Mukilteo

Mukilteo sits on Puget Sound in Washington State. It's now my hometown. The information in this post comes from--


http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=8422


I'm posting this informatiion because it sort of lays the foundation for my other post about "Japanese Gulch."


Before the area was explored by Europeans, people of the Snohomish Tribe set up a permanent winter village on the land spit and adjoining salt marsh that became Mukilteo. "Mukilteo" is an English spelling that approximates the original Native American name. It means either "good camping ground" or "narrow passage of water."

In 1792 British Captain George Vancouver (1757-1798) anchored his ship Discovery at the site. In 1841 a US Navy Lieutenant anchored at the site and officially changed the name on American nautical charts and maps to “Point Elliott.”


In 1855 Washington Territory Governor Isaac Stevens (1818-1862) met at Point Elliott with 82 Native American leaders including Chief Seattle. A treaty was signed whereby Native Americans in the region ceded their lands to the United States government in exchange for relocation to reservations, retention of hunting and fishing rights, and an amount of cash. Since, there have been a number of disputes and lawsuits arising out of the treaty.



Snohomish County was created by the territorial legislature in 1861 and Mukilteo was the temporary county seat. The town of Snohomish was soon thereafter established as the county seat, and finally Everett.

The Eagle Brewery was established in Mukilteo in 1870 but fire destroyed the plant in 1882.

In 1903 the Mukilteo Lumber Company plant was established, later renamed to Crown Lumber Company. Many of its workers were Japanese immigrants. (See my posting about "Japanese Gulch"). The company closed in 1930.

A powder plant was established in 1906 by the Puget Sound and Alaska Powder Company but it exploded in 1930 and was never rebuilt.

In 1901 a lighthouse at the point was planned. It was all wood and was lit for the first time in 1906. Electricity reached the station in 1927. http://www.lighthousefriends.com/light.asp?ID=32



Residents on nearby Whidbey Island needed to connect with the mainland and in 1911 the Island Transportation Company began ferry service. Car ferries began in 1919 with runs between Mukilteo and Clinton, the terminal on the island. For the next three decades, ferry service was maintained by ships of the Puget Sound Navigation Company (the Black Ball Line) until 1951, when the company was purchased by Washington State Ferries.




The state transferred ownership of Light House Park to the City of Mukilteo in 2003, which has plans for redevelopment that will include adding lawns and picnic spaces. Mukilteo Historical Society is now in charge of the lighthouse.

http://www.historylink.org/index.cfm?DisplayPage=output.cfm&file_id=8422 --