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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 Exclusionary Pledge of La Conner

   A frontier town in the Swinomish Flats organizes a formal, collective boycott against Chinese residents, highlighting the intense racial tensions of the 1870s Pacific Northwest.

   Mar 6, 1878The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyExclusion & Resistance

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 Agricultural Transformation of the Skagit Flats

   Decades of diking and draining have turned tide lands into some of the most productive agricultural soil in the world.

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

5. Taming the Skagit Tide Lands

   Early farmers in the Skagit Valley share sworn affidavits proving the extreme fertility of reclaimed tide lands, boasting of massive grain harvests.

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

6. The Unluckiest Farmer on the Swinomish Flats

   Samuel Calhoun had already lost a fortune in grain. Then the steamer Dispatch capsized with another $1,000 of his crop aboard.

   Nov 11, 1876The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyDisasters

7. The River Opens: First Steamboat Conquers the Skagit's North Fork

   After settlers cleared the jam at La Conner, Captain Hill’s vessel became the first to navigate the treacherous waters of the North Fork, unlocking a new era for the region.

   Jan 13, 1877The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyBoom & Bust

8. The Boom Town on the Skagit

   As La Conner transformed into a bustling grain-shipping hub, new docks and storefronts sprouted along the Swinomish Slough to accommodate the region's agricultural explosion.

   Dec 14, 1878The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyBoom & Bust

9. The Temperance Experiment: A Dry Billiard Parlor in La Conner

   An 1878 advertisement for a local business offers a look at the unconventional rise of 'temperance billiard halls' that combined community recreation with strict abstinence.

   Feb 1, 1879The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyNightlife

10. The Tide Marsh Farmer's Million-Dollar Pitch

    A La Conner entrepreneur calls for local investment to stop the exodus of grain wealth, offering land to any miller willing to set up shop.

    Jul 20, 1878The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyBoom & Bust

11. The Social Pulse of La Conner

    A historic advertisement for a local billiard saloon highlights the center of community life in 19th-century La Conner, where the rules of order were as important as the game itself.

    Jun 12, 1878The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyNightlife

12. The Maryland House Offers a Temperance Haven

    An early advertisement for a boarding house in La Conner promises 'No Liquor Sold,' marking a firm stance against the rowdier trade of the era.

    Jun 19, 1878The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyHousing & Rent · Nightlife

13. The Temperance Hotel of La Conner

    An 1880s hotel proprietor promises a clean, quiet, and liquor-free establishment for the weary traveler.

    Nov 30, 1878The Northern StarLa Conner, Skagit CountyHousing & Rent · Nightlife

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