Research the archive

• “project” ×
• The Northern Star ×

1. Turning Marsh into Gold

   Farmers on the Swinomish flats have completed a massive infrastructure project to reclaim thousands of acres of marshland for agriculture.

   Dec 16, 1876The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyFollow the Money

2. The Sawmill That Silenced the Doubters

   When E. B. Bennett Waters' mill turned out its first lumber, the local skeptics who had called the projectors fools had to hold their peace.

   Dec 16, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish County

3. The Mill That Could Have Been: A Snohomish Tragedy of Ambition and Illness

   In June 1877, the Northern Star reported on the collapse of a massive new mill project at Port Ludlow, blaming the death of its owner, Arthur Phinney, for halting construction that promised to rival any in the territory.

   Jun 16, 1877The Northern StarPort Ludlow, Jefferson CountyWork & Pay

4. The Struggle for School Space

   A call to stop patching the Snohomish public school and instead plan for the city's inevitable future growth.

   Nov 25, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

5. The Riverboat Gamble

   A local man's attempt to navigate the Snohomish River with a custom-built craft ends in a soggy, expensive, and lesson-filled disaster.

   Feb 8, 1879The Northern StarSnohomish River, Snohomish, Snohomish CountyDisasters

6. 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

7. The Dream of the Flameless Mill

   A bold industrial scheme in Olympia to run a lumber mill via the power of the tides—and the quiet, resourceful spirit behind the invention.

   Jan 25, 1879The Northern StarOlympia, Thurston CountySnake Oil

8. The $1,300 Christmas Miracle: How Snohomish Ladies Saved the Town's Soul

   In an era of economic panic, a group of 'enterprising young ladies' raised over $1,300 in gifts for the poor, proving that community spirit was the town's strongest currency.

   Dec 30, 1876The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyStrange But True

9. The Great Ditch: How Snohomish Settlers Tamed the Marsh

   Before the land was dry, a few determined pioneers took shovels and grit to the wetlands behind Snohomish to carve a new path for trade and transit.

   Feb 6, 1878The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyBoom & Bust

10. The Marsh That Swallowed the Land: A Call to Drain Snohomish

    Local farmers face ruin as winter rains turn fertile bottomlands into impassable swamps; experts propose a collective drainage project to save the region's agricultural future.

    Mar 3, 1877The Northern StarSnohomish, Snohomish CountyFollow the Money

11. The Great Skagit Jam: How Local Men Tried to Unplug the River

    In 1876, a massive logjam blocked the Skagit River for miles. While officials debated expensive dredging projects, local loggers took matters into their own hands with picks and dynamite.

    Apr 8, 1876The Northern StarBellingham, Whatcom CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

12. The Log Jam That Held Back the Skagit

    Settlers bet their savings on cutting a channel through a massive timber jam—and begged Sound steamboat captains to link the Skagit to Seattle.

    Dec 16, 1876The Northern StarConway, Skagit CountyBoom & Bust · Strange But True

Download all 12 as a spreadsheet (CSV)