Valentine Nollen Drowns in the Snohomish River
A local man, known affectionately as 'Dutchy,' loses his life to the river, sparking an official inquiry into his final moments.
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.
On Tuesday last, the body of Valentine Nollen, familiarly known as 'Dutchy,' was found in the Snohomish River, not far from the residence of Mr. Allen, about two and one-half miles above town. He had last been seen alive on the Friday of the previous week. It is supposed that he went into the river for a bathe, as his body was naked. There were no marks of violence, and his clothes were found undisturbed on the river bank. Being unable to swim and slipping off the clay bank into deep water, he was unable to get ashore. This supposition is very reasonable, as the clay bank bore marks made by his hands in his frantic efforts to get out. He was probably drowned on that Friday; his body was brought to town, and S. H. McNaughton, J. P. and acting coroner, summoned a coroner's jury. Dr. Follon examined the body, and the jury concluded that Valentine Nollen came to his death on Friday the 2nd day of August 1878, by accidental drowning while bathing in the Snohomish River.
“This supposition is very reasonable, as the clay bank bore marks made by his hands in his frantic efforts to get out.”
Accidental drownings remain a tragic, recurring reality of the Snohomish River, reminding us that even as the town has grown, the river remains a powerful and sometimes dangerous force of nature. This 1878 account highlights the informal way community members were referred to—'Dutchy'—a tradition of local nicknames that still colors the sense of familiarity in Snohomish today.
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