Snohomish

The city of Snohomish takes its name from the Snohomish Indian Tribe. Today’s Snohomish County is the approximate territory of the tribe. Historians offer varying translations for the word Snohomish. Some say it meant, “sleeping waters.” Others believe it means “lowland people.” Some say it has no translation. In the native language, Skykomish meant “inland or upland people” while Snoqualmie translated to “moon people.”

A Little History

One of the first inland communities in the Puget Sound Region, Snohomish began in 1859 at the ferry crossing of the Snohomish River for the military road between Fort Steilacoom and Fort Bellingham. The town-site quickly grew as a center of transportation and commerce, and for 30 years was the county seat of Snohomish County. Connection to Puget Sound was along the river, first by canoe and then by steamship. These were eventually augmented, and then replaced by rail. Ensuing years found the City prosperous and successful with a strong commercial and community identity. Basic enterprises included sawmills, which produced lumber from the huge cedar trees native to the area; and plants which processed and packaged the agriculture products grown in the adjacent river valleys.

Since its founding, Snohomish has endured the typical difficulties suffered by older central cities, including a major fire which destroyed a number of the buildings along First Street; and flooding which has eroded the south side of the First Street area adjacent to the river. Local forest product and food processing mills closed, eroding the basic employment sector of the City.  A bypass was built for Highway US 2, which originally came through town. The First Street commercial district fell on hard times, with traditional stores unable to compete with automobile-oriented businesses on the strip commercial streets in the City, and regional shopping opportunities in the nearby I-5 corridor.

Locals say that in the 1960s a cannon shot down First Street in Snohomish would have hit no moving thing. The anxiety experienced by this decline is evidenced by a plan prepared for the City in 1965, which proposed replacing many of the existing structures along First Street with a covered mall! Fortunately the City had not the funds for urban renewal.