Looking Back

When the U.S. stock market collapsed on what is known as Black Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1929, it ushered in almost 10 years of the most severe and long-lasting depression ever experienced by the industrialized world, and as one bank after another closed its doors, our government found it necessary to make fundamental changes in economic…

The 1930s was known not only as the decade of the Great Depression and the ending of prohibition, it was also a time of high-profile kidnapping-for-ransom of children with well-to-do parents. The most nationally-publicized kidnapping case was that of the 20-month-old son of famed aviator Charles Lindbergh in 1932 — a case which ended with…

You can read Part 1 of this series here, Part 2 here and Part 3 here. Soon after Lewis Cressey arrived in South Snohomish County, his name became a familiar one. Through the years, the Cressey name remained well known in connection with Lynnwood, and because of this, on July 30, 1953, the Cressey family was…

You can read Part 1 of this series here and Part 2 here. After a vigorous campaign by Lynnwood’s Commercial Club, on June 16, 1948, the Federal Post Office Department established a fourth-class post office in unincorporated Lynnwood, with James E. “Ed” McCollum temporarily in charge. On Oct. 19, 1951, Howard W. Sievers was commissioned…

You can read Part 1 of this series here. Historically, Lynnwood had its beginnings in 1888 when the land ownership at what is now Lynnwood at the Crossroads consisted of privately held homesteads and some state land.  With the use of records from the Bureau of Land Management, along with plat maps, I was able…

Before – a treasured photo For me, old books hold a special place in my heart. A few years ago, as a volunteer at Humble House, Sno-Isle Genealogical Society’s library at Lynnwood’s Heritage Park, I was straightening some of the books on the shelves, when I found treasure in the form of a photo in…

Recently an article in an Edmonds historical publication reported on a disastrous fire in November of 1938—a fire which destroyed Charles Cressey’s Garage and Service Station. However, the article erroneously gave the garage’s location as Seattle Heights, and stated: “Cressey’s was located near Highway 99, next to Albright’s Restaurant (former Harvey’s Tavern).” Correctly, in 1938,…

Each year, before Memorial Day, my objective is to feature one local service member whose name is engraved on the Edmonds School District’s Veterans’ Memorial Monument, or one who is mentioned in my book Etched in Stone. This year, my choice is Joseph L. Hendricks, Jr., a former Meadowdale teenager. Known as Joe Hendricks, he was…

History remembers the celebrated – genealogy remembers them all Readers of my Looking Back columns may have noticed that I often go beyond history to include genealogy research in my stories. Genealogy became part of my private and public life years ago—long before computers were available for use by the general public; before the introduction…

The people who came to Edmonds when it was still a developing small town, came from various places and backgrounds.  Some had very little money and others were lucky to have a substantial bank roll. However, one thing they all seemed to have in common — hope for a good life in an evolving young…

Twenty years ago, when American Airlines Flight No. 77 was hijacked by five terrorists and deliberately flown into the west side of the Pentagon military headquarters in Washington, D.C., one of the victims was 52-year-old Sgt. Major Larry Strickland, U.S. Army, who was looking forward to enjoying the leisure of retirement in a few days….

When the little village of Edmonds incorporated as a fourth-class town in August of 1890, even though there had been some hard times, the residents must have been filled with hope that the final decade of the 19th century would bring prosperity, growth and some needed culture to their community. Certainly, at 5 o’clock in…

Nothing appears to symbolize the true meaning of Memorial Day in our country more than the beautiful and poignant poem In Flanders Fields. This poem was written 106 years ago by Canadian poet and WWI battlefield surgeon Lt. Col. John McCrae, after he had seen a field of colorful red poppies blooming on what shortly…

Part 2 of two parts. You can read Part 1 here. 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…

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…

The latest issue of the Veterans of Foreign Wars National Magazine reminded me that on Monday, March 29, our country will pay honor to the veterans of the Vietnam War, and we are requested to display our country’s flag on this special day of remembrance. Over 50 years ago, many of our young people were…

Sometimes writing articles about history can be frustrating, controversial, and even boring. Right in the middle of putting together an article about a large lumber company, its long-time log agent, and the beginnings of Lynnwood and Edmonds, I experienced all three moods, so I decided to put this particular project aside for the time being,…

Some changes in my own life inspired me to look at the history of shopping from a different perspective, and to realize that through the years, even though new technology has brought some cosmetic changes, the basics still pretty much remain the same—shopping from home is popular, convenient and sometimes a necessity. Until May of…

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…

Shown above are some of the volunteer firefighters from Station No. 1, Snohomish County Fire Protection District No. 1, its home base located at Seattle Heights, three miles east of Edmonds. The men were standing beside one of the district’s fire trucks in front of Eisen’s Garage on the northeast corner of today’s 212th Street…

Discovering history sources Clues to historical stories can be found in records from many different, and even unusual sources. The idea for this column originated from a small portion of a 1910 Plat of Township 27 North, Range 4 East, Willamette Meridian, Snohomish County, Washington. The southwest Snohomish County landholders of 1910 shown on this…