Mukilteo Beacon - Your Hometown News Source

Thirteen years ago, I went in search of Anabe Falls with three friends: Michele Harris, Marie Lovell, and Brian Harris. Anabe Falls is east of North Bend, and a long way from Snohom... — Updated 8/9/2023

My mother's parents lost their farm in the southeast corner of Montana, near Ridge, in 1924. They packed up everything they could, like "The Beverly Hillbillies," and left... — Updated 3/22/2023

Talgo 6 trainsets traveled through Edmonds on a daily basis as the Amtrak Cascades for more than two decades. And the Northwest Railway Museum in Snoqualmie was able to acquire a Ta... — Updated 3/8/2023

Popular author Mary Daheim died eight months ago. Teresa A. Anderson and I have been helping Mary’s family sort through photos and historic records that Mary had collected.... — Updated 11/25/2022

Recent trips to Alpental at Snoqualmie Pass and Black River Junction in Renton were learning experiences and reminders of history that is older than usually found in textbooks. I... — Updated 11/2/2022

A number of years ago, I was sitting on the sofa in the late Mary Daheim's living room. On the end table next to me was a book titled "A Hoghead's Random Railroad Reminiscences."... — Updated 8/24/2022

Have you visited Joyce, Florence, Beverly, Addy, Arletta, Amanda Park, or Lebam? Those are all towns in Washington named for wives, daughters, and lady friends. There are certainly... — Updated 8/10/2022

The chicken runs at midnight. This isn’t ancient history. Much more recent. It dates from 1992, but it seems appropriate this year when the Seattle Mariners may be making a... — Updated 7/27/2022

The history of railroads in Snohomish County is really rather boring. Great Northern Railway reached Edmonds in 1891. The most unusual aspect of this arrival was that Great Northern... — Updated 7/20/2022

I watched a YouTube video presented by "The History Guy," who likes to specialize in forgotten history. The particular episode was about Camp Ellis near Ipava, Illinois. During... — Updated 7/6/2022

It was nearly a three-hour drive from Edmonds to Issaquah to Port Orchard. Later in the day, I reversed the route to come home. Why would I do that? In Port Orchard there were... — Updated 6/29/2022

I mentioned a few weeks ago that celebrated local author Mary Daheim had died. She had been the voice for the ghost town of Alpine, Washington, a title I have inherited. I also... — Updated 6/8/2022

I was looking through my old files to find something that I could post on the "Remembering Alpine Washington" Facebook page. I found an old interview granted by Mary Daheim. I also... — Updated 6/1/2022

We all know the southwest Snohomish County of today. Edmonds, Lynnwood, Mukilteo, Mill Creek, Mountlake Terrace, and Brier are the municipalities. But what about 100 years ago? Wher... — Updated 5/11/2022

In a recent article I mentioned attending a program at the Mercer Slough Environmental Education Center in Bellevue. While there, I met a man who is knowledgeable about the history... — Updated 5/4/2022

A birdwatcher mentioned to me that there didn’t seem to be any grebes around. The grebe has always been a very common bird. On any given day he might see hundreds. A few days... — Updated 3/30/2022

The name of actress Swoosie Kurtz is familiar to many. Years ago, I assumed that Swoosie was a nickname of some sort. Wrong. Swoosie is really her name, and there is a Puget Sound... — Updated 3/23/2022

I call Skykomish my home away from home. But due to COVID-19, I haven't gotten there as often in the last two years as I would have liked. Fortunately for me and others, there is a... — Updated 3/9/2022

Did you ever play post office? I never did, and had no idea of the rules until doing some research on local post offices. A town was measured by its post office, as much as by its... — Updated 1/5/2022

A number of years ago there was much complaining about a bridge to nowhere in Alaska. My story today is a bit different. It is about roads that would have gone somewhere useful in... — Updated 12/1/2021

Why does it matter that Seagen is now the sixth most valuable company in Washington, and who cares other than shareholders? Would the jobs at Seagen still be as valuable if the... — Updated 11/27/2021

The name Diamond Knot is familiar to many residents of southwest Snohomish County. Many are acquainted with the brewpubs in Mukilteo and Mountlake Terrace, but few know the origin... — Updated 8/18/2021

We spent a day chasing history. The first location was the Cleveland High School Memorial Forest. After World War II, Cleveland High School students bought 20 acres on... — Updated 8/14/2021

Editor's note: Edmonds resident Tim Raetzloff, who writes the History Files column for the Beacon, was a contestant on a "Jeopardy!" episode that aired in January 1989. (His show... — Updated 2/24/2021

Editor's note: Edmonds resident Tim Raetzloff, who writes the History Files column for the Beacon, was a contestant on "Jeopardy!" in 1988. After the death of longtime host Alex Tre... — Updated 2/3/2021