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1. The Great Strawberry Heist: A Town’s Sweetest Mystery

   When a local dignitary donated an overflowing bucket of cherries and strawberries to the Snohomish newspaper office, they vanished by nightfall—leaving behind only gratitude and a very full belly.

   Jun 24, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

2. The Dream of the La Grande Marsh Colony

   Developers in the 1880s marketed a fertile Snohomish County marshland as an ideal site for a family colony, selling the promise of self-sufficiency just four miles from town.

   Sep 28, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

3. The Great Diking Effort of Swinomish

   Farmers on the Skagit and Swinomish are transforming thousands of acres of marshland into fertile fields through a massive, coordinated engineering effort.

   Sep 30, 1876The Northern StarLa Conner, La Conner, Skagit CountyFollow the Money

4. The Forgotten Colony of 'La Grande Marsh'

   Promoters promised a thriving agricultural paradise on the outskirts of Snohomish, marketing deep-water access and fertile soil to lure a new generation of settlers.

   Sep 14, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

5. The Mukilteo Colony Pitch: A 19th Century Developer’s Dream

   Before it was a residential hub, Mukilteo was marketed as a grand 'colony' with promises of deep-water docks and agricultural self-sufficiency.

   Jul 13, 1878The Northern StarMukilteo, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

6. The Promised Land on the Sound

   A speculative real estate pitch from 1880s Snohomish invites settlers to a 'colony' on the river, promising prime marshland and a booming industrial future.

   Sep 21, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

7. The Promised Land on the La Grande Marsh

   Developers in the late 19th century marketed Snohomish's tide lands and marshy acreage as prime agricultural real estate, promising fertile soil and easy access to market.

   Oct 12, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

8. The Promised Land of Mukilteo

   Developers pitch a vision of 'valuable' homesteads and marshland ranches to settlers, promising a life of agriculture and industry on the shores of the Sound.

   Sep 1, 1878The Northern StarMukilteo, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

9. Defying the 'Sassy' Indians on the Skagit

   A party of explorers ventures deep into Snohomish's wild interior, clashing with local tribes and staking claims on land 'no white women live above.'

   Dec 21, 1878The Northern StarConcrete, Skagit CountyExclusion & Resistance

10. The Mukilteo Colony Dream

    Promoters pitched a 32-tract 'colony' in Mukilteo as a perfect, self-sustaining opportunity for families to own land and work the Sound, promising everything from shipbuilding to fertile marshland farming.

    Oct 5, 1878The Northern StarMukilteo, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

11. The Town That Wouldn't Sleep: Snohomish’s Fourth of July Overflow

    When the steamers arrived with guests from Seattle and upriver, two hotels couldn't hold them all. The town celebrated with a reading by a woman, a poem by a local man, and a boat ride that nearly capsized on the Skagit.

    Jul 14, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

12. The Loggers Who Built a Town: How an Indian Settlement Thrived on the Banks of Port Discovery

    While Snohomish debated its own agricultural future, a thriving community of Indigenous farmers and loggers was quietly building a prosperous life in Dungeness, complete with schools, hotels, and dairy herds.

    Apr 28, 1877The Northern StarSequim, Clallam CountyBoom & Bust

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