining the rush to the Klondike where he was one of those on whom fortune smiled, returning to his native land, but finally coming back to the good old Stillaguamish Valley.

Curt J. Murphy

One of the most important arrivals in 1883, was Curt J. Murphy who for more than forty-four years has been a helpful, constructive force in the northern part of Snohomish County. He was perhaps the first "native son'' of Washington to locate on the Stillaguamish and he came thoroughly prepared to meet the hardships of pioneering as he had known nothing but pioneer trials all his life. Huis parents were Kentuckians and true to the traditions of Daniel Boone they were always in the vanguard of civilization. They left Kentucky in 1851 and spent two years in making the long journey across the mountains and plains with an ox team. They located first in Lewis County, Washington, and it was here that Curt J. Murphy was born; one of eleven children. The young man found employment on the cattle ranges of Eastern Washington and was in Spokane, in 1877 during the Indian war. He was one of the pioneer railroad builders, working with an engineering party for the Northern Pacific, which located the Stampede tunnel. By 1883 he had drifted to the Pacific coast as far north as Seattle, and then, having the land hunger upon him, he came on to Stanwood. But he did not stop there; it was the end of the trail which attracted Murphy. The old timers laughed at him when he packed his supplies up "above the jam" into the region of almost unknown forest four miles from the trail end. But others soon followed after he had broken the way and within a few months he had neighbors and in a few years settlements had . been pushed sixteen miles farther up the river. But to C. J. Murphy must be given credit as the pioneer of the Arlington vicinity. It was six years after he located that the first wagon made its way that far up stream and in the meantime

In 1886 Mr. Murphy was elected county assessor and the census which he took in 1887 showed the population to be 3,200 in the entire county. His was the moving spirit behind the first educational and political meetings held in his neighborhood and he has distinct recollections of the first schoolhouse, of split cedar logs and floored with lumber shipped from the Utsaladdy mill to the Forks, then packed a mile and a half on the backs of mules. John Condent, a Mormon, was the first teacher in this school, which had fourteen pupils, two of them white children. This was in 1885, and the next year there was but one white child, a son of L. Mose.

The upper country settled even faster than the lands at the mouth of the river as the Stanwood flats were already valuable and not to be had as government lands and rumors were rife as to the building of the Seattle, Lakeshore and Eastern some place near the forks. Settlers on the lower river were A. B. Mickleson who located not far from Cedarhome and who used canoe, his own broad back, ponies and a sled to carry his supplies and Steffen Floe who came from Iowa and bought a claim near Stanwood. Wesley J. Fenlason came to the county in 1868 locating at Port Susan and after serving seven years in the woods he was able to send for his wife, from "way down east" in Maine and she joined him in 1875. He was a logger at different places along the Sound for some nine years, but in 1884 he took charge of the James Long camp on the Stillaguamish, bought a claim and was thenceforth identified with the valley, becoming one of its chief dairy farmers. Andrew J. Green found employment for others in the vicinity of the Stillaguamish post office when he first arrived but soon secured a claim in the Arlington vicinage, his wife being one of the first women in their neighborhood.

At the Fourth of July celebration held at Arlington in 1902, one of the principal speakers was Dr. W. F. Oliver, the pioneer physician, and his theme was the early days along the upper river. Fortunately a portion of the text of this talk was printed in the Arlington Times and as no better picture of the early days could be given it is quoted, as follows:

"Until the year 1884 the North Fork of the Stillaguamish River was called 'Starve-Out-Valley,' for the reason that up to that time all the settlers were bachelors, who went in with packs of blankets and provisions, and by the time that a shake shanty had been built, a few trees had been cut, the 'last bit of bacon in the pan, fried,' the last batch of sour dough baked on the coals in a cedar board fireplace, the packstrap settler hailed a passing Siwash canoe and went to Stanwood for another pack of supplies. Many never returned and the places were taken by others, who in time abandoned them. And thus the hopeful bachelor came and the hungry bachelor went, until a woman demonstrated that a human being could not only exist on the products of the North Fork, but could live there for eighteen years and grow stouter all the time. Historians have been too loud in their praises of what the forefathers have done, and far too silent in their hints that the foremothers were there. The womanless settlement of Jamestown was abandoned by the fainthearted men. Some turned pirates and some wanted to burn the town; while at Plymouth, where the Pilgrims landed on a frozen shore, where but seven persons were able to nurse the sick and bury the dead, and where they dug more

"On the first day of March, 1884, Mr. and Mrs. Collingwood, Ed. Fisher and a Mr. Parks pitched their tents at the McEwan place, three miles up the North Fork, and took possession of an abandoned bachelor cabin. They had been taken up the river in a canoe by Siwash John Friday and his kloochman and reached the place the third day after leaving Stanwood. That night a heavy snow fell and the next day the men began to cut a rude trail to Mr. Collingwood's homestead claim, three miles to the westward, which required eleven days. Then the cabin was built, the supplies packed in and Mrs. Collingwood - the first white woman of the North Fork - took her canine bodyguard, 'Shep,' and moved into her first forest home. Mr. Parks located on the D. S. Baker place, and during the summer James McCullough took up the claim that 1s now occupied by the river a mile west of Cooper's shingle mill, and George Moore located the present Brazelton place and relinquished it to that family a year later.

Fourth On Kent'S Prairie, 1884

"On the Fourth of July, 1884, a picnic was held at Kent's place, on the prairie that bears his name. Those present were Mr. and Mrs. Kent, Mrs. Kent's father and mother, Ed. Lewis and wife, Mr. and Mrs. Condent who lived on the present Armstrong place, and two fruit tree agents. The household of Collingwood was invited, but Ed. Fisher went to Stanwood to work for Chile Pete, while the others accepted the invitation, and when they were yet a great way off, Mr. Condent, who was a Mormon preacher, went, and the fatted calf (which in this case was a fatted lamb), was killed and there were feasting and sack races.

"During August of that year the Collingwoods commuted the homestead and moved to the place now occupied by Mrs. Collingwood, taking it as a preemption. Here she and 'Shep' lived for a week in a half-finished house, while Mr. Collingwood was running a threshing machine on the Stanwood Flats, and the working men were away building cabins on their claims.

"The year 1884 brought a number of claim-takers. Among them were Jay Lock, who helped Collingwood clear a garden spot, and James Shields, who located the Hildebrand place. Mrs. Collingwood helped him to build his cabin, which is still standing just below the railroad bridge, across the river from the Harmony schoolhouse.

"Christ Flisher located the (Confederate) John Hamilton place; John Jerro the Fox place; Allen Hubbard the Grant place; Timothy Ryan the Dixon place, and Dan McMillan the place where Mr. Hayton now lives. The following January Mr. McMillan was married in Seattle and while making a thirty-mile wedding tour on foot, after leaving the steamer at Stanwood, they camped in a hollow stump. Mr. Hildebrand located on the Setser place in 1886, which he soon abandoned, and bought out Jim Shields. After continuous residence and somewhat extensive improvements he died there in 1896.

'Malachi Ryan located the place that he still owns, in May, 1885, and the same year John Hancock located the Frailey place, William Connors the upper Hayton place and John C. Ward the place that is now owned by Harley Aldridge. Mrs. Hancock died suddenly in the summer of 1887, and her body was taken in a canoe to Stanwood for burial.

"In February, 1886, D. S. Baker, then living on White River, saw a letter in the P. I., written by James McCullough, in which he extolled the Stillaguamish Valley as the home-hunter's heaven, but suggested that 'picnic settlers' were not wanted. The next day he met Mr. Parks, bought his claim and moved from Tacoma to Florence in a sailboat. Thence he came up the river in a canoe, landing on the Ist day of March. He was elected county commissioner in 1888, and four years later, like one of old Mother Goose's thrifty heroes, having stored his larder shelves with a surplus of bread and cheese, he went to London, or rather to Litchfield, Minnesota, and got him a wife.

"The year 1886 brought the McEwans, but recently from Scotland; Thomas Jefferson, Hiram Monty, the Fox brothers, Christ Christerson, who took the abandoned Grant place; Mr. Richards, and George Morrison, who took the Aldridge clam. Fabian Sorrial (the Old Frenchman) took the place where Joe Hollingsworth now lives, and carried fruit trees on his back from Stanwood to his claim, thirty-five miles away. He was a soldier in the Army of the Potomac, and is now in the Washington Soldiers' Home at Orting. The same year J. H. Armstrong took the claim that is now the townsite of Oso, and John D. Wilson, another bachelor, located his present place. Three years later Mrs. Jessie Wilson and her three girls came, and like prudent and practical people, they each proved up a homestead.

"In January, 1887, Captain Oliver and Mr. and Mrs. Dixon, having bought the Tim Ryan claim, landed in the snow from a Siwash canoe, and in April the Iles were canoed to the mouth of Deer Creek, having bought the Armstrong claim. The same month William Aldridge, the pioneer of the Kansas colony, arrived and took the abandoned Morrison claim, and was speedily followed by Robert Wheeler, Ed. Holloway, John Renfro, L. C. Prather, John Grant, Henry Frailey, who bought the Hancock place; John Burch, J. W. Kern, I. B. Vancil and Thomas Bond. The advance guard of the Michigan settlers came the same year, including the Damons and the Lillies, the Ciceros, the Stevenses, Martin Everts and C. A. Hudson, who came in 1889.

"On April 21 of that year, Leroy Fry and his family reached his present homestead in a canoe and had to stand in it and cut the brush before he could find room to land and pitch his tent. After he had paid the Indians he had 60 cents left and was $400 in debt. Now he has a fine farm and a big house, comes to town in an automobile, has a railroad station just across the river and 'money to burn.' So much for the Stillaguamish thrift.

"In 1888, Daniel and Hector McKilligan and Joe Ferguson established a logging camp on the South Fork, and the next year the McKilligans took claims adjoining John D. Wilson's. It was while the same firm was logging these lands in 1896 that Daniel McKilligan lost his life by a flying cable.

Picnic Settlers

"The summer of 188/ brought two canoe loads of real 'picnic settlers' from Kansas City. The women were gowned in silk and were beribboned and befeathered. The men wore silk hats, Prince Albert coats and kid gloves. They camped on the Emerson place, built half of a house, and one day they hailed a fleet of Siwash canoes and floated down to tide-water, with mildewed hopes and fallen feathers. With this year began a series of fatal accidents. John Sandberg, John Nordwell and Charles Johnson were in a canoe near the Baker place, when it split on a snag and Mr. Sandberg was carried under a drift and drowned. His body was found some months later in a slough on Jim Dorsey's place. In April, 1888, Mr. Vance, Miss Aldridge, Miss Wheeler and Miss Thompson were drowned at the mouth of Deer Creek by the overturning of a canoe. The bodies were all recovered, the last, that of Mr. Vance, having been found at the Grant place, four miles from the place of the accident. The fall of 1889, T. D. Lillie was killed by a falling tree at Hamilton's place.

"Charles Sandberg came and took his dead brother's claim and next year went to Seattle and brought his bride. Mr. and Mrs. Setzer having bought the Henry Monty claim arrived there on May 14, 1888, having walked from Stanwood, Mr. Setzer having carried a two-year-old girl in a gunny sack on his back, and another six months old, in his arms. The burning timber drove them out of the trail at the Fox place and they got lost in the woods. Mr. Bart came this year, and also George Esterbrook, who bought the McCullough place; and Mr. Sipprell who located adjoining it on the east. The Trafton schoolhouse was built in the fall of 1887, Mrs. Jefferson (nee Johnson) teaching the first term. She was brought from Stanwood in a canoe by W. H. Conners and an Indian.

Wagon Trail To Forks

"During the summer of 1889, a wagon trail was opened from Stanwood to 'The Forks,' as this locality was then called, and Bert Crawford ran a tri-weekly wagon line to Gifford's camp, near Sill's house and Tvete & Johnson's store in the log building that is still standing near Mr. Sill's barn. At this time, Mr. Likens built a blacksmith shop across the river from Ford's mill, and in the fall Lee Rogers built the White House Hotel, on Indian Garney's land, on the point between the two branches of the river, the railroad preliminary survey having been made and there being symptoms of a town.

"At the election in October, 1889, the state constitution was adopted and the people of the county voted to issue $80,000 in bonds for the purpose of building bridges, including one over the South Fork and another over the North Fork at Hildebrand's, but owing to a legal doubt the bonds were not issued until the case was passed upon by the Superior Court, four years later, and the bridges were 'built in 1894. During all this time the settlers were holding their claims by 'squatters' rights' solely, the land never having been surveyed by the Government. Numerous petitions asking for a survey had been sent to Washington, and as many definite promises had been received, but it was not until the fall of 1890 that George James, of Snohomish, came into the woods with a contract to plat townships on the North Fork. Then a long year went by before the survey was accepted and the Seattle land office authorized to accept filings on claims.

Glendale Post Office

"In 1888 a special post office was established at McCullough's - special in the sense that the department did not furnish a carrier. The settlers took turns in bringing the mail from Stillaguamish (now Silvana) post office, kept by Iver Johnson. The mail came once a week. The name of the new office was Glendale but the mail for it and Glendale, Ore., and Glendive., Mont., got mixed so often that the name was changed to Trafton, after Mr. Esterbrook took the office. The next

Stanwood And The Forks Trail, 1889

Olson's Ferry near Silvana Townsite. Laramore's Stage. Louie Laramore, Teamster, and Miss Anna Parmatier on the Wagon. On Boat, Hans Olson with pole and Oluf Olson at the wheel. Lem Row's team on landing, Hanson, driver year Allen post office was established at Mr. Bond's house, at Deer Creek, named in honor of John B. Allen who had been elected delegate to Congress. About that time a boom town near Tacoma was named Allyn and Oso was substituted for the name of the Allen office. In the spring of 1892 a representative of the proposed Monte Cristo Railroad secured contracts for the right of way as far as the Pilchuck, paying 25 cents as the first payment for each contract, and although a viewing engineer went over the route, it was never surveyed. Soon afterward a preliminary surveying party of the Great Northern came through Indian Pass and down the river, but 'all that was left to prop up our fallen hopes were some mysteriously marked stakes.' "'

Dr. W. F. Oliver

Doctor Oliver did not come to the valley until 1889, but no man had better opportunity to become thoroughly acquainted with the settlers and to learn their life stories than did the old family physician; and Dr. Oliver, who is now one of the oldest practitioners of the county, has been the intimate friend of Arlington people for many years. Doctor Oliver comes of the noted Scotch-English stock. His ancestors came to Virginia in 1700, and his great-grandfather crossed the Delaware with Washington's troops in the famous Christmas party which the Americans gave the British at Trenton in 1776. His father fought with General Taylor in the Mexican war and was captain in an Illinois regiment during the Civil war. Doctor Oliver was born at Bloomfield, Ia., in what Iowans call the 'Hairy Nation" noted for its famous men, August 8, 1857; graduated from the University of Illinois in 1872 and took his degree as a doctor of medicine from the Medical College of Indiana, three years later. He practiced medicine and served as county superintendent in Kansas and in the fall of 1889 came to the new-born State of Washington. He took a preemption claim eight miles above Arlington, on the North Fork, and lived there the time prescribed by law, practicing among the settlers in the meantime. As soon as possible he opened an office at Arlington and he has been identified with that community as one of its chief citizens, ever since. Just prior to coming to Washington, Doctor Oliver was married to Lilian M. Best, at Montreal, Canada, and they formed another of the many bridal couples who began life together in the great, new West.

Settlers On Big Burn

Among the new settlers in 1886 were Ira Preston, Daniel S. Baker and John C. Larson. Preston settled first at Florence and moved up the river to the "Big Burn" in 1888. He helped to freight the stock for the first store at Haller City, a portion of the goods being brought by canoe. His was a musical family and together it formed an orchestra which played for all the dances in the north country, frequently going to their appointments on foot. His daughter, Winnifred, attended the first school at Arlington, when there were but five white children enrolled. In 1900 she was married to J. C. Britton, son of Robert Britton who settled on the North Fork in 1882. Baker took a claim six miles northeast of Arlington - twentyfive miles by river from Stanwood. He was one of the Everett tide-flats appraisers in 1892 and a member of the first city council of Arlington. John C. Larson, who had been a ship's carperiter, landed in Stanwood May 31, 1886, and took a claim

Settlement from tidewater up the river has been traced in these pages covering a period of twenty-three years and the remarkable thing is that the newcomers of i887 found almost the same crude surroundings as did the Marvin and Goodrich and other families, although the scene had shifted farther up the river. Every settler in 1887 testifies to the same hardships and difficulties that confronted the men of 1864.

Settlers In 1887 And 1888

Ole E. Eide, Ben Willard, and Andrew Estley were among the settlers added to the population of the lower valley in 1887, while Thomas Jefferson located as far up the river as Trafton, with his nearest road at Silvana, a distance of ten miles, and his nearest store and post office at Florence, fifteen miles. A. L. Blair carried his goods up the river in two canoes to the vicinity of Oso, but his wife feared to make the journey by boat and they walked the thirty miles, making the trip in three days and using a schoolhouse as their first home. Blair moved to Haller City in 1892, was a member of the townsite company and ran the first meat market.

The roll call for 1888 includes A. B. Klaeboe, the first druggist of Stanwood and its second mayor (after he had tempted fortune in Alaska and made Stanwood his home for the second time); Peter Olson, Nils O. Ekstran, Martin J. Funk, Peter Funk, A. W. Shafer, who became postmaster at Trafton and who helped build the railway line to Darrington; Jackson H. Persun, who settled on the South Fork, near Jim Creek, but who put in most of his time as a logger, Mrs. Persun going with him as the camp cook and being famed throughout all **Logdom"' for her savory meals. Persun went to Nome in 1899 and returned with enough Alaskan gold to buy a farm near Arlington. S. S. Stevens was among the early fruit growers, planting 600 trees; he moved to Arlington later, and was the owner of the second meat market at that place. Another noteworthy arrival was that of Nils C. Johnson, who first went to Norman where he did two important things; he bought an interest in the Tvete store, and he married one of the fair daughters of the valley, Miss Elise Hagen. He then codperated with Mr. Tvete in opening the first store at Haller City.

The year 1889 brought such men as A. Wilhite, Fred Jenny, who built the first sawmill at Florence, Gustav Nicklason, who conducted a store at Cedarhome and was the postmaster at that place, and Dr. Daniel McEacheran, who was to the lower river what Doctor Oliver was to the upper reaches of the Stillaguamish. McEacheran was another Scotchman by descent and a Canadian by birth and an American by education. He was a graduate of the University of Michigan in 1886, and after practicing a short time at Mayville, N. D., and St. Paul, Minn., he came to Stanwood in 1889. Three years later he married Bertha, a daughter of D. O. Pearson. Doctor McEacheran became one of the large factors in the upbuilding of Stanwood. Andrew Tackstrom, the first shoemaker of Stanwood also came in this year.

the valley at two places, at Stanwood and at Arlington and strangers came and went by the hundreds. Nevertheless there were some noteworthy, permanent additions to the population of the Stillaguamish and among these were John B. Lee, a Stanwood rancher, who later was among the lucky ones in Alaska; Rev. Peter Isberg, who came on the invitation of Rev. C. Joergenson and who followed the trade of a builder; Halvor Thorsen, logger and ranchman near Silvana; Robert Maxwell, for eleven years postmaster at Trafton; John W. Morris, whose first work in the new country was to help clear the main street of Arlington; (1891 brought Arthur E. Hall to Florence, although he was afterwards postmaster at the rival town of Stanwood) Charles Roth who farmed southwest of Arlington; and Thomas Moran, who built Arlington as a rival to Haller City.

Chapter Iv

HALLER PLATTED - RIVALRY OF HALLER AND ARLINGTON - THOMAS MORAN - GROWTH OF THE TWO TOWNS - MARSH BUYS HALLER CITY TIMES - ATTORNEYS LOCATE AT BOTH TOWNS - LODGES AND CHURCHES - HALLER SURRENDERS - SEPARATE SCHOOL SYSTEMS - CHURCHES BUILT IN ARLINGTON - CLOSING YEARS OF CENTURY - ARLINGTON SINCE 1900 - ARLINGTON INCORPORATES - WATER AND LIGHT SYSTEMS - PRESENT CITY OFFICIALS - PIONEER ASSOCIATION- - PIONEER PARK - MUNICIPAL PARK - MUNICIPAL BUILDING - AMERICAN LEGION POST - ARLINGTON POST OFFICE - COMMERCIAL CLUB - ARLINGTON'S MEN'S CLUB - SCHOOL SYSTEM - WOMEN'S CIVIC CLUB - OTHER WOMEN'S ORGANIZATIONS - LODGES - CHURCHES - 1926 BUSINESS SURVEY - TIMBER INDUSTRY.

In a smaller way the beginnings of Arlington were very much like the beginnings of Everett. They began at almost the same time and had the same problems to meet. Both were promoted by land companies and in both there were opposing interests. What the Riverside-Bayside interests were to Everett, the Haller- Arlington interests were to Arlington. Both were logical sites for business centers. Both had the good sense and judgment to consolidate into united cities, and both have prospered accordingly.

With settlement advancing up the valley and the certainty that a railroad would soon open up new country, it was no longer possible that Stanwood should be the sole trade center for the Stillaguamish. It seems very plain at this date, but the credit for seeing it first, and taking advantage of it belongs to Nels K. Tvete and Nils C. Johnson. Both were newcomers to the valley, Tvete having arrived in 1887 and Johnson in 1888. Tvete opened a store at Norman and became the postmaster there and Johnson became his business partner. There was not enough business at Norman for two such enterprising men and they sought a good location for a second store. With excellent judgment they selected the forks of the river. There had already been a rush of settlers and a new post office, called Glendale had been established eight miles up the North Fork, in 1887. In February, 1888, a colony of Kansans arrived, S. J. Squires of Independence, Kan., and W. J. Starrett of Neodesha, Kan., being the leading spirits, and two school districts were organized and schoolhouses planned. Everything looked well for the new venture when Mr. Tvete went to Seattle, purchased stock for the new store and sent it up the river in the tiny steamer Gleaner, in charge of Captain Gove. The canoe was still the chief means of transport, but since 1882 very light draft steamers had been as far up as the forks during seasons of high water. The Gleaner on this memorable trip reached a point (on the South Fork) more than a half mile above the forks, and this was important for it fixed the status of the North Stillaguamish as a navigable stream and thus to be under the jurisdiction of the Federal Government; and although this is the only steamer known to have reached beyond the forks, when the Seattle, Lakeshore & Eastern was built it was obliged to put in a drawbridge over the Stillaguamish and it was only by special act of Congress a number of years later that the stream was declared unnavigable and the draw removed. Nils Johnson was to be the managing partner at the new store, while Tvete remained at Norman. Johnson had just been married at Norman, to Miss Elise Hagen, and the young bride showed her value as a helpmate by coming up the river with the first load of goods and helping to open the store, the first goods being sold in May, 1888, from a tiny shack before the store building was completed. Joseph Smith was the original owner of the land and in June, 1888, he applied for the establishment of a post office to be known as Smithlyn, but when Mr. and Mrs. Johnson arrived at the forks by far the most numerous part of the population consisted of three Indian families.

Haller Platted

But Tvete and Johnson were not the only ones who had an eye to the possibilities of a village at the forks. Maurice G. Haller, a son of Gen. Granville O. Haller, one of the earliest and most prominent pioneers of Puget Sound, was a wealthy and daring real estate speculator and he also believed the location good. The title to the land had passed from Smith to John Irving, and Haller bought from him and planned the platting of a town, near the proposed line of the railway. The tragic death of Maurice Haller and his companions, Dr. T. S. Minor and Lewis Cox, when their canoe upset off Whidby Island in December, 1889, put an end to all his worldly plans and ambitions, but the project as to a town at the forks was carried out by his brother, Theodore, and the new town was named Haller City, in his honor. Simon Rumph and Mr. Andrud were partners in this venture, and the plat of the town was filed April 24, 1890; the dedication being signed by Simon Rumph, with R. H. Thompson and Theodore N. Haller as witnesses. They sold their interests to Charles B. Hills of Seattle who was the chief owner of the townsite for many years. A. L. Blair, representative of the townsite owners, figured prominently in the early history of Haller City. In 1889 he started a movement to build a wagon road from Stanwood to the forks. The Indians had a monopoly of the freighting up the river by canoe and charged accordingly; so ranchers and loggers were glad to help the enterprise and a road, passable for oxteams, was quickly built. Blair drove the first ox-team over this road and soon established a regular service, while a tri-weekly stage was run by Bert Crawford. One of the first buildings at Haller City was the shed built by Blair for the accommodation of teams and for the sale of hay and grain. The townsite company built a small sawmill, the Times moved up from Stanwood, issuing its first number from the shack that had been the home of Smith, who had first owned the land on which the town was located, and Tom Roe, a logger, built a large hotel near the Tvete & Johnson store. Edward Walker built the second hotel and so great was the rush that the first story was used, in October, 1890, before the balance of the structure was completed. During this year, railroad construction was being pushed, loggers were very active and the ranchmen found good markets, so the woods were fairly alive with people and there was work and business for all.

Rivalry Of Haller And Arlington

One thing which rushed building development was the intense rivalry which sprang up almost at once between Haller City and Arlington. This latter town was the pet project of J. W. McLeod, who was a contractor for the Seattle, Lakeshore & Eastern. It is possible that he had inside information as to the depot location, At any rate, on January 25, 1890, he bought thirty acres of land from Al Gifford on whose claim the new town was to be located, paying $1,200 for it. A. B. Palmer, timekeeper for McLeod, resigned that job, in February, to push the new town and it was platted and lots offered for sale by March 15, more than a month before the plat of Haller City was filed. The Arlington plat was surveyed by Richard Nevins, Jr., of Seattle and was dedicated by J. W. McLeod, V. Hugo Smith, S. W. Sisco and Arthur B. Palmer. Among the first lots sold were the following: to F. Gorman, two lots, $225; C. Leiendecker, two lots, $225; P. McCann, three lots, $700; Smith & Royce, two lots, $300. A newspaper, The Stillaguamish Star, was the very first business established, its first number being issued August 9, 1890. McLeod had been serving meals in a tent before this, although no lodgings were to be had nearer than Haller City, and on August 11, 1890, the new store by Earl & McLeod was opened. A saloon was the next establishment and Thomas Moran, who had been connected with the railroad as a superintendent of construction, joined the enterprise.

Thomas Moran

Thomas Moran was the typical Irish railroad construction boss; hardy, forceful, generous, likeable, dynamic. He was born in New York State, in 1847, Patrick and Mary Moran being his parents. The family moved West to Wisconsin, and when but a lad of fourteen, young Moran slipped by the enlisting officers and volunteered in the Union army, making a fine record as a soldier in the Twentyninth Wisconsin Infantry. In 1872 he joined the great army of adventure which built the transcontinental railroads of America and by his force of character he was soon advanced to foreman and then to superintendent of construction. He came West with the railroads, had accumulated some money and believed that Arlington offered a good field for investment. His first venture was the Arlington Hotel and his next a hardware store, both of which were opened in 1891. He became one of the real, permanent factors in Arlington history. The first construction train reached Arlington, June 13, 1890, the first freight train arrived on July 23, the first express office opened in October, and the post office was established November 29, with W. M. Sanger, editor of the Star, as postmaster and with daily mail service. Work began on the large Earl & Mcleod warehouse in October, and a trail was cut to three and one-half miles east of Lake Murray in November.

In January, Gifford and Cobb offered to donate two acres of land at Arlington if the Arlington and Kent's prairie school districts should be united and the schoolhouse moved to Arlington. The Kent's prairie was a famous old school district. It was a shake building, but the lumber in it had been hauled by canoe from Utsaladdy, then dragged by mules to the school location. C. J. Murphy was clerk of this district in 1884 and he walked to the Adams telegraph station, where Tom Paine was the operator, to wire for the first teacher, who, however, failed to come. With these recollections Kent's prairie people clung to their own, the vote was a tie, and the schoolhouse was not moved. The two towns moved along with varying fortunes. The Star, at Arlington, suspended and the Times lived, and during the first months of 1891 Haller seemed to hold the advantage, the Walker Hotel, where the first masked ball was held, on-Washington's Birthday, proving a great social attraction. Arlington kept growing, one of the new merchants being A. J. Hill.

Pro contra, however, Doctor Calvin and Mertella C. Teagar opened the first drug store in the upper valley in the spring of 1891, at Haller City, and Teagar was appointed postmaster. J. Z. Jones opened his general merchandise store at Arlington, in 1891, and there were beginnings of religious and social life, the Methodists seeking subscriptions for a church at Arlington and the old soldiers starting to form a Grand Army post at Haller.

What was known as McMahon's addition was platted and filed September 14, 1891. This included the forty-acre tract which lay between the original towns of Haller City and Arlington. Both Thomas McMahon and Philip Stevens claimed ownership, and it was not until the courts had decided in favor of McMahon that this tract could be placed on the market, and it was thus a physical impossibility for the towns to unite until this was done.

After the first rush, during the railway construction and while the townsite owners of Arlington were employing men to put in the three miles of graded streets, and while houses and stores were being built, there followed a period of slower growth as the towns adjusted themselves to their real function, that of serving as a base of supplies for the country round about them. McGinnis & Marsh and W. F. McQueston opened new general merchandise stores in 1892, a shingle mill was built and there were a number of new residences.

Growth Of The Two Towns

The young Twin Cities developed rapidly along social and civic lines. The citizens of Arlington erected a two-story building as a city hall and for lodge purposes, and in spite of the refusal of Kent's prairie people to unite the school districts, a schoolhouse was built on the land donated by Gifford and Cobb. The G. A. R. post, planned in 1891, was formally organized, April 28, 1892, with A. L. Blair as post commander, and a lodge of the I. O. O. F. was instituted at Arlington, August 27, 1892, by visiting brothers from Snohomish. The sensation of the year was when a body of masked men dragged Herman Scheinert, a German settler, from his cabin near Arlington and after beating him, applied a coat of tar and feathers, and ordered him to leave the country. The thoroughly terrorized man reported the facts to James L. Kent and two men were indicted for the outrage, but Scheinert feared to identify his attackers and there were no convictions. Following this, two large barns belonging to Kent were fired. It was supposed that this was also the work of the whitecaps. Public opinion was so strongly aroused, however, that like occurrences never again disgraced the fair fame of Arlington. The highest flood since 1885, swept the valley in November, 1892, and it was during this highwater that the home of C. J. Murphy was carried away. Evidence of progress in the surrounding territory is found in the statement made March 17, 1892, that J. C. Ward had threshed and cleaned thirty-two sacks of oats "the first event of this kind on the North Fork." A new post office "America" was established on the South Fork during this year, with Walker L. Brook as postmaster, and Arlington loggers had the glory of furnishing the 200-foot flagstaff which was the largest on the grounds of the World's Fair at Chicago. The community gained a shingle mill when R. H. Genung of Seattle erected one with daily capacity of 130,000 shingles, and lost one when the Gifford mill burned in March, 1893. The enmity between the two towns showed itself even over the appointment of a deputy assessor, some property owners refusing to turn in their property lists unless the man of their choice was named. Hard times were general but Haller City voted bonds for the erection of a $500 schoolhouse, the Lutheran Church, begun in 1892, was completed, and at the close of 1893 five new residences were under construction at Haller City. The chief social event was the organization of the R. B. Hays Camp of the Sons of Veterans, at Haller City, March 11, 1893.

Marsh Buys Haller City Times

In 1894, William H. Ford of Everett bought the shingle mill, the firm name being Darling & Ford. Additions were made and the mill soon had a payroll of $100 per day, with forty men employed. C. L. Marsh purchased the Haller City Times, which had been established by George Morrill, and while he maintained the Haller City name and office, he published a newspaper in the interests of the entire community and thus did much to draw the two towns together. The first sign of weakening on the part of Haller City, came in June, 1894, when C. C. Bowen moved his stock of goods from that place to the St. Paul Building at Arlington. There was a coming together also when the young men of both towns formed an athletic association and cleared ground for a ball park and race track, but all the rivalry burst into flame when it was announced in May, 1894, that the Haller City post office had been discontinued and the people of that town could go to Arlington for their mail. Russell Palmer succeeded Frank McCue as postmaster of Arlington at this time, and although Haller City remonstrated, it was not until April that its office was reestablished and Postmaster Teagar again installed. Arlington suffered a blow to its supremacy when the Odd Fellows Hall burned in October, 1894, but it was quickly rebuilt and was ready for occupancy the following February.

Struggling along, side by side, with so many things in common and yet with much that kept them separate and divided, the history of the two towns is somewhat difficult to trace. Together, by 1895, they formed a prosperous community with four shingle mills, three sawmills and fifteen logging camps in their vicinity, employing 442 men whose monthly wages aggregated $17,680. These mills and the number employed were as follows: shingle mills, W. H. Ford, 24; Verd & Sanders, 18; G. k. Hiatt & Company, 15: Dorgan Tucker, 8; sawmills, Gifford & Kelly, 37; W. E. Richards, 4: logging camps, McGilvrey & Company, 20; S. C. Lillis, 20; P. McMartin, 20; Ferguson & Mckilligan, 22; Hogan & Bridges. 20; Irvine & Brown, 25; J. H. Raymond, 6; O. P. Cummings, 20; Funk Bros., 4; G. A. Rae, 5; Martin & Larson, 8; Verd & Sanders, 35; Moe, 25; G. K. Hiatt & Company, 18; Bryan Bros., 22. The payroll of the cities also included 8 section men, 10 clerks and 50 bolt cutters.

Attorneys Locate At Both Towns

The year 1895 was marked at Arlington by the accession of Lewis N. Jones as an attorney, the erection of a new hotel by Ferguson & Robertson, a photograph gallery by L. W. Barnes and the voting of $500 for a new schoolhouse. Mrs. R. A. Small, later county superintendent, taught the school and there were seventy- Ave children of school age in the district. Arlington business men also contributed to the wire suspension bridge which was built across the South Stillaguamish. On the social side, the young men formed the Cumtux Literary Club, and all the people turned out at the banquet given by the Twin City Baseball Club in honor of Walter Thornton, the Snohomish hoy who was a member of the Chicago ball team. Prof. J. N. Sinclair presided at this banquet and among those present were, A. Behrens, A. B. Palmer, L. N. Jones, J. W. Sneed, L. A. Frazier, Percy Palmer, Chas. Pautzke, Peter Meehan, Chas. Marshall, B. McConneggy and Chas. Murphy.

Haller City benefited by the coming of F. B. Davis as an attorney, but it had more postal: troubles. The postal department changed its name, dropping the "City", and the office was discontinued ; and reestablished for a second time through the influence of Senator John L. Wilson. Postal facilities for the upper valley were increased by the establishment of tri-weekly service from Arlington, via Trafton, Wana, Oso, Home and Pueblo to Darrington. Home post office was soon abandoned, however, and its mail sent to Oso. This service began May 16, 1895.

Lodges And Churches

The lodge and church directory of the Twin Cities as published in the Times for 1895, contains the following: I. O. G. T., Mrs. A. Gifford, C. T.; Chas. Merrill, secretary; I. O. O. F., George Watson, N. G., L. N. Jones, secretary; A. O. F. of A., Charles Croft, C. R.; E. H. Stanton Post No. 86, G. A. R., Jos. F. Smith, commander, A. L. Blair, adjutant. Of the members of this post but one member, Capt. H. G. York, was living in 1926. The churches were the Free Methodist, Rev. Chas. McKinley, pastor, and the Methodist Episcopal, Rev. George Frame. The latter church held services in the Haller schoolhouse every two weeks.

Among the business men who advertised in the Times were Chris Duerr, shoemaker; William Murphy, butcher; Tvete & Johnson, the pioneer merchants; Marsh & Brown, grocers; A. L. Blair, real estate; C. H. Pautze, barber, and the hotels, Walker House (hotel, Pat J. Cull, bar, E. A. Hill), St. Paul House, G. A. Rae, Arlington Hotel, and Ferguson & Robertson. The new school building was completed at Haller in June, and the county commissioners yranted Percy Palmer the waterworks franchise for both Haller and Arlington. The organization of a band, with Prof. Carl A. Sperati, as instructor, and the production of a home talent play which was pronounced "fine" although but one week was taken for rehearsals and to paint the special scenery, were among the noteworthy events. Members of this home talent troupe were J. F. Matthews, F. C. McKew, Frank Kester, Charles Murphy, Miss Chadwick, Miss Morris, Mrs. Anna Sichman, Mrs. F. C. McKew and Mrs. O. C. Thornton.

Haller Surrenders

It was not until 1896, that Haller threw up its hands in final surrender to the inevitable and its business houses moved to a more central location, but the surrender was not complete as the "McMahon addition", which lay between the two towns, was the objective of the exodus. The George Murphy meat market started the procession, in September, then Tvete & Johnson bought the lots occupied by Joseph Ferguson's residence and moved the big store a quarter of a mile, on rollers with block and tackle. Doctor Teagar, Chris Duerr and Charles Buckman soon followed suit. The Times office had already been moved and the paper at last reluctantly changed its name as well, becoming The Arlington Times. The removal of the business houses quickly brought about the final discontinuance of the postoffice and Doctor Teagar wound up the affairs of the office and turned it over to Postmaster Moran of Arlington in December. As a result of changing administration, Moran, democrat, was succeeded by John Z. Jones, republican, as postmaster in June, 1897, and in January, 1898, the office was moved to new quarters, next door to the St. Paul Hotel, from the Moran hardware store where it had been located for seven years.

Separate School Systems

But while united in business and social life each town maintained its separate school system. J. E. Phelps, J. Z. Jones and G. A. Rae were directors and F. B. Davis clerk of District No. 16, and J. H. Persun, L. Mose, H. McKilligan were directors and C. J. Murphy, clerk, of District No. 30 in 1896, and both districts went their separate ways. Mrs. R. A. Smail opened a subscription school, with thirty pupils, at Haller, in January, 1896, and she was connected with the schools of that town until June, 1897, when she left to accept a position at Everett. Prof. Stafford opened a night school at Haller, at the same time, and this was attended by many of the young men and women of the place. The first graded school opened at Arlington in March, 1896, for a three months' term with Prof. J. N. Sinclair and Mrs. Addie Howard as the teaching force. Prof. G. A. Croxford had charge of the Haller school in 1897, when it became necessary to complete the upper room of the building and to employ a second teacher, Miss Hannah McDonald, to take charge of the primary department. Prof. I. C. Karr and Professor Cook were at the head of the Arlington schools in 1897-1898, but when Mr. Cook asked an advance in salary, Mrs. Johanna McKenzie was installed in his place, with Mrs. McCain as assistant. The first commencement exercises of the Arlington school were held in June, 1899; Ethel Hanson and Otis Cull being the first to receive diplomas.

Churches Built In Arlington

In 1896 was inaugurated the era of church building for Arlington. Having received aid from the Church Extension Bureau, the Free Methodists were able to complete their church and dedicate it by January 26, 1896. Reverend McReynolds was then pastor and he was succeeded by Reverend Stayt who returned to the Everett-Snohomish charge when he in turn was succeeded by Rev. J. N. West, who came from Blaine. Arlington was but one charge on a circuit, however, at this time.

Catholic activities began in May, 1896, when Thos. McMahon donated a site for a church building in his addition. Rev. Father T. Van Holderbeke, familiarly known as "Father Van', celebrated mass at the Arlington schoolhouse during the summer and the lots were not cleared until September. "Father Van" was born in Belgium and educated at the American College at Louvain. He was ordained on June 24, 1887, and began his work as a priest in Washington the following September. He was first stationed at Walla Walla and was next sent to the Snohomish mission. He not only cared for the Snohomish congregation but his schedule included week day services at Gilman, Arlington, Sauk, Snoqualmie, Edmonds, Hartford, Cherry Valley, Granite Falls and Pueblo. He was a popular and, certainly, a hard working servant of his church. Work began on the Catholic church building in November, 1896, and it was dedicated by "Father Van', the following summer.

The Methodist Episcopal Church was organized by Rev. George W. Frame, who came to Arlington for that purpose in the summer of 1896. Foundations for a 24+ by 40 structure were laid in September and the work of building was started, but it was delayed by the hard times and was not resumed until the following August when help was received from the Church Extension Society. It was announced then, that 'a cupola and belfrey will be built and the building plastered. and painted". Rev. George W. Frame was one of the well known Methodist circuit riders of that day and he had also gained prominence as a political factor. He was born at Macomb, IIl., April 27, 1862. He taught school in Iowa and Nebraska and came to Snohomish in 1891. He served as a clerk in the Legislature and was court stenographer for Judge Denney, leaving this work to enter the ministry, in 1894. He was sent to Marysville in 1895, and Arlington was added to his pastorate in 1896. This Marysville-Arlington circuit was divided in 1898 and Rev. Ysaac Dillon given the Arlington charge. This church was not completed and ready for dedication until June 5, 1898: Rev. H. D. Brown of Seattle delivering the dedicatory sermon.

Closing Years Of Century

Reviewing Arlington history briefly during the closing years of the century there are found many evidences of enterprise and progress, as well as some reverses of fortune. The majority of the public enterprises were carried through by popular subscriptions rather than by taxation. In 1896, a second cable suspension foot bridge was built across the South Stillaguamush, near Haller. In June of the same year funds were solicited for the building of a jail, or "skookum house"; in November $3,000 was raised to start a creamery. Again, in 1897, the citizens met with H. H. McMasters of Snohomish to plan the erection of a cheese factory, and in 1899, they were discussing a telephone project. Many of these projects failed, but in 1897 A. B. Palmer let the contracts to dig the trenches for the waterworks and a system was installed, four-inch pipes carrying the water supply from a stream on Kent's prairie, a mile distant; and in 1899 the Sunset Telephone installed its lines, Mrs. M. M. Gray being the first "Central". Mining as well as logging made Arlington a busy place, in 1897, as it was outfitting headquarters for many prospectors. Mining also did much to deplete its population, for in no section was the Alaska craze more virulent, in 1897, than along the Stillaguamish Valley. J. W. Nordstrom, N. Scogolson, Robert Kernaghan, J. J. Sheehan, A. B. Palmer and John Pearson were among the first to leave. Al Gifford went to Alaska in search of wealth and was at Dawson City when his wife died at Arlington, June 24, 1899. A. J. Hill went also, and the community was grieved and shocked to learn that he had ended his own life at Skaguay, July 18, 1899. Many returned from the Far North with fortunes much: improved, as luck seemed to be with the Stillaguamish adventurers. Mrs. Gifford was well known throughout the county. Before coming to Arlington she had been proprietress of the Riverside Hotei at Snohomish. The Giffords owned the townsite of Arlington originally and retained a large part of it and both were prominent in the business and social life of the town. Another death which affected the community was that of John P. Anderson, civil engineer, who died at the home of his daughter, Mrs. Roberts, March 30, 1898. In 1896 there was a serious epidemic of diphtheria which thoroughly frightened the people. Among the deaths from this scourge were those of three in the Ostrand family.

University Of Washington

commissioner, to succeed himself as United States circuit court commissioner, the new office having many added powers; the installation of the first cream separator in the vicinity by J. W. Jackson, in March, 1898; the burning of the Arlington Lumber Company plant, in July, 1899, when it was thought that the whole town was doomed and the fire was only subdued by the use of salt and water; and the passing of an old landmark when the Kennedy Hotel was torn down, in November, 1899. This was the bicycle era and Arlington was much interested in machines and records. W. G. Letson and R. H. Palmer established one record when they made the twelve miles to Marysville in one hour and twenty minutes, and Murphy, the bicycle dealer, sold seventeen machines in two weeks. The only new lodge recorded was Viola Lodge No. 110 of the Order of Rebekahs, organized in May, 1897, and instituted by a team from Snohomish. Kate Adams was at the head of this lodge and Isia Smith was secretary.

Arlington Since 1900

The new century opened auspiciously with the formation of Arlington's first Commercial Club. "Thomas Moran was president and Dr. W. F. Oliver, secretary, and there were seventeen members, who agreed to pay dues of $1 per month. This club promoted an effort to unite the school districts, but the proposition was lost at the special election held in March, 1900; the vote being: Arlington, yes, 99; no, 15; Haller, yes, 23; no, 37. While receiving a large total majority it failed because it was necessary to carry in both towns. Haller gradually changed, however, from a business to a residence center, noted for its handsome lawns, and the west part of the old townsite was purchased by M. J. Dorgan for farm purposes. The removal of the A. O. U. W. Hall to Arlington, in April, 1900, fairly stripped Haller of anything but homes, the four store buildings remaining being used as dwellings. The Commercial Club also inaugurated proceedings looking to the consolidation and incorporation of the towns, calling a meeting to consider the matter in July, 1900, but public sentiment was not ripe for it. Guie of Marysville proposed the establishment of a private bank, in September, 1900, but in its stead the Arlington State Bank was founded, by C. E. Bingham and others, and it has functioned for the good of the community ever since. A few of the memorable events of 1901 were the second epidemic of diphtheria which was so virulent that the county commissioners were asked for aid in combating it; the post office robbery, when the safe was blown open and the robbers escaped with some $200, and the incendiary fires by which the new dry goods and millinery store of S. A. Choate was totally destroyed and the drug store, in the Moran Building damaged. A reward of $200 was offered for the arrest of the firebug, but he was not apprehended.

By 1902, the towns had become so closely identified that opposition to formal consolidation had disappeared and Arlington and Haller were ready to present a united front to the world as one, incorporated, city. The first election as an incorporation was held May 5, 1903, and the first officers were J. M. Smith, mayor, Adolph Behrens, treasurer, C. H. Tracy, clerk; Neil Brown, W. G. Fowler, C. A. Hudson, D. S. Baker and J. B. Riley councilmen.

The great event of the years 1900 and 1901, was the extension of the Northern Pacific Railroad up the North Fork, twenty-eight miles, to Darrington, and this constituted what may be termed the third epoch in the development and settlement of the Stillaguamish Valley.

Other important industrial developments during the period between 1900 and 1910 included the construction, in 1905, of a logging railroad from Marysville to Bryant and eastward into a large stand of virgin timber. This road, known as the Marysville & Northern, was built by the Stimson Mill Company and was about twenty miles in length. The logging operations it served continued until the summer of 1926.

In 1908-1909 the Ebey Logging Company constructed twenty miles of standard railway from Ebey Slough to their newly-established camp on Jim Creek, the road being known as the Marysville & Arlington. This road was later extended ten miles as the logging operations receded. These enterprises have been important factors in sustaining the business community during the period of transition from lumbering, which was practically the sole pioneer industry, to farming, which is rapidly becoming the major source of wealth in Arlington's trade territory.

Arlington, one of the most attractive and busy inland cities of Snohomish County, with an ideal square mile of improved townsite situated at the forks of the Stillaguamish River, is the commercial and industrial center of a remarkably productive farm and timber district in which it has no competitor as a trading and shipping center. It is one of the principal freight-originating stations of the north line of the Northern Pacific Railroad and accommodates the junction with the Darrington branch of that system, while its paved highways radiate from the city in three directions, the main highway artery being the splendid cement pavement extending from the city westerly to a junction with the Pacific Highway. It 1s the gateway to the northeastern forest and mineral wealth of Snohomish County, of the wonderful scenic and recreation resources characteristic of the upper forks of the picturesque Stillaguamish River. Dairying has up to this time constituted the leading agricultural industry, more than 5,000 cows being maintained in the immediately tributary country, and the Snohomish County Dairymen's Association owning and operating a great milk condensing plant there, having a daily capacity of 100,000 pounds of raw milk and having equipment for the manufacturing of powdered milk for the Eastern and Alaskan markets, the entire plant being under the direction of General Manager Carl Christensen. Timber industries, however, from the beginning in 1890 up to the present time have constituted the principal industrial activity and resource of the city and district, there being ten logging camps in the neighboring territory, employing approximately 1,000 men, and eight plants manufacturing lumber or shingles, or both.

Haller City was established late in 1888, but the plat of Arlington was filed more than a month prior to Haller City's, the former March 15 and the latter April 24, 1890. Arlington townsite was an inspiration of J. W. McLeod of the Earl & McLeod Construction Company, then building the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railroad. McLeod is said to have named the town in honor of Lord Henry Arlington, a member of the notorious "Cabal" cabinet of Charles II. of England. Thomas McMahon then platted McMahon's addition on the forty acres between the rival townsites, and this became the present business center of Arlington, while McMahon stampeded to Alaska, and the steamboat on which he sailed to return to his first love was wrecked in a storm and he was drowned.

Arlington Incorporated

Arlington was incorporated as a city of the third class May 25, 1903, with J. M. Smith mayor, serving eight years; W. G. Fowler, C. A. Hudson, D. S. Baker and

Neil Brown, councilmen; C. H. Tracy, city clerk; A. Behrens, treasurer; L. Newton Jones, city attorney, serving as such until the present time, with the exception of three years, in each of which he resigned, and James Lemarion, marshal, the latter serving only three months, when he was succeeded by N. 5. Berridge, now deputy sheriff, who served as city marshal many years. In 1905 Geo. Murphy was commissioned chief of the newly-equipped fire department; the fire department being then equipped with a hosecart and 500 feet of hose, and having fifty-two volunteer firemen enrolled. Loren Thomas was assistant chief. Chief Murphy served hut one year and was succeeded by C. J. Warren, who has been chief ever since except for two years as mayor, 1920-21, during which time Charles H. Tracy was chief. In 1926 Fire Chief Warren's force includes twenty-five firemen, four of whom are in continuous service twenty-four hours a day and sleep in the central fire station, City Hall Building. A. F. Bundt is assistant chief, C. H. Tracy is captain of the hose truck, Grover Hinman is captain of the chemical truck and equipment, the paraphernalia including 245 feet of extension ladders on a modern auto truck and small ladders, and two 30-gallon chemical tanks, and with its efficiency of personnel and equipment is given a paid department rating and standing, resulting in a 20 per cent reduction in Arlington fire insurance rates; credit for which, however, is shared by the new city water supply system.

Water And Light Systems

The present city water system is supplied from the Stillaguamish River, the intake being elaborately equipped with a filtration system, insuring a pure mountain water supply for domestic use, Stone & Webster, the present owners, having perfected this improvement in 1925 at a cost of $40,000. The plant, with the electric light and power system, was originally established by the Arlington Water, Light & Power Company, organized and incorporated by Neil Brown, Thos. Moran, Nels K. Tvete, September 11, 1905. The company obtained a franchise and built what is known as the Jim Creek dam and reservoir, about seven miles east' and up the river from the city. On June 12, 1916, the entire property was sold to Warner Marshall of Boston, Mass., for $98,000, this price being somewhat under the total cost of the system. Marshall then transferred the property to the Stone & Webster subsidiary corporation, Puget Sound Power & Light Company, but the old Arlington Company collected all bills receivable up to the time of the transfer to Marshall, enabling it to recover in cash the full original cost of the plant. The gravity pressure 1s unusually strong, being ninety pounds to the inch in the business district and sixty pounds in residential sections: there are twenty-four two-connection and seven one-way hydrants, with three more to be installed this year. Negotiations and agitation for purchase of the water system by the city, to be financed by issuance of utility bonds, interested municipal circles during 1926, but the city government hesitates to accept the first price named by the company.

Present City Officials

Arlington maintains an excellent financial position, with an assessed valuation in 1926 of $632,140, an increase of $21,219 over the preceding year, and its total bonded debt is only $27,000 - $22,000 ten- and twenty-year 5 per cent bonds for the combination city hall building erected in 1925, and $5,000 for the trunk sewer extension, 1925. The municipal tax levy is 15 mills, and there are sixteen local improvement districts. The present city officers, elected in March, 1926, are: Mayor R. W. Shaw, Councilmen Hiram W. Baker, C. J. Warren, Harold Murphy, W. H. Fowler and John Haley; Clerk W. T. Dilley, Marshal John A. Cyra, Treasurer H. G. Foster, Attorney L. N. Jones, Health Officer W. F. Oliver, Fire Chief C. J. Warren.

Pioneer Association

On September 2, 1912, a large number of the pioneers of the Stillaguamish Valley celebrated Labor day with an outdoor picnic and entertainment in B. C. Schlomann's grove, Arlington. The general arrangements committee included Neil Brown, B. C. Schlomann, L. Morse, Charles Marshall and Dr. W. F. Oliver; invitation committee, Mrs. Jasper Sill, Mrs. Rose Armstrong and James Blackie; music, Mr. and Mrs. A. J. Suttles and Mrs. M. C. Teagar. This affair was so genuine a success that it was decided to repeat it annually, as a reunion of the old settlers of the Stillaguamish. Thus the Stillaguamish Pioneers Association was formed. In 1915 the reunion was held in Wrage's grove, Arlington, September 6. Officers elected at that time were: W. F. Oliver, president; D. O. Pearson, vice president; M. M. McCaulley, secretary; C. H. Tracy, treasurer. McCaulley was an old G. A. R. veteran; and acted as secretary until he became too ill, resigning on May 6, 1917, a few weeks before his death. Doctor Oliver then appointed D. S. Baker as secretary, and he served until 1921, when Editor C. L. Marsh of the Arlington Times was elected to the position and served until the fifteenth annual meeting, August 12, 1926, when he resigned and was succeeded by Mrs. Archie Naylor.

By 1925 there were ninety-six members on the roll, the officers being Dr. W. F. Oliver, president ; Jackson H. Persun, vice president; C. L. Marsh, secretary, and Charles H. Tracy, treasurer, while the fifteenth annual meeting, August 12, 1926, closed with 136 names on the roll, and the organization became the Snohomish County Association of Washington Pioneers. The officers at this time are: Jackson H. Persun, president; Senator George Murphy, vice president; Mrs. Archie Naylor, secretary, and C. H. Tracy, treasurer. The principal speaker at the 1926 meeting was Curator W. P. Bonney of the Washington State Historical Museum, Tacoma, and there was an entertaining literary, musical and speaking program, with an attendance of more than 200. D. O. Pearson and William Whitfield, octogenarian pioneers of Stanwood and Snohomish, respectively, addressed the assembly, and Mrs. Constance Marsh Keller of Spokane, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. C. L. Marsh, sang "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" and "A Perfect Day" with delightful effect.

Pioneer Park

The people of Arlington have always taken an active interest in preserving the records of the pioneers of the Stillaguamish Valley, and the city at the forks of the river is entitled to much credit for the final establishment of Pioneer Park at its southern border and the success of the annual meetings.

In 1916, M. Berckenmier, an old pioneer of the Arlington district, presented to the Association what has since been known as Pioneer Park, situated on the main highway at the south boundary of the city of Arlington and consisting of eight and one-fourth acres of cleared land, with a lusty rill having its source in a number of living springs coursing through the near center of the area. The gift was conditioned upon the Association making improvements on the land to the extent of $1,500. Mr. Berckenmier not long afterward concluded that this condition had been fulfilled, and accordingly turned over a deed to the property. Energetic members of the Association have erected on the property a Pioneer lodge or assembly hall, 30 by 70 feet, built of peeled timbers set vertically to form the walls, the timbers being split, the round side being outward and the flat, smooth surface inside the building to form a flat wall. There is a huge fireplace at the west center, a large range and kitchen equipment, as well as running water piped from the neighboring creamery plant. At these annual gatherings the walls of the lodge present an interesting collection of pictures, photographs and other historic exhibits. Mrs. L. Sinclair, nee Fowler, born at Mukilteo in 1862 and who was the first white child born in Snohomish County, was the oldest attendant at the 1926 meeting, in point of years' residence, although August Pierson, aged 83, who stayed at Utsaladdy for a short time in 1860, was also in attendance, as well as H. G. York and William Whitfield, both of whom had resided in the county since 1865.

Municipal Park

The city of Arlington also maintains a thoroughly improved urban park, cailed Municipal Park, having an area of three and a quarter acres, on which the finest natural tree growth has been conserved. This park not only affords well equipped camping accommodations for automobile tourists, the facilities including an attractive and comfortable community house, tables, benches and four outdoor masonry camp stoves with grates; but has a regular stadium which has become the popular outdoor forum and public assemblage theater of the community for all sorts of events. There is also a fascinating playground for the children, equipped with swings and chutes, with a menagerie of wild animals and birds near by. The city fathers have been levying $300 a year for this park, and popular active pride and interest have served to make this sum ample for its admirable upkeep.

Municipal Building

The new Arlington municipal building is a real ornament, situated on a busy corner of the principal business street, Railroad (now often called Olympic) Avenue, at its intersection with Third Street, built in 1925 of reinforced cement and first occupied in December of that year. The city government was fortunate in obtaining so choice a location for its home, a corner area having eighty-five feet frontage on Railroad Avenue and sixty-five feet on Third Street, the purchase price being only $1,000. The project was provided for by ordinance passed in May, 1924, including the issuance of bonds of $22,000, and construction was begun in July, 1924, by Jens Jenson, Arlington building contractor. The structure is seventy-five feet in length on Railroad and fifty-five feet on Third, two full stories, providing an excellent ground floor central station for the fire department equipment, with sleeping apartments for firemen in connection, while at the corner on the lower floor is the Arlington Public Library. On the second floor are the city departments, council chamber and an apartment that has been used as headquarters by Arlington Post No. 76, American Legion, Tmbedded in cement on the Railroad Avenue face of the street intersection corner of the structure is a great bronze memorial tablet, two feet square, bearing in strong raised lettering the following enduring remembrance of the seven young men of Arlington who laid down their lives for their country during the World war:

American Legion Post

Arlington Post No. 76, American Legion, was organized in 1920 with fifteen charter members, of whom Warren Perrigo and Jack Fay are still members. Robert V. Johnstone was the first post commander. In May, 1926, the post bought the popular Firemen's Pavilion, on McLeod Avenue near Third Street, for $2,000, in addition assuming payment of outstanding debts against the establishment, amounting to about $400. This property was built and designed for community entertainment purposes, and has an admirable dance floor, 50 by 90 feet in dimensions ; dance hall lobby, rest rooms, and apparel check rooms are in a two-story annex; it is now popularly known as American Legion Pavilion. The officers of the post in 1926 are: Jack Healy, commander; Peter Jenson, first vice commander; Roy Carver, second vice commander; Edward Soper, adjutant; Ray Farrell, chaplain; Leonard Murphy, sergeant-at-arms. The active membership of the post in 1926 is sixty-one. The ladies of the American Legion Auxiliary maintain an active organization, devoted to the welfare of the men who served in the army and navy and their dependents, and affording the dominant social features of the Legion's activities, its secretary, Mrs. W. E. Mansfield, keeping in close touch with the undertakings of the Legion post, so that the Auxiliary is always prepared with timely assistance. |

Arlington Postoffice

Arlington's postoffice enjoys a background rich in the early history of the upper Stillaguamish country, where the now almost extinct town of Jewel City was founded by Jasper Sill on his homestead a short distance up the river from Haller City. He became postmaster of Jewel City and in April, 1890, platted the town, the postoffice being absorbed by Haller City, and its postoffice in turn being absorbed by Arlington. Mr. and Mrs. Jasper (Susie) Sill had previously been prominent pioneers of Stanwood and Florence. The Arlington postoffice was established in September, 1890, in Thomas Moran's hardware store, which was at the present location of the Arlington Hardware Co.'s store on Railroad Avenue, and the prophetic but tragically ill-fated Thomas McMahon was the first postmaster. McMahon was succeeded by A. J. Hill, who served a term, and then removed to Everett, which was his permanent home at the time of his tragic death by his own hand on July 18, 1899, at Skagway, Alaska, where he was operating a branch hardware store for Allen Bros., Seattle; while McMahon lost his life in Alaskan waters by drowning as a passenger on a steamboat that was wrecked. Chas. H. Runkle was commissioned postmaster in 1914 and served continuously up to the time of his death, in February, 1921. Miss Bessie Snoddy, who is still a clerk in the office, succeeded him as acting postmistress, until the present postmaster, S. G. Buell, a pioneer of 1892, was appointed to the position in 1922. In 1910 the postoffice was removed to the new W. H. Ford brick building on Third Street near Railroad Avenue. In 1911 it became a third class office, and advanced to the second class July 1, 1920, the village system of free mail delivery being established on April 1, 1920. The cash receipts of the office during the last six years show an annual increase steadily of from 6 to 10 per cent, the total receipts for the fiscal year ended June 30, 1926, exceeding $12,500. The Arlington office has absorbed the former 'postoffices of Haller, Pilchuck, Trafton, Cicero, Sisco, Getchell and Jordan, and now maintains five rural mail delivery routes covering the surrounding territory for distances of from ten to seventeen miles. It is a far cry now to the time when Silvana was the nearest postoffice for the interior Stillaguamish region up to 1890; then came Jewel City, still in evidence above Lincoln Bridge over the South Fork, which was the first postoffice established east of Silvana, but was absorbed the following year by Haller City. Yet, through the Arlington central office, the settlers along the highways are now served daily at the gates of their own homes, which is acceptable compensation for the discontinuance of the small neighborhood offices.

Com Mercial Club

The business and professional men and property owners seem to have been markedly successful in maintaining a community spirit of organized codperation as well in city affairs as in voluntary efforts for the upbuilding and welfare of the city and tributary country. The Arlington Commercial Club has for years exemplified this spirit, and with its present membership of sixty-five men actively working for community progress and welfare, it is a constructive force of essential importance to the entire Arlington district. In 1917 this club invested $1,400 in the purchase of a large two-story structure and lot at the corner of McLeod Avenue and Second Street, and considerably remodeled and improved the property with a view to making it a sort of community social center. It is a large building and includes a commodious auditorium, social hall, as well as living and other convenient apartments. The officers and members devote much of their attention and time to the study of city affairs, cooperative with and auxiliary to the city council. Beginning early in 1926 the club initiated and carried to a successful conclusion the first of an indefinite series of annual surveys of the municipality, under three main headings: Municipal, School District and Agricultural Community. The first of these annual surveys, with well-considered conclusions, comments and recommendations, was completed and adopted by the club March 1, 1926. The committee appointed by President J. A. Gray for this survey was composed of the following: Dtrector of Survey, Editor C. L. Marsh of the Arlington Times ; Municipal, Mayor R. W. Shaw, C. J. Warren, Secretary H. G. Foster; Schools, W. IF. Martin, S. D. Boyer, Dr. E. C. Leach; Agricultural Community, Senator George Murphy, Carl Christensen and A. F. West. In each of these departments an intensive investigation was made, and the report gave a comprehensive outline of the present status, to which were added comments frankly stated, together with recommendations relating to improvements or extensions more or less urgently needed or desirable, thus forming the basis for the club's civic development program for the ensuing year. The officers of the Arlington Commercial Club in 1926 are: J. A. Gray, president; L. C. Palmer, treasurer, and Hiram G. Foster, secretary.

Arlington Men'S Club

Another men's organization that is very popular and active, but which is more cultural and studious in its aims, although its essays, papers and discussions often are concerned with problems or developments of the city or district, is the Arlington Men's Club, which was originally founded by Jack Dunston, now a resident of Portland, Ore., at a meeting held in the basement of the First Congregational Church. The club and its admirable programs devoted to the enlightenment of its members upon up-to-date topics, as well as research subjects, have grown steadily in popularity, and it now maintains a membership of one hundred. J. V. H. Verd is president, and J. C. Carpenter secretary.

One of the most admirable public school systems of this region of Puget Sound is that of the little city of Arlington, which, although boasting a population of a little less than two thousand, has succeeded by consolidating adjacent suburban and rural districts in forming a single consolidated school district (No. 320) embracing 138.5 square miles, with an assessed valuation of $2,455,681 in 1925, and a tax levy of 15.4 mills in 1926, according to the Commercial Club survey. This consolidation has brought about one of the most complete high school and grade school establishments in Snohomish County, the grade schools of the city employing a staff of twenty-nine teachers at an average salary of $1,196.38, and an enrollment of close to nine hundred; while the Union High School has a faculty of fifteen teachers, with an average salary of $1,522. There are thirteen public school buildings in the district, valued at $151,000. Twelve auto busses are engaged daily to bring 444 of the more distant children to and from school. The total budget for the 1925-26 school year was $92,000, while the bonded indebtedness was $44,000 and the warrant debt $4,000. G. W. Hinman is the district executive secretary and W. F. Martin chairman of the board of directors of the district, who maintain a salaried secretary or district clerk. The high school curriculum and equipment include practical courses in regional industry, one noteworthy phase of which is the agricultural department, operated under the Smith-Hughes act in agreement with the state and federal governments. In 1925-26, forty-five boys taking this course carried farm projects home after school closed to be worked out during the summer vacation under the supervision of the professor in charge, who serves throughout the twelve months and is paid jointly by the federal, state and district governments; this instruction includes animal husbandry, poultry and cow testing and all lines of agriculture and horticulture, and practical home work is required. The former districts of Silvana, Oso, Cicero, Lakewood, Bryant, Pilchuck and Edge-

The Women's Civic Club of Arlington, first organized in the Commercial Club rooms in 1914, and admitted to membership in the Washington State Federation of Women's Clubs in 1918, has been an inspiring and helpful factor in the affairs of the city, especially in war relief and welfare work. Its first officers were: Mrs. J. E. Harris, president; Mrs. A. J. Suttles, vice president, and later the second president, and there were twenty members. Since that time the membership of this intelligent and wide-awake organization has been doubled, and the officers in 1926 are: Mrs. E. C. Leach, president; Mrs. Newton Field, vice president ; Mrs. John P. Enselman, secretary-treasurer, and Mrs. Harold Vosberg, corresponding secretary. The club now holds its meetings usually in the Commercial Club house, but sometimes in the homes of the officers or members. Members who have served as president of the club up to the present time are: Mrs. J. E. Harris, Mrs. A. J. Suttles, Mrs. W. H. Seymour, Mrs. H. D. Dunn, Mrs. L. C. Palmer, Mrs. E. N. Adams (two terms), Mrs. H. G. Hodge, Mrs. J. A. Jacobson, Mrs. W. F. Martin, Mrs. Fred G. Verd, Mrs. Robert W. Shaw and Mrs. E. C. Leach. One of the most commendable services of this organization has been to provide fresh milk for the undernourished children of the city throughout the last eight years. The acquisition and improvement of beautiful Terrace Park, three and a quarter acres off the east end of Fifth Street, in constructive codperation with the Arlington Commercial Club and city council, also stands today as an enduring exemplification of the civic ideals and usefulness of the Civic Club, which always in many directions has demonstrated its interest in community welfare in a practical way requiring much sacrifice of time and active effort.

There are several other active organizations of women, including a strong P. E. O. Club, Order of the Eastern Star and the Degree of Honor Protective Association, Charity No. 31, the latter being one of the most flourishing Degree of Honor lodges in the state, having at this time a membership of 207, with a juvenile branch membership of sixty-nine. Charity Lodge No. 31, Degree of Honor, was first organized in September, 1900, with a charter membership of fourteen, and the selection of the following officers: Ida Handley, president; Mary Kernaghan, vice president; Duncan Frazier, secretary. The first meeting was held in Mrs. Handley's dressmaking shop, located where the Moran Hotel now stands. The drill team of the Arlington lodge has won the championship of the state at three successive biennial state conventions of the Degree of Honor, in 1921, 1923 and 1925, and Miss Mary Kernaghan of Arlington is at this time president of the State of Washington Degree of Honor, elected at Olympia in April, 1925, for the two-year term, and represented the state as president at the National Degree of Honor convention held in Chicago, June 7 to 11, 1926. Present officers of the local lodge are: Bertha Stilwell, president; Myrtle Lamp, past president; Queenie Batcheldor, vice president; Christie Waterman, second vice president; Madeline Thompson, secretary; Bertha Benedict, financial secretary, and Lillie Walker, treasurer.