The Miracle of Anacortes: A City Built in a Year

It is hardly the correct thing to speak of the year's progress of Anacortes, for it is not a year since the site of the present city of Anacortes was a dense forest, and one lone logger's hut constituted the 'buildings' of the place. The site for the city was platted and dedicated January 15, 1890, since which time the growth of the place has been so remarkable that outside of Washington it would be considered a miracle. Anacortes is situated at the north end of Fidalgo Island, Skagit County, not far from the Straits of Juan de Fuca. The townsite is surrounded on three sides by water; to the east by Fidalgo Bay, directly in front to the north being Ship Harbor, and to the west by Burrows Bay. When the Northern Pacific Railway company announced that Anacortes would be the terminus of its short line, property on Ship Harbor went up like a flash, and people began to flock in from all points. Inside of three months, there was a population of more than 2,000 people. The completion of the Seattle & Northern Railway into Anacortes, over which the first through train was run on November 25, 1890, has given building an added activity. At present, there are several large brick structures being added to those already completed, including the Hotel Anacortes, owned by Ward, McPherson & Kyle, a four-story brick and stone building costing $40,000. Among the manufactories are the Anacortes machine shop and foundry, Bowman's sawmill, Skagit Mill Company, and Fischer & Hohenstein's brewery. Anacortes is looking for even greater growth during 1891, as three great corporations—the Oregon Improvement Company, the Northern Pacific, and the McNaught Land and Investment Company—have joined hands in their plans for the future.