The Cedar Boom Transforms Edmonds
A surge in timber production is turning the small town into a bustling manufacturing hub, quickly exhausting the local supply of vacant housing.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
The large body of excellent cedar timber adjacent to Edmonds has caused many shingle weavers to visit the section recently. As a result, three mills are now running daily, and two more, including one very large operation, will soon be turning out shingles at a rapid rate. C.E. Codd and D.W. Dwyer have leased the largest mill in town and purchased a ten-blocker and a double machine that will manufacture about 210,000 shingles per day. August Holmquest is establishing a mill on the waterfront with a capacity of 45,000 shingles daily. Existing mills are also thriving: J.W. Currie's mill has a capacity of 45,000, Keeler & Minneker’s averages 50,000, and Daniels Bros. is running at 40,000. This influx has brought many newcomers, and vacant houses will soon be a thing of the past.
“The operation of these mills has resulted in much financial benefit to this town. Already many new-comers have arrived, and vacant houses will soon be a thing of the past.”
The late 19th-century 'shingle boom' in Edmonds was the engine of its early growth, paralleling how current industry shifts in the Puget Sound region continue to drive rapid residential development and housing scarcity.
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