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.
The first lumber sawed by E. B. Bennett Waters was exhibited at the Atheneum last week. In view of the fact that the mill is an accomplished fact, a great many of the “knowing ones” who visited the mill while it was building pronounced the work a failure and the projectors fools. The demonstration of the practicability of the enterprise has shut their mouths, and we hope hereafter that those persons who hang like leeches on our community will forever hold their peace when any new enterprise is projected.
“The demonstration of the practicability of the enterprise has shut their mouths.”
Snohomish's economy was built on lumber, and the same cycle of skepticism and boosterism greets new ventures today. The story is a reminder that local confidence—and local capital—often had to overcome a chorus of doubters.
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