Snohomish River Valley Development The earliest white settlers arrived in the Snohomish River valley in 1858 from Seattle. The early settlers were drawn to the area because the flat land and deep soils of the valley were suitable for agriculture pursuits. The lumber industry arrived in the valley in the 1880s following the development of the railroads. During the 1880s and 1890's, a number of embryonic railroad lines were
established across Washington State including the Seattle, Lakeshore & Eastern
(SL&E). Numerous mills were built during this time, although fires and the economic panic of 1893 abandoned many original sites. Logging resumed on a large scale in 1902 reaching a peak in 1908. Early town sites were platted during this time coinciding with the continued development of the railroads.  Farming and timber production dominated land use activities from about 1900 to midcentury. The towns that survived the earlier hard times, like Snohomish, developed into service and cultural centers for agriculture and logging populations. As logging activities subsided, dairy and truck farming businesses claimed the valley floors and sustained the early towns' economic base. |
Snohomish WA e Brief
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Opinion and Commentary | Opinion and Commentary | ||||||
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Historic Snohomish WA - Quick Fact| 1903 City Streets In 1903 Snohomish had many dirt streets, and if there was a sidewalk, it was a wooden sidewalk. There was a plank road on some of the downtown streets for a ways. The planks were about three inches wide running across the street. This is were you walked and if you stepped off the planks you stepped into water or mud. These planks were torn out and First Street was paved with brick. When the brick pavement was finished there was a three day celebration! Every Saturday they would wash First Street witha fire hose. It was kept cleaner than it is today. |
| 1911 Disastrous Fire Hits First Street First Street between Avenues B and C, was destroyed when a small blaze in the Palace Cafe on the South side of the street got out of control on Memorial Day, 1911 at about four a.m. Thirty-five business structures were put out of business, with $173,000 worth of goods destroyed. |
| 1890 Snohomish Fire Department Established The earliest fire fighting in Snohomish was the so called "Bucket Brigade", with buckets and wet sacks. In 1883, the first move towards concerted fire protection in the small community was taken, with the installation of a force pump and 100 feet fo hose on th bank of the Snohomish River. In 1887, the first city water system from Blackman's Lake was put into service. On August 8, 1890 the City Council established a fire department. G.W. Head was elected the first Fire Chief. |
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All Classes Reunion
Register now for the Snohomish High School All Classes Reunion, July 17-19. In honor of Snohomish's 150th Anniversary, we are inviting all SHS graduates to "Come Home Snohomish" and celebrate with us at the SHS All classes Reunion, July 17-19. Regist
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Economic Stimulus 
Looking to encourage consumer spending in a tough economy, Snohomish Legislative District 44 Rep. Mike Hope, R-Lake Stevens, has introduced a package of five economic stimulus bills.
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Glacier Peak Shows Skill
Grizzlies Basketball Team went out to the local elementary schools and invited the kids to Friday nights game.
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Ground Frog Day
Ferguson Park in Snohomish was filled with about 300 people anxiously awaiting the arrival of Snohomish Slew for today's annual event, Ground Frog Day.
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Teen Serves as a Page
If legislators were looking for a "cool, fun and awesome person" to serve as their page, Tyler Aspinwall of Snohomish would fill the ticket.
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Frog-monumental Event 
January 31, 2009, frog-monumental event will take place at almost precisely 11:30 a.m., Ferguson Park, 1330 Ferguson Park Road, Snohomish, WA.
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Food Bank, No Peanutbutter
As a preventative safety measure, the Snohomish Food Bank has withdrawn all Peanut Butter related products.
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The SL&E constructed and operated the first railroad
line from Tacoma through Seattle around Lake 