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(S and N Railroad)

Skagit River Journal

of History & Folklore
Subscribers Edition
The most in-depth, comprehensive site about the Skagit

Covers from British Columbia to Puget Sound. Counties covered: Skagit, Whatcom, Island, San Juan, Snohomish & BC. An evolving history dedicated to committing random acts of historical kindness
Noel V. Bourasaw, editor (bullet) 810 Central Ave., Sedro-Woolley, Washington, 98284
Home of the Tarheel Stomp (bullet) Mortimer Cook slept here & named the town Bug

(Click to send email)

Volume 9, Issue 49, June 2009
Subscribers Journal Online Sample Issue

Launched on Jan. 1, 2001, now with 375+ stories
Or . . . additional Contents of Issues 44-48

See table of contents below and click on underlined sample stories
Attention: please consider
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      Perhaps we have been too reluctant to state the obvious and stick our hand out in the past. We are always woefully under-funded, but we are facing a crucial balloon payment of a loan due, which we must make to continue these free pages at the level they have reached. If you have already donated or are a subscriber, we thank you and do not expect or ask any more. But if you enjoy these pages and want them to grow dramatically over the next year, please consider donating even a small amount to help us keep the shop open. We have a separate subscribers-paid online Journal magazine, now in its ninth year. If you want to donate or subscribe, just click the "Paypal Donate" button to pay by secure credit card, or mail checks to here. Subscriptions are $20/1 year; $35/2 years, or $100 for a "lifetime" 10-year rate. Or you can read details first about how or why to subscribe or donate, by either check or credit card, and how to share gifts with your friends and family. Thank you for your consideration and support.

Menu of Historical Delicacies,
Issue 49, June 2009
(Under construction)

(Seattle, 1880 Snow)
1880 Snow

(Nellie Coupe)
Nellie Coupe

(Skagit Steelhead)
Howard Miller's steelhead
Clippings from the 1980 Seattle Intelligencer newspaper that report on the Ruby Creek Gold Rush
Part One, January-May
Part Two, May-December
Schools history, Whatcom and Skagit
First schools in Whatcom County and the area that became Skagit County in 1883 — updated with new data
Biography of Nellie Coupe, an educator who made an impact on both Island and Whatcom counties.
Profile of the Seabury family and Lloyd Seabury,
1970s Skagit author
Skiyou pioneer Lloyd Seabury recalls the rampaging 1909 flood
Lloyd Seabury recalls his neighbors, the Van Fleets, and the 1900 Skiyou neighborhood
Ron Strickland's fine 1984 book, River Pigs and Cayuses,
is long out of print. Here are four stories from it.
Look for it in used-book stores.
Mark Gilkey, the Skagit River gambler as a youth.
Ralph Parker of Lyman explains the moonshine business
Howard Miller guides you through the steelhead of the Skagit River
Glee Davis and his family at Cedar Bar
The Truth newsletter about evil liquor, ca. 1900 in Woolley.
Menu of Historical Delicacies,
Issue 48, April-May 2009
(Under construction)

(Coon Chicken)
The Coon Chicken Inn near Bothell

(Chief Sealth)
Chief Sealth
Stan Stapp reminds us of the Coon Chicken Inn
and Cotton Club between Seattle and Bothell


Early Sedro and Woolley
Albert G. Mosier recalls platting the three towns
Harry L. Devin recalls how the three railroads formed the town lines
1903 story of the 1898 merger that formed Sedro-Woolley
Junius Brutus Alexander, wealthy Sedro pioneer who pushed for the 1898 merger
Northwestern Skagit County
1932 Obituary of Louisa Ann Conner, namesake of LaConner
Obituary and profile of prominent Padilla pioneer Edgar A. Sisson
Profiles and civil war memories of Northwest County and Padilla-area pioneers Ed Wells, A.G. Tillinghast and R.H. Ball
Indians, Chief Sealth and Dr. Henry A. Smith
Chief Sealth/Seattle's famous 1854 speech, in Dr. Henry A. Smith's words
Dr. Henry A. Smith, Seattle pioneer, famous for recording the Chief's speech. By David M. Buerge
Native Seattle, by Coll Thrush, about Seattle's native population, including Dr. Smith and Chief Sealth.

Menu of Historical Delicacies,
Issue 47, February 2009


(Clothier)
Harrison Clothier

(Woolley Saloon)
Woolley Saloon

(Fred Hegg)
Fred Hegg
Harrison Clothier and Edward G. English,
founders of Mount Vernon
Part One, the early years
Part Two, logging, going separate ways
Ed English kidnapped in 1908 and his obituary

The first saloons in Sedro-Woolley,
Skagit County and up the Skagit River


F.A. Hegg and sons, Woolley's most famous grocers
Part One, Fred Hegg from Minnesota to Woolley
Part Two, Fred and sons become leading grocers
Earl "Fuzz" Hegg excels and his Fuzzy Wuzzy Grocery

Gust Gilbertson opens Sedro-Woolley J.C. Penney store, 1915
How J.C. Penney came from Missouri to Number One retailer

Menu of Historical Delicacies,
Issue 46, January 2009


(Logging undercut)

(Bessie Rudene)

(Threshing hay)
Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties, 1906
This issue is devoted to our most ambitious project so far, the transcription of chapters from the 1906 book that is the most important resource book for Skagit County historians, authors, genealogists and students. We have transcribed the first two chapters of the Skagit County section, nearly 50 pages in all. But most important, we have annotated each chapter with extensive footnotes that will illuminate pioneers, towns and events and provide links for background reading.
Introduction to the Illustrated History, with facts about the book that you may not have learned before, and background on its creators, along with a caveat for readers.
Chapter One of Skagit County settlement. Part One of this chapter introduces you to the first settlers, especially on Fidalgo Island, and the first women to brave the wilderness.
Chapter One of Skagit County settlement. Part Two of this chapter introduces you to more settlers, especially those on the south fork of the Skagit River and the area of the log jams where Mount Vernon would rise.
Chapter Two of Skagit County, 1874-83. Part One of this chapter shares details of settlement, logging and early agriculture, and reviews the process of removing the log jams that shut off the upper stretches of the river from exploration.
Chapter Two of Skagit County, 1874-83. Part Two of this chapter shares details of the first upriver settlement, sternwheeler steamboats and early mining discoveries, including the exciting, if brief, 1880 gold rush to Ruby Creek. settlement, logging and early agriculture, and reviews the process of removing the log jams that shut off the upper stretches of the river from exploration.
These special, extensive transcriptions are shared only with subscribers first as a special reward for support of this research project. If you would like to see samples of features and profiles shared with our subscribers, see the underscored links in Issues 40-45 below.
Menu of Historical Delicacies,
Issue 45, September-October 2008

We appreciate your patience while we recently ill. To make up for the delay in two issues, the next two will be published back-to-back right after the turn of the New Year.

(KKK Wedding)
KKK Wedding
KKK in the Northwest, 1920s
Claudia Lowman writes about the Klan in Anacortes, 1926
Gabriel Mayer writes about the Klan in Bellingham in the 1920s
KKK stages a wedding and dedicates a church altar in Sedro-Woolley in 1924-26

(Nooksack Tower)
Nooksack Tower, 1940
Fire Lookout Towers & Firefighting in the Northwest
Introduction to firewatchers and their towers in the North Cascades
Maxine Meyers wrote about her season on Mount Josephine
Dr. Quentin C. Belles recalls upriver firefighting in the 1940s
William Entwistle wrote about the history of Northwest firefighting

(Josie Bradley)
Josie Bradley
Two Claudia Lowman biographies:
R. Lee Bradley, Padilla farmer and Anacortes Mercantile Co. owner
Josie Bradley, Skagit County's Superintendent of Schools, 1884

Morris Schneider, pioneer Woolley businessman and first Jewish business owner, biography by his granddaughter, Muriel Weissman

Menu of Historical Delicacies, Issue 44, May-July 2008

Fairhaven & Southern Railroad, first standard-gauge railroad north of Seattle.

(F and S Depot)
The F&S Depot in old Sedro.
Fairhaven & Southern Railroad, Part One. Includes information on the alphabet soup of railroads of Whatcom and Skagit counties, the background of the F&S principals, including Nelson Bennett, C.X. Larrabee and John J. Donovan.
F&S, Part Two. Sedro prepares 1888-89, Donovan's horseback ride in the nick of time, details of the Seattle Lake Shore & Eastern, Seattle & Montana and Great Northern lines, James J. Hill and the decline of the F&S, and the decline of the Sedros.
F&S, Part Three. Ray Jordan stories about the F&S Christmas gift to old Sedro; the line's original route from Bellingham Bay; and Journal research into the naming of Fairhaven/Graves Street in Sedro.

Capsule biographies of F&S principals:

(Charles X. Larrabee)
Charles X. Larrabee, the Montana copper magnate, who financed the F&S and bought the Cokedale coal mines. Parts 1 & 2 include: (bullet) Childhood in New York & Wisconsin; (bullet) Brother Samuel Edward "Ed" Larabie; (bullet) Brothers building their fortunes in Montana and Portland; (bullet) Larrabee's financing of Fairhaven boom and the Fairhaven Hotel; (bullet) marriage to Frances Payne; (bullet) their philanthropy.
(bullet) Part 3: documents & external profiles of family

John J. Donovan>, the civil engineer who determined the F&S route, and became a famous lumberman on his own
Cyrus Gates, Larrabee's assistant who oversaw rail and coal interests, continued Larrabee's philanthropy & also became wealthy

The origins of Lyman, upper Skagit River

(Lyman 1889)
Lyman 1889.
Lyman, Part One: earliest settlers and homesteaders, including A.R. Williamson, Valentine Adam and Henry Cooper and town namesake, Lorenzo Lyman. earliest businesses, the Skagit River's effect on the town, the Otto Klement and Birdsey Minkler eras
Lyman, Part Two: Flynn and Meyers families; capsule histories of 24 early families

Lyman pioneers, including news of converting Minkler Mansion to City Hall

(Clara Bartlett Cooper)
Clara Bartlett Cooper.
Lorenzo Lyman, country doctor and namesake of Lyman, updated with research about Dr. Lyman.
Birdsey Minkler, Part One: his early years in Wisconsin and California, homesteading and his mill at Birdsview, and details of his 1911 funeral. Totally updated.
Birdsey Minkler, Part Two: his family moves to Lyman in 1887, death of his wives; mill at Minkler Lake; the Minkler children marry. Totally updated.

Menu of Historical Delicacies, Issue 43,
March-April 2008


Magazine articles that chronicled the time preceding the birth of Sedro-Woolley. All stories extensively annotated for the pleasure of our subscribers.

Articles about booming Sedro, circa 1890
(Board of Trade)
Sedro on the Skagit River, August 1890 Washington Magazine article that introduced readers to the booming town on the Skagit.
Sedro's Improvements, October 1890 Washington Magazine article that listed improvements already made to the two towns of Sedro.
    The "Improvements" story above includes a fascinating endnote discovery that ties Sedro with Seattle attorney Elbert F. Blaine and the 1994 suicide of Seattle musician Kurt Cobain.
    Sedro and the coal mines near the Skagit River, 1890-91 Fairhaven Illustratedmagazine article that explained why the Fairhaven & Southern Railroad was built between Fairhaven on Bellingham Bay and Sedro on the Skagit, with all its resources.
Articles about booming Woolley, circa 1890-91
(Woolley mill)
Woolley, the hub of Skagit Count, November 1890 Washington Magazine article that introduced readers to the booming town where 3 railroads would soon cross.
Woolley has a leg up, 1891 Graphic Magazine article from Chicago that provided many details and statistics about Woolley's sudden rise and resources of Skagit Valley.
More columns by Frank Wilkeson, New York Times columnist
while living in Hamilton and Fairhaven, circa 1890s

(Frank Wilkeson)
Wilkeson's 1884 Sun River (Montana) Sun column of Sept. 18, 1884, about a frontier trader and his dog.
Wilkeson's 1885 New York Sun story about Poker on the Wenatchee River and the scamp, Butch the Butcher.
Other new Issue 43 features
  • Updated transcription of an account of Otto Pressentin and his 10 years in outback BC, 1911-21, by Ray Jordan
  • E.R. Million, Mount Vernon attorney and capitalist from 1889 to 1906, associate of timberman Ed English and friend of the high and mighty.
  • The Courthouse Fight of 1909, when Burlington tried to wrest the courthouse from Mount Vernon.
  • George Hopp, editor of Sedro Press, first newspaper, mayor and postmaster, and one of three brothers who published newspapers all over Iowa, Dakota Territory and Washington. In which the reader will learn the history of several Dakota towns; the connection with writer Laura Ingalls Wilder; the history of Marysville, Bridgeport and Camas, Washington, and how a murder led to an important opportunity for George.

Menu of Historical Delicacies, Issue 42,
January-February 2008

Otto Klement, 1873 Skagit Settler, Father of Lyman
(Klement)
Klement Biography updated with genealogy
Hogtied! Good Ole Boys boil a pig, Lyman 1881
New: Otto's early years on the Skagit
New: Farming methods and earthquakes 1870s & '80s
New: winter weather and frozen Skagit River
New: early attempts at Cascade Pass Road
Edward Eldridge, Whatcom Pioneer 1853 & his mysterious name change
(Eldridge)
Updated biography with new genealogy from descendants and more answers about the secret that almost did him in
Updated profile of his son, Hugh Eldridge, & capsule biographies of other early Whatcom children
Other new Issue 42 features
  • Walter Washington deLacy, father of the Old Military Road and the Whatcom Trail to Fraser River, and his fascinating life before and after his Whatcom years.
  • Otto Pressentin, his 10 years in outback BC, 1911-21, by Ray Jordan
  • Biography of the Northwest writer, June Burn and her book, Living High.

Issue 41 Menu of Historical Delicacies
(Eagle Shingle Co.)

(Isabel and Christy.)
The Slipper family of Hamilton
R.I.P. Fred Slipper, 1917-2007, son of an early Hamilton businessman and he managed the Sedro-Woolley Courier-Times for many years.
The Slipper Brothers and their Sprinkle-sister wives, who influenced the town of Hamilton from 1890 on, and the Slipper Hamilton home, which now serves as a museum.
Read John Slipper's hilarious 1942 letter to the Sedro-Woolley Courier-Times, with many anecdotes about Hamilton and the Skagit River in the same issue.
The story behind the Hammer Heritage Square family:
Isabel Hammer, Kansas and Skagit pioneer — the Blue Lady.
The Hammer Mansion, home to Emerson and Isabel Hammer
Allen and Roray, town finally explained:
Part One — we explain the mystery of the Allen and Roray dueling names for the town and the mill the two men opened there.
Part Two — Allen's favorite son, Joy Busha, and a 1959 history of the town from the 1880s on.
Ray Jordan: two vanished townships north of Woolley:
Town of Hoogdal and the Swedish families who settled there.
Capt. John Warner and his beautiful Warner's Prairie.
Two pioneer biographies:
Horace Condy, Woolley jeweler, optician, music dealer from 1900, father of the Condy clock.
George and Dwight Brosseau family, Sterling and Sedro pioneers, and Edna Brosseau who sewed Sedro's first 4th of July flag in 1890.

Menu of Historical Delicacies, Issue 40,
August-September 2007

(Bill Jarman)

(Samish Island Cover)
William R. "Blanket Bill" Jarman, the first full study in 50 years about the first Whatcom/Skagit settler and all the myths

A profile of William R. Jarman and the legends of Blanket Bill, researched, discussed and debated, Part One
A profile of William R. Jarman and the legends of Blanket Bill, researched, discussed debated, Part Two.
Ray Jordan's story of Blanket Bill and Jarman Prairie, from his point of view as a young Belfast neighbor.
Percival R. Jeffcott's book of Blanket Bill Jarman and the mysteries and legends, some debunked, and a profile of Jeffcott..
Bessemer, Birdsview and the Elliott Hotel, owned by Bill's daughter, Alice, and her husband, James Elliott.
Kitsap County, Slaughter County and a Jarman myth debunked
Port Townsend, the birth of the town and Bill's first Washington home
The history of the S'Klallam and Chemakum tribes of the Olympic Peninsula. William R. Jarman lived with them and met his wife, Alice, and Chief Sehome there.
Read the full review of this fine book, Samish Island, a History, by Sue and Fred Miller, which all Skagit history-lovers will want to read, along with those who want to learn about the geology of the Puget Sound area and the "pre-history" of the Indians of the archipelago before the white settlers arrived.
We were shocked and saddened just as we went to press, when we learned of the death of Robert Jeffcott, grandson of Percival R. Jeffcott. Our hearts go out to his family, who grieve his passing. A memorial is planned for the afternoon of October 13 at his Lummi Island property.
See Issues 37-39 contents below . . . Where to buy the Miller book
Menu of Historical Delicacies, Issue 39
Spring 2007

(Van Fleet Family)


(Van Fleet Family)
The Van Fleet family, first pioneer family to settle in the Skiyou area east of Sedro-Woolley, 1880

Eliza Van Fleet summarized her family bona fides for her application to the DAR in 1928
Ethel Van Fleet Harris's 1968 memories of her family's early days in Skiyou from 1880 on.
The Van Fleet family floats down the Skagit for the their first Christmas here in 1880
Van Fleet family letter back to Pennsylvania, 1890s, from their Skiyou homestead
Eliza Van Fleet's family history from the 1906 Illustrated History. Extensive annotation.
More Van Fleet stories will follow. Can you help with copies or scans of articles, obituaries or photos?
Other Issue 39 features
Skagit City, the 1870s city at the forks of the Skagit River that marked the early days of lower-river settlement
(Skagit City)
The bell tolls for old Skagit City School, 1998. Update 2007: that was premature, join us for picnic on July 15
(Skagit City School)
Genealogy special: history of old Ireland, by Alice Stopford Green
(Ancient Ireland)
Remembering Herb Larson, guiding light of the Concrete Heritage Museum, and keeper of the flame
(Herb Larsen)

Menu of Historical Delicacies, Issue 38, March-April 2007
Daniel Jefferson Harris, the very colorful founder of Fairhaven. We researched the legends about him, confirm some, debunk others, and we found the Dr. Shorb who relieved Dan of his fortune in Los Angeles just before Dan's death.
(Dan Harris) Jim Rich as Dan Harris
(bullet)Introduction to Dan and his timeline
(bullet)Dr. Andrew S. Shorb, Part 1: (bullet)18th-century immigration
    (bullet)Hohenzollerns (bullet)Pennsylvania Dutch
(bullet)Dr. Shorb, Part 2: (bullet)Homeopathy (bullet)Los Angeles History (bullet)Criminal record
    (bullet)J. DeBarth Shorb & San Gabriel Winery (bullet)Don Benito Wilson
    (bullet)George S. Patton.

Frank Teck's series about Harris in Fairhaven Herald, 1903:
April 4, 1903:
Dan's beginnings in Whatcom (bullet) Fairhaven founded 1883

April 11, 1903:
(bullet)Epochs in Dan history
(bullet)His Fairhaven Hotel
(bullet)Townsite sale to Bennett

April 25, 1903:
(bullet)Dan died 1890
(bullet)Estate sues Dr. Shorb
(bullet)1890s Depression in Fairhaven

Schedule for Dirty Dan Days in Fairhaven April 28-29, 2007
(James Wardner)
An updated Fairhaven Biography series: (bullet)Introduction to James Wardner . . . (bullet)Wardner's Consolidated Black Cat Co. Ltd . . . (bullet)1982 Idaho Miner magazine profile of Wardner . . . (bullet)Frank Wilkeson's 1887 New York Times column about the town of Wardner, Idaho.
The Two-Spot Lokey at the entrance to Woolley. Puget Sound & Baker River Railroad's logging legacy welcomes visitors
(Two-spot locomotive)
Bobby Burns, "Mayor of Fairhaven" and general cut-up, the "Bunnies Man," obituary from 1980.
(Bobby Burns)
Charles Woodworth, long-lost but now-found namesake for Sedro-Woolley's street. And a Tacoma promoter.
(Dream Theater)
Charles J. Wicker arrives in Sedro in 1884, on the way to becoming county's most powerful real estate agent.
(Wicker)
Go West Young Man:
who wrote it? Horace Greeley or John B. Soule?
You can find all stories in Issues 1-30 in these archives
Visit our completely redesigned home page for links to Portal Pages that will help you find any feature, person or place you want to read about.

Thinking about gifts for reunions, birthdays or other occasions? Due to continued popular demand, in the interest of furthering our "open source" policy, we are assembling a collection of CDs that will include MS Word files of our pioneer profiles and town profiles from years 1-5, so that you can print them individually at your convenience. They will be organized by region: Sedro-Woolley & surrounding area; Upper Skagit River from Utopia to Cascades plus logging, hunting and fishing; Western Skagit County and other counties. See our site with details of what is offered and the prices and ordering information..
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(bullet) Did you enjoy this story? Remember, as with all our features, this story is a draft and will evolve as we discover more information and photos. This process continues until we eventually compile a book about Northwest history. Can you help?
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Please let us show you residential and commercial property in Sedro-Woolley and Skagit County 2204 Riverside Drive, Mount Vernon, Washington . . . 360 708-8935 . . . 360 708-1729
(bullet) Oliver Hammer Clothes Shop at 817 Metcalf Street in downtown Sedro-Woolley, 86 years.
(bullet) Joy's Sedro-Woolley Bakery-Cafe at 823 Metcalf Street in downtown Sedro-Woolley.
(bullet) Check out Sedro-Woolley First section for links to all stories and reasons to shop here first
or make this your destination on your visit or vacation.
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We may be able to assist. Email us for details.
(bullet) Peace and quiet at the Alpine RV Park, just north of Marblemount on Hwy 20
Park your RV or pitch a tent by the Skagit River, just a short drive from Winthrop or Sedro-Woolley

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