History of Marysville, Washington
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Marysville, Washington was first established as a small town in 1891 and incorporated in the same year by James P. Comeford, the founder of Marysville. The city has grown to a large city that has absorbed nearby communities for a total of 25,315 people in 2000.[1] Over 100 years of historic events, annexations, foundations, and more created the city that is known today as Marysville.
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[edit] Pre-Incorporation (1855-1890)
Marysville's history starts on January 22, 1855, when the Tulalip Indians were signing the Point Elliot Treaty with some other Indian tribes and Washington's territorial governor, Issac Stevens at Point Elliot, now known as Mukilteo.[2][3] The treaty stated that the Tulalip Indians had to live, fish, and hunt on the Tulalip Indian Reservation, west of present-day Marysville. This opened up a large area for loggers and settlers to settle the land.
Washington established a government trading post outside of the Tulalip Reservation in current-day Marysville in 1872. The government of Washington Territory hired James and Maria Comeford to be the proprietors of the post. Later in 1874, James Comefordpaid $450 for a land claim of 1,280 acres that would become Downtown Marysville. There was barley any settlers in the Marysville area until a sawmill opened in 1887. In 1888, in response to the settlers, the Comefords opened a store, with living quarters (hotel), and a plank road that connected to the dock. They called the plank street Front Street, which is now 1st Street. Later on, Maria Comeford started teaching local children in her home and James Comeford set up a post office.
Later in 1889, Washington became a state and Marysville became a stop on the Burlington Northern Railroad that ran from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to Portland, Oregon. This gave the town enough people to become an incorporated city.
[edit] Post-Incorporation (1891-1949)
Marysville was officially incorporated on March 20, 1891. The request was filed by James P. Comeford. The original city limits were from Kruse Junction (north) to the current bounaries of Downtown Marysville. In 1901, the first Marysville City Hall opened in the present-day Baxter Senior Center. In 1902, the city established its own Crystal Lodge, known as No, 122 F & AM. The first high school was completed in 1906 and the first public library was opened in the former old city hall and present-day Baxter Senior Center in 1907. The following year, 1908, the Greater Marysville Chamber of Commerence was established along with the Alumni Association of the High School.
Later in the 1920's, Marysville hosted the first Strawberry Festival, dedicated to its nickname, the "Strawberry City", named for all the strawberries in the area. The festival is held in the month of June. Later in 1926, the United States Department of Transportation approved U.S. Route 99 (US 99), which would use State Avenue through Marysville.[4] In 1937, Washington's Highway Department approved Primary State Highway 1 (PSH 1) to go on the route of US 99 along State Avenue.
[edit] Modernazation (1950-1990)
Later in 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the Interstate Highway System.[5] Interstate 5 would take the routes of US 99 and PSH 1 and go west of Downtown Marysville to the border of the Tulalip Indian Reservation.[6]
In 1964, the Washington State Highway Department was renamed the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the highway system was replaced.[7] US 99 was deleted out of the U.S. Route system and PSH 1 was deleted along with the rest of the system. In 1989, Washington celebrated its state centennial.
[edit] Centennial (1991)
Marysville celebrated its centennial on March 20, 1991.
[edit] A New Marysville (1992-2008)
Marysville started to annex surrounding areas in 1992, when Marysville bought some unincorporated land that is now known as North Marysville. The City of Arlington responded with the annexation of Smokey Point.[8] Marysville also had an economic boost for the opening of the Naval Station Everett Support Complex.
In 2000, Marysville exceeded 25,000 in population. The city kept on annexing until it stretched from Stanwood to Lake Stevens in 2006, after it annexed the community of North Lakewood. The city also broke ground for Lakewood Crossing in 2006 and annexed Sunnyside in 2007.
[edit] Marysville Historical Society
The Marysville Historical Society is a non-profit organization dedicated to preserving Marysville's history. The society has saved the water tower from demolition, found historic artifacts related to Marysville's historic times, and more. They are currently trying to get donations to have a museum. It was created in 1974.[9]
[edit] Museum
| Marysville Historical Society Museum | |
| Established | Future |
|---|---|
| Location | Marysville, Snohomish County, Washington, United States |
| Type | Historic museum |
| Director | Marysville Historic Society |
| Website | MarysvilleHistory.org |
The Marysville Historical Society Museum will be a museum that will house the history of Marysville when its completed in 2010. The Historical Society bought the land in 1986 and hopes to start construction in 2009. The museum will be located off of the historic Armar Road near Jennings Park.
[edit] See also
- Marysville, Washington
- History of Washington
- Marysville Water Tower
- James Comeford
[edit] References
- ^ United States Census Bureau. American FactFinders-Marysville, Washington. Retrieved on May 24, 2008.
- ^ Tulalip Tribes. Tulalip Tribes-Text of the Point Elliot Treaty. Retrieved on May 24, 2008.
- ^ Duwamish Tribe. Duwamish Indian Tribe-About the Point Elliot Treaty. Retrieved on May 24, 2008.
- ^ U.S. Route 99
- ^ Interstate Highway System
- ^ Interstate 5 in Washington
- ^ State highways in Washington
- ^ Smokey Point, Washington
- ^ Marysville Historical Society. Marysville Historic Society-History. Retrieved on May 24, 2008.
[edit] External links
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