The Unstoppable March of the Snohomish Valley
A booster-era dispatch from 1885 details the transformation of the Snohomish Valley, documenting the arrival of the railroad, rising land values, and the shifting identity of a 'rural' community entering the urban age.
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.
The Snohomish Valley is now enjoying good health and a season of prosperity. Our population is rapidly increasing. We had a Fourth of July celebration with all the usual accompaniments, and the crowd was estimated at from 300 to 400 people. We have heretofore been considered as somewhat rural in our habits, etc., but that day is happily past, and we will soon have all the urban airs and graces. Our local magistrate, O.W. Olney, last week held a term of court, over which he presided with a great dignity worthy of a Blackstone.
We had a visit from O.S. Jones, our worthy school superintendent. His visit was in the interest of the schools. Of our four schools in this precinct, he found but two in session. Mr. Van Derso, one of the Board of Commissioners, also attempted to pay us a visit, but failed owing to his having made the attempt in a wagon. His motive for the visit was to examine into the condition of the county road. As he was approaching our settlement, both horse and wagon became so imbedded in the rich soil of Snohomish that he had to call in the assistance of the settlers to extricate them. His investigation did not extend over much territory, but it was deep, thorough and convincing.
On the 6th instant the Northern Pacific Railroad track was laid over White river on a temporary bridge, and forthwith proceeded to invade the sacred soil of King county without ceremony. It is rather remarkable, however, that the event caused no enthusiasm whatever among the people.
“We have heretofore been considered as somewhat rural in our habits, etc., but that day is happily past, and we will soon have all the urban airs and graces.”
In 1885, Snohomish settlers were bracing for the rapid, often jarring expansion brought by the railroad. Today, the Snohomish Valley continues to grapple with this same tension: the desire to maintain a distinct rural or small-town character while facing the unrelenting pressure of regional urban sprawl and infrastructure growth.
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