A rainbow appears in front of Andy Huestis and Alisha Garvin as they and other families gathered to remember the victims on the third anniversary of the 2014 Oso mudslide on March 22, 2017. Huestis’ sister, Christina Jefferds, and her baby granddaughter, Sanoah Violet Huestis, were among the 43 people killed. (Andy Bronson / Herald file)

A rainbow appears in front of Andy Huestis and Alisha Garvin as they and other families gathered to remember the victims on the third anniversary of the 2014 Oso mudslide on March 22, 2017. Huestis’ sister, Christina Jefferds, and her baby granddaughter, Sanoah Violet Huestis, were among the 43 people killed. (Andy Bronson / Herald file)

Funding secured: Mudslide memorial will be a place to remember

Since 2014, families have mourned at a roadside shrine near Oso, but “we knew we needed something bigger.”

OSO — More than seven years after a mudslide consumed an Oso community and killed 43 people, the last piece of funding has been secured for a permanent memorial.

When the Snohomish County Council approved the 2022 budget on Nov. 9, they included $4.8 million that will go toward telling the story of the victims, survivors and first responders.

“The entire Stillaguamish Valley is still recovering from the effects of the slide,” county Executive Dave Somers said in a news release. “… The SR 530 Slide Memorial will give families and our broader community a place to mourn, remember, and honor.”

Since the 2014 disaster, a shrine has been growing along what’s now named the Oso Slide Memorial Highway. Photos and mementos adorn a grove of trees planted for each victim. Nearby, bronze mailboxes evoke the Steelhead Haven neighborhood that was swallowed by the hillside in what was the deadliest landslide in U.S. history.

Community members have been planning a more expansive memorial for years. But funding has been hard to come by.

“We know that spaghetti feeds and yard sales are not going to fund it in time where I would ever see it in my lifetime,” said Dayn Brunner, whose sister, Summer, was killed in the slide.

Brunner said the grove of trees means a lot to the family. The one planted for his sister features horseshoes and was planted on nearly the same spot a wave of mud washed away her car.

Forty-three trees at the site of the 2014 Oso mudslide are adorned with photos and memorabilia to represent each of the victims. (Sue Misao / Herald file)

Forty-three trees at the site of the 2014 Oso mudslide are adorned with photos and memorabilia to represent each of the victims. (Sue Misao / Herald file)

“As time went on, we knew we needed something bigger. Something where their stories would be told,” Brunner told The Daily Herald.

The major funding boost means the place of mourning and remembrance will be transformed, likely in time for the 10th anniversary of the event. Construction will be split up between the next two summers.

“It was really up in the air before this,” said Carol Ohlfs, lead planner with the Slide Memorial Project. “It always felt like we didn’t really know where the funding would come from.”

In the new memorial, visitors will enter through a gateway into a circular paved gathering area. From there, a trail will lead people through shelters dedicated to first responders and the 11 survivors of the slide, all nestled between dense native plants. Standing metal panels with names inscribed in them will honor the victims, and a nearby reflection pavilion will face the fallen hillside. It’s a view that will slowly become obstructed as trees begin to regrow.

Before returning to the parking lot and bike racks, the path will meander through a “transformation area” lined with trees. Signs will tell the story of the land, the disaster and response, as well as the tribal history of the area. A story pole donated by the Tulalip Tribes will stand alongside the Whitehorse Trail.

Officials will also plant a special callery pear tree donated by New York’s “Survivor Tree” program. Every year, three saplings from the original tree that withstood the 9/11 attacks are donated to communities that endure a major tragedy. Snohomish County parks officials have been growing the sapling since 2014, waiting for it to be big enough to plant in the ground.

Landslide hazard assessments confirmed the park can safely be located at the foot of the hillside, Ohlfs said. It’s the right place for a lot of reasons.

(Snohomish County Parks, Recreation and Tourism)

(Snohomish County Parks, Recreation and Tourism)

“It’s the place where those family members passed away,” Ohlfs said. “It’s the place where families come to visit the site, and people from all over the world come to see what happened there and look at it.”

Claudia Yaw: 425-339-3449; claudia.yaw@heraldnet.com. Twitter: @yawclaudia.

Call for donations

Donations are still being accepted for construction and to pay for ongoing maintenance. Find information at slidememorial.com/support.

Talk to us

> Give us your news tips.

> Send us a letter to the editor.

> More Herald contact information.

More in Local News

Customers enter and exit the Costco on Dec. 2, 2022, in Lake Stevens. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Costco stores could be impacted by looming truck driver strike threat

Truck drivers who deliver groceries and produce to Costco warehouses… Continue reading

Two Washington State ferries pass along the route between Mukilteo and Clinton as scuba divers swim near the shore Sunday, Oct. 22, 2023, in Mukilteo, Washington. (Ryan Berry / The Herald)
Ferry system increases ridership by a half million in 2024

Edmonds-Kingston route remains second-busiest route in the system.

Alina Langbehn, 6, center, and Vera A., 6, right, sit on a swing together at Drew Nielsen Neighborhood Park after school on Tuesday, Jan. 28, 2025 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett council votes to renovate Drew Nielsen Park

Construction on the $345,000 upgrade could start as early as this fall.

Northshore School District bus driver Stewart O’Leary pictured next to his buses shattered drivers side windshield on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025 in Bothell, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
‘Put me in, coach’: Bus driver back at work after struck by metal bar

Stewart O’Leary, a Northshore employee, has received national attention for his composure during a frightening bus trip.

Lynnwood councilor Joshua Binda speaks during a Lynnwood City Council meeting on Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Does the Lynnwood Council VP live in Lynnwood? It’s hard to say.

Josh Binda’s residency has been called into question following an eviction and FEC filings listing an Everett address. He insists he lives in Lynnwood.

Robin Cain with 50 of her marathon medals hanging on a display board she made with her father on Thursday, Jan. 2, 2025 in Lake Stevens, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Running a marathon is hard. She ran one in every state.

Robin Cain, of Lake Stevens, is one of only a few thousand people to ever achieve the feat.

People line up to grab food at the Everett Recovery Cafe on Wednesday, Dec. 4, 2024 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Coffee, meals and compassion are free at the Everett Recovery Cafe

The free, membership-based day center offers free coffee and meals and more importantly, camaraderie and recovery support.

The Everett Wastewater Treatment Plant along the Snohomish River on Thursday, June 16, 2022 in Everett, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Everett water, sewer rates could jump 43% by 2028

The rate hikes would pay for improvements to the city’s sewer infrastructure.

The bond funded new track and field at Northshore Middle School on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2024 in Bothell, Washington. (Courtesy of Northshore School District)
Northshore School District bond improvements underway

The $425 million bond is funding new track and field complexes, playgrounds and phase one of two school replacements.

An American Robin picks a berry from a holly tree on Thursday, Feb. 13, 2025 in Edmonds, Washington. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Calling all birders for the annual Great Backyard Bird Count

The Audubon Society will hold its 28th annual Great Backyard… Continue reading

A view of one of the potential locations of the new Aquasox stadium on Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in Everett, Washington. The site sits between Hewitt Avenue, Broadway, Pacific Avenue and the railroad. (Olivia Vanni / The Herald)
Initial prep work for AquaSox stadium to start, with $200k price tag

The temporary agreement allows some surveying and design work as the city negotiates contracts with designers and builders.

Aaron Kennedy / The Herald
The Joann Fabric and Crafts store at 7601 Evergreen Way, Everett, is one of three stores in Snohomish County that will close as part of the retailer’s larger plan to shutter more than half of its stores nationwide.
Joann store closure plan includes Everett, Arlington, Lynnwood locations

The retail giant filed a motion in court to close approximately 500 stores in the U.S.

Support local journalism

If you value local news, make a gift now to support the trusted journalism you get in The Daily Herald. Donations processed in this system are not tax deductible.