By DAN ROYAL
Voices of the Valley
An act to create Skagit County was signed Nov. 28, 1883, by territorial Gov. William A. Newell. Secessionist feelings were hotly debated for numerous years, but this action followed the defeat of an initial bill for organizing a new county of Skagit on Oct. 24 by the Washington Council, a territorial legislature body, by a vote of 8 to 4.
The 1906 Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish County tells us, “With the beginning of the epoch of the 1880s, the increasing population about the mouth of that superb stream of the Skagit, the largest and finest of the rivers of the sound basin, began to feel that they were paying a disproportionate amount of money into the treasury and receiving benefit in inverse ratio. The rugged range of the Chuckanut formed a barrier between the two parts of the county, and along the line represented by that chain of hills the battle for county division.”
Sebring’s Skagit County Illustrated 1902 described its boundaries this way: “Skagit county is bound on the north by Whatcom county, on the south by Snohomish county, on the east by Okanongan county and on the west by Puget Sound. It is twenty-four miles wide and about eighty long, its north line being twenty-four miles from British Columbia. In the western end of the county, scattered over the Sound, there are a number of islands, among them being Fidalgo (on which Anacortes is located), Cypress, Samish, Guemes” to name a few.
The first actual attempt at county division is mentioned in the Northwest Enterprise of Sept. 15, 1883, where reference is made to the circulation of a petition at La Conner for a new county out of southern Whatcom. In all likelihood the petition was circulated by Councilman James Power, who also owned the Puget Sound Mail in La Conner at the time.
An editorial war between the newspapers of the time, most notably the Whatcom Reveille and the Puget Sound Mail, ensued with the Reveille firing the first volley, saying, “that if their friends in the southern part of the county were spoiling for a fight there was no good reason why they should not have it.” The Puget Sound Mail and the Northwest Enterprise responded in kind, noting that if their neighbors to the north really held such a low opinion of those in the Skagit region, then the argument for division was appropriate.
The 1906 History notes that, “With the meeting of the new Legislature in the fall of 1883, Councilman Power and Rep. (Orrin) Kincaid, of the southern division of Whatcom county, were placed upon the standing committee on county matters, and this of course gave them a good opportunity for the introduction of such measures as ultimately resulted in county division. Early in the session Councilman Power introduced the expected bill for the division of Whatcom county.”
Following the initial loss of the first bill on Oct. 24, Whatcom arrogance became its undoing when representatives went home feeling secure in their victory. Councilman Power and Rep. Kincaid simply reintroduced the bill in November and without the powerful representatives from Whatcom to help vote it down, the bill passed.
Skagit County has been extraordinarily blessed with numerous historians, historical societies, associations and a great genealogical group to help us with our ancestry in the county, the Skagit Valley Genealogical Society. Our wonderful museums are holding and sharing our heritage: Skagit County Historical Museum in La Conner, Anacortes Museum in Anacortes, Clear Lake Historical Association in Clear Lake, Concrete Heritage Museum in Concrete and Sedro-Woolley Museum in Sedro-Woolley.
We can also enjoy Web sites where new histories on our valley and its river are shared with a larger audience in the states and sometimes internationally.
As the historian for the Skagit County Pioneer Association, it has been my privilege to make acquaintances and friends from around the county who share the joy of history and the ancestry of our beloved valley. There are many folks I admire, but two famous men have really impressed me. They have contributed for years in very different and diverse ways: Wallie Funk of Anacortes and my predecessor Dick Fallis, who resides these days in his beloved town of La Conner.
Every November, for years, Fallis made sure the residents of the county knew it was time to pay respect and mark the birthday of its creation. He even spearheaded the great Skagit County Centennial Celebrations in 1983. It is now my honor to carry on these traditions, and I hope anyone wanting to share their history and heritage in Skagit County will always feel comfortable coming to me or the many venues mentioned above.
• Dan Royal is historian of the Skagit County Pioneer Association.
