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| Year | Stories |
|---|---|
| 1872 | 1 |
| 1876 | 7 |
| 1877 | 2 |
| 1878 | 4 |
| 1879 | 3 |
| 1880 | 2 |
| 1882 | 1 |
| 1883 | 4 |
| 1884 | 2 |
| 1885 | 3 |
| 1887 | 1 |
| 1891 | 2 |
| 1892 | 7 |
| 1893 | 13 |
| 1894 | 8 |
| 1895 | 9 |
| 1898 | 2 |
| 1905 | 1 |
| 1909 | 2 |
| 1910 | 1 |
| 1914 | 1 |
| 1915 | 1 |
77 stories
- The Henry Bailey Strikes a Snag and Sinks in the Skagit
A steamer repaired at Mount Vernon loads 600 sacks of oats, hits a snag on the return, and goes down in fifteen feet of water.
- Steam Comes to the Skagit Timber: Contractors Sign On to Build a Logging Railroad
Nettleton and T. F. Smart took a contract from the Stakely Mill Co. to build and equip a substantial iron or steel logging railroad on the Skagit, part of a shift from ox teams to locomotives.
- A Bumper Crop at the Skagit County Fair
From 35-pound mangelwurzels to six-foot-tall oats, Skagit County farmers showcased the agricultural bounty of the region in 1898.
- A School Superintendent's Fall from Grace
J. C. Phelps of Anacortes is bound over to superior court on charges that he embezzled money from a wharf company and Western Union.
- The Skagit River Snag-Clearer's Defense
After volunteers broke their backs clearing river jams, a community organizer had to fight off accusations of embezzlement.
- The Great Cedar Jam: How Settlers Cleared the Skagit River by Hand
In September 1876, a group of determined farmers and loggers took on the massive timber jams blocking the Skagit River, hoping to unlock sixty miles of navigation for their struggling community.
- A Grand Fraternal Celebration on the Skagit
When the Odd Fellows gathered to dedicate their new hall in 1885, they saw their organization as the ultimate bulwark against the cruelty of the world.
- The Skagit County Courthouse Squabble
Mount Vernon citizens clash over the location of a new county building, fearing fire hazards and rising rents.
- The Vanishing Contractor of Mount Vernon
A local builder leaves behind unpaid debts and a trail of questions after vanishing from Mount Vernon on a midnight train.
- The Mail Finally Comes to the Skagit
After months of persistent advocacy and cartographic lobbying by Edward McTaggart, the Skagit Valley secures its first semi-weekly mail route.
- Seattle Money Cuts a Trail to the Mines
Businessmen in the city fund a route up the Skagit Valley so pack trains can reach Slate Creek — and a volunteer road builder promises work will start at once.
- The Caterpillar Club of Skagit County
A dedicated teacher organizes students into an orchard-saving force, illustrating the era's civic-minded approach to agricultural pests.
- Mount Vernon and Anacortes Vie for County Seat
Skagit County faces a power struggle as petitioners move to shift the county seat from Mount Vernon to Anacortes.
- The Battle for the Cascade Pass
Skagit County residents argue that the state’s proposed route for a cross-Cascade wagon road is a geographic absurdity designed only for political patronage.
- The Manure War of Skagit County
A dispute over a pile of fertilizer between neighbors escalated into a shotgun confrontation on the county line.
- Inside Job Suspected at Mount Vernon Depot
The Great Northern depot in Mount Vernon was robbed of $40 in cash, suggesting the thief had intimate knowledge of the office.
- A County Assessor, a Restaurant Keeper’s Wife, and a $10,000 Scandal
Mount Vernon’s county assessor is accused of stealing the affections of a restaurant keeper’s wife—who has reportedly fled to Seattle.
- The Log Jam That Held Back a Valley: Skagit Settlers Propose a DIY River Clearance
With a massive log jam blocking navigation on the Skagit River, a settler proposes that landowners take matters into their own hands rather than wait for Congress.
- Shingle Weavers Say Railroads and Brokers Are Gutting Their Pay
A Mount Vernon letter warns that a fight over state shingle weights is really a fight over whether workers get a fair price.
- The Boom Town That Wasn't: A 1891 Real Estate Pitch
Before the land was logged or the mines were fully opened, developers promised a metropolis on the shores of Lake McMurray—selling 'the coming city' on a dream of coal, timber, and sandstone.
- Setting the Record Straight on a Mount Vernon 'Brawl'
A local business leader defends his reputation against false reports of a deadly saloon fight.
- Rain Ruins Skagit Oat Crop
Heavy autumn rains destroy most of the Skagit Valley oat harvest, forcing local suppliers to look toward Eastern Washington.
- Drowning the Mail in a Dark Ditch
A lonely mail carrier survives a treacherous, midnight accident on a flooded road outside Mount Vernon, salvaging the soaking contents of his satchel.
- The 'No Chinese Employed' Sign at the River Side Hotel
A hotel proprietor in the Skagit Valley advertises his business with a exclusionary labor policy reflecting the era's intense nativist sentiment.
- Pioneering the Skagit River Frontier
As the formidable log jam on the Skagit River begins to break, early settlers recount the hardships of establishing permanent homes in the wild, mud-soaked territory of 1878.
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