History of Snohomish

The first settlers of the area that is now the City of Snohomish were the sduhubš (pronounced approximately "Sdoh-doh-hohbsh") Native American fishermen, hunters, and gatherers. They were a subdivision of the Snohomish Lushootseed-speaking Native American tribe. In 1855, members of the Snohomish tribe were present in Mukilteo to sign the Point Elliott Treaty. By the time white settlers began arriving in the late 1850s, most Native Americans had relocated to the Tulalip Reservation near Marysville, which was established by the treaty.

The first white settlers included Heil Barnes and Edson Cady, who aimed to establish a settlement at the mouth of the Pilchuck River where it meets the Snohomish River. Cady applied for a post office permit for “Cadyville.” Meanwhile, Barnes staked a claim for Emory C. Ferguson next to Cady’s, and in 1859 built a cottage for Ferguson that still stands today. Ferguson arrived in April 1860 and established a mercantile business.

Snohomish County was established on January 14, 1861. Initially, the county seat was Mukilteo, but a vote in July 1861 moved it to Snohomish, which then had a population of 49—all men. Mary Low Sinclair became the first white woman to live in what was then called Cadyville.

In 1868, Ferguson platted his claim, naming east-west streets with numbers and north-south avenues with letters. A year later, Mary Sinclair and her husband, Woodbury, platted their claim and named the avenues after trees.

Cadyville was renamed Snohomish in 1871 when the plat of Snohomish City Western Part joined Ferguson’s eastern claim with Sinclair’s western claim at Union Avenue. Ferguson is often called the “father of Snohomish,” while Sinclair is remembered as the “mother of Snohomish schools.”

Originally, Snohomish supported the surrounding agricultural community but soon became a logging town due to the dense forests of Douglas firs. Brothers Alanson, Elhanan, and Hyrcanus Blackman migrated from Maine and established their first logging camp in 1875 on what was then Stillaguamish Lake, now Blackmans Lake. Hyrcanus later became the city’s first mayor. The first sawmill began operations on the Pilchuck River in 1876, and in 1884, the Blackmans opened another sawmill on the Snohomish River.

By 1884, Snohomish had a population of 700 and featured a courthouse, school building, six saloons, and one church. The Snohomish train station was built in 1888, and the first train to arrive was from the Seattle, Lake Shore & Eastern Railway. Electric lighting followed in 1889. By 1893, the Great Northern Railway from St. Paul to Seattle was completed, including a stop in Snohomish.

Snohomish was incorporated in 1890, becoming the first incorporated city in the county. Its population was 1,995, growing to 3,000 by 1895. In 1897, the county seat moved to the nearby growing town of Everett after a disputed election.

Around the turn of the century, Snohomish’s economy diversified to include the canning industry, supported by the area's ideal soil and climate for fruit growing.

A Carnegie Library was built in 1910 on the site of a one-room schoolhouse on Cedar Avenue. Though it no longer serves as a library, the Carnegie Building remains the oldest public building in the city.

In 1911, a fire destroyed many buildings on First Street and extended up Avenues B and C. These were largely replaced with brick and masonry structures.

One of the largest employers in early Snohomish was Bickford Ford, founded by Lawrence Bickford in 1934 on First Street. The dealership remains family-run and has since relocated to Bickford Avenue.

Snohomish values and celebrates its history through various preservation efforts. In the 1960s, there was a push to preserve the city’s historical character and promote the vitality of the Historic Business District. The Snohomish Historical Society was founded in 1969 and is headquartered at the Blackman House Museum, the former home of Hyrcanus Blackman.

In 1973, Snohomish became the first city in the county to pass an ordinance establishing a Historic District, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. This 26-block area along the Snohomish River includes both commercial and residential properties.

The City of Snohomish’s Design Review Board was created in 1979 to ensure development in the Historic District aligns with established historic standards.

The Historic Downtown Snohomish Association, established in 2004, is a nonprofit organization of volunteers and businesses dedicated to promoting, preserving, and improving the city’s historic downtown business district.