The Dream of Ship Harbor
A speculative report on a new settlement near Fidalgo Island that promised to control the wealth of the Snohomish and Skagit valleys.
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.
Leaving Bay View on Thursday, August 23rd, a strong breeze from the south brought us to Mr. March's place on Fidalgo Island in a very short time. This is one of the celebrated chicken and fruit ranches of the Sound. After partaking of his hospitality, we left the skiff there, and soon found ourselves at the new townsite. This channel separates Fidalgo and Guemes Islands, is about four miles long, and perfectly land-locked. There is about fifty feet depth of water from shore to shore. The holding ground is excellent. No sediment or drift ever accumulates there. This place is only about twelve miles from La Conner and the Swinomish flats. A railroad can be built from here, crossing the north end of the Swinomish slough and the flats just south of Bay View, opening up a great amount of very fertile open marsh, thence up the Skagit river to the Skagit coal fields. Then with the extension of the Seattle and Walla Walla R.R. to Snoqualmie pass, this new town could control both the Snohomish and Skagit Valleys. We found several dwellings going up, Mr. Bowman in particular occupying a very neat residence. Sheriff Allen has a hotel building under way, which is to be ready for the accommodation of guests by the first part of October.
“We know nothing about the intentions of the townsite owners... yet this we do know, that the resources of these sections are such that such a road... would be self-sustaining from the start.”
This 1877 account captures the birth of Anacortes (then 'Ship Harbor'), fueled by the same speculative fervor that continues to shape Puget Sound development today. The dream of controlling regional logistics via rail and deep-water ports remains a persistent theme in Washington’s economic identity, echoing modern debates over infrastructure and land use in Snohomish and Skagit counties.
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