The Gold Rush Trail to the Skagit
As prospectors flock to the Skagit River, old-timers debate the best route through the wilderness to reach the promised riches.
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.
Everything relating to the Skagit gold mines and the way of getting to them is now a matter of intense interest to every soul in this community. H. Roeder of Whatcom shares letters from 1879 regarding the best path for man and beast to the headwaters of the Skagit River. Mr. Wm. Munks, formerly a packmaster for the U.S. Boundary Commission, suggests that the old boundary trail is the most practical route for pack animals. He notes it passes through a country where there is little wind to blow down trees, making it easy to navigate. Munks outlines the journey: from Chilliwack to the lake is 15 miles; across the lake, 7 miles; to the summit, 25 miles; to the Skagit, 7 miles; then down the Skagit to the line, 12 miles; and finally 15 miles to Ruby Creek. He concludes that whoever secures a ferry charter across the lake will make a sure thing of it, as the route promises to capture all the travel from the Sound.
“If that trail is opened the man that gets a charter for a ferry across the lake will make a sure thing out of it.”
The 1879 scramble for the Skagit gold mines mirrors the recurring 'gold rush' mentality of Seattle’s history, where infrastructure and transit access—then a trail, now light rail and housing density—define who can access prosperity. Just as the prospectors were obsessed with the 'best route' to the Skagit, contemporary Seattle remains defined by the search for efficient, practical paths to opportunity.
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