Life and Lore on the Snoqualmie Prairie
A look back at the isolated, burgeoning agricultural life of the Snoqualmie Valley in 1878, from the pioneer blockhouses to the dream of a thriving dairy industry.
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.
Rising amid the boldest crags of the Cascade range of mountains, the several forks of the Snoqualmie River unite at Snoqualmie Prairie, nearly two miles above the falls. Situated from one to five miles above the falls, and along the south side of the river, this is one of the most fertile inland prairies to be found. During the Indian war of 1855-56, a garrison was stationed near Allen’s mill just below the falls, at what is now Jerry Borst’s house—his present residence being the old unfinished blockhouse. In 1860, Miss Lucinda Collins married J. Fares and moved to the prairie. For four years, she was the only white woman on the prairie and saw none within 80 miles; it was four years before any white women settled on the Snohomish or Snoqualmie rivers. Today, the soil is very fertile, though the fern is a principal obstacle. Stock raising is the leading pursuit. There is talk that a cheese factory should be established there next year with 500 cows, which could eventually make it one of the wealthiest places in the territory. It is 45 miles to Seattle and 40 miles to Snohomish City.
“For four years, she was the only white woman on the prairie and saw none within 80 miles.”
The transition from rugged pioneer homesteads to the realization of the Snoqualmie Valley as a powerhouse for regional agriculture and eventual tourism mirrors the ongoing struggle to balance development with the preservation of rural identity. The 'fertile land' that drew settlers in 1878 remains central to current debates about land use and housing pressure in King and Snohomish counties.
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