The Town Where Horses Wore Wooden Shoes

The little city of La Conner, in Skagit County, said to be the greatest shipping point of equal population in the state of Washington, is built on a small rocky promontory at the junction of Sullivan's Slough and the Swinomish Channel, near where the latter enters Skagit Bay. Whitney's station, on the Seattle Northern Railway, is six miles north, and Mount Vernon, the county seat, twelve miles northeast of it. There is a population of about 700, and of late it is striving to creep from its sluggishness and put on more the appearance and dignity of the city. A school building has just been erected, with four large rooms, at a cost of $5,000; and the council, at the suggestion of Mayor B. L. Martin, are discussing the question of bonding the city for the purposes of improved water and sewer systems. During the last year the council has macadamized between four and five miles of streets and finished three miles of road between the town and Whitney station, on the Seattle Northern Railway, which is the nearest railroad connection.

A bill has recently been reported upon favorably by the present Congress, appropriating $15,000 to commence work on Swinomish Slough, for the purpose of dredging it for a ship channel between Padilla and Skagit Bay. When this work is completed it will allow sea-going vessels to land and load at any point opposite the flats, and, as a consequence, will be of incalculable value to the farming community of that region, as the crops can be loaded direct from the farms. It is expected that work on this very important enterprise will be commenced during the present year.

The townsite of La Conner covers about 100 acres. It has a population of about 700 souls and has very fair water front facilities. While the original survey covered only the hilly knoll, seen at a distance, one finds upon landing that it is not all perched upon a hill, but that the business portion, or a large area of it, is on a flat as level as could be desired. A view from the summit of the hill the resident portion is most entrancing and unlocked for. The view differs materially from every point. On the west side the Swinomish slough divides it from Fidalgo Island. On the opposite side from the town stands the Swinomish Indian village, with its neat cottages and gardens, conspicuous among which is the neat little Catholic church. On the east are miles of farming country; south and west is Whidbey Island and yet further beyond the glistening basin are the rugged crests of the distant Olympic range, outlined against the blue of a western sky.

Though less picturesque, the view on the east above alluded to shows what makes La Conner a point of importance—the alluvial or marshy flats before alluded to. These form a portion of the Skagit delta, mentioned in a recent letter descriptive of Skagit county, and may truthfully be classed as the richest of the rich oat bottoms known to the world. At present the country does not look particularly inviting, as the farmers are getting the ground plowed and seeded, and to one not knowing what a wealth of waving grain it will show in the fall-time it does not look prepossessing.

By the way it may not be out of place to mention here that a portion of the marsh is so wet and soggy during the spring time that horses cannot be used for plowing it without shoeing them with 'wooden moccasins.' This does not seem reasonable, but it is nevertheless a fact. To prevent the teams from sinking into the boggy soil a short board, say eight inches in diameter, sometimes octagon and occasionally square, are fastened to the sole of the foot to prevent them sinking. They soon get used to the wooden shoe, and step so as not to 'interfere' in walking. To a stranger it would appear as if the ground was so wet that the seed would rot in it, but such is not the case: its fertility seems fabulous. Such are the surroundings of La Conner.

Mike Sullivan, a sturdy son of the shamrock, was the first settler in this vicinity. Sullivan Slough, the principal shipping slough through to the flats, bears his name, and he and his successors and assigns still hold valuable interests on the borders of the sluggish waters. Soon after Samuel Calhoun took up a residence on the marsh. Both men arrived in 1864 or 1865, the country being then unsurveyed. The town of La Conner, however, was not dreamed of until 1869, when J. S. Conner arrived at the rocky knoll and took up a residence. Mr. Conner seems to have figured out the advantages of the situation, and two years later—1871—had a survey made and the town platted.

When he first arrived some one had fitted up a little trading post, but being impecunious, was just struggling and wanted to quit. Mr. Conner had crossed the plains with his little family in 1868, and after a short stop at Olympia left his care there and started to look about the Sound for a suitable location. He concluded after looking at several places to settle at the depot of the flats, and early in 1869 brought his family here. He took up 160 acres and soon after bought out the lone trader. His business, as might have been expected, was mainly with the Swinomish Indians just across the slough. Two years after his arrival, owing to the number who had meantime visited the site, he platted the village, and in commemoration of his spouse, whose initials were L. A., called the hamlet La Conner. His business increased and it was soon made a postoffice. As the land in the vicinity was reclaimed its value became apparent, and with an eye to the future he bought it up as his means permitted. Ill-health forced him to dispose of the store, and he visited California to recuperate. He died at Oakland, in the Golden State, in 1885. His son, Herbert Conner, has since managed the estate, which has grown very valuable. The flats, which were covered in the early days by high tides, making the rock pile upon which La Conner was first built an island, have been shielded by high dykes, handsome farms and warehouses have been built, and a wonderful accession made to the agricultural area of western Washington. The main reason for locating La Conner on the rocky bluff or knoll where the old town stands was because a good building could be made on the Swinomish slough side, coupled with the fact that it was the only spot not covered with water at high tide.

Settlers have been so busy arranging to get themselves homes that they have had no time to go into speculation, and as a consequence the town has never been troubled with what is termed a boom, or excitement in real estate values. Little by little improvements have gone on, but nothing out of the normal until within the past two years, when La Conner joined in the procession with the down-Sound towns, most of its best buildings being erected at that time and since.

From one store, its business has increased to a number of all kinds, which are well stocked and commodious. While there is a lack of gilt-sign work and glitter about these, a visit will show that they are well filled with merchandise of the kind suited to a farming community. There is a good bank, which does a good cash business, and is a great accommodation to the farmers of the vicinage. The town has a daily mail service by rail from all parts of the world; a good hotel, an enterprising weekly newspaper, the Puget Sound Mail, the oldest paper on the lower Sound, several churches, public hall, sawmill, sash and door factory and a community that compares favorably with that of any of the Sound towns, in all that goes to make the place a desirable location.

Like all other points in the lower Sound country La Conner, in a commercial sense, is very quiet at present writing, but as it is the depot or shipping point for the output of about 20,000 acres, which are directly tributary, its future is a safe one to calculate upon. Last year about 15,000 tons of hay and a very large tonnage of grain, about 300,000 sacks, were exported from the La Conner flats.

Fair grounds and a half mile race track are among the recent additions to the town of La Conner, and the council is at present figuring upon putting in a steam fire engine and hook and ladder truck for the better protection of the community.

Small as the town is, it contains many men of prominence in the state, foremost among whom may be classed Dr. G. N. Calhoun, whose merit and ability have made him a prominent political figure. He is to-day the choice of his immediate neighbors, almost without regard to party, for a gubernatorial nomination on the republican ticket, though Skagit county republicans concede to Pierce the right to name the candidate for governor this year if a strong man can be produced in the banner republican county of the state.

The coming year under the present republican administration looks bright for La Conner. The present water supply is obtained from a spring on Fidalgo Island, which is carried through pipes across the Swinomish and pumped to a tank on the summit of the hill. The entire water system is to be overhauled, large street mains put down and fire hydrants put in to accommodate the steam fire engine previously alluded to.