Stanwood, Washington - History

Stanwood, March Flood, 1887 University Of Washington

mistake was made which has cost Stanwood dearly. The streets were laid out but thirty and forty feet wide, with but one street which for a short distance attained the width of fifty feet. This has heen a handicap to the city throughout its existence and may cause it to lose the Pacific Highway in the near future, as plans have already been drawn to skirt the town on account of the dangerously narrow streets. At the time, however, the file of this plat was a great benefit as theretofore lots were sold by metes and bounds and not by established survey. In 188/ Peter Wilkinson and John Armstrong built a new blacksmith shop, with a hall in the second story, although a pessimistic press writer doubted if there was room for two halls in Stanwood. The waterworks were extended during this year, there was a business change when Peter Harvey leased the Caldon Hotel, and a new factor was introduced when D. G. Bennie began the lumber business which is now one of Stanwood's chief industries. He lost heavily the first year he was in business but did not lose courage and finally won success. 1887 was a prosperous year for the entire valley. There were no disastrous floods and the logging camps afforded a good market. Hay was $18 per ton, potatoes $1.50 per sack, and other prices were good. There were many new settlers in an area extending twenty-five miles above Stanwood. The Bennett-Mackey Telegraph line was building across the valley about five miles from Stanwood, and the railroad was within twelve miles of that city. A new wharf was built giving a frontage of about six hundred feet, and when Henry Oliver sold two lots for $800 it was felt the "boom" days had come. The year 1888 was made notable by the coming of the first drug store, erected by Andrew B. Klaeboe: the first hardware store, by M. A. Goodykoontz; and the second hotel, the Melby. This was built by J. H. Armstrong and included a public hall.

The waterworks system, drawing its supply from Lake Young, four miles distant, was installed by H. Orchard and later sold to Peter Harvey. The machinery for the new sawmill arrived in August and by November the mill was crowded with orders. Stockbridge, the town site owner, built a large warehouse. Taken all in all, 1888 was one of Stanwood's best years.

Methodist Church Founded

The second church was erected, by the Methodist congregation, in 1889, Rev. M. C. Tyne being the "building pastor." F. E. Norton established a daily ferry service by a steam launch from Utsaladdy, via Stanwood, to Florence, and the town had its first taste of ]iterary fame when poems by Mrs. Maria W. Conners won general recognition. The Stillaguamish Times, Stanwood's first newspaper, also made its appearance during this year, but it soon removed to the new town of Haller City. A review of Stanwood for the year 1889, written by Eldridge Morse, speaks of it as the metropolis of Susan Bay, tells that Cyrus Walker and the Puget Mill Co. are planning a railroad from Utsalady, via Stanwood, up the north fork and over the Cascades with Utsaladdy as the deep water harbor, and lists the improvements at Stanwood as follows: Stockbridge, wharf and warehouse, $2,500; Irvine's new house, $2,500; Irvine's new warehouse and hall, $2,000; steam sawmill, $6,000; Munson & Johnson shingle mill, $2,000; Stanwood House and saloon, $2,800; Melby's Hotel, $1,600; O. J. Langsave, store, $1,000; Methodist Church, $1,800; W. G. Douglass, residence, $1,800; Payne & Brown, wharf, warehouse and furniture store, $2,500; A. O. Sherwin, hardware store, $1,000; town hall, $900; M. E. parsonage, $500; C. J. Nelson, residence, $800; Postal Telegraph, $150; O. Retz, residence, $150, and other minor improvements made by the Bennett barber shop, Kennedy blacksmith shop, the millinery store and the Denny shoe store.

In 1890 L. H. Smith put in the third stock of general merchandise, later selling to G. J. Ketchum, and the Puget Sound Live Stock Association was formed, holding a race meeting which was well attended. Stanwood was very indignant over the increased valuation ordered by the county commissioners and at a mass meeting $100 was raised to fight it, but without avail.

Railroad Misses Stanwood

The coming of the railroads which made so many towns was almost the undoing of Stanwood. Arlington, which sprang up where the Seattle, Lakeshore & Eastern crossed the Stillaguamish, above the forks, cut off a large amount of trade which Stanwood had called almost exclusively its own for many years, and when the 'Seattle & Montana went through it left Stanwood three-fourths of a mile to one side. Stanwood people did what they could to avert this, offering a cash bonus of $4,000 if the road would run through their city, but their offer was not accepted and hard times soon settled down upon the little city. Pearson platted a forty-acre tract between the town and the depot, but was unable to sell a single lot for some time. By 1892 conditions were so bad that Rev. J. W. White, pastor of the Methodist Church, resigned in order to clerk in a store as his salary amounted to but 26 cents a day. Nevertheless, the game little town was not ready to give up, and there was talk of a street railway to connect town and depot, and Tamlin Elwell leased the race track and a meet was put on with purses amounting to $1,500. A tragedy occurred at this meeting when J. B. Roberts, a well-known pioneer of the Snohomish Valley, fell dead on the race track.

Big Fire Of 1892

The next calamity which befell Stanwood was what has since been known as the 'Big Fire of 1892." This occurred June 2 and was discovered at 9 o'clock in the evening in the Stanwood Restaurant. A line of hose run from the steamer Merwin, which was lying at the wharf, was not long enough to be effective, and the old-time bucket brigade fought the flames all night before the fire was under control. It is told that the Good Templar lodge was in session and that the members rushed out, in full regalia, and succeeded in saving the stock of liquors from the Armstrong saloon. Five buildings on one side of the street and three buildings on the opposite side were destroyed, together with other small buildings and the Lutheran Church. Falling timbers broke the telegraph wires and the town was cut off from communication with the outside world. The Armstrong Hotel, the Smith store, the blacksmith shop and hall - three two-story buildings, the pride of the town, were wiped out. This was a heavy blow, but the burned area was soon rebuilt. As if this was not enough, however, Stanwood was four feet under water in November, the flood being caused by the breaking of the Skagit levee. It was reported in 1893 that the Seattle & Montana proposed building a spur to the city, but nothing came of this, and in the meantime the indignant merchants boycotted the road, shipping everything by steamer. The farmers clubbed together and bought the steamer City of Stanwood, but this, with its heavy cargo of hay and oats, was burned to the water's edge at Port Susan in January, 1894, causing a loss of $8,000.

Cooperative Creamery

In 1895 J. H. Irvine retired from business, selling to S. A. Thompson, and during the same year the Stanwood Cooperative Creamery was organized. This was started with a cash capital of $300 and a debt of $3,000, all the lumber and machinery being bought on credit. Rev. C. Joergenson was one of the founders and the first president of this concern, which was soon the envy of all the rest of the county. Ina very short time it was free from debt, and by July, 1896, it was using from 6,000 to 7,000 pounds of milk daily. It had a career of almost uninterrupted success for more than twenty years and was a potent factor in making the Stanwood Flats the center of a great dairy industry. The Stanwood Lumber Company, established by A. S. Howard, was running at 20,000 feet daily capacity in 1897, and in May of that year F. P. Friday and Chicago parties incorporated the Everett Canning Company to erect a cannery at Stanwood, and this plant was in operation by August, 1898. After the Stillaguamish Times moved to Haller City in 1890, the Post was established and had a brief existence, after which there was no newspaper for some time, the next venture being the Stanwood Press (established March 1, 1897), which continued for some years and which was the first to urge the incorporation of the city, in 1899. The year 1891 saw an oil flurry, a Seattle firm leasing lands but not doing a great amount of prospecting, and the leasing of the cannery by the Stockbridge interests to the Ocean Packing Company of New York. G. M. Mitchell, the first attorney Stanwood could really call her own, was admitted to the bar at Mount Vernon in 1902 and began practice in Stanwood in 1903.

Stanwood Incorporates

After much discussion the preliminary steps were taken and Stanwood was incorporated, dating from September 29, 1903. There was a close but good-natured contest for all the offices. The vote for mayor stood: D. O. Pearson 30, S. A. Thompson 28, Dr. D. McEacheran 26, R. J. McLaughlin 11. Iver Johnson, I. F. Galloupe, Dr. O. R. Allen, C. W. Chadbourne and W. C. Brokaw were members of the first council and K. Knudson, the proprietor of Stanwood's first jewelry store, was the first treasurer. Fred Pearson was elected as city clerk, but this was found to be an appointive office and Carl Ryan was named. Other first officers of Stanwood were J. M. Bennett, marshal; G. H. Mitchell, attorney ; D. McEacheran, magistrate. Mr. Brokaw failed to qualify and H. Hafstad was appointed on the council. Ira Gilloupe made the first motion before a Stanwood council. These officers held only until the regular election in December, at which Pearson was reelected mayor, his opponent being Dr. D. McEacheran, and Knudson was reelected treasurer. A. Tackstrom, O. R. Allen, J. W. Hall, N. R. Olson and George Ketchum were elected to serve as councilmen. In his address to the new council in January, 1904, Mayor Pearson said the receipts since incorporation were $421 and expenditures $423; that 2,000 feet of sidewalk had been built, the dike repaired, and books, seal and other supplies for the city purchased. He recommended the building of a jail, the purchasing of a pump to be placed on the wharf, for fire protection, and the widening of certain streets.

Business Review In 1904

In 1904, soon after incorporation, Stanwood's business concerns were as follows: Bank of Stanwood, H. C. Anderson, president ; Peter Leque, vice president ; W. C. Brokaw, cashier; S. A. Thompson & Co., general merchandise (the company consisting of Alfred and Carl Ryan) ; D. O. Pearson, general merchant ; Ole Aalbu, blacksmith; H. Gilpatrick, Frye-Bruhn and People's Union meat markets; Ernest Dimick, wall paper; K. Knudson, jewelry; Louis Peterson, photographer; Fred Till, log scaler; Charles McKean and Fred Landwehr, barbers; Geo. M. Mitchell, attorney; Dr. Frank O. Rhoads, dentist; Dr. D. McEacheran, physician; Benj. Stoulp, tailor; Stanwood Tidings, newspaper; Skagit Navigation Company (Capt. Charles Durgan and Engineer James Durgan, operating the steamer Lily) ; Clemens and Mitchell, real estate; Robert McLaughlin, shingle mill; Stanwood Lumber Company (A. H. Howard, manager) ; Klaeboe Drug Company; Hotel Stanwood, by W. C. Benton; Palace Hotel, by "Billy" Conners; Geo. J. Ketchum, groceries ; Mrs. May Watson, millinery ; Codperative Creamery; J. W. Hall, ltveryman; Ben Willard, furniture; Stanwood Hardware Company (Iver Johnson and Herman Halfstad) ; Dr. R. O. Allen, physician, who came to Stanwood in 1899 and who established a private hospital in 1904.

Early in 1904 Stanwood parties applied to the county commissioners for a franchise to operate a street railway between the town and the Great Northern station. This franchise was granted, and while the citizens desired such a line, they were greatly incensed because the franchise was granted without seeking permission from the city. There was much heated discussion carried on through the press between the mayor and the commissioners, but peace was finally declared and Mayor Pearson officiated when the last spike of the H. & H. Railway was driven October 25, 1904. A picture of the car and engine used by this line is shown on another page of this history. John W. Hall was the builder, manager and chief owner of this tram, which served its purpose well until largely deposed by the automobile and the paved road, but it is still operated as a freight line, hauling cars from the mills to the Great Northern.

Death Of Peter Leque

Perhaps no other tragedy so deeply affected Stanwood people as the death of Peter Leque, in November, 1905. Mr. Leque was in many ways the pride of Stanwood and especially of its Norwegian element. Returning to his home down the river about one-half mile, at night, it is supposed that in stepping from his boat to the scow which served as a landing he slipped and fell into the icy water. The body was found by Charles Floe after the drifting boat had given silent evidence of his fate. Peter Leque was born in Norway and came to Snohomish County in 1875, where he lived with his uncle and foster father, N. P. Leque. He attended the schools of Stanwood and later of Olympia, living at the home of O. B. Iverson. He was prominent both in business and in politics, had been county surveyor, assessor and auditor and was, although but forty-one years of age, accounted one of the wealthiest men in the Stillaguamish Valley. At the time of his death he was president of the Stanwood Hardware Company and vice president of the Stanwood bank.

New Century Growth

The electric light plant was installed in 1906 and in 1907 the city was the scene of the starting of a notable philanthropy when John Hals, entirely at his own expense, erected a home for the aged to be known as the Josephine Old Folks' Home, in memory of his wife. This building, which cost $10,000, was donated to the Pacific District Norwegian Lutheran Synod. It is still carrying on its good work under the supervision of the church, with E. O. Johnson as the efficient manager. Diking problems occupied the attention of farmers and of the newly organized Commercial Club in 1907, and as a dike district could not be agreed upon the city council raised $500 by public subscription and in this way all land north of the depot was protected from flood. The Catholic Church, erected near the Great Northern station, was begun in 1907 and finished in 1908; and in April the ~ Zion Lutheran Church was incorporated, the incorporators being Louis I. Foe, Lars Breum, T. K. Hagen, Andrew Breum, P. J. Breum, Gilbert and Chauncey Hagen and Andrew Floe. The church edifice was also located near the railway. This year also saw the organization of the first Odd Fellows lodge, Stanwood Lodge, No. 249, by Grand Secretary H. Hart of Tacoma, assisted by the Everett lodge. The Washington Canning Company was incorporated in May of this year, the officers being S. A. Thompson, president; N. P. Leque, vice president; H. O. Becker, treasurer; W. C. Brokaw, secretary. Another very important business change was the purchase of the Cedarhome Lumber Company by Henry Dickinson, C. A. Lux and C. O. Elwood of Milwaukee, and S. J. Lombard and J. F. Jacobsen of Seattle, for $120,000; the sale including 75,000,000 feet of timber, saw and shingle mill, logging railroad and equipment.

Among the notable happenings of this year, 1908, were the community celebration of the seventy-fifth birthday of the pioneer, Gardner Goodrich; the lecture delivered by the great Norwegian Arctic explorer, Capt. Raoul Amundsen, who was given a warm welcome by his fellow Norwegians, introduced by Mayor Klaeboe and entertained at the home of Perry Babington; and the dedication of the Old Folks' Home, September 27, 1,500 people attending, when it was accepted by Trinity Lutheran Church.

In 1915 the Stanwood-Oak Harbor auto ferry was opened on June 30, with a celebration in which fifty automobiles from Everett and two from Whidby Island participated, and in 1916 the building of the Pacific Highway made street cars unnecessary and largely tended to offset the advantage which East Stanwood had in the possession of the railroad station.

The Modern City

The indomitable, tenacious, upbuilding spirit of the Stanwood people persisted in spite of railroad and other reverses, and instead of decreasing in volume of business and industry and in population, the old commercial center of northwest Snohomish County has continued to prosper and to keep pace with even the most progressive of the newer towns of the county. It was the west terminus of the first mile of vitrified brick pavement in the county, connecting the mother town with her vigorous young rival, East Stanwood, and it was one of the first communities to offset the gradual decline of the primal lumber industries by intensive development of the farms and farm products. Thus the Washington Canning

Company of Stanwood, as early as 1909, had packed in the one season 8,151 cases of fruit and vegetables grown in the Stanwood district, according to a report in the Everett Herald of January 14, 1910, including apples, green beans, beets, pears, cherries, blackberries, rhubarb, plums, prunes and raspberries. It is the business heart of a great area of reclaimed marsh lands, rich and never-failing in almost unequaled yields of the usual farm crops, and is also the gateway and exclusive trading center of Camano Island, Island County, which is reached by paved highway and steel span drawbridge over the narrow channel separating the island from the mainland close to the western border of the city, this drawbridge being equipped with electric power in 1926. Camano is becoming an important berry growing district and will be an increasing element of Stanwood's prosperity, supplementing the greater production of the surrounding area of rich mainland.

Well Paved Streets

The people of Stanwood anticipated the construction of the Pacific Highway by nearly four years; it was a pretty well paved little city by the time the great state cement road was built in 1916, and at this time every business or semi-business street in Stanwood is paved with either cement or vitrified brick, and at the fall election in 1926 the voters are to determine a project to erect a new modern city hall at a cost of $11,000, to replace the twenty-five-year-old city headquarters on Oliver Street. Ever since its incorporation, September 29, 1903, when D. O. Pearson became the first mayor, there have been few contests or clashes over the management of city affairs, and the present city attorney, Geo. M. Mitchell, has been the legal advisor throughout the life of the corporation to the present time. Other city officers in 1926 are: O. E. Thompson, mayor; Clifford Myron, F. L. Conners, Geo. W. Bonser, Arthur Knudson and H. A. Hafstad, councilmen; D. C. Tolin, city clerk; A. D. Hall, treasurer; Nils Olsen, police judge; W. T. Jordan, chief of police.

Stanwood Institutions

Although Stanwood is built on the north bank of the Stillaguamish River at the point where one branch flows south into Port Susan and the other westward into the same fine inlet of Puget Sound, the town has never converted the river water to domestic use. D. O. Pearson piped the first water supply to the village, the source being a number of springs on the bluff a mile away from town. The waters from these springs were confined in a small reservoir. In 1888 H. Orchard installed a new water supply, piping the water from Lake Young, four miles distant, and a short time later sold the plant to Peter Harvey. This was later perfected and developed and became the present excellent water system, supplied from Lake Ketchum, four miles north of town and at an altitude of 135 feet, the supply being supplemented by tributary springs. The present water system is owned and operated by the Stanwood Water Company. The 30,000-gallon reservoir, 120 feet high and close to the business center and industrial district, provides ideal fire protection pressure and supplies the distributing system for domestic and industrial use. Fire protection is modern and complete in every detail, the Stanwood department being fully equipped, including a new chemical engine, auto hook and ladder truck and three hose wagons, supplied with plenty of standard fire hose to cope with any possible conflagration to the limit of the water supply. Robert Evans is chief of the department and his men are all well drilled volunteers, and its equipment cost $16,000, half of which has already been paid in cash. The town is practically out of debt and on a cash basis, no outstanding warrants, the fire protection item being the only outstanding debt at this time, or a total of $8,500. In close proximity to the tower of the water reservoir is the cement power house of the electric light and power service, built in 1909, three years after the first establishment of the electric light plant. The city has two solid banking houses, the Bank of Stanwood, founded in 1904 by W. C. Brokaw, who died in 1919, and the First National Bank, established in 1918, the combined capital and surplus of the two banks being $82,000 and combined deposits, June 30, 1926, $1,070,581.68.

The Stanwood Commercial Club closely cooperates with and supplements the work of the municipal government, while the newly organized Stanwood Kiwanis Club supplies the welding influence and spirit that is surely bringing the two Stanwood towns together in letter and spirit, this club working in harmony with both town governments and both commercial clubs. The Stanwood Commercial Club in 1926 maintained an active 100 per cent membership of fifty and at its regular banquet meetings, held the second Tuesday evening each month, the attendance is seldom under fifty men. A. D. Hall is president and Elias Myron secretarytreasurer.

School System

Stanwood was the center of the fourth school district created in Snohomish County, October 25, 1872; in May, 1885, the Lake Stevens-Hartford district became No. 4, and Stanwood No. 18, and in recent years it was the heart of consolidated school district No. 99, which it remains. Its public school properties now have a valuation of $84,000, while the bond debt is $21,000 and the assessed valuation of the district is $660,000. All warrants are cashed on presentation. The total cost of operation and maintenance in the year 1925-26 was $37,000, including the salaries of ten high school and seven grade school teachers, with an enrollment of 225 in the high school and 232 in the grade school. The high school building is a modern brick structure, having ten large rooms, with an auditorium seating 500 persons, built in 1914 at a cost of $25,000, building and equipment financed with a $30,000 bond issue, one-third of which has been paid up. The grade school building is also modern in all its departments and has eight rooms. The high school is situated upon a twenty-acre tract, providing ample campus and field room. The gymnasium and manual training building adjoins the high school proper and is 60 by 100 feet in size. Prof. A. W. Bush is the city superintendent for the biennium of 1925-1927, and O. V. Lange is principal of the consolidated high school. The school board is composed of President Martin Tyjerne, Clerk W. B. Davis and Director Edwin O' Melia.

Public Library

The Stanwood Public Library has a background of interesting history, aside from the fact that it was sponsored from its inception by the ladies of the Four- Leaf Clover Club. When the pioneer Jack Irvine died his will provided $2,500 for the library; when later his widow died her will also provided for $2,500, making a total of $5,000, of which $4,000 was to be spent for books and $1,000 for maintenance. The Stillaguamish Band had about this time acquired a site for a permanent band home, on Depot Street, the Stanwood-East Stanwood highway, close to the mother town, and had erected thereon a handsome frame building, but found the property too much of a financial responsibility. The library board, appointed hy the Stanwood council, headed by Edwin O'Melia, raised $1,200 by public subscription early in 1926 to build the cement approach to the building from the highway pavement, paint the building and equip it for use as a library, having taken the property over in 1921 from the band boys, the latter reserving use of the structure for their occasional purposes and as a home for their instruments. The library was first opened in the unpainted building in January, 1922. Today it is one of the most pleasing sights as one motors toward Stanwood on the Pacific Highway, and with 1,335 listed books of good literature on its shelves it is an institution of which both these spirited little cities may well feel proud. Mrs. Yokum, who resides near by, is the present librarian and keeps the library open from 2 to 5 on Wednesday and Saturday afternoons. The library board is composed of Mrs. O. E. Thompson, chairman; Mrs. Geo. W. Bonser, Mrs. A. S. Howard, Edwin O''Melia and E. A. Rosser, treasurer.

Social Organizations

The ladies of the Four-Leaf Clover Club are always working for community betterments, their most popular achievement being the library, in which, however, they acknowledge a debt of gratitude to William White, who loaned them the money required without interest, and they have paid it all back. The club started as a needlework circle in 1913, with membership limited to ten, the limit being later raised to twenty, and the club was federated in 1917. There are but sixteen women on the roll now, but they are all effective workers. The first officers were: Mrs. L. H. Jacobson, president; Mrs. D. D. McEachran, vice president; Mrs. W. B. Davis, secretary, and Mrs. Geo. J. Ketchum, treasurer. The present officers are: Mrs. Emil Christianson, president; Mrs. Ted Swearingen, vice president ; Mrs. Chas. McKane, secretary, and Mrs. G. W. Bonser, treasurer. The Monday Club is an older and larger organization of cultured women, long a member of the Snohomish County Federation, which it entertained in annual convention at Stanwood in 1914.

Church Organizations

Fraternal organizations are headed by the two old standard orders, Masons and ()dd Fellows, the former being the historic Camano Lodge No. 19, F. & A. M., organized at Utsaladdy in 1872, and removed to Stanwood in 1891, the present Masonic Temple on Oliver Street being erected in 1893. J. P. Anderson was the first worthy master. The lodge now has fifty-eight members and the officers are: Roy Olson, W. M.; Harry Butts, S. W.; Frank Colossus, Jr. W.; James J. Hansen, sec.; C. A. Norlin, treasurer. CHURCH ORGANIZATIONS

The leading churches are: Our Savior's Lutheran, Methodist Episcopal, Catholic and Presbyterian, the first named being the historic pioneer, at this time conducted by Rev. George O. Lane. This church also continues the old parochial school and supervises the Josephine Old Folks' Home, established by John Hals and named in memory of his wife in 1907, since which time the admirable and well furnished and equipped institution has been in charge of the Pacific District of the

The present industrial establishments include those of the Lien Bros. Packing Co., fish, fruit and vegetable canning in season, Conrad Lien manager, B. S. Lien secretary; two lumber mills, one of which is the large plant of the Stanwood Lumber Company, Daniel D. McEacheran president, E. J. Bennie manager, and the well-known timber supply concern, the Stillaguamish Boom Company. The population is at this time about one thousand, and William Rouse is the postmaster.