Snohomish County, Washington: History
Snohomish County was originally inhabited by several Coast Salish groups, predominantly settled along the western coastline and near the region's rivers. The Snohomish were the largest group and occupied an area from present-day Warm Beach to Shoreline, while Stillaguamish lived in the Stillaguamish River basin. The region was first charted and named by European explorers in the late 18th century, beginning with Captain George Vancouver and his British expedition. Vancouver arrived in Puget Sound and Port Gardner Bay on June 4, 1792, landing near present-day Everett.
The Treaty of Point Elliott was signed at present-day Mukilteo on January 22, 1855, marking the cession of Coast Salish territories in the Puget Sound lowlands. The Tulalip Indian Reservation was established to house the remaining tribes, including the Snohomish, Snoqualmie, and Skykomish. Snohomish County was created out of Island County's mainland areas and the northernmost portion of King County on January 14, 1861. The separation from Island County was the result of a petition by settlers to the territorial legislature that cited the difficulty of travel to Coupeville on Whidbey Island, the county seat at the time.
The new county was the first in Washington to have its boundaries defined by a land survey rather than natural boundaries. The territorial legislature designated Mukilteo, the area's largest settlement, as the temporary county seat in January 1861. The county government was permanently moved to Cadyville, later Snohomish, following an election on July 8. Residents north of the Snohomish River later proposed to be moved into Skagit County due to difficult travel to the county seat at Snohomish. After the incorporation of the city of Everett in 1893, the city's leaders attempted to move the county seat from Snohomish. A countywide general election on November 6, 1894, chose to relocate the county seat to Everett, amid controversy and allegations of illegal votes. After two years of litigation between the cities of Snohomish and Everett, the county seat was officially relocated to Everett in December 1896.
One of the first county censuses was taken in 1862 by Sheriff Salem A. Woods. Early important pioneers in the Snohomish County region included E. F. Cady of Snohomish, Emory C. Ferguson of Snohomish and Isaac Cathcart.
The early economy of Snohomish County relied on natural resources, namely timber and mining, alongside agriculture. The region was connected by railroads at the end of the 19th century, which also created new towns that experienced major population booms as emigrants arrived from other parts of the United States. The county was among the largest New Deal aid beneficiaries in Washington due to its troubled economy during the Great Depression; the Works Progress Administration built major projects around Snohomish County, while the Civilian Conservation Corps developed wilderness and recreational areas around several work camps.
During World War II, the county had several shipyards and airplane factories established to supply the United States Armed Forces. Several existing and new airfields were converted into military use, which would continue beyond the war. A post-war population boom brought new suburban development to Snohomish County, where bedroom communities were built alongside new highways to Seattle. In 1967, Boeing began construction of an aircraft assembly plant—the world's largest building—in Everett for its Boeing 747 program. …