Snohomish County, Washington - Chapter 1: Agriculture, 1926 (part 1 of 2)

Chapter 1: Agriculture

FIRST RANCH SETTLERS - RANCHERS WERE ALSO LOGGERS - PRIMITIVE CONDITIONS - EARLIEST ACTIVITIES - FIRST STORES - FIRST DAIRY COW - FIRST COUNTY FAIR - DIKING BEGINS IN EARLY SEVENTIES - CENSUS OF 1878 - RAILROAD LAND DIFFICULTIES - AGRICULTURE IN 1877 - DIPHTHERIA EPIDEMICS - EARLY MARRIAGES - FIRST FARM MACHINERY - BEGINNING OF -DAIRYING - HOP CULTURE - PICTURE OF UPPER VALLEY, 1883 - FRUIT CULTURE - PROGRESS IN 1886- - -LAND DISPUTES - FIRST CREAMERY - FRUIT GROWING - POULTRY RAISING - DIKING AND DITCHING - FARMERS ALLIANCE - DAIRYING TODAY - BERRY GROWING INCREASES - -MILLER ORCHARD - POULTRY RAISING - AGRICULTURE'S GROWING IMPORTANCE - COUNTY AGENT'S REVIEW - INSPECTION SERVICE--GRANGES.

The first recorded exploration of the Snohomish Valley by a white man was that made by Samue! Hancock in 1849. He was a Virginian by birth, came to the west coast in the early '40s and worked as a trader for the Hudson's Bay Company along the coast from British Columbia to California. His journal, now in possession of Clarence B. Bagley, the venerable secretary of the board of public works of Seattle, describes the beauties of the majestic river sweeping to the sea between great walls of fir and cedar. His object was to discover coal, and he did discover the Snoqualmie Falls, and while he wrote of the river and appreciated the riches spread before him, he made no settlement. It is not probable that he was the first white man to ascend the river, but to him must be accorded the honor of making the first written record of the splendors of the Snohomish Valley. When he did make settlement, it was not on the mainland, but on Whidbey Island, where, in 1853, he was married to Susan Crockett, the daughter of Samuel B. Crockett, the pioneer of Whidbey. In fact, the island supported a considerable population a number of years before the first white man set permanent foot upon what is now Snohomish County. The Crocketts, Hancocks, Ebeys, Craneys, Kinneths, Coupes, Kelloggs and others established the trading post at Coupville, the mill at Utsaladdy and a number of prosperous homesteads in the early '50s. Samuel Hancock was also the first man known to have ascended the Stillaguamish River, 1854; reporting the discovery of coal to Alexander Spithill, who was another of the Whidbey Island pioneers. Settlements were made at Olympia, Seattle, Port Gamble, Port Townsend and other places along the Sound, but Snohomish County remained the home of the Indians until 1853. This first invasion of the whites upon the soil of Snohomish County was not for agricultural purposes, however, but consisted of the little mill erected by John Gould and Peter Goutre, which they were forced to relinquish when it was included in the Indian reservation set apart by the treaty made at Mukilteo in 1855. The treaty was made at Mukilteo, but that was purely an Indian village at the time and the mill at Tulalip and the few men it employed represented the only foothold of the whites in Snohomish County. Following the treaty came Father E. C. Chirouse, who established his little Catholic mission and school, first at what was known as Priest Point and later at Tulalip. Under the guidance of the good father some land was cleared and there was a garden of flowers and vegetables which was the wonder of the natives and a rainbow of promise to the white newcomers, as it told them what could be accomplished with but little effort combined with the rich soil and the wonderful climate. Father Chirouse was, then, not only the first churchman and the first teacher, but the first farmer in Snohomish County. All his efforts, however, were for the benefit of his beloved Indians, to whom he had dedicated his life, and did not bespeak a white civilization. The Indian war of 1855 and 1856 was the first thing which called the attention of white settlers to the possibilities of the Snohomish Valley. Colonel Ebey and his volunteers established Fort Ebey in November, 1855, and gradually worked their way up the river, building their block houses far up above the forks, on the Snoqualmie. There probably were oxen used at the Tulalip mill, but the first oxen ever employed in the interior of the county were those rafted up the river to haul timbers for these forts. The expedition and the fortifications were not for the purpose of protecting the white population of Snohomish County - there was none. They were for the protection of the settlers on Whidbey Island and at Seattle and to prevent the union of the Indians east and west of the mountains. These volunteers remained in Snohomish County for nearly a year and thus had good opportunity to become acquainted with its many advantages.

First Ranch Settlers

The first real settlers upon the land, therefore, were from the ranks of these Indian fighters. When the companies were disbanded a small per cent of the men took claims, built shacks and called the Snohomish Valley their home. Among these men were Dr. H. A. Smith, Charles Seibert, James Long, Robert Smallman, Francis Dolan, James Riley, H. McClurg, S. D. Howe, Patrick Doyle and others.

Land was to be had for the taking, it is true, but that was the case throughout Washington territory and Snohomish County had no advantage in this respect. The great attraction was the river, for that meant to the pioneer all that the railroad and the highway means today. The Indian war, which was no war at all so far as the Indians of Snohomish County were concerned, also had another beneficial influence in hastening settlement. The military road projected to connect the United States forts at Steilacoom and Bellingham, while it was never more than a blazed trail through Snohomish County, not only led to the establishment of Snohomish City, but brought a number of workmen, some of whom remained. The third influence toward settlement came through the gold rush to the Frazer River. Snohomish County benefited by the backwash of this flood of gold seekers. Men, footsore, hungry, bankrupt and disappointed, were glad to get any sort of employment in the logging camps at the mouth of the river, and, again, some few of these became permanent settlers upon the land. This logging and lumbering interest was the fourth source of land settlements, firstly by bringing men to the county, and, secondly, by offering a market for the products of the soil. It was then by these comparatively slow processes of accretion, rather than by any pronounced movement of colonization, that Snohomish County was first settled. A writer in 1894, speaking of these first settlers, said: 'They were, without exception, poor men and women, seeking homes for themselves and families, with no hope that the city would be more than a trading point. They came here single-handed, cutting their way through the dense brush and timber. Just a plain old shack built out of split shakes, with stools for chairs, were all they had. Their diet, too, was plain - clams and salmon, boiled spuds, beans and bacon."

But the earliest settlers included no white women. The shacks of split cedar were about 12 by 12 feet in size, with open fireplace, made of sticks and clay, which with the skillet and the dutch oven, the shakedown bed and the rough table completed the home-furnishings department of the pioneer bachelor quarters.

Ranchers Were Loggers Also

It is difficult, indeed, to differentiate between the logger and the farmer in these pioneer days. In the first place, it was absolutely necessary that a man should be a woodsman before he could become a farmer. Clearing the land was the first item on the program of the pioneer. This is a long process today and was still longer in the earlier years of this county's development. Before the soil could be made to yield its riches it was necessary to earn a living as none of the settlers came with resources which permitted idleness. The logging camps furnished the needed work and wages and during the summer months nearly every able-bodied man in snohomish County could be found working in them. At a later period nearly every farm home was a shingle factory, the hand-drawn shingle being a prime article of export from the county long before machinery was introduced. The shingle became, to a large extent, the medium of exchange as there was but little coin in the country, and currency, whether of the wild cat, state bank variety or the later greenback, was of unstable value. Nearly all the supplies needed by the pioneers were, therefore, paid for with shingles, and when the farms began to yield, their produce was sold to the logging camps, so that agriculture in this county may be said to be founded and based upon the lumber industry; the forest paying for its own destruction.

Primitive Conditions

It is true that the pioneers of Snohomish County worked hard, lived plainly and did without many of the things which are considered necessaries in 1926. But in all the history of pioneering throughout the world and during all ages was there ever a region where the pioneer met with fewer difficulties and deprivations than he did on Puget Sound? The climate was mild and equable. There was no intense cold nor burning heat. There were no parched deserts to contend with. The rivers teemed with fish. There were sea-foods in plenty and the woods were full of game. There were no poisonous reptiles, the natives were friendly and docile, the beasts of the forest were not ferocious. There was no lack of firewood and a house was to be had for the making. The rivers and the sea offered ready means of transportation and communication. Pioneering always has and always will involve hardship, but if there ever was a paradise for the pioneer it was in the great Northwest along the Pacific coast. This does not minimize the courage and industry these pioneers of Snohomish County displayed, nor the risks they ran, the dangers they faced and the hardships they endured. Men were lost in the woods and died from exposure. There were instances where infuriated beasts attacked men and either maimed or killed them. Fragile canoes were overturned and men were drowned,

When accidents occurred or disease was prevalent swift and proper care and medical attention were not obtainable, and men suffered greatly, were crippled, or died unnecessarily. There must have been great loneliness among these men for whom all home ties were broken and who for years did not see the face of a white woman or hear the laughter of a child of their own race. Nevertheless, and despite all these things, given the whole world to choose from, no man could pick a better spot for pioneering than Puget Sound. And what was true half a century ago is true today, for Puget Sound is still the land of opportunity and the men and women of 1926 are still the pioneers of a great empire of wealth and culture and civilization which is certain to fill the region of the Pacific coast, from border to border, with a happy, busy, prosperous people. The work of pioneering is not finished in half a century. The Pacific coast is not a finished product. It is the foundation, not the superstructure, upon which the men and women of 1926 are working, still shoulder to shoulder with many who saw this county almost untouched by the hand of man.

Prior to 1860 there were less than fifty white men in Snohomish County and these lived near the mouth of the Snohomish River, with a few claims scattered along its banks. There were no surveyed lands, no towns, no stores, no roads, no churches, no schools; not a home containing a man and wife, either red or white, not fifty acres of cultivated land.

Earliest Activities

It was in 1860 that Mukilteo and Snohomish City (Cadyville) came to life. It was in 1861 that the county was established and written record becomes available. It was in 1863 that the first white woman visited the county and still a year later before the first white woman came to stay or before there was a settler on the Stillaguamish. The dealings between the settlers were so inconsiderable and land was so cheap and plentiful that, although the records of the county commissioners begin with 1861, it was not until April, 1862, that it seems to have been thought worth while to record any private transaction. This first record was a bill of sale given by John Hays to George Allen for "one yoke of stags, seven years old," the consideration being $150. These records are of value in that they fix dates, give names of pioneers, show the nature of their activities and give an idea of approximate values. Among these early transactions recorded in the books of the county it is found, under date of August 25, 1863, that Frederick L. Dunbar and I. B. Burlingame sold two claims, "bordering on the Snohomish River, five miles from its mouth," to Otis Willson & Company, for $250, "'providing they should take 3,000,000 feet, or over." In 1864 Matt B. Fowler sold the "Dolan claim" between the J. A. Fields and the Ferguson claims to Markus L. King, for $400. The first record of agricultural activity is found when George Walker, on September 20, 1864, sold "about fifteen tons of oat hay, at $30 per ton, to be baled and delivered on the bank of the Snohomish River, convenient to loading on scow," to Willson & Company. Three transactions were recorded in 1865; one a notice of the filing of a land claim on the west bank of the Snohomish, three-fourths of a mile from the guide meridian, near Snohomish City, by J. E. Clarke; the others were deeds; the first covered the transfer to Hiram Woodard of the claim "known as the Widdoes claim, on the Snohomish River between the Preston Boys' and Jones and Griffith," by James Widdoes, for $300; the second transfers the claim of Peter Odien, including land and stock, "opposite Preston Bros.," to W. B. Sinclair for

$455. A marriage was recorded on June 20, 1865; R. C. Fay, judge of probate at Tulalip, certifying to the marriage of Henry Valentine and Sarah E. Lewis. This is perhaps the first marriage of record in Snohomish County. The second marriage recorded November 17, 1866, was that of Marcal L. King and Adelaide C. Boyington at Snohomish City, W. B. Sinclair, judge of probate, officiating.

The first official recognition of the lowly but efficient hen in the records of Snohomish County was made July 6, 1866, when William McClay sold his "claim, goods, canoe, chickens, etc.," to William Norris and A. B. Hardin, for $280, accepting greenbacks in payment at the rate of $73.50 per $100. This claim was situated near Ebey Island.

The first orchard told of was that planted by Alexander Spithill, in 1865, in Spithill (now Jay's) gulch, near Mukilteo. He also planted orchards east of Marysville, saying that if he did not get the benefit the next generation would. English walnut trees planted by Spithill at this time are still bearing.

In 1867 there are a few more evidences of real estate activity. M. L. King sold the claim purchased for $400, 1866, to Hugh Ross for $600, showing a profit of $200. Daniel Kells sold his claim on Fiddlers Bluff to William Jameson for $50. Henry Mills sold a claim on Ebey Slough to Peter Mills, his brother, for $400. The straits of at least one pioneer are shown by the mortgage record when William H. Wale mortgaged the hay on his claim at the forks of the Snoqualmie and the Skykomish for $300 to W. B. Sinclair, the interest being 2 per cent a month.

W. J. Fenlason was one of the newcomers of 1867 and Dr. H. A. Smith had established himself on an island at the mouth of the Snohomish, where he held out as the first doctor in the county. He attempted to dike his land and planted an orchard, but the waters overflowed his dike and ruined his orchard, which caused him to remove to Seattle and settle at a point which is still known as "Smith's Cove," and is now one of the busiest sections of Seattle's waterfront. His wife and daughters were among the very few white women in the Snohomish Valley and their home was so popular that the amount of sickness among the young men was said to have increased alarmingly in order that they might have excuse for a visit to the doctor and, incidentally, with his family.

First Stores

By 1868 there were several stores at which the settlers could get supplies. The first of these was the Frost & Fowler store at Mukilteo, then the Sinclair & Clendenning store at Snohomish City. Besides these there were what was known as "Walker's store" on the Snohomish and Preston Bros. store at the mouth of the river. The Walker store is mentioned in the county records, April 4, 1868, when George Walker sold it to Matt B. Fowler, of Mukilteo, for $500, and the Preston store is mentioned in November of the same year when P. C. Preston sold his interest to his brother, G. W. Preston, the claim and store, together with some neat cattle, bringing $1,500. A store operated by the Puget Mill Company is mentioned in the records of September 22, 1869, when William McDonald sold his claim, agreeing out of the purchase price "to let Eugene D. Smith have $200 gold and $200 in trade at the Puget Mill Company store." This store was at Port Gamble. Another transaction, June 7, 1869, was the sale of the L. P. Smith claim to Douglas Cowans, for $125, gold, this being a trifle less than 80 cents per acre. The Walker store did not prosper, for Walker seems to have gotten it back again only to lose it, as in August, 1868, he gave a bill of sale to Rothschild & Company of Port Townsend for $610.86. The instrument conveyed the merchandise, saloon, etc., which invoiced at $770.05. It was witnessed by Benjamin Stretch and Samuel Lucas.

Among the items listed in the invoice were the following: Men's shoes, $1.50; girls' and women's shoes, $1.25; Kitsap flour, per barrel, $8; twenty yards red flannel, $8. Showing that footwear, at least, was "moderately priced" by early merchants.

First Dairy Cow

The first cow given the dignity of a name in Snohomish County history was "Rose," presented by John N. Low to his daughter, Mrs. Mary L. Sinclair, in 1862. Rose is given this high and well deserved place as the mother of the dairy industry of Snohomish County, by a rather unique instrument filed by Mrs. Sinclair in December, 1871, which bore the title "Inventory of stock owned by Mary L. Sinclair and Names by which they are known to the Family." There follows a list of twenty-three animals, among which there were '"'Daisy," "Dolly," "Muley," and "Sprettel." Three of these cattle were marked as "Purchased," but it is noted that they were obtained by trading, and the statement is made "The above stock is the increase from the cow named 'Rose' given to me by John N. Low, my father, in 1862." Signed, Mary L. Sinclair. Surely this Snohomish "Rose," whose descendants numbered twenty-three by 1871, deserves "honorable mention."

That agriculture was progressing and cleared lands were considered of considerable value as early as 1871 is shown by the fact that John Harvey leased "all cleared land and buildings" on his claim to Robert Parker for $175, cash in advance; the extent of the cleared land not being given in the instrument. The ups and downs of farm life and the handicap of high interest rates under which the farmers labored are shown by some of the recorded farm transactions of 1872. In February Sam Howe mortgaged two cows and two oxen for $200 to Joseph Getchell, with interest at 2 per cent a month, and John and Harriett Batt mortgaged their 181 acres for $240, at 114 per cent a month, meeting their obligation, however, and having the mortgage cancelled by June, 1873. Another real estate mortgage of 1872 was that given by W. E. Hawkins to E. C. Ferguson for $370; this bearing the very reasonable interest rate of 12 per cent a year.

The first agricultural fair in the county was held at Snohomish in 1874. It was an impromptu affair, but was so successful that an organization was formed and the second fair was held in 1875. The association was very ambitious and erected buildings which were but partially finished when the fair was held, but in spite of this considerable outlay it was a financial success. The third fair, the second on the fair grounds, was to be a great occasion and it demanded much work and planning. The association met in January, 1876, electing James Masterson president ; Salem A. Wood, vice president, and Eldridge Morse, secretary; these officers together with George Frazier, John Davis, J. N. Low and O. S. Young constituting the board of trustees. Early in July the trustees fixed the date of the fair for September 26, 27 and 28 and appointed Dr. A. C. Folsom as marshal of the day. Committees were named as follows: Exhibits, Eldridge Morse, John Davis, E. D.

Smith, M. H. Ford and O. B. Iverson; storage, E. C. Ferguson and W. M. Packard; transportation, Folsom, Hughes, Colvin and Haskell; speakers, E. Shone, Cathcart and Haskell. J. N. Low was elected president, vice James Masterson, resigned, and H. A. Gregory was made a member of the board of trustees. It was arranged that the Nellie should go over to the Stillaguamish to carry exhibits and the steamer Libby agreed to carry exhibits free from Whatcom and Whidbey Island to Mukilteo, whence they would be forwarded to Snohomish. The admission was 25 cents. Owing to bad weather just prior to the opening there were no exhibits from Mukilteo or Tulalip, but the new newspaper of which Snohomish boasted stated that the exhibits from the Stillaguamish and Swinomish were fine. From the exhibits selections were made of the best and these were forwarded to the territorial fair at Olympia. The opening day address was delivered by Rev. J. R. Thompson, of Olympia; orators for the second day were Rev. D. N. Utter, of Olympia, and O. B. Iverson, of Centerville, and for the third day, the new attorney, W.M. Tirtlot. The music was in charge of W. H. Ward. The attendance for the last two days was good. The premium winners were as follows:

It was not until 1871 that settlers, in any numbers, could get title to their homesteads, but as the lands were surveyed and the ten years' tenures began to expire the number of patents issued increased rapidly. In February, 1876, the Star printed the following list of those whose patents were awaiting them at the Olympia land office :

County Fair, 1877

While nearly always losing ventures, fairs and exhibits have done very much for Western Washington and for Snohomish County. The exhibits at the Centennial at Philadelphia in 1876, the New Orleans exposition, the World's Fair at Chicago, the Trans-Mississippi Fair at Omaha and at various territorial and state fairs did a great deal to attract attention to Puget Sound, and in the same way the county fairs have operated to build community interest and to foster healthy rivalry among producers. The county fairs reflected the progress of agriculture and the household arts and they also reflected economic conditions, flourishing in good times and failing as times hardened. Following the optimistic year of 18/6 there came a brief period of stagnation which culminated in 1879 and 1880, the business revival reaching its height again in 1883. The county fair of 1877 reflected the approach of this depression, although elaborate plans were made for it. J. N. Low was president of the association, and the fair was held in the new Antheneum building, instead of at the fair grounds, in October. W. M. Tirtlot was superintendent of grains and vegetables and Rev. T. W. McCoy, manufactures; M. W. Packard, dairy, honey, flowers; H. A. Gregory, cooking; Dr. A. C. Folsom, fancy work, art; E. C. Ferguson, stock; W. H. Ward, amusements; H. D. Morgan, marshal. The highest prize offered was $5 in the cattle department. The premium list covered cereals, timothy 'and red clover; the fruits included apples, pears, peaches, plums, grapes, quinces, tomatoes. Among the vegetables were listed tobacco and chicory; among the manufactures were oars, blacksmithing, carpenter work, furs, barreled meats, pickled, dried and smoked fish, canned clams, oysters or fish. The cattle breeds mentioned were Devon, Ayrshire and Jersey. Among the prize winners were Amos Hurst, wheat, potatoes, leaf tobacco, chicory, and vegetables; Mrs. Hurst, canary seed, grapes, and machine-made underwear; J. N. Low, beans, apples, pears, vegetables, and butter. Amos Hurst won the sweepstakes for vegetables and grain, and J. N. Low for fruit. Among the other prize winners were John Davis, Charles Taylor, E. Morse, S. T. Packwood, C. M. Kikendall, Ansel Hulbert, W. H. Ward, William Edwards, Jackson Myers & Company (display canned silver salmon put up at Mukilteo in this county) ; and among the women who won in the departments of flowers and fancy work were the following: Mrs. C. Scotney, Mrs. J. N. Low, Mrs. A. Hulburt, Mrs. A. C. Hurst, Miss Ione Davis, Florence Scotney, Mrs. W. H. Ward, Mrs. E. C. Ferguson, Emma Geue, Mrs. W. H. Reeves, Fanny Low, Mrs. M. E. Sinclair, Mrs. Ella Blackman, Mrs. L. Wilbur, Ida Davis, Carrie Light, Mrs. W. Smith, Mrs. W. B. Stevens, Mrs. John Richards, the last named receiving a prize of $2 as the best butter maker. Wong Gee was awarded a prize for oil painting on glass. Women of today may be interested to know some of the articles for which prizes were awarded at this county fair held nearly fifty years ago. There was the patchwork quilt, the crocheted shawl and the drawn rug. Among the other items were the following: hand-made shirt, silk embroidered slippers, glass slipper and motto, bead cushion (won by Mrs. Lot Wilbur), spatter work, Zephyr mat, shell frame, and hand-made underwear.

Although there was a meeting of the agricultural association in 1878, the Star makes no mention of a fair being held, and as the newspaper suspended publication in the spring of 1879 and there was no newspaper in Snohomish County thereafter until 1882, no record of county fair activities is available covering that period.

Through the columns of the Northern Star glimpses of the agricultural development may be obtained, although they are but glimpses. It was during the late '70s that Mukilteo was boomed, Lowell was developed, Marysville was platted and Stanwood became a real trading point. The growth of these settlements attests the development both of logging and of agriculture. One of the first mentions of diking on the lower Snohomish was made in September, 1876, when it was noted that Mehan and Thornton had sold their hotel and ranch between Steamboat and Ebey sloughs to a Mr. Albee, who would commence diking at once and would cut a channel between the sloughs through which steamers could pass at any time except at extreme low water. The earliest claims were located along the banks of the Snohomish, but in 1877 settlement began to widen. The Star called the attention of newcomers to the Pilchuck Valley, saying that "in all probability a little town will spring up at Glenwild, the site of Bennett and Witter's saw and grist mill. They will have the advantage of getting lumber and flour right from the mill, more convenient than in any other neighborhood. There are two logging camps run by first-class men, already established, and that does not include the Blackman Bros., who are close by. The lands up stream increase in richness, and the heavy clearing diminishes the farther up you go, until you reach the main source of the south branch of the river, Lake Stevens. Ere long a school district will be established, and all the comforts of a prosperous settlement will be added, including, perhaps, a store at Glenwild." One of the settlers attracted to the Pilchuck Valley at this time was Elisha Rogers, who resided near Machias until his death in 1893. His son, A. B. Rogers, was an attorney at Everett.

Census Of 1878

In 1877 it was stated that there were 730 acres actually under cultivation between Elwell's camp and the Snoqualmie Falls, and a year later it was estimated that there were only 100 acres of diked tide marsh land under cultivation on the Snohomish River and about four hundred acres under dike, although many were talking of diking soon. The census of the county taken in 1878 gave the number of houses as 271 and the number of families as 167, showing that more than onethird of the homes were wifeless. The total population was 1,042, a gain of but forty-two during the year. There were 677 white males and 341 white females, seventeen Chinese and seven of African blood; the Indians were not enumerated. The number of citizens (men over twenty-one) was 448, and more than one-fourth of the total population was foreign born.

Railroad Lands Difficulties

Considering the wonderful resources and opportunities which Western Washington presented, its growth at this time was very slow. One cause of this was the land situation. Very little land had been surveyed, and while settlers might take possession they could not file upon claims, but this would not have deterred had it not been for the problem of the railroad lands. If the settler made improvements on government land, his rights would be respected and he could buy at the government price whenever the survey was made; but if his improvements chanced to be upon railroad land, and this was apt to be the case where lands were wholly unsurveyed, he was at the mercy of the corporation and might be obliged to pay any price the company saw fit to ask, or become involved in expensive litigation. This question of railroad lands was a "paramount issue" in Washington territory in 1877. When the Union Pacific was built it recerved government aid both in cash and lands, but the Northern Pacific was aided by land grants only, and the first enactment provided that these lands could not be mortgaged or bonds issued upon them until the road was completed. The route for this railroad was surveyed by the first governor of the territory, Isaac Stevens, in 1853, but it was not until July 2, 1864, that the Northern Pacific Railroad was chartered to build a railroad from some point on Lake Superior to some point on Puget Sound, with a branch line down the Columbia River to some point near Portland. The railroad company soon found itself "land poor' and unable to proceed with construction unless it could borrow money on its lands. It therefore asked Congress to amend the charter to permit a bond issue. Oregon was a state with votes, while Washington was a territory with a voice only. When the Northern Pacific made its request to Congress the Oregon delegation saw its opportunity and refused its support unless the line down the Columbia River to Portland was made the main line, with the "branch" extending to Puget Sound. The Northern Pacific was forced to make this concession and the charter was amended, in 1870, to read that its main line should extend to some point on Puget Sound, via Portland, with the right to construct a branch from some convenient point on its main line across the Cascade Mountains to some point on Puget Sound. The land grant covered more than 60,000,000 acres and consisted of every odd-numbered section for ten miles on each side of the railroad, in states, and for twenty miles on each side in territories. The first maps and proposals upon which the land grant was made were based upon the survey made by Governor Stevens and provided for the construction of a railroad up the Skagit River and over Skagit Pass. This proposed route entitled the Northern Pacific to the odd-numbered sections throughout a large portion of King, Snohomish, Skagit and Whatcom counties, and these lands were withdrawn from settlement. Thirteen years had elapsed since the charter was first granted, the lands were withheld, but there was no move towards railroad construction along the lower Sound, and in fact but 555 miles had been built, 450 in the East and 105 miles in the West. Moreover the Northern Pacific proposed a new route, via Natchez Pass, and while asking that lands should be withdrawn along the new route, it did not propose to relinquish its holdings in Snohomish and neighboring counties. It also urged a ten years' extension for the completion of the road. Orange Jacobs, delegate from Washington territory, successfully opposed this request made by the Northern Pacific, and a large portion of the governor's message to the Legislature in 1877 was devoted to a discussion of the proposition.

This led the Northern Pacific to make added surveys which delayed, but did not prevent the final return of the lands to the Government. While these lands were still withdrawn, the price of government lands within this railroad area was held at $2.50 per acre, which was double the price for which government land could be bought outside the railroad belt. This also retarded settlement, although those who purchased at the higher price received a refund of $1.25 per acre after the railroad lands were released for settlement.

Said the Star in March, 1877: ''Across the river from our window we can see the plow turning its furrow, the garden spade doing its work, cattle and sheep grazing, and every other indication of agricultural thrift." But it adds: "We do hope more grain will be sowed. We need greater variety of crops; we raise too much hay. True, some of our lands are fit for nothing else, yet much that now bears only hay would bring excellent cereals. Several of the up-rivers farmers are going into the hop business and we are pleased to see that some are going to try sheep raising on a small scale. There are lands up the Skykomish that are well adapted to that purpose. The same may be said of the Snoqualmie, particularly above the falls. If good crops are secured, and our loggers do not commit the blunder of allowing their logs to go to sea, we may hope for better times the coming summer."

Short, McClurg and Entwhistle were among the chief hop growers among the up-river farmers, their crop amounting to some ten tons, and John Little was a leader in sheep raising, his shipment of 617 pounds of wool being the largest ever made up to 1878 by a single Snohomish County farmer. John Kreischel was spoken of as one of the most energetic farmers of the Snohomish Valley. He had between forty and fifty acres cleared, and besides hay he raised large quantities of grain; boasting that he could raise as much on his farm as could be raised on 120 acres in Iowa or Illinois. Mr. Thomas, of the Snoqualmie country, was another of the successful farmers who enjoyed a bit of crowing over the folks "way back in Iowa," and he sent them some specimens grown on his farm - oats, eight feet four inches high; timothy, six feet ten inches; red clover, five feet eight inches ; a timothy head nineteen inches long, with 325 full grain cells.

Despite all this, times grew harder for the farmers in 1877, and the Star took them to task for not raising more grain, as follows: "Flour is $12 per barrel in town, with a prospect of its going still higher, and no wheat growing on your ranches. There is a mill at Port Gamble, another at Seattle, and the machinery for another within one mile of town, ready to put in operation whenever you will bring on the grain; thousands of dollars coming on the river as the returns for logs, and you allowing it to slip through your fingers and go off again to buy bread for your families. No wonder you complain of hard times, raising nothing but a few berries, vegetables and a little fruit, and the balance of your farms in hay, the least profitable of all crops. You have no eggs, no meat and little butter and poultry for sale. Can you expect anything else but hard times under such management? <A more prolific logging season we have not had in many years. Yet all the profits that might go to enrich you, you allow to go to distant portions of the country, because you persist, year after year, in raising crops loggers want but little of. If you would raise what loggers consume you would have a market for it almost at your doors. You raise more hay than the loggers want. They want bread and meat and you can produce it and get the coin for it and stop hard times." By all of which it will appear that the editor who knows all about farming and is free with his advice is not strictly a modern product.

Diphtheria Epidemics

But in spite of all that the Star said; in spite of the hardships and the toil and the simple living, the farmers and the farm wives of Snohomish County were a youthful, happy, hopeful lot of people in the '70s, and they would have had but little of which to complain had it not been for one thing - the black diphtheria. Family after family was stricken with the scourge, and they were almost helpless before it. Medical science had not learned how to combat or to prevent it. There were no trained nurses, no facilities, no means of fighting it. All that many fathers and mothers were able to do was to ease the pain and then to watch their children die an awful death. They were careless. They knew little of quarantine restrictions. When Ethel Ferguson died of diphtheria, in 1878, the "friends were invited" to attend the funeral. But one cannot read without pity the many items in the local newspaper like the following:

"Died of diphtheria on the Snohomish River, three children of J. V. and Annie Vance, being all their children; Bessie, January 4, 1878, age six; Isabel, age four ; Willie G., age three, on January 10."

Early Marriages

At the instance of the Daughters of the American Revolution of Everett, a list of 100 of the early marriages which took place in Snohomish County has been preserved, and is reprinted here. This record begins with November 22, 1875, but there were a number of marriages before that time. That a large number of these ceremonies took place in 1877-78 is due to the fact that when Judge Lewis held the first term of the district court in Snohomish in 1877 he found many white men and Indian women living together without the sanction of any rites of law or church. He announced that this was a condition of immorality which he could not tolerate and declared that all such couples would be prosecuted if they were not legally married before the time of his return to hold court. This induced the celebration of a large number of nuptials during the ensuing months, and while for the most part the women named in these licenses bear English names, perhaps one-third of them were Indians. The actual relations were not so bad as depicted by the judge, for, in fact, in all these instances homes had been founded with honest intent. But the drastic action of Judge Lewis legalized these unions and had a permanent beneficial effect on the history of the county. The list of these marriage licenses is as follows:

Marriage Licenses

Kkenric Shone to (Mrs.) Gussie Drake, January 30, 1877. Charles Taylor to Emily Wilson, February 2, 1877. Alexander H. Spithill to Anastasia Spithill, March 28, 1877. James P. Austin to Fannie Eberman, August 18, 1877. Michael McNemera to Anna Munson of Stillaguamish precinct, Sept. 21, 1877. Clark Ferguson to Martha C. Brem of Snohomish City, October 29, 1877. John Silva to Betsey Silva, November 17, 1877.

William Clark to Miss Mary Clark, March 17, 1878. George O. Elwell to Elizabeth Etnas, March 27, 1878. George Bowen to Florence Ritchie, April 29, 1878.

Paran C. Preston to Peggy Clest, December 21, 1878. William Morrison to Sarah Hanscom, December 23, 1878. Samuel H. Giddins to Miss Martha Lincolnfelter, January 6, 1879. Peter Hovey to Sally Foss, February 12, 1879.

George O. Elwell to Lizzie Warner, February 22, 1879. William H. Deering to Delia Elwell, March 1, (1879. George Udell to Frazeline Richardson,

John McDonald to Ellen O'Brien, February 19, 1881. Henry Singsing to Jenny (Indian woman), May 14, 1881. Seymour Boswell to Ella J. Hulbert, June 24, 1881.

John Conners to Maria Wheeler, November 8, 1881. Charles Morgan to Clara Niemeyer, December 21, 1881. William Tester to Alice S. Williams, January 23, 1882. Charles L. Lawry to Zellah B. Morgan, February 10, 1882. A. W. Brewster to Lydia Kanin, February 10, 1882.

Swen Peterson to Emma Charlotte Larson, August 12, 1882. C. M. Cedargreen to Wilma H. Nilson, September 1, 1882. Sauret Johnson to Anna Kristine Larson, September 30, 1882. Daniel M. Sinclair to Louise M. Fowler, October 18, 1882. Calvin Haskell to Mary C. Gregory, November 10, 1882. Neil Spithill to Jane Hassard, November 18, 1882.

Mrs. Amos Hager

James B. Cole to Lotta E. Stinson, May 5, 1883. W. D. Foss to Hannah McCallister, May 7, 1883. Ira Smith to Lena C. Fowler, July 7, 1883. Thomas Hanson to Anna Stinson, September 1, 18883. William Romines to Lotta Fowler, September 6, 1883. John T. Stevenson to Nellie S. McIlvain, October 12, 1883. Cullen Brown to Anna D. C. Orth, December 7, 1883. John Noble to Sarah Hoskinson, January 29, 1884. Sylvester E. Strickland to Ella M. Merwin, February 4, 1884. Harry T. Gregory to Lealia Ann Clark, February 14, 1884. Willie Conners to Martha Huitt, March 22, 1884. Signed, MRS. J. B. MOYER, MRS. AMOS HAGER, Committee. Marcus Whitman Chapter, Daughters American Revolution, Everett, Wash., October 25, 1921.

This triple wedding, while the contracting parties were from another county, and the names have a trace of Indian characteristic, was the first marriage ceremony of record in Snohomish County.

First Farm Machinery

The years 1879, 1880 and 1881 showed but little progress in the affairs of Snohomish County. There was little immigration, no improvement in transportation facilities and while individual farmers progressed and made improvements, there was but little real advancement. In fact, one of the first agricultural notes in 1882 was the notice of two sheriff sales of farms in the rich Stillaguamish Valley. One of these, the Hunt farm, sold for $3,824; the other, the Wilkinson farm, sold for $4,267. The use of farm machinery became more general, but was still enough of an exception so that the newspaper thought it worthy of particular comment when the Nellie brought two mowers and a four-horse rake up the river, and the Alki took two horse hayrakes, a mower and a piano to the upper Snoqualmie. Threshing machines were still a novelty although G. O. Haller owned one in 1884 which he sold to J. A. Brue of Stanwood, who reported that he threshed 305 sacks of oats with it in three hours. It was not until September, 1885, that the steamer Nellie brought the first complete threshing machine to the Snohomish Valley. This was brought from Seattle to be used on the Watkins ranch two miles south of Snohomish City, and was run by horse power.

Crops were excellent in 1882. The farmers on the Snoqualmie rejoiced in the fact that the hay crop between the forks and the falls amounted to 800 tons, while the potato and vegetable crops were also good. With fine weather during July it was estimated that between 3,000 and 4,000 tons of hay were cut in the Snohomish Valley within two weeks. The logging industry was also prosperous and it was estimated that 1,500,000 feet of logs were in the river awaiting high water. The only bad report was from the vicinity of Mukilteo where the crop had been spoiled by rain. According to W. P. Bell, who was then an inspector of customs at Tacoma, the first wheat ever exported from Washington Territory was shipped in 1882. These abundant crops and the general conditions of prosperity which prevailed throughout the country stimulated railroad building and caused a rush of immigration to the Pacific Northwest. The Scandinavian immigration, which was largely directed toward the north part of the county, commenced some years earlier; the Norwegians, under the guidance of O. B. Iverson, settling along the Stillaguamish, while the Swedes and Danes settled in the Snohomish Valley. In 1880, Charles M. Cedargren returned to his native Norway, via the Horn, and brought back to America with him a number of relatives and friends, and also a bride. These formed the nucleus of the Scandingvian element in Southern Snohomish County. Final proof on 188 claims was filed in 1882, patenting 26,320 acres.

Beginning Of Dairying

The year 1883 witnessed decided improvements along many lines. There was a beginning of real dairying. In January, the Nellie brought thirty head of stock, among which were twenty-seven milch cows, up the river for J. B. Roberts, who was located on LaGrande marsh, five miles east of Snohomish, and a second shipment of twenty-five head of cattle soon followed. William Bishop of Chimacum also went extensively into dairying in the same vicinity.

Hop Culture

Hop raising came down rather than up the Snohomish Valley, and had its headquarters in the upper reaches of the Snoqualmie, where at one time the Hop Growers Association was a dominant factor. This industry attained its greatest success in the Puyallup Valley and the annual coming of hordes of Yakima Indians over Snoqualmie Pass en route for the hop fields was a great event. The success of the farmers to the south encouraged the Snoqualmie settlers to try the same venture. For a time, hop culture flourished amazingly in this section of the county and there were high hopes that it would become a great source of wealth. There was never any question but that hops could be successfully grown, but the exigencies of picking and unsatisfactory prices finally turned the attention of the farmers to crops which were better and surer pay. The hop crop of 1884 was enormous; the vines grew so luxuriously that, following heavy rains, the poles settled to the earth and a large force had to be employed to tie them up. The market was active and California dealers offered Snohomish growers as high as 38 cents a pound. Charles Harriman of Tualco was one of the largest and most enthusiastic of the hop growers. In 1883 he built a large warehouse on his farm and connected it with his barn and granary by a miniature railroad, which also led to the river bank to facilitate shipping. Rutherford, Entwhistle, Prenatt and Har- ris were among the other leading hop growers, who shipped eleven tons of hops, via the steamer Glide, to the Seattle market in 1883, the Harris hop field having yielded one ton per acre. In 1884, the association added thirty acres to the great hop yard on the Snoqualmie prairie and it was expected that there would ultimately be no less than 800 acres in this hop field. Alex Martinoff leased 160 acres from the county commissioners, on Allen's prairie, and put twenty acres of it into hops; Charles Harriman, the Skykomish pioneer, added ten acres to his hop field and declared it was to become the leading industry. But bad weather and a shortage of pickers, 1,200 being needed, with but 400 available, caused a large part of the hop crop of 1884 to rot on the vines. This was partially the fault of the growers who undertook to lower wages with the result that they could not obtain pickers. The following year was more successful and the total product of the association reached 1,800 bales, or 333,000 pounds. This again led to increased acreage, and profiting by experience the association offered a price of $1 per box for picking and arranged to get 500 Yakima Indians to work during the season. An item in the Snohomish Eye, dated August 22, 1885, tells of a shipment of twenty tons of flour by boat to Snohomish City and thence by batteaux to the hop fields. The crop was not as profitable as expected, however, as prices were low, the cost of marketing was from 6 to 8 cents per pound, and several of the hop growers decided not to pick their crops unless prices improved. In 1886 the price went to 31 cents per pound, but, unfortunately, nearly half the crop had been sold by contract at about 15 cents per pound. One thousand two hundred Indians picked no less than 17,000 boxes of hops on the Snoqualmie in 1886, receiving, therefor, $17,000, a large part of which was spent at Snohomish City. Andrew Johnson, Charles Taylor, M. C. Fitzmorris, and Charles Harriman were among the Snohomish County farmers who enlarged their hop fields in 1887. The average yield was from 1,500 to 2,000 pounds per acre; but with all this, the crop acreage in Snohomish County was estimated in December, 1887, at fifty acres only, and it was stated that the price was not so good as the year before and that the crop was being held for a raise. In 1888 the price was down to 15 cents per pound, and by August, 1889, even the veteran, Charles Harriman, became discouraged when the price reached 13 cents, and declared that a better organization was needed to deal direct with consumers, if the industry was to succeed.

Another industry urged by some farmers was that of sheep raising. John Little was one of the earliest advocates of this, declaring that the sheep adapted themselves to the marsh land, their hoofs growing larger and web shaped. David Sexton, whose ranch was near Morgan's mill, on the Pilchuck, told that he had purchased eighteen sheep at a total cost of $81 in 1881 and that in two years they had paid him a total income of $256.

Picture Of Upper Valley, 1883

In the summer of 1883, Clayton Packard, the owner of the Snohomish Eye, made a trip on foot up the river from Snohomish to Cherry Valley. He wrote an account of this pilgrimage and it was given a prominent place in the Eye, covering several weeks. Perhaps no better picture of conditions can be gained than by following Mr. Packard on foot up the Snohomish and Snoqualmie valleys. 'There will come a time in the life of every man," wrote Mr. Packard, "when he will drop the dull routine of everyday duties, and rest for a day or two; sometimes to spend a few pleasant weeks at the old home; sometimes to hunt and fish, and often - too often - to lie down for aye in the quiet city of the dead. Last Thursday our turn came to drop out of the traces and indulge in a change of work, if not in a few days of loafing. We determined to indulge our penchant for pedestrianizing; in other words, being neither rich, proud, nor handsome, we started to 'hoof it' up the Snohomish and Snoqualmie rivers as far as Cherry Valley to observe what improvements were going on and to gain any other information of interest to our readers,

"We have often wondered why the peninsula formed by Pilchuck Creek and Snohomish River, which is covered with timber and underbrush, has not been cleared off. This brush extends to the eastern limits of the Sinclair addition and if cleared would add immensely to the appearance of that part of Snohomish. This tract is owned by J. H. Plaskett and the heirs of W. B. Sinclair, and contains about 100 acres of the very finest bottom land, that would be worth $10 per acre per annum if slashed and seeded down. The Park Place Road runs through this strip of land crossing Pilchuck near its mouth, where it is bridged. This bridge cost the county about $700, and consists of piles driven into the bottom on each side of the creek on which a span of about fifty feet rests. It is about ten feet above low water mark, and is approached at each end by aprons about thirty feet long. The bent, or cluster of piles, on the west end of the bridge had a strong list to starboard, which was caused by logs jamming there, and has been kept from tumbling over by an iron rod made fast at one end to a mammoth cottonwood tree, and to the piles at the other. However, a more ignoble fate than falling over will probably soon overtake it, for by an approaching change in the channel, it is now seriously threatened with being left on this side of the river, a thing neither of use nor ornament.

"The first ranch after leaving the bridge (the old Knapp place) is owned by Hiram Thomas, and has a rather weed-overgrown and neglected appearance. This is a new place and has but four or five acres cleared and as Mr. Thomas is now in charge of the Robert Hilton ranch, he is not making improvements here. There is a small comfortable house on the southeast corner of the claim, on the road, and a small barn well filled with hay. This ranch contains but forty acres, but being within one mile of town, will be a valuable claim. The road following the river branches off here.

"The next is the old Richards place, now owned by Joseph McNaught, of Seattle, at a point where the road intersects the Frenchie Slough. Here Stinson's ' flood dam is located. In the construction of this dam Mr. Stinson used a novel, improvised piledriver, the remarkable feature of which is a huge maple hammer, eight feet long and two and one-third feet in diameter. With this driver he drove two lines of 3 by 12 inch plank, tongued and grooved, into the banks and hollow of the slough. The space between was filled with sand. In the center of the dam is a frame, into which is set two tight fitting gates, which can be removed at high water to allow logs to run through into the river. This dam also affords the settlers on the opposite sides of the slough (I. Morris and H. Holverson) opportunity to construct a bridge, which they are about to do.

"On the McNaught place there are thirty acres under cultivation and fourteen acres slashed. J. Cyphert, who is in charge, cut eighty tons of hay this summer. There is a comfortable little farmhouse, surrounded by a fine thrifty orchard, in which are several large cherry trees, probably the largest and certainly the oldest in the county. This claim is in the southeast quarter of section nineteen, the corner post of which falls in the slough. Every trace of this corner has disappeared, the four witness posts and eight witness trees having been destroyed. This missing corner is also the corner of the Buchanan ranch which has nearly thirty acres under cultivation and cuts about eighty tons of hay annually. The building bears the stamp of primitive architecture; there are some fine cherry trees, also a good orchard, and an abundance of small fruit. If these ranches were improved, it would open up this country so that Fiddler's Bluff, Forest Hill (Hoem's place), and the whole sweep of LaGrande marsh for six miles, would be in sight of town.

"Across the slough are the ranches of Isaac Morris and Hans Holverson where improvements are being put. Their clearings having met those of M. Lord, pushing in from the river, so that the river's fringe of cottonwood can be seen from the Buchanan place. We traveled this road for the first time several years ago, when from here on, it was almost impossible to crawl through a little traveled trail, where we now had a fine wagon road.

"Crossing the bridge, we leave the Buchanan ranch behind and enter the John Swett claim. The first object that attracted our attention, after stepping off the bridge was a new building, whose white walls in strong contrast with the dark green background, stood out in bold relief, challenging the notice of all passers-by. This was the new schoolhouse belonging to School District No. 12. Although not quite finished, it would be a credit to many older districts. It is 20 by 30 with fourteen foot posts, is well lighted, and when finished will be one of the pleasantest little schoolrooms in the county. It is located on the county road on an acre of ground one-half of which was donated by Mrs. Mary L. Evans, from the Buchanan claim, and the other half by John H. Swett. This district, organized quite recently, owes its new schoolhouse, as well as its very existence, to the energy and push of one of its directors, Charles Short, and H. W. Light, its clerk, backed by a community of wide-awake citizens. Passing the schoolhouse a few rods, the road branches off, which, affording H. W. Light an outlet, intersects the river at George Saunders' place. Some thirty rods distance is Fred Cedergren's old clearing and a few rods further on brings one to LaGrande Marsh, on the south side of which, opposite the point where the road intersects it, is Forest Hill, the residence of EIIing Hoem, whose ranch, including about ninety acres of marsh, lies on the south side of the road. This marsh, though called LaGrande Marsh, is but a branch of LaGrande Marsh proper, which is nearly six miles in length and averages one and one-half miles in breadth. A part of this marsh was settled by some Frenchmen, Peter Tessier, Peter Bosseau and Alex, last name unknown, who tried to get rid of their neighbors by putting strychnine in the spring. The drug being slightly soluble did not fulfill their expectations. These would-be murderers now conspired against each other, and Bosseau placed strychnine in the sugar bow] in Alex's cupboard. Alex invited a friend into the back of his shop to have a social glass, to improve which, he introduced sugar (and strychnine) into the compound. Bosseau, being present, was for once not inclined to be tempted. Alex then sat down to dine, and used more of this doctored sugar in his coffee, but soon felt the effects of the poison and called for help. Doctor Folsom was summoned, and pronounced it a case of poison; whereupon, M. Edgar declared that he, too, had taken a dose. Ignorance had again baffled the would-be murderer's design for the strychnine, for the most part remained undissolved in the bottom of the cups. These cups are still in the possession of the sheriff. Both men recovered, Peter Tessier, who in- spired the deed, escaped, while Bosseau, his tool, was convicted and sent to the state's prison at Seatco. Thus four lives were attempted to secure the beautiful marsh which now belongs to Elling Hoem and Fred Cedergren. Elling Hoem's house on the south side of the road, is built of nicely hewn logs; two stories high, and well proportioned. It is well finished inside and presents a picture of home comfort. It is surrounded by a clearing of two acres which, though belonging to the once denounced highland, furnishes a productive garden. Fifteen rods east is the residence of Hogan Frederickson, father-in-law to Mr. Hoem, which relationship he also bears to Fred Cedergren, whose place is just across the road. Frederickson's house is built of sawed lumber, sided with rustic, and of recent construction. Frederickson has quite a slashing on his claim, which is composed entirely of high land. Opposite Hoem's house is the new home of J. A. C. Cedergren, which, when finished, will be one of the finest farm houses in the county. It is literally a 'House of Seven Gables', it having just that number of peaks. He has been his own architect and his own builder.

'"Hoem has forty-six acres of marsh land slashed and burned and the larger portion under cultivation; Fred Cedergren has twenty-five acres slashed and burned. The opening is about one mile long and one-half mile wide and has a decidedly farm-like appearance. The old road formerly turned abruptly south after passing Hoem's place, making a gigantic ox-bow in order to cross two bad swales, where an animal might easily mire. This line of beauty was summarily nipped off by W. T. Brown, who surveyed the road in 1881 and substituted a straight line, running almost due east, and intersecting the old road near Kellogg's clearing, now owned by W. E. Hawkins. About the fourth of a mile north and east of Forest Hill are the claims of Hans Hanson and Hans B. Hanson.

"On emerging from the woods we came into the Hawkins clearing. Hawkins has a fine story-and-a-half house and a commodious barn under construction. He has twenty acres under cultivation and twenty more slashed and burned. He cut this season fifteen tons of hay, beside raising considerable garden produce. He has four head of cattle, and a team of horses. Across the road, J. E. Ladebouche has a highland claim which promises to be valuable. On this place we notice a fine lot of Ship-knees, about 250, belonging to Hawkins and Ladebouche, and which at an average price, will bring about $800. Following the road along the edge of the marsh about three-fourths of a mile, we arrive at Charles Cedergren's place. He has two houses on his claims and quite a large slashing. Since proving up on these tracts, he has been home to Norway on a visit, returning about one year ago with several young ladies, one of whom now is Mrs. Cedergren, and another Mrs. Peterson. A mile further on are the clearings of G. T. Sorenson, J. Roberts, S. A. Woods, and J. L. Saterlee. Sorenson's claim is one mile long and onefourth wide, and includes about seventy-five acres of fine marsh land. He has about five acres slashed on the highland. This marsh land must be drained, not by individual effort, but by all land owners combining. The marsh contains about 3,600 acres and the work would be no greater than that now about completed on the marsh south of Snohomish. James B. Roberts has a new claim and has built himself a comfortable house, around which, with fire and ax, he is rapidly hewing out a farm. S. A. Woods has one acre under cultivation, a small temporary house and about ten acres slashed and burned. J. L. Saterlee is a newcomer, who has built himself a little home, and is rapidly clearing the land. A few rods brings us to the top of the rise where Park Place begins to show through the trees.

"This road, now a credit to the county, owes its condition, not to the county, though several appropriations have been made to assist the work, but to the energy and push of settlers who live outside the district to which the road belongs, and who donated many days' work to complete it. When the project was pushed through, there was but one resident settler on the road, and he lived at the north end, four miles from Park Place. When the matter was agitated, the settlers in the forks, viz.: Johnson, Foye, Harriman, Smallman, Phelps and others came forward with full force and with a spirit worthy of old pioneers, pushing the matter. On the road are several substantial bridges, mostly built by volunteer work; in fact, a large share of the work is owing to the public spirit of the settlers. S. A. Woods was the organizer of the project.

"Park Place, though the name might indicate it, is not a great town but rather a 'X Roads.' Here, not long ago, was the postoffice kept by H. McClurg who has here a valuable claim. Within a short radius are the places of Allan McDougal, rapidly coming to the front as one of the fine Skykomish farms; that of George Kelsey and that of George Allen on the Marsh road. Across the river is the claim of William Pattison. Schoolhouse No. 2 1s located at Park Place and the settlement has a townlike appearance. Following Snoqualmie branch of the road, about sixty rods below Park Place, we arrived at Pattison's ferry and found Messrs. Bonsell blasting out a huge rock, which in high water formed a large eddy, interfering with the landing of the ferry. The rock was the size of an ordinary one-story house, and about 1,000 tons of it had to be moved. Pattison began the construc-. tion of his ferry about two years ago and it was first operated July 4, 1882. It is what is known as a flying ferry, but is built on a primitive plan, so far as the boat is concerned, which consists of two mammoth canoes staid together with crossties, on which a floor is laid. The rope which carries the boat back and forth is of wire, two and one-half inches in circumference, and 525 feet long, with an addition of 250 feet of iron rod for shorefasts. He expects to have a new and larger boat by next fall. The people appreciate the advantages of the ferry but say they cannot afford to pay the rates allowed by the county commission which are $1.50 for bringing their teams to the city and returning. There is talk of an opposition ferry three-quarters of a mile below.

"After crossing at the ferry one comes to the Forks, one of the finest portions of our county, containing over 600 acres of splendid marsh and about 5,500 acres of the very finest river bottom land. Nearly 500 acres have been broken and cultivated and 200 acres more slashed and burned. There are eighteen settlers on this tract, namely: C. Harriman, A. Johnson, A. W. Foye, Frank Phelps, Robert Smallman, William Baldwin, William and Rufus Pattison, James Evans, Captain Osborn, Granis Austin, F. Udell, F. Detering, James Clark, M. C. Fitzmaurice, J. D. Barnes, James Burton, Isaac Peer, and George Frazier.

"The Harriman and Johnson ranches are the oldest in the Forks. Harriman has a fine farm, large, comfortable dwelling house, two large well-built barns, granary, outbuildings, etc. He has ninety acres fenced and under cultivation, the greater portion of which is in grass. He cut sixty-five tons of hay this season, being but a two-thirds crop, owing to late pasturage, and the unusual dry season. He has twelve acres in grain, and three in potatoes. His stock consists of five head of horses, fourteen head of cattle, and thirty sheep. His machinery consists of plows, horserakes, mower, hayforks, good wagon, etc., and in company with his neighbor Johnson, a new horsepower thresher. The schoolhouse is located on his ranch and is a credit to district No. 7. Mr. Harriman was a member of the Territorial Legislature in 1875. Lying north is the Johnson ranch with a comfortable frame dwelling, painted white, two large barns, and other outbuildings, together with the best and latest machinery. He has sixty acres under cultivation and fifteen acres slashed and burned. His stock consists of 100 head of sheep, twentyfive head of neat cattle, and two horses.

"The next place belongs to A. W. Foye. He has fifty acres under cultivation sixty acres slashed, burned, and in grass, as sheep pasture. More is being slashed, and by 1884, he will be entitled to the credit of being the first man in the county to completely clear 160 acres of vine maple bottom. Mr. Foye has a comfortable house. The ranch cut ninety tons of hay last summer, raised two acres of potatoes, and one of turnips, besides furnishing pasturage for thirty-two head of cattle, including nine milch cows, 135 head of sheep, and four head of horses. The implements consist of plows, rakes, mower, and a good wagon. He has a fine young orchard of 100 trees. The sale of products for 1883 up to the last of August amounted to $1,200. Frank Phelps has a bonanza in his ranch for which he paid $500 several years ago and for which he could readily get $5,000 without the added improvements. He has sixty-five acres under cultivation, and twenty acres slashed and burned, thirty-seven head of cattle, four horses, and forty-six sheep. The ranch cut seventy tons of hay which will bring $16 per ton on the river bank, beside four acres in oats, two in potatoes, and one in turnips. Mr. Phelps has spent much for farm machinery this season. There is a thrifty young orchard, well laden with fruit. Robert Smallman's place is just across the field. He had the misfortune nine years ago, to lose one of his legs, but he has stuck to the ship until she not only floats, but has brought him into an independence. He has sixty acres under cultivation, and five acres slashed. The house, though not built after modern designs, presents a picture of comfort. It is sufficiently roomy, and in the sitting room an old fashioned fireplace - not one of those modern toys, but one into whose wide walls is rolled a yule log, long and thick, that lasts from the rising of the sun until the going down thereof. One that, roaring and snapping, sends out comfort and good cheer, with every changing ray. This ranch beside furnishing pasturage for 330 sheep, twenty-five head of cattle, and two horses, cut fifty tons of hay this season. The next ranch, that of James Clark, has twenty acres under cultivation from which he cut twenty tons of hay, besides raising three acres of grain and two of potatoes, and pasturing twenty-eight head of sheep, eleven head of cattle, and one horse. Isaac Peer has a fine marsh claim on the Snoqualmie and is adjoined by J. D. Barnes on the west. M. C. Fitzmaurice has one of the finest claims, with thirty acres cleared, a good barn and a comfortable house.

"Proceeding from the Fitzmaurice ranch, a beautiful little waterfall, known as the Big Gulch Falls, leaps over a precipice of forty feet, about half way on the road to Cherry Valley. The first ranch after striking the river is that of the Frazier boys, now managed by James Frazier. There forty acres under cultivation and a fine orchard surrounds the house which, though built of split cedar boards (for in the days of its erection sawed lumber was scarce and impossible to freight so far up the river) is quite as cozy and comfortable as any. The livestock consists of fifteen head of cattle, including a fine yoke of work cattle, and fifteen head of sheep, and there is a new barn built last summer. Up the river is the ranch of Lucius Day. He has twenty acres under cultivation from which he cut eighteen tons of hay besides pasturing twenty-two head of sheep, and eleven head of cattle.

There is a fine young orchard. From the bluffs northeast of the Frazier place can be seen the Cranberry Marsh about two miles wide and containing over 4,000 acres. This marsh, almost all of which was vacant a year ago, has been entirely appropriated during the past summer, and will probably fall into the hands of two or three parties in Seattle who promise to bring it under cultivation by a thorough system of ditching. The northwest extremity of this marsh is at H. Spurell's, only twelve miles from Snohomish by the Mukilteo and Snoqualmie River Road.

"Returning, we crossed the river at A. Johnson's place and landed at Martin Peterson's, on the Snohomish City side of the Skykomish. He purchased this ranch from Charles Taylor in 1881, and has a comfortable dwelling, new barn, ten acres cleared, twelve head of cattle, and a horse. Charles Taylor's ranch is threefourths of a mile below the ferry. This is a fine farm with forty-three acres under cultivation, which lies on a bench about four feet higher than the average river bottom land and which never overflows. On a point of high land is the comfortable dwelling, in front of which is a fine orchard. This farm, besides four acres of wheat, and the necessary pasturage for seventy-seven head of stock, cut eighty tons of hay this season. There are three good barns and the farm machinery consists of plows and harrows, a wagon, horserake, and mower."

Perhaps the above quotation goes more into detail than necessary for the purposes of this history, but it gives the best possible idea of the condition, extent, equipment, and products of the typical farms along the Snohomish Valley in 1883.

Fruit Culture

Mention is made in Mr. Packard's series of articles about the fine orchards, and during these years the possibilities of the county in fruit growing became more and more a matter of interest. In 1884 the first newspaper mention of blackberry culture is made, Clark Ferguson showing a blackberry branch with fruit in all stages. In the fall of 1884 there are frequent mentions of fruit raising in the Stillaguamish Valley, Gardner Goodrich harvesting four bushels of peaches to the tree; Mr. Isaacson claiming to have the first peaches grown near Stanwood, and he declared that they "beat California" in size and flavor. The fruit crop of 1885 was the largest the county had known, the trees breaking down under its weight. The Lucius Day ranch at Cherry Valley produced plums, weighing six to the pound, and this ranch became famous for its fine peaches, pears, and plums. The orchard of John Bakeman was also noted for its peaches, but prior to 1890 fruit was raised more for family purposes than as a commercial product. Definite improvement was shown by the importation of blooded stock, and the completion of numerous ditching and diking projects, some of which involved a large expense.

Progress In 1886

In 1886 the ranches at the mouth of the Snohomish were flooded by a tide six feet higher than usual and all the dikes were under water. Charles Bakeman made the first wagon, a buck board, ever manufactured in the county in 1886 and A. C. Allen was practically the founder of bee culture in Snohomish County in the same year. J. H. Hilton was said to be the largest stock-grower in the county in 1886, possessing 100 head of cattle and 50 sheep. It was in this year, also, that John Cochran built a barn 58 by 100 feet together with a milk house and was almost the first Snohomish County farmer to go into the dairy business extensively. In 1886 the county produced 10,000 tons of hay on 4,000 acres; 100,000 bushels of oats on 1,500 acres; 15,000 bushels of wheat, barley, etc., on 300 acres; 175,00 bushels of potatoes on 600 acres; fruits and vegetables to the value of $100,000. The county contained 6,000 head of horses and cattle and about the same number of sheep and hogs. Exclusive of pasture, there were about 10,000 acres of land under cultivation, including most of the tide flats surrounding Stanwood. Prior to this time the logging camps had furnished a sufficient market, but by 1887 the county was producing more than it consumed of farm products. Hay brought $12 per ton and oats $27 per ton in 1887. The tide flats of Puget Sound became famous for their enormous production and there was no jealousy on the part of Snohomish County when it was boasted that 1214 acres near La Conner had produced 156 bushels of oats per acre. Actual railroad construction began in the county in 1887 and this gave great impetus to immigration and the railroad camps furnished a market for all that the farms could produce. From July, 1882, to July, 1886, land entries in the Puget Sound district amounted to 1,140,364 acres. In 1883 there was the first general move toward occupying the highland, the flats having been considered up to that time as the only good farm land. In 1885 J. P. Anderson located more than sixty settlers north and northwest of Snohomish on the Pilchuck, Kent's Prairie, and Marysville roads. In 1888 a large colony of Kansans settled on the north fork of the Stillaguamish under the leadership of S. J. Squires and W. J. Starrett and during the same year eighteen families came from South Dakota locating a few miles east of Snohomish, and Ilman, Woods and John Nailor discovered six sections of clear beaver meadow east of the Sultan River, in a section recorded as worthless by railroad surveyors. Claims were taken on this land and a petition circulated asking a government survey. By the spring of 1889 settlements in the north part of the county had extended from the tide lands at the mouth of the Stillaguamish, from fifteen to twenty miles up the north fork and ten miles on the south fork. In the south part of the county both banks of the Snohomish River were well settled and the Snoqualmie was settled from its mouth to far beyond the King County line. There were 2,500 people in Snohomish and vicinity and the total population of the county was about 6,000, of which number about 4,500 lived in the Snohomish Valley and 1,500 in the Stillaguamish. The population was almost evenly divided as to occupation between logging and farming. One-fourth of the logs cut on Puget Sound were cut in Snohomish County. The value of all products for 1888 was in excess of $2,000,000. There were less than 2,500 acres of upland cleared and under cultivation. Ten thousand acres of tideland on the Snohomish and 8,000 acres on the Stillaguamish were diked and cultivated.

The most important events in Snohomish County in the decade beginning 1890 had to do with the almost miraculous founding and growth of Everett and the incoming of the railroad. In the agricultural field, the period is marked chiefly for its development of the dairy interest. A contour diagram of conditions would show a peak wave of prosperity beginning in 1889 reaching its crest early in 1892, followed by a trough of depression reaching its lowest point in 1895 and 1896, starting gradually upward with an acceleration of prosperity which carried on until the brief money panic of 1907. The cooperative idea was first introduced during this period, but gained no particular foothold, save as to dairying, and farming was all done in a small way and on the basis of strict individualism. Political unrest gave birth to the Farmers Alliance as well as to the populist party, but these were both political in character, and had little to do with the real business of farming, and when the pressure of hard times was relieved, they lost their power. Although there was renewed effort for a horticultural association, neither fruit growing nor poultry raising became real factors in the county until after 1900.

Land Disputes

Surprisingly little work was done by the government during the eighties in the way of survey and opening up lands for final settlement. In 1890 a large majority of the farmers of Snohomish County held their land as claims only, which might be, and often were disputed and lost, on account of some minor technicality. There was strong feeling against anyone who attempted to jeopardize the rights of real settlers. The claim jumper was a most unpopular man in the community as was evidenced by the fact that when in June, 1891, a claim jumper's cabin was destroyed by dynamite, the settlers were acquitted, although the deed was traced to their very doors. As Snohomish County lands became more valuable, there were many who searched the records and the acts of the settlers in order to dispossess them if possible. While the government was forced to insist that the requirements of the Homestead act be carried out in good faith, it was as a rule lenient, and the settlers rallied to the support of each other in the courts and a "cloud of witnesses" was usually fairly easy to obtain. In this way, while settlers were often placed to much inconvenience and expense, but few claims were lost, and in, perhaps, too many instances, claims were allowed where the claimant was simply the agent or employee of large interests. The general attitude of the government officials is shown by a newspaper mention in May, 1892, to the effect that "the promise of Register Reed that settlers in township 30, range 7 east, should have their claims granted, is being kept and filings of state cruisers are rejected. John A. Pounder is the only homesteader left in uncertainty and his claim will undoubtedly be allowed." Township 32, range 7, was open for public entry March 2, 1892. Fifty-four claims were filed between the hours of 9 A. M. and 4 P. M. of that day ; among these filings there were twenty-two timber claims, fifteen homesteads, and seventeen pre-emptions. In June, 1892, government surveys were ordered for three townships along the north fork of the Skykomish, the townships to be surveyed including Mineral City and Galena, and extending to within five miles east of Snohomish City. George James and his party of surveyors completed the survey of township 29, range 7, in November, 1892, his report showing that there were 150 settlers in the township. In January, 1893, surveys were ordered in the following townships: Township 29, range 8; township 28, range 9 and 10; township 31, range 10; township 29, range 12; and township 30, range 12. Township 28, range east, was open for entry August 9, 1893. J. D. McIntire received the contract to survey townships 27-10, 28-10, and 28-11, lying between Index and Galena in July, 1893. Four townships in the North Stillaguamish Valley were open for entry in the spring of 1894. Township 29-7 was opened for entry in January, 1894. There were then 100 settlers in the township, and two postoffices: Pilchuck, Lee Chowing, postmaster, and Pomona, George Friese, postmaster. On the first day of entry for township 32-8 in March, 1894, fifteen homesteads, six pre-emptions, one cash entry, and one final proof were filed. Township 32-9 was open for entry April 1; township 32-10, on April 10; township 29-7, on April 20. These were all in the vicinity of Arlington and Haller City. In August, 1894, it was de- cided to complete the survey of the southeast corner of township 30 on the Pilchuck, but it was announced that no bid would be considered where the price exceeded $5 a mile for running section lines. It was about this time, also, that a decision was handed down favorable to the settlers whose claims near Sultan had been contested by the Northern Pacific Railway. The settlers whose claims were affected were J. M. Owen, G. H. Hodgins, M. Moran, F. Helmke, P. Moran, P. Lewis, D. Howe, J. McDonald, and W. Reed. In February, 1895, Judge Hanford decided to appoint a United States Commissioner for the Monte Cristo district, to reside at Snohomish, to save the settlers the longer journey to Olympia. Work began on the survey of townships 29-8, and 30-8 in the summer of 1895, and the survey of township 33-7 was completed in October, 1895, by Emery W. Ammon. The engineer's notes showed that sixteen settlers resided in the township, that it contained much good timber, and that the highest altitude was 2,800 feet, and the lowest 500 feet. Township 29-8 was open for entry December 10, 1895. Township 31-7 and fractional township 31-6 were open for entry on July 15, 1896. C. L. Marsh of Arlington was appointed United States commissioner to take filings and final proofs in July, 1896. The plat of township 28-9 was filed at Seattle, April 15, 1897. Township 32-7 was open for entry in April, 1898, and among the settlers filing on their claims were Edward Brumby, Charles H. Lupton, John McCue, Thomas Fraser, Charles D. Pillas, Adolph Bahrens, Frederick Alderson, Dante Conniff, Nels S. Vieg, Duncan Fraser, Robert M. Culbertson, Ernest K. Molden, and Henry G. Dewey. By the close of the nineteenth century, therefore, the arable lands of Snohomish County had, for the most part, been surveyed and the titles of the settlers made permanent and assured. This was a great step forward in securing the permanent prosperity of the county.

First Creamery

During the earliest days, Iowa butter was sold throughout the Puget Sound region; later, California butter was placed on the market, but while we find that prizes for butter were given prominence in the county fairs of 1876 and 1877, and that Mr. Packard found many head of cattle on his trip up the Snoqualmie Valley, it was not until 1894 that a creamery. was established in the county or that the local supply was in any way adequate to meet the local demand. 'The first creamery in the county began operation in May, 1894, at Snohomish, but it did not prove successful. The credit for being one of the first to urge the establishment of creameries should be given to Peter A. Peterson of Florence who wrote to the "Eye" in January, 1894, declaring that they could be made to pay, and that they would add greatly to the wealth of the county. Prior to the opening of the Snohomish Creamery, milk had been shipped via the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern, to Seattle creameries, the ruling price being about 80 cents per hundred. Mr. Alexander, the founder of the Snohomish creamery, offered to pay 85 cents per hundred. When it began operation, the Snohomish creamery received about 150 gallons of milk daily, which was one-fourth of its capacity. The business increased rapidly, however, and the quality of the product was good. The second creamery was the Stillaguamish creamery which opened August 9, 1894, with new machinery and which used from 3,000 to 5,000 pounds of milk daily. Early in February, 1895, the farmers in the vicinity of Monroe organized a company to build a creamery to cost $5,000. In March, it was announced that a large creamery was soon to be erected on the Raborn ranch near Everett and a new creamery at Silvana, which started in March, was said to be the largest in the state. The most successful of these early creameries was the Stanwood Cooperative Association which filed articles of incorporation in April, 1895, the capital stock being $1,500. E. P. Hansen and A. J. Brue were among the leading spirits in this enterprise and the officers were: President, C. Joergensen; treasurer and business manager, E. Juel; secretary, O. J. Finley. This association purchased the machinery of the defunct Snohomish creamery, and although the residents of Snohomish, who had contributed the site and building, tried to prevent it, the plant was moved to Stanwood in May, 1895, and was in operation in June, at almost the same time that the Monroe creamery began operations. A Stanwood correspondent to the Eye in August, 1895, wrote that 'under the efficient management of Mr. Juel the Stanwood creamery is doing fine work, is turning out 250 pounds of butter daily, and can not keep up with the demands. Mr. Juel is trying to arrange to take some 300 gallons of milk daily that have been going to the Norman Creamery at Silvana, which was recently burned. The capacity of the Stanwood creamery is sufficient to take care of this added amount. Those interested in the creamery, as well as some others, will soon commence the erection of a codperative feed mill for the benefit of milk producers." The increased interest in dairying caused more grain to be raised and this in turn stimulated the milling business, Scheneurt and Wetzel starting a grist mill at Snohomish in November, 1895. Their announcement stated "farmers can have their grain ground, paying either cash or toll. They pay the highest price for grain; have flour and feed to exchange for grain, or will sell those articles cheap for cash or Labor Exchange checks." The Labor Exchange was a cooperative institution born of the hard times and which was quite a flourishing institution for some time at different points in Snohomish County and throughout the Puget Sound country. It was not only a marketing, but a purchasing agent. It was under the auspices of this Labor Exchange that farmers of Sultan arranged for the establishment of a creamery in January, 1896. In March, 1896, the output of creamery butter for Snohomish County for 1895 was given as 25,352 pounds of which 15,000 pounds was manufactured at Stanwood, and 10,000 pounds at Monroe, these appearing to be the only creameries in operation at that time. Under the management of Allen McMaster, the Monroe creamery was highly successful, and in April, 1896, he arranged to establish a branch at Snohomish, contracting with Frank Friese for the use of a portion of his feed mill building and for power. At this time, the Monroe creamery was making 150 pounds of butter daily. But the real success was made at Stanwood and it was praised and envied by all the rest of the county, the different newspapers telling of its progress and urging their communities to establish creameries also. The Stanwood creamery made 5,576 pounds of butter during April, 1896, and was handling 6,000 pounds of milk daily. It had the reputation of turning out the best product of any creamery west of the mountains. The capital stock was increased from $1,500 to $5,000, and it scored a triumph when it made a shipment of 1,000 pounds of butter to Alaska in June, 1896. It was said of this creamery that it started with John Woll as buttermaker and with cash capital of $150, and being indebted for the building and almost everything in it. Its failure in a month was predicted, but by October 1, 1896, it was out of debt, its cash payments in September amounting to $1,600. In April, 1897, the Stanwood creamery declared its first dividend of 6 per cent, had all its machinery paid for, and its order placed for a new separator. One of the success- ful manager, was D. G. Bennie, who was in charge from 1898 until 1903. This creamery continued in successful operation for more than fourteen years, or until the establishment of the large condensery of the Carnation Milk Company at East Stanwood.

H. McMasters began a cheese factory in a small way at Snohomish in 1895. He made a success where the creamery project had failed. During the first year, he took milk but four months during the summer, receiving about 2,500 pounds of milk per day, but by November, 1897, he was using 7,000 pounds daily and paying to the farmers about $1,800 per month. He is quoted as saying that the farmers brought milk from as far as seven miles, and in some instances, over very rough roads. McMasters added buttermaking to his line in January, 1897, and took prizes at the Tacoma and Yakima fairs. At the request of Arlington citizens, he visited that city in November, 1897, with a view to establishing a creamery there, but he did not find the field sufficiently inviting. Dairy interests suffered a severe blow when the Monroe creamery burned in March, 1899, with a total loss amounting to $3,000. It was soon rebuilt, however, for by this time the success of dairying and of creamery operation had been fully established and the excellence of Snohomish County butter was known throughout the Puget Sound region.

The dairy interests of the county were not, however, confined to the operation of Snohomish County creameries, for a large part of the milk produce was shipped to Seattle, as is shown by the following extract from the Arlington Times of September 9, 1899: "Probably no farming industry is growing with such rapid strides and proving so profitable in the territory tributary to Arlington as that of dairying. Ample evidence of this can be secured from the shipping records at the Arlington depot, which show that the first can of cream was shipped from Arlington to Seattle the 3rd day of last December, by Mr. Jackson, and that these shipments have since steadily increased until an average of about twenty-five ten-gallon cans are now shipped from here each week, Mr. Jackson realizing from this source - at the present time $100 per month."

While dairying and fruit growing were on the increase in Snohomish County, hop raising (which was first introduced into Washington Territory in the spring of 1860 by Jacob R. Meeker at Sumner with a half bushel of roots brought from Oregon, the hops being cured in a loft over his living room), was gradually abandoned. Experiments were made by Mr. Koch in the Stillaguamish Valley in 1891 and the following year some twenty farmers in that vicinity planted hops in a small way, but the industry did not flourish there and in 1895 it was reported that farmers in the vicinity of Monroe were plowing up their hop fields on account of the continued low and unsatisfactory prices. With the closing of the breweries under the prohibitory law hop culture ceased to be profitable and it is now almost extinct in Snohomish County.