Electric Rail Connects the Skagit
After an initial rejection, the local council has approved a franchise for a new interurban line connecting Mount Vernon and Deming.
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.
Whatcom—By unanimous vote, the council has granted the Whatcom-Skagit Interurban Railroad company a franchise over certain streets desired to connect with an electric line which the company is to build between Mount Vernon and Deming in Whatcom county. The franchise was defeated at the last council meeting, but was reconsidered on motion of Councilman Eckardt. This practically assures the building of the electric road, as the local people who have obtained the franchise are backed by prominent eastern capitalists. The survey of the route will be started within a month and completed before the rainy season sets in. Forty-four miles of available steel rails are now in the hands of the company.
“This practically assures the building of the electric road.”
Early 20th-century interurban rail lines were the 'startups' of their day, promising regional connectivity that predated our current struggle with highway dependence. The push for electric transit in Whatcom County reflects the same perennial civic tension between local growth and the capital required to build it.
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