MY EDMONDS NEWS Posted: April 25, 2021
In 1910 – on the way to the waterfront mills in Edmonds
Nothing depicts the early days of the town of Edmonds more than timber. It was what brought many New England and Eastern people here; and also, the farmers from the Midwest. On the East Coast, they had pretty much depleted their own forests, and in the Midwest, the farmers were just plain worn out from fighting the weather, mainly in the form of dust storms and droughts.
Main Street in Edmonds in 1910. (Photo courtesy Edmonds Historical Museum)
To me, this photo is one of the best reminders of early day Edmonds, and the richness of the timber. And, if you enjoy eating at Chanterelle’s Hometown Bistro between Third and Fourth on Main Street, you should recognize it as it looked in 1910 the building is on the right in this photo. It really hasn’t changed that much. The building on the left is the former State Bank of Edmonds, and the office of C. T. Roscoe, Jr. is upstairs.
MY EDMONDS NEWS Posted: April 16, 2021 91
Part 1 of two parts
Before Lynnwood – a peaceful land of giant trees
When the loggers and the homesteaders came to the area we know today as Lynnwood, except for the sound of the birds and the soft breeze as it rustled through the branches of the immense trees, there was silence. Located a few miles east and inland from Puget Sound, this land seemed to offer little attraction for the native Salish people. Records indicate they preferred to settle near the rivers or salt water. This land had neither. It was the prospect of lumber the giant trees the fir, hemlock and cedar that became the force behind the allure for a completely different group of people the loggers from the East. They did arrive and the land would be forever changed.
MY EDMONDS NEWS Posted: December 12, 2020 1492
Shellabarger house in 1921 from the Edmonds Tribune-Review, Nov. 25, 1921. (Source: the newspaper collection at Sno-Isle Genealocal Society, Heritage Park, Lynnwood)
Recently, a reader commenting on my April 9, 2019 article, “Looking Back: South Snohomish County place names from the past,” asked how Shell Creek got its name?
In my reply to the reader’s question, I reached back to some of my own memories from well over 80 years ago, when I was a child of Edmonds before development of the land covered over portions of the creeks by piping their flow of water underground.
Of course, since Edmonds is a waterfront town with its creeks flowing into Puget Sound, it does seem logical to assume that the naming of Shell Creek is related to sea shells. However, I don’t recall the waterfront beach or the creeks of Edmonds having any noticeable or unusual shells, and question that the Shell Creek name came from that source.