Opinion / History Files
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Post offices and the past | History Files
Did you ever play post office? I never did, and had no idea of the rules until doing some research on local post offices. A town was measured by its post office, as much as by its... — Updated 12/9/2021
The history of river towns in western Washington | History Files
While viewing the early arrivals of white birdies near the tulip fields in Skagit County, I visited the sites of Florence and Skagit City. Florence and Skagit City were pioneer... — Updated 12/2/2021
Bridges to nowhere in Puget Sound | History Files
A number of years ago there was much complaining about a bridge to nowhere in Alaska. My story today is a bit different. It is about roads that would have gone somewhere useful in... — Updated 11/23/2021
Forgotten locations include Caspers, Holmes corners | History Files
I play pub trivia Tuesday nights at Shawn O'Donnell's American Grill and Irish Pub. O'Donnell's location is usually described as in south Everett, or maybe Mariner. It wasn't... — Updated 11/18/2021
'Silk train' once a big money-maker in Washington | History Files
Did Edmonds kids live in fear of "silk trains"? That question came to mind while visiting Easton, Wash., to help the people there who hope to organize a new historical society. We... — Updated 11/14/2021
The good old days. Or maybe not | History Files
At the Black Diamond Museum in King County, a memorial commemorates men killed in coal mines. They went to work to make a living for themselves and their families, and one day... — Updated 11/4/2021
Snohomish County home to billion-dollar companies | History Files
Why does it matter that Seagen is now the sixth most valuable company in Washington, and who cares other than shareholders? Would the jobs at Seagen still be as valuable if the... — Updated 10/28/2021
Old Blewett Pass: Hairpin turns, lovely views | History Files
Recently, former Edmonds resident Cyndi Correnti invited me to speak to her book club in Suncadia. The subject was the ghost town of Alpine, Washington. Cyndi also invited author... — Updated 10/14/2021
Finding history in Easton | History Files
Teresa A Anderson and I have been continuing to follow her father's travel journal from May 29, 1922. Herbert Anderson and Elias Gillette had driven from Queen Anne to Leavenworth... — Updated 10/14/2021
Following a Red Brick Road continues | History Files
On May 29, 1922, Herbert Anderson drove with Elias Gillette from Seattle to Leavenworth. Herbert took photos and documented the trip in a travel journal along the way. His... — Updated 9/9/2021
An Edmonds connection: Exploring the Old Trunk Road
Did you know 84th Avenue West to Five Corners and east to Edmonds-Woodway was originally part of what was called "Trunk Road"? Stick with me. We'll get to that. It was on a Monday... — Updated 8/26/2021
Not just a brewpub: The sinking of MV Diamond Knot | History Files
The name Diamond Knot is familiar to many residents of southwest Snohomish County. Many are acquainted with the brewpubs in Mukilteo and Mountlake Terrace, but few know the origin... — Updated 8/12/2021
Chasing rail history on the Eastside | History
We spent a day chasing history. The first location was the Cleveland High School Memorial Forest. After World War II, Cleveland High School students bought 20 acres on Issaquah-Fall... — Updated 8/5/2021
Let's get history right | History Files
"Those who don't know history are condemned to repeat it" has become a popular phrase among apologists for the Lost Cause of the Confederacy. The actual quote from George Santayana... — Updated 7/22/2021
Tip: Watch the fireworks from a Washington State Ferry | History Files
On July 4th I didn't do the usual ritual of going to Civic Park to watch the fireworks show, but I did get a chance to enjoy it in another way. And I wondered how the first July... — Updated 7/15/2021
A new girlfriend, and the seven dwarfs | History Files
It is truly amazing what one may find when looking in places that haven't been visited in years. In my case, it was a search for my high school yearbooks. I was looking for the... — Updated 7/8/2021
2 organizations preserving Edmonds history; you can help | History Files
Edmonds has many civic, cultural, and historic assets that are usually found only in larger cities. While COVID has upset some of the organizations, most continue, such as the... — Updated 6/17/2021
My father's efforts during WWII | History Files
While I was doing some much overdue cleaning at my house, I found a series of photographs from the boatyard where my father had been superintendent during World War II. I was deligh... — Updated 6/3/2021
C.T Conover and Edmonds real estate | History Files
In the 1950s, The Seattle Times carried a column written by C. T. Conover about Seattle's early days. I don't know how often his “Just Cogitating” column ran. I suspect it may... — Updated 5/26/2021
Railroad beginnings would eventually reach Edmonds
May is a significant month in Washington history. May 1871, 150 years ago, the Northern Pacific Railway drove its first spike in Kalama, Washington. Northern Pacific intended to... — Updated 5/20/2021
Life in 1889 Edmonds and beyond | History Files
In the past, I leafed through the 1889 R.L. Polk directory – which listed businesses – in the Edmonds Historical Museum. (The museum is currently closed due to the coronavirus p... — Updated 1/18/2021
How the counties got their shapes | History Files
Have you visited Ferguson County lately? Maybe you just drove through and didn’t stop. Maybe the name just doesn’t sound familiar. That’s OK. Few people can rattle off the... — Updated 6/4/2020
Who knew? Washington's shared distinction in American history | History Files
Washington was admitted to the union Nov. 11, 1889, less than a year before Edmonds was incorporated. Every fourth grader in the state might be able to tell you that snippet of... — Updated 5/7/2020
Alpine and the Spanish flu | History Files
Author Mary Daheim sent me an email that her cousin Steve Shelley, who is also an author, sent her a message reminding her that during the Spanish flu in 1918-1919 Alpine,... — Updated 4/16/2020
Coronavirus: The stock market, 1987, and today | History Files
Back in the previous millennium, I was a stockbroker for seven years. I wasn’t a very good stockbroker because I rebelled against selling the high-profit products and that... — Updated 3/19/2020