The Tilton River, which flows southwest from Mount Rainier and into the Cowlitz River, was named for – probably named by – one James Tilton. He was the surveyor general of Washington …

Last November I took a day off from work in the middle of the week, and Teresa A. Anderson and I went to Vashon Island for the day. Teresa had made arrangements with the Vashon Heritage Museum …

The beginning of a new year is often a time of reflection. It certainly was for me this year. Near the end of 2023, I visited the location on Maury Island where the Verona and Calista were built …

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 Snohomish County. …

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 everything they couldn't …

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 Talgo 6 bistro car …

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. Teresa has helped a lot, …

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 had never been to …

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." The author was …

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 others, but not …

In my last column, I wrote about former Seattle Mariner third-base coach Rich Donnelly, his daughter Amy, her losing battle with cancer in the 1990s, and a couple of nearly forgotten baseball players …

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 playoff run for the …

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 used the name …

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 World War II, the …

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 photographs of …

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 mentioned that …

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 found that I …

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? Where did people …

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 of the Newcastle …