History of Marysville, Washington

Marysville, Washington was first established as a small town in 1891 and incorporated in the same year by its founder James P. Comeford. The city has grown, partly by annexing nearby communities, to 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.

Pre-incorporation (1855–1890)

The history of settlement by European Americans in Marysville starts on January 22, 1855, when the Tulalip Indians and other Indian tribes signed the Point Elliot Treaty with 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 Comeford paid US$450 for a land claim of 1,280 acres (5.2 km²) that would become Downtown Marysville.

There were barely 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 Great Northern Railroad that ran from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada to Portland, Oregon. This gave the town enough people to become an incorporated city.

Post-incorporation (1891–1949)

The Marysville Water Tower

Marysville was officially incorporated March 20, 1891. The request was filed by James P. Comeford. The original city limits were from Kruse Junction (north) to the current boundaries 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. & A.M. 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 Commerce was established along with the Alumni Association of the high school.

Later in the 1920s, 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. In 1937, Washington's Highway Department approved Primary State Highway 1 (PSH 1) to go on the route of US 99 along State Avenue.

Modernization (1950–1990)

In 1956, President Dwight D. Eisenhower approved the Interstate Highway System. 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.

In 1964, the Washington State Highway Department was renamed the Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) and the highway system was replaced. 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.

Recent history (1991–present)

Marysville celebrated its centennial on March 20, 1991.

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. 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.

On October 24, 2014, Marysville was the site of a school shooting. At 10:39 a.m. PDT, a gunman, who was later identified as freshman student Jaylen Fryberg, shot five other students, killing four of them and seriously wounding the fifth, at Marysville Pilchuck High School before killing himself.^[4][5][6][7]

Entities collecting historical data

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.^[8]

Museum

The Marysville Historical Society Museum will be a museum that will house the history of Marysville when its completed. The Historical Society bought the land in 1986 and hopes to finish the new museum there. Building is in progress, with the outer shell being complete. The museum is located off of the historic Armar Road next to Jennings Park.

See also

• History of Washington
• Marysville Water Tower

References

External links

• Marysville Historical Society

Marysville, Washington History and People History Mayors James P. Comeford Education Marysville School District Arlington School District Lakewood School District Lake Stevens School District Places Lakewood Crossing Quil Ceda Village Tulalip Resort Casino Opera House Water Tower Washington Snohomish County