Snohomish’s river park should be named for Pilchuck Julia

Published 1:30 am Sunday, January 13, 2019

The city of Snohomish’s Parks Board started a parks naming process in 2017, even creating a special parks naming committee. Finally, late last year, 52 suggested names were evaluated and decided on for fives parks for submission to the city council for approval.

Now, according to the city’s parks project manager, all bets are off. A member of the board doesn’t want the city’s 20-acre boat launch park named to honor the historic Snohomish Tribe member, Pilchuck Julia, an iconic fisherwoman who sold her salmon catch in town up until her death from smallpox in 1923 at age 100. Her colorful history is prominently and widely reported in the first edition of the early Snohomish history book “River Reflections.” Instead, the board member wants the boat launch park named for Cpl. Jeffrey Starr, who was killed in Iraq in 2005.

If the board wants to name a park after a war veteran, I would like to submit three other war veterans killed in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts who are worthy of consideration: Charles Burrows, Charles Peterson and Owen McCandlis.

Personally, for memorializing Cpl. Starr, I suggest the city consider naming the upper floor of the soon to be refurbished 1910 Carnegie Building the “Jeffrey Starr Events Center.” It would be more visible to the public, including Cpl. Starr’s sister, who happens to be an attorney in the law office of City Attorney Grant Weed, located right across the street from the Carnegie Building.

Morgan Davis

Snohomish