Mukilteo’s founding pioneers come to life

Published 10:17 pm Sunday, August 15, 2010

MUKILTEO — Shaded by trees, a small cemetery sits atop a hill overlooking the water.

History lives in every stone here.

About 15 people gathered at the Mukilteo Pioneer Cemetery on Saturday afternoon to hear stories about the town’s pioneer days. Storytellers from the Mukilteo Historical Society had many to tell.

Members of the society, along with Historic Everett, another heritage group, hosted a presentation by local historian David Dilgard and a tour of the historic part of town.

“We must remember those before us,” said Diane Tinsley, a re-enactor who played Louisa Fowler Sinclair, the daughter of one of the founders of Mukilteo.

People need to tell their stories to be remembered in history, she said.

Carrie and Steve Compton listened. They learned a lot about the town they have called home for seven years.

“I didn’t realize there was so much history here,” Steve Compton said.

Tinsley talked about World War II veteran Mas Odoi, who was born in 1921 in Japanese Gulch. In those days, there was a neighborhood in the gulch. Odoi’s family was among many who came there from Japan to work at a sawmill.

“If the historical society didn’t remember him, what would we have lost?” Tinsley asked.

John Petroff tried to make the listeners see the region with the eyes of Peter Puget, the English explorer after whom Puget Sound is named.

Petroff referenced historical books to research his character and his travels. He hopes someday to give his character an English accent.

Wallace Harper wondered if unmarked graves lay beneath. He had never been to the small cemetery before. Harper lived on Whidbey Island when he served in the Navy. He moved to Mukilteo some 20 years ago.

Harper learned a lot about his town. “It’s been interesting. Stuff I never knew,” he said.

At the lighthouse gift shop, visitors came and went in a steady stream. Scott Quilici of Kirkland was lucky to be in the area while the lighthouse was open for viewing.

“It’s fascinating,” he said.

Quilici stopped by the shop and couldn’t leave empty-handed. A print of a historic photo mesmerized him. In the photo, a woman stands looking in the distance with her hand over her brows, shielding her eyes from the sun. The lighthouse and the light keeper’s home stand in the background.

At the top of the lighthouse tower, historical society member Ann Collier tried to give visitors a glimpse into a light keeper’s life.

The wonders of local history often surprise visitors, she said.

Collier attended David Dilgard’s presentation but couldn’t stay much longer than that. She hurried off to the lighthouse. She, too, learned something new about Mukilteo on Saturday. “It’s always fun to learn those little details that you haven’t heard before,” Collier said.

Katya Yefimova: 425-339-3452, kyefimova@heraldnet.com.