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The Snohomish River’s New Monster: A Whale That Could End the Town

A massive whale has lodged itself in the Snohomish River, threatening to become a permanent local landmark—or a disaster—if it isn't moved.

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.

A new, huge whale was taken in the Snohomish river last week, and will probably prove its total loss.

John Harrington is building a new cannery in the vicinity of Pillar Point, calculating to pack from 250,000 to 300,000 cases next season.

Then · 1877149 years apartNow · 2026

In an era when Snohomish was a bustling hub for salmon canneries and river transport, the loss of even a single whale represented a significant economic blow. Today, the Snohomish River remains a vital ecological corridor, but the focus has shifted from industrial extraction to conservation, with modern efforts often centered on protecting marine life rather than harvesting it.

The original page

The Northern Star (Snohomish City, W.T. [Wash.]) 1876-1879, 1877-01-06. Library of Congress, Chronicling America.

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About this story

From
The Northern Star (Snohomish City, W.T. [Wash.]) 1876-1879, JAN 6, 1877, Page 6
Rights
Public domain
Place
47.91931, -122.12310 · placed automatically
The paper in the Library of Congress catalog ↗