Behind the Sign

September 23, 2021

Triumph and Tragedy on the Prairie: The Ebeys of Coupeville

For all its breathtaking beauty, Ebey's Prairie on Whidbey Island is a landscape shaped by cataclysmic forces, both natural and human. The history that has emerged from those encounters is filled with shadow and light, triumph and tragedy, bloodshed and inspiration, terror and joy — and even a bit of the macabre. This is the story of the Ebeys of Coupeville, and it begins some 17,000 years ago.

September 17, 2021

Tales From the Magic Skagit: From These Waters

If you've ever driven north on S. 1st Street, Mount Vernon, it’s highly likely that the mural at the intersection with Gates Street caught your eye. It’s big, it’s bold, it’s colorful — and last but not least — it is a swirling tapestry comprised of vignettes about the immigrant experience, particularly as it applies to the Skagit Valley.

August 26, 2021

Tales From the Magic Skagit: The Music Man of Skagit Valley

Hugo Helmer was a musician, a teacher, a band leader, and a businessman whose retain venue continues to thrive under its fourth generation of family ownership. Not bad for a Swedish immigrant whose American Dream started in the rough and tumble of logging and led to the world's first accordion marching band. Broadway couldn't have scripted this story, but you can read it here.

August 10, 2021

Tales From the Magic Skagit: The Delectable Obsession of Brandan Sawyer

Brandan Sawyer loves him some good barbecue. He’s also a person who subscribes to the time honored maxim, “in for a penny, in for a pound.” Combine those virtues with a handyman’s DIY skills and a serious competitive streak, and then throw in a dogged determination to make a living doing what he loves while enjoying time with his family. What you get is not only a recipe for great food, but for entrepreneurial success. What you get is Brando’s BBQ.

Tales From the Magic Skagit: The Life and Times of “Honker” McCormick

Bruce McCormick is a living link to the Skagit Valley’s pioneer past — a first hand witness to a bygone era of immigrant settlement. For Bruce, that past is more than a collection of newspaper clippings or museum artifacts — it is remembered oral history learned at the knee of his grandfather, David McCormick. They’ll be more to say about David McCormick…but first, l’d like you to meet his grandson.

Tales From the Magic Skagit: When One Door Closes…

When it comes to good food, we have an embarrassment of local culinary riches here in the Magic Skagit. While most of my favorite restaurants weathered the pandemic, there was one that survived only to be closed under circumstances I've yet to figure out, but that ultimately don't matter to the hole left in my heart...and my tummy. When one door closes, however, another opens...

Tales From the Magic Skagit: The Lighthouse at Admiralty Head

Since the time of the Civil War until the end of the Second World War, a lighthouse has stood on a strategic bluff overlooking the maritime link between the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Puget Sound, serving as both a sentinel and a beacon. This is the story of the Admiralty Head Lighthouse.

Tales From the Magic Skagit: The Legacy of Henry Klein, “Town Architect”

The last exhibit featured by the Skagit County Historical Museum in 2020 — before The Great Pandemic put an end to public gatherings — was on the legacy of Henry Klein, the German-born immigrant who founded the first full-service architectural firm in Skagit County, and whose vision defined a design esthetic that has come to be uniquely associated with the Pacific Northwest, even while its “general practitioner” was to become more modestly hailed as “the town architect.” This is his story.

Tales From the Magic Skagit: Tales from the Crypt

Back when I wrote my original story about the history of Newhalem, I mentioned two places on my suggested walking tour that I had missed during my earlier visit: Ladder Creek Falls Gardens and the crypt of J.D. and Alice Ross. This story makes up for my previous omissions, and adds another layer to the story of Seattle City Light and its famous superintendent.

Tales From the Magic Skagit: We Are The Champions!

Those of you Tales From the Magic Skagit readers who have followed the story of Mount Vernon's epic tulip poplar at the corner of Cleveland and Snoqualmie will be pleased to know that we've learned more about our State Champion, thanks to the efforts of an "arboreal trophy hunter" named Robert Van Pelt.

Tales From the Magic Skagit: The (Almost) Secret Garden of Emma Jarvis

Even if you are strolling past the garden on the west side of First Street, near the intersection with Kincaid, it would be easy to miss the sign dedicating this floral display to a former school cafeteria worker, German immigrant, and avid gardener. But just who was Emma Jarvis?

Tales From the Magic Skagit: ‘Rhod’ Rage!

If Cleveland Street ever considers changing its name, I think it should be called Rhododendron Way. While there are magnificent rhodies to be seen all over the Valley, the concentration of epic blooms along Cleveland Street — especially between Hazel and Kincaid — is worth a slow ride on a sunny day. Or better yet, park the car and head north. You are in for some jaw dropping floral displays

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