SNOHOMISH — When the city declared its downtown a historic district in the mid-1970s and landed the area on the national and state registers of historic places, it essentially labeled itself a tourist destination.
Not only was it the county’s first seat of government, Snohomish really was the first city in the county to promote itself as a place to visit.
You’ve seen the slogan: “Antique Capital of the Northwest.”
It might be an arguable claim, but there are literally acres of antiques and interesting collectibles for sale in Snohomish. And many of them, along with the plethora of fun stuff in boutiques, book and bicycle shops, are housed in the antique brick buildings along First Street.
Snohomish, situated on the north bank of the Snohomish River, has great restaurants, distilleries, nightlife, concert venues, parks, foot and bike trails, river fishing access, golfing and Harvey Airfield where you can sky dive or take a hot-air balloon ride. Many farms in the valley nearby offer people a chance to visit and the resident artists play a big part in the culture of the city.
But let’s start with a little history, because in a town such as Snohomish, that’s important.
The native Snohomish, Stillaguamish, Snoqualmie and Skykomish people were there when settlers from the East Coast arrived in the mid-1800s, rowing 12 miles up the Snohomish River through the dark forest to a landing on the north side of the river.
At the time, the federal and territorial governments were anticipating the construction of an inland military road from south Puget Sound’s Fort of Steilacoom north to Fort Bellingham, similar to the route of what eventually became Highway 9.
The settlers wanted to get there first to lay claim to land and provide the ferry service across the Snohomish River until a bridge could be built. The military road, which was to protect Army troops from British naval attacks, never materialized and for a long time riverboat travel remained the link from Puget Sound to the town, by then established as the county seat, and eventually also served by rails and roads.
Like most cities in Western Washington, Snohomish was built on logging and milling as its primary industry. By the 1880s, people were making some money and that’s when they began building elaborate homes on the hill above the business district.
From the hill you could see Mount Rainier and the valley to the south, the Olympics to the west and the Cascades to the east. It was beautiful. Along with their houses, residents planted trees that today are centenary monoliths.
A visit to Snohomish could start with a tour of these old neighborhoods to see the houses and the trees. Start anywhere, but walk the avenues A, B, C, D and E between Fifth and Second streets. The official historic home tour is on the third Sunday of September. The Blackman House Museum, 118 Avenue B, is a must-see. It’s open noon to 3 p.m. on weekends or by appointment. More information is at www.snohomishhistoricalsociety.com.
Larry Countryman, a lifelong resident, former city councilman and owner of the Countryman Bed and Breakfast Inn, volunteers twice a week at the visitor information center on the west end of First Street.
It’s a smart place to stop, and besides you can see a baseball bat once owned by the great Earl Averill, a Snohomish native who spent much of his career with the Cleveland Indians. Averill is Snohomish County’s only Baseball Hall of Famer.
Countryman, 73, said Snohomish will always retain its small town atmosphere.
“We’re landlocked, so the city is unlikely to change,” he said. “And that’s OK. Snohomish’s historic district is a great attraction, as popular for some people as the Space Needle.”
Groundfrog Day is Jan. 31 along First Street. That would be a great day to celebrate being half way to the spring equinox and to check out the antique shops, such as Antique Station at Victoria Village, and restaurants downtown. And the arts.
On Avenue D, award-winning performer Tim Noah operates his Thumbnail Theatre, a venue that hosts many independent musicians.
Two galleries to see are Arts of Snohomish on First Street and Bruning Pottery on Avenue D.
Watercolorist Joan Pinney, honored in 2014 as the county’s artist of the year in 2014, shows her work at this cooperative gallery along with many other well-known artists. She also sells a book of her paintings of some of Snohomish’s great homes.
Judy and Larry Bruning make and sell colorful utilitarian art pieces, and they maintain a wedding registry that enables young couples in the region to buy dinnerware sets.
Their employee Cade Sadowski, 24, moonlights at Roger’s Riverview Bistro, which bills itself as farm-to-table dining, and is recommended by many people.
The Cabbage Patch and Snohomish Bakery, also are local favorites, along with Hungry Pelican and Grilla Bites.
“After people eat and get lost in the antiques, they should grab their binoculars and their bicycles,” Sadowski said. “There’s no better place around to watch birds and bike the roads.”
Check out the Centennial Trail, which heads north out of town at Sixth and Maple along the Pilchuck River, and the River Front Trail, down below First Street.
Head south of town to visit Stocker Farms and the Antique Rose Farm.
It might take you two days to do it all.
Gale Fiege: 425-339-3427; gfiege@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @galefiege.
Tourist in Your Own Town
In each of our cities in Snohomish and Island counties, we have tourist attractions often overlooked by the people who live in this region. Have you taken the time to be a Tourist in Your Own Town? This the 13th in a continuing series of monthly explorations of our hometowns. For more Tourist in Your Own Town stories and for links to more information about each town we’ve covered, go to www.heraldnet.com/tourist.
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
