The Unspoiled Meadow of Fidalgo Island
Before the industry and the railroads took hold, Fidalgo Island was envisioned as a garden of prosperity for the growing city of Seattle.
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.
This picturesque area of Fidalgo County, known as the 'Fidalgo' or 'Pidalgo' group, including Pidalgo and Whidbey, is attracting attention from the terminus of the Northern Pacific railroad. The expectation of the railway and the building of a great city at Ship Harbor will equal the early days of either Seattle or Tacoma. The railroad company is already at work on the shores, and bankers and others no doubt will make a combined effort to turn the tide of the entire northwest population to that district.
Fidalgo is probably the ideal locality. It is indented on the north by a beautiful bay of the same name. Along the shores of this bay are many beautiful homes. This land was originally what is known as the fir woods, but all are cleared away, and the beautiful open meadows, sloping to the water edge, are a grand sight. This land is also wonderfully productive. The soil has been cultivated for year after year and yielding from 20 to 40 bushels per acre. Of this land has been undervalued, so it is found that these bushes are far more productive than it would otherwise be. The productive crops are wheat, potatoes, and fruit, the latter growing to perfection and ripening much earlier than on the mainland. Dairy interests receive considerable attention. The farmers also devote a great deal of attention to poultry raising and having a daily steamboat service, find no trouble marketing their produce.
“This land was originally what is known as the fir woods, but all are cleared away, and the beautiful open meadows, sloping to the water edge, are a grand sight.”
In 1889, developers were banking on Fidalgo Island and the Ship Harbor area (modern Anacortes) to become the next metropolis of the Pacific Northwest, mirroring the relentless land-use speculation that continues to define Washington’s coastal development today. While the 'great city' envisioned never eclipsed Seattle, the struggle to balance agricultural land, regional infrastructure, and urban density remains a central theme in our local politics.
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