The Great Log Jam of 1877
Heavy autumn rains trigger a massive flood on the Snoqualmie and Skykomish rivers, sweeping timber mills and millions of feet of logs downstream.
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.
The heavy rains the last two days have raised the Snoqualmie and Skykomish rivers. The log boom on the Snoqualmie has either all gone down or is on the way. The Pilchuck boom broke this morning, early, letting 2,000,000 feet of logs into the river. The sheet boom at the head of Ebey Slough was also carried away and the loss of logs will be quite large, besides the damage to the booms themselves.
“The Pilchuck boom broke this morning, early, letting 2,000,000 feet of logs into the river.”
Rivers in Snohomish County have been the lifeblood and the terror of the region since its founding. Today's flood management challenges and climate-driven rainfall shifts echo this 1877 report, showing that the struggle between local industry and the unpredictable power of the Snohomish river system remains a constant of life in the valley.
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