Skagit River Journal

of History & Folklore
600 of 700 total Free Home Page Stories & Photos
(Also see our Subscribers Magazine Sample)
The most in-depth, comprehensive site about the Skagit
Covers from British Columbia to Puget Sound. Counties covered: Skagit, Whatcom, Island, San Juan, Snohomish & BC. An evolving history dedicated to committing random acts of historical kindness

Noel V. Bourasaw, editor 810 Central Ave., Sedro-Woolley, Washington, 98284 Home of the Tarheel Stomp Mortimer Cook slept here & named the town Bug
Site founded Sept. 1, 2000. We passed 5 million page views on June 6, 2011 The home pages remain free of any charge. We need donations or subscriptions to continue. Please pass on this website link to your family, relatives, friends and clients.

Portal Index to mining stories

Darius Kinsey photo of a mine at Slate Canyon

For a thorough review of the North Cascades Mines, we strongly suggest the new book, Discovering Washington's Historic Mines, Volume 3: The Northern Cascade Mountains. See this Journal review.
Lawrence.K. Hodges and the book about Washington mining that made him famous. A chapter about the Cascade river region. Issue 20
Pioneer Albert G. Mosier's 1939 history of mining in Skagit county. Issue 20
A quick overview of mining in the foothills of the North Cascades. With links to many stories of miners and mountain men and women of the late 19th century. Issue 20
Pioneer Frank E. Davis wrote about his memories of mining and homesteading in the North Cascades.
The National Park Service NOCA division commissioned an exhaustive history of the cultural history and resources of the North Cascades and this website is a good portal from which you can follow many links to other stories, maps and photos.
Photos of the Skagit Queen mine, circa 1906 in the Cascade river area. See how they mined, lived and transported themselves and ore river. This story is from our old domain and it will be updated soon. If you cannot find the new page, enter the name in the Search Box.
Skagit Talc Mine, eight miles west of Newhalem, on the south side of the Skagit. We are looking for stories of other talc mines, both upriver and near Clear Lake.

Mining pioneers

Gilbert Landre, the French Canadian who made one of the first ore discoveries on the Cascade river, and then built the cabin he is best known for — roadhouse and a place for his fellow miners to hang out on rainy days. See the full story of Landre's cabin today and moves to maintain it.
George W. Rowse, his brother William and Jack C. Rouse, three of the earliest prospectors and miners in the Cascade river region. This is the first of our profiles of miners and prospectors who made their mark on the North Cascades. Short biographies pioneers of the Sauk river, Stillaguamish river, Illabot creek and Monte Cristo-areas.
Short biographies of North Cascades pioneers.
George Holmes, an ex-slave who found freedom in the foothills of the North Cascades.
John McMillan, king of Big Beaver creek.
Nathan Edwards Goodell and his pioneer store on the upper Skagit River during the Ruby Creek gold rush of 1880. Included is the story of how August Dohne converted the store and site into a roadhouse for upriver travelers and miners.
Upriver Skagit history, Utopia to Cascades

Snohomish county features:

Frank Wilkeson wrote an article for the New York Times issue of Feb. 27, 1893, about the mines and railroad at Monte Cristo in Snohomish county.
The Everett and Monte Cristo Railway, a book filled with photos and details of the railroad that led to the mines in the North Cascades in the 1890s and now in its second printing.
Photos and introduction to the railroad and mines of the Monte Cristo district in the North Cascades in the 1890s.
We now have a dozen Journal features about Monte Cristo, the Sauk-Suiattle river region and Sauk City. Instead of repeating all those source links on each website, along with references to books and back reading, we now have one central website with all the sources.

Story posted on Feb. 21, 2006, last updated Aug. 10, 2006, moved to this domain Oct. 21, 2011
Please report any broken links so we can update them

Getting lost trying to navigate or find stories on our site? Read how to sort through our 700-plus stories.		*See this Journal* Timeline website of local, state, national, international events for years of the pioneer period.**
Return to the new-domain home page	Links for portals to subjects and towns	Newest photo features	Search entire site
Our monthly column, Puget Sound Mail (but don't call it a blog) debuted on Aug. 9, 2009. Check it out.

Remember; we welcome correction & criticism.

Please report any broken links or files that do not open and we will send you the correct link. With more than 700 features, we depend on your report. Thank you. And do not give up if you find a link that seems to be closed. Just put the subject in the search box below. The story may have been moved to our new domain. Or just ask us and we will guide you to it.

Did you enjoy this story? Remember, as with all our features, this story is a draft and will evolve as we discover more information and photos. This process continues until we eventually compile a book about Northwest history. Can you help with copies or scans of documents or photos? We never ask for your originals.

Read about how you can order CDs that include our photo features from the first ten years of our Subscribers-paid online magazine. Perfect for gifts. Although it was delayed by our illness, it is due for completion in 2012.

You can click the donation button to contribute to the rising costs of this site. See many examples of how you can aid our project and help us continue for another ten years. You can also subscribe to our optional Subscribers-Paid Journal magazine online, which celebrated its tenth anniversary in September 2010, with exclusive stories, in-depth research and photos that are shared with our subscribers first. You can go here to read the preview edition to see examples of our in-depth research or read how and why to subscribe.

You can read the history websites about our prime sponsors
Would you like information about how to join them in advertising?

Our newest sponsor, Plumeria Bay, is based in Birdsview, just a short walk away from the Royal family's famous Stumpranch, and is your source for the finest down comforters, pillows, featherbeds andduvet covers and bed linens. Order directly from their website and learn more about this intriguing local business.

Oliver-Hammer Clothes Shop at 817 Metcalf Street in downtown Sedro-Woolley, 90 years continually in business.

Peace and quiet at the Alpine RV Park, just north of Marblemount on Hwy 20, day, week or month, perfect for hunting or fishing. Park your RV or pitch a tent — for as little as $5 per night — by the Skagit River, just a short drive from Winthrop or Sedro-Woolley. Alpine is doubling in capacity for RVs and camping in 2011.

Check out Sedro-Woolley First section for links to all stories and reasons to shop here first
or make this your destination on your visit or vacation.

Are you looking to buy or sell a historic property, business or residence?
We may be able to assist. Email us for details.

Did you find what you were seeking? We have helped many people find individual names or places, so email if you have any difficulty.

Tip: Put quotation marks around a specific name or item of two words or more, and then experiment with different combinations of the words without quote marks. We are currently researching some of the names most recently searched for — check the list here. Maybe you have searched for one of them?

Please sign our guestbook so our readers will know where you found out about us, or share something you know about the Skagit River or your memories or those of your family. Share your reactions or suggestions or comment on our Journal. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to visit our site.

View My Guestbook
Sign My Guestbook

Email us at: skagitriverjournal@gmail.com

Mail copies/documents to Street address: Skagit River Journal, 810 Central Ave., Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284.