Skykomish, WA

<< BACK

On a drive up into the Cascades in October 2003, I had the opportunity to check out the little town of Skykomish, WA...

The Bridge into town.


This bridge linked the "new" road (now US 2) to the town.  The bridge forever changed the nature and the "flavor" of the town.  It has recently expanded across the Skykomish River, to take advantage of the roadway in the same way it took advantage of the rail in earlier days. It was constructed in 1939, and is an excellent example of the bridges in the Cascade area.

I really like the look these old bridges bring to an area... there's more character than with the more modern bridges they build today.

A somewhat modern motel dots the shore in the shadow of the bridge, a sign that the town is continuing to be relatively successful. 

As you can see, the waters of the Skykomish river are quite clean.

Affectionately known as "Sky" by railway employees, rail fans, and local residents, Skykomish began with the Great Northern Railway. 

This train, pictured here in Barring in 1907, went through Skykomish the same day, and is an example of the type of trains that started the small town off.

During the construction of the railroad through the Cascades in 1892, the soon-to-be-town was known as Maloney's Siding.  The depot was simply a boxcar sidetracked for this purpose.  After completion of the rail road in 1893, a post office and general store were established and the town was named Skykomish.  The name is derived from the Native American words Skaikh, meaning "inland" and mish, meaning "people".  Native Americans had been visiting the area for centuries to hunt and gather during warmer months.

Following Gov Steven's advice, John Maloney staked a claim to build a store to supply the needs of railroad men and prospectors.   In June 1893, the first scheduled train went through the town, engineered by Patrick McEvoy.  The Engineer was so impressed with the town that he later returned to stake a claim of his own.

Frank Wandchneider build a hotel, and restaurants and saloons soon followed.  The saloons and eateries were open 24 hours a day to serve the rail road crews.  Poker and panguingue ("pan") were the favorite card games in the town. 

The Town sure hasn't changed much!  The left picture was taken in 1895, the right one in 2003.  The Saloon on the left of both pictures is now a store, while the tavern on the right of both pictures is still a tavern.

Take away the color, and the vehicles, and this could be 1900!

I managed to get my truck in this pic!  :)  Most of the history of the town was garnished off an information kiosk that's next to my truck, with the small brown roof by the bush.

In 1899, Maloney and his wife, Louisa, filed a plat for the town, and on June 5, 1909, Skykomish was incorporated.

This postcard is from 1899

 

The first school was a one-room building, accommodating several students, by 1900, enrollment had reached 50, and by 1902, a new school was built.  In 1919, there were 152 enrolled. 

Here's a picture of the 1902 school building, taken in 1907. I looked around for this building in town, but didn't find it.  I guess it burned down, or was pulled down to make room for something else.

The town was a bustling success, until in 1904 most of the town was burned in a fire.  The hotel was the first building rebuilt, and by 1905, other business were rebuilt. 

By 1907, when this picture was taken, the logging industry was taking advantage of the proximity to the rail line, and had a large operation in the town.  The mill closed after the region around the town was made a National Forest, and the Clinton Administration limited logging operations to a point where it wasn't financially viable anymore.  This site is now the site of a 'modern' motel.

In 1956, changes to the tunnel that takes the rail line through the mountains was changed to allow diesel locomotives through the tunnel.  That ended the glory days of the small town. 

The rail made the town of Skykomish in its early days.  It also has prevented it from growing.  Only a few trains stop each week in the little town that at one point commanded the rail as the Western stopover for the run through the pass.

At one point, 8 trains a day would stop, and the town enjoyed the marketing power of the Great Northern Flyer, who would bring outdoorsmen to the town.  All passenger train service in the the town ended in 1971, when Amtrak took over the passenger train business.

In 1970, the buildings between the hotel and the tavern burned, and the town lost its "western frontier" look of towns where the tracks were "main street".

Unfortunately, the old buildings and structures such as a coal chute, a train barn, and a power control house are now gone.  Falling into ruin, the last of these were demolished in 1992, as part of an effort to clean up the appearance of the town.

There are large, flat, open spaces in the town where buildings once stood in support of rail operations that are no longer needed with the advance of time and technology

 

<< BACK