The Historic Pacific Highway

Everett

The city of Everett is the county seat of Snohomish County, and is a lumbering center, seaport, and distributing point for a fertile agricultural and dairying area, which lies on a promontory between the sluggish Snohomish River, with its muddy delta, on the east and north, and Port Gardner Bay, an arm of Puget Sound, on the west. In the business district, near the center of the city, substantial middle-aged buildings border broad avenues that run east-west across a ridge extending southward from the river to the high bluffs of Rucker Hill.

Everett to Marysville 1890 - 1927

In 1913 the Pacific Highway ran eastward from Everett across the old bridge and Ebey island to Cavalero's Corner. Before the 1936 trestle was built, the first road across the flats was at ground level using wooden planks over the worst parts of the road. Later this road was paved in concrete. The reason to build the highway this way was to avoid having to build 4 large bridges over the Snohomish River and the numerous sloughs that make up the delta of the river between Everett and Marysville. From Cavalero's Corner, the highway turned to the left and continued north on what is now called Sunnyside Blvd.

The Marysville Cutoff

On August 23, 1927, the Marysville-Everett cutoff opened for traffic. This new alignment became a part of the Pacific Highway and later designated SR 529, shortened the distance between Marysville and Everett from nearly 11 miles to 4 miles. This marked a significant milestone for transportation in Snohomish County. Gala celebrations to commemorate the occasion were held in both cities.

Marysville

Marysville was established in 1872 by government-appointed Indian agent James P. Comeford, an Irish immigrant who had served in the Civil War, and his wife Maria as a trading post on the Tulalip Indian Reservation. The reservation, located to the west of modern-day Marysville, was established by the Point Elliot Treaty of 1855, signed by local Native American tribes and territorial governor Isaac Stevens at Mukilteo.

Giant Cedar Stump

The Giant Western Red Cedar Stump was a roadside attraction along the Pacific Hwy from 1922 to 1971. The stump is 20 feet in diameter and the tree was over 200 feet tall and is 1,250 years old. It was located north of Portage Creek along the Pacific Highway and you could pull off the road and drive through it. The tree had stood for over a thousand years, and unfortunately in 1893 a fire started in its hollow base causing it to die.

The Pioneer Highway

The Pioneer Highway is a 10 mile section of the original Pacific Highway between Smokey Point and East Stanwood. This section of road begins at the north end of Smoky Point Blvd. and travels eastward through Silvana to East Stanwood. This road was built in the 1890s and roughly follows the path of the railroad across the bottom land of the Stillaguamish River. The highway crosses the Stillaguamish River a mile north of Silvana, and travels along the foot of Prestliens Bluff passing through 4 miles of rich farmland before the the road climbs out of the valley and makes its way to East Stanwood.

Silvana

Silvana is located about 16 miles north of Everett on the Stillaguamish river about 5 miles above its mouth. The surrounding country was once a beautiful sylvan forest, but today it is a rich agricultural district with many farms. By 1888 the Stillaguamish post office had been established in a store which was located in the future town of Silvana along the road to Stanwood. The building of the Great Northern railroad was responsible for the rapid development of the town. After the railroad was completed in 1891 a town was laid out which they called Silvana.

Stanwood

The city of Stanwood is located about 20 miles northwest of Everett just above the forks of the south and west passes at the mouth of the Stillaguamish river. The place was once a desolate marsh where cattails and skunk cabbage thrived. The Stillaguamish river, empties into Puget Sound at Stanwood, a few miles south of the Skagit river, and is about 90 miles long. The Stillaguamish tideflats which include Stanwood comprise a area of several thousand acres which have been reclaimed over the years for agricultural purposes.

Stanwood to Mount Vernon 1870 - 1930

Early travel in Snohomish and Skagit counties was mostly by canoe as there were very few roads. The steamers made a good business moving people and cargo up and down the Stillaguamish and Skagit rivers. Stanwood is located on the Stillaguamish River and was a regular stop for these vessels. Business was good until 1891 when the railroad came in and the dynamics of trade had changed. This is when the steamer era began to fade. The first road out of Stanwood was built in the mid to late 1870's leading north to the county line. Around the same time another road was built leading south from Mount Vernon to Conway. These roads would be connected in 1880 or 1881.

Milltown

Milltown is located on the east edge of the Skagit River delta about 8 miles south of Mount Vernon in southwest Skagit county. Milltown began as a small settlement that developed around the shingle and sawmills which were established there. As fast as the land was cleared of the trees, farmers came in and turned the stump land into rich farmland. Milltown is on a slough of the Skagit River that was once called Douglas Slough (later it was renamed Tom Moore Slough). At Milltown there was a landing for canoes and steamers, and at the towns peak, 3 steamers would land there each week. By the 1880's Milltown was an established farming, fishing and lumber community.

The Stanwood Cut-Off

By the end of the 1920's, the 20 foot wide Pacific Highway was fast becoming obsolete. The narrow roadway with its sharp curves had become dangerous for the increase of traffic now using the road. Cars were also becoming wider and faster which contributed to the danger. Beginning in the 1920's and before the entire roadway had been paved, the state began to improve the road. The highway dept. wanted to eliminate as many of the remaining dangerous railroad crossings as possible, and bypassing the worst sections of the road. One of the first improvements to the highway was in 1922 when a new road was constructed between Seattle and Lake Forest Park which bypassed the Old Bothell Road.