 |
Whatcom County Short |
|
Whatcom County Short |
|
Whatcom County Settlements
| Blaine is about
the youngest town in Whatcom county, having been platted in the spring of
1885. The CAIN Brothers, the present owners of most of the original townsite
and much other valuable property, were the first to move in platting. The
town extends half a mile along the water front from from the British line
south and received the magnetic name of Blaine from General M. A. MCPHERSON,
who is himself an acquaintance and great admirer of the Maine statesman.
Just south of the original town lies the properties of J. A. MARTIN, A. W.
STEEN, E. A. BOBLETTE, M. and Chas. ROSBRUGH and B. N. and C. KINGSLEY, all
of it most desireably located. Blaine and its additions now has a population
close upon five hundred and is steadily growing, as 1889 will see the
commencement and completion of over one hundred buildings, some of the very
fine ones.
Three miles south of Blaine is located the California Creek neighborhood, which is scattered along the arm of the salt water for two miles. They have a school house and a church and many very nice farms and orchards. Two large kilns of brick have been burned on the creek, and a large logging business has been done there for several years. Crossing the creek a mile south is Hillsdale which is located in the midst of a rich section of fir and alder land. Hillsdale has been the scene of some active logging operations. It is the postoffice for the people of that section, but in a few years will be in the suburbs of Blaine. About half way between Birch Bay and Custer is the Pleasant Valley school house. Ferndale is built on both sides of the Nooksack river where the Northwest Diagonal road crosses the stream. There are two schools at Ferndale, one on the east and the other on the west side of the river. There is a Methodist church, and three stores, blacksmith shop, shoe shop, etc. For several years there has also been a small sawmill in operation. Ferndale also enjoys the convenience of a Pacific Postal Telegraph office. Two or three small steamers run up the Nooksack to Ferndale. Ferndale has one of the best cornet bands on Puget sound, and this year has the champion base ball club of Whatcom county. Mountain View is mostly situated on a gentle slope towards the Nooksack river and Bellingham bay. Lake Terrell is located just to the northwest of the Mountain View neighborhood and only a little over a mile from the beach of the Gulf of Georgia. There is a large school at Mountain View which is only three miles west of Ferndale and about fourteen miles southeast of Blaine. South of Mountain View is the Lummi Indian reserve, which occupies for the most part river bottom and marsh land, but which has a variety, including fir ridge, overflow tide land and beaver marsh, forming one of the richest tracts in Washington, which is occupied by only a few braves and their families who live a mingled pastoral and fishing and hunting life, and keep their reservation, which contains several thousand acres, in a wild uncultivated state. At the mouth of the river on the south side is located the town of Marietta which it is expected will in a few months be directly connected by wagon road with Mountain View and Blaine. The town has a couple of hundred inhabitants, two or three stores, a sawmill, two shingle mills and a large hotel. Marietta is also on Bellingham bay only six miles from the city located there. Passing along the shore of the bay, still traveling southeastward, about six miles one arrives at the Bellingham Bay Towns, Whatcom, Sehome, Bellingham and Fairhaven, which will eventually be merged into one great city. Taking the Guide Meridean (sic) road which leads straight north from Whatcom and traveling directly north for ten miles one reaches the Wiser Lake neighborhood, which is noted for its rich alder bottom and beaver marsh lands. It is one of the newest portions of Whatcom county, and only two or three settlers were near there before 1883. Crossing the Nooksack, which is a mile farther north, and traveling four miles farther we reach the famous Bertrand Prairie, which is named for a citizen of Blaine and which is directly east of Blaine twelve miles. Two miles farther west in the Delta neighborhood, which lies on the south side of the slope near the head waters of Dakota creek. There is a postoffice at this point, and a school known as the Thompson school. Haynie is a postoffice five miles east of Blaine and is located on the level land under the brow of Boundary ridge. There is a sawmill here and a school house and some very good farms. Next to Haynie is the school district adjoining Blaine, from which it lies three miles, Excelsior, which borders Dakota creek. We have in this article devoted our attention mostly to the six northwest townships of Whatcom county, and that we have not given a more minute description of the remaining twelve signifies only that we are not sufficiently acquainted with them to do them justice. |
Back to Whatcom GenWeb Home Page