7 Introduction. Photo courtesy Everett Public Library

Transcription

1 This circa 1915 shot, looking due west, shows several of the mills that lined the 14th Street Dock and the railroad spur that ran out on the dock from the main line. Photo courtesy Everett Public Library 7 Introduction

2 NORTH WATERFRONT GENERAL CHRONOLOGY 19th Century 1890s Everett was launched as a planned city of diversified industries in the early 1890s. Henry Hewitt, a Tacoma industrialist often called the Father of Everett, saw the potential of the Port Gardner peninsula, where the Snohomish River empties into Puget Sound. His key accomplice in planning a city for the site was East Coast businessman Charles Colby, who had links to other East Coast capitalists, including the richest of all, John D. Rockefeller. In 1890, Hewitt and Colby formed the Everett Land Company with the backing of Rockefeller s wealth and the city (named for Colby s son) soon was born. Lured by rumors of Rockefeller money and knowledge that James J. Hill was bringing his Great Northern Railway across the West to Puget Sound, people swarmed to Everett. The peninsula, which may have had three dozen residents in 1890, had a population of several thousand by the end of The four major businesses were a nail works, a shipyard, a smelter, and a pulp and paper mill. None of these was located in the North Waterfront. The only development in that area was the 14th Street Dock, which became a site for wood products businesses. Croatians and Norwegians who would become Everett s pioneer commercial fishermen were among the early arrivals. However, their base for activity would not be in the North Waterfront until the 1940s, when the construction of a World War II shipyard would force them from their original location and into the 14th Street area. This drawing of early Everett provides an artist s stylized perspective of the city and the waterfront. Courtesy Jack C. O Donnell collection 8 Introduction

3 Everett s early boom period ended when an 1893 financial panic swept the country and Rockefeller pulled his resources out of the city. Everett struggled through economic doldrums for the remainder of the decade. 20th Century 1900s In the early 1900s, Everett re-emerged. Under the leadership of James J. Hill, who always thought the area s future was in the wood products business, Everett was transformed into a mill town. Hill bought the Everett Land Company from Rockefeller and formed the Everett Improvement Company. Lumber and shingle mills had existed in the 1890s, but now Everett s economy shifted to one based almost entirely on processing timber. Soon, mills lined the bayfront and riverfront. Everett proudly hailed itself the City of Smokestacks. Thousands migrated to Everett and the city population grew from 7,838 in 1900 to 24,814 in 1910 a 216 percent increase. Several mills were added to 14th Street Dock and the huge Clough-Hartley shingle mill opened at 18th Street on the bayfront. Boat building companies operated on the waterfront at this time, but not in the North Waterfront. Also, fish processing had begun, but no plant would be in the North Waterfront until the 1940s. Everett s lumber industry provided much of the wood products to rebuild San Francisco after its devastating 1906 earthquake and fire. Shortly thereafter, Everett suffered with the rest of the nation through the 1907 national fiscal crisis. 9 Introduction

4 1910s Everett population growth slowed between 1910 and 1920, but mills continued to be built. The North Waterfront saw the addition of three large plants along Norton Avenue (which was later renamed West Marine View Drive): C-B Lumber and Shingle Company at 9th Street, Jamison Lumber and Shingle Company at 10th Street, and the Fred K. Baker Lumber Company at 12th Street. The latter would become the William Hulbert Mill Company by decade s end. The decade was marked by the 1916 episode known as the Everett Massacre. At least seven were killed and many others wounded in this City Dock shootout between the Industrial Workers of the World (also known as the Wobblies) and the Snohomish County sheriff and his citizen deputies. Although the Massacre did not occur in the North Waterfront, roots for the conflict can be found in a shingle weavers strike and lockout This circa 1920 photograph shows the Clough-Hartley Mill on the far right and other bayfront mills to the south. Photo Courtesy Everett Public Library 10

5 Logs were brought in by rail and dumped in the water near the mills where they were stored before being cut into lumber. Photo courtesy Jack C. O Donnell collection that included several North Waterfront shingle mills. The nation became involved in World War I shortly after the Everett Massacre, stimulating production in the wood products industry, including Everett s mills. In 1918, citizens voted to form the Port of Everett. This took Everett s harbor out of the hands of public-spirited bodies and municipal government and placed it clearly under the control of a governmental agency created specifically for that purpose. The North Waterfront was in the Port District from the beginning, but most of it was privately owned. Over the years, the Port of Everett has purchased virtually all of the North Waterfront area. 1920s 11 Everett s mills struggled through the early 1920s and then flourished in mid-decade. A major Japanese earthquake in 1923 created a huge market for wood products and much of the material came out of Everett plants. Many downtown Everett buildings, such as the Monte Cristo Hotel, Medical Dental Building, and Central Building, were erected

6 Manufacturers used scrap ends from the waterfront lumber mills to build caskets. Photo courtesy Port of Everett 12

7 during this prosperous time. Everett s official population did not increase significantly, but this was a bit misleading: several areas to the south that eventually would be in the city limits were growing. The fishing industry took a major step forward in 1928 when local fishermen helped organize the Fishermen s Packing Corporation. But that plant, the nearby American Packing Plant, and the home base for the fishing vessels themselves, were still located south of the North Waterfront. The William Hulbert Mill Company built a large structure for casket manufacturing next to its North Waterfront mill. By the end of the 1920s, the number of shingle mills had declined; eventually those plants would disappear from the North Waterfront. Obsolete machinery, competition from composition roofing, and difficulty in obtaining quality red cedar all contributed to the decline. The once mighty Clough-Hartley shingle mill closed its doors in s Everett s businesses suffered along with the rest of the nation during the Great Depression of the 1930s. The number of shingle mills on 14th Street Dock dwindled to one by Other North Waterfront mills faced difficult times, but all survived the decade. Two new pulp mills were built on the bayfront south of the North Waterfront. These, along with the huge Everett Pulp and Paper Company in Lowell, on the Snohomish River just south of town, gave Everett a new Pulp City title. During this period, the Port of Everett purchased more property along the Everett waterfront. The Fishermen s Packing Corporation was relocated to the city of Anacortes, Washington, in 1938 and the fishing fleet moved to a new location in Tract O, south of the North Waterfront at approximately 21st Street. The fleet remained there until its move to the 14th Street Dock area the following decade. 1940s 13 The North Waterfront was marked by change in the 1940s. With the onset of World War II, Tract O was taken over by the U.S. Navy and the huge Everett Pacific Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company plant was built on the site. This prompted a move of the commercial fishing fleet to 14th Street Dock. New docks were created for the boats, and a new net shed structure was built as a workspace and storage area for the fishermen. Fish processing also appeared for the first time in the North Waterfront when a building was erected next to the net sheds for the Bozeman Canning Company. Fishermen s

8 This 1942 view shows a portion of the Everett commercial fishing fleet in off-season storage. Wide World Photo for Seattle Times, Jack C. O Donnell collection 14

9 In this 1928 aerial view looking east, two North Waterfront mills can be seen. Jamison Mill is on the far left and the Hulbert Mill with its smokestack is clearly visible in the middle of the picture. Very little of the bay had been claimed by earthen fill at this time. Photo courtesy Everett Public Library Boat Shop, an important support facility to commercial fishing, relocated to the North Waterfront as well. During this period, pleasure boat moorage began to shift to the 14th Street Dock Basin from the Piers 1 and 2 area, about a mile and a half to the south. The Port created land by filling the area from 14th Street Dock to about 12th Street, leaving the old dock as the southern boundary of an earthen fill. The war created a market for wood products, but the mills experienced a labor shortage as the military took much of the potential workforce. The problem was compounded by the fact that workers could earn more in companies like Boeing and the new Everett Shipyard. Finally, the federal government dealt with the issue by freezing people on their jobs in other words, not allowing workers to change from one company to another. After the war concluded in 1945, the Port of Everett increased the earthen fill in the North Waterfront. This effort continued over the next several decades. 15

10 This circa 1940 view looking northwest toward 14th Street Dock shows the vast number of logs being stored in the water. Much of the bay shown in the foreground was filled in and the remaining water area was coverted to the marina. Photo courtesy Jack C. O Donnell collection This structure at 1524 West Marine View Drive was built in 1944 to house the Bozeman Canning Company, the first fish processing firm in the North Waterfront. Many changes in names and ownership occurred over the years. The Everett Fish Company was the processor that occupied the building the longest. In 2010, the structure housed Scuttlebutt Brewery. Photo courtesy Lawrence E. O Donnell 16

11 The five months between commercial salmon seasons was spent repairing nets and other maintenance tasks. Cousins Len Zuvela (left) and Steve Zuvela, crew members on the DO-RO owned by Paul Martinis, repaired nets outside the net sheds. Photo courtesy Stephanie Martinis Jones 1950s The 1950s brought more change. The transformation of the 14th Street Dock Basin into a pleasure boat marina, as well as a home for the fishing fleet, progressed. Morris, Inc., which built both commercial and pleasure boats, was established in the 14th Street Dock area. Bozeman Canning had become the Everett Fish Company by 1957 and had a booming seafood processing business. The mills, on the other hand, were experiencing various fates. The William Hulbert Mill Company was fatally crippled by a major fire in C-B Lumber and Shingle Company sold out to the Summit Timber Company in mid-decade. Jamison Lumber and Shingle Company continued to pump out prodigious amounts of shingles, and Super Shingle (later Super Mill) was the only remaining mill on the 14th Street Dock site. 17 Meanwhile, the Port of Everett was leasing out increasing portions of the earthen fill north of 14th Street. By the end of the decade, the Port had leases with at least 10 different companies in the North Waterfront. One of these was with Columbia Veneer, which established one of the first particle board factories in the Pacific Northwest.

12 1960s The 1960s were momentous years in Everett. The Boeing Company established an enormous aircraft manufacturing plant in south Everett. Boeing s arrival occurred at a time when wood products industries were declining. Almost overnight, the city shifted from a mill town economy to one largely dependent on the aircraft industry. The lumber and shingle industry virtually disappeared from the North Waterfront in this decade. The Super Mill plant closed in 1962, bringing to a conclusion 70 years of 14th Street shingle mills. Summit Mill Company moved its plant to Darrington, Washington. In 1967, fires claimed the old Jamison Lumber and Shingle Company and the shuttered Pilchuck and Lumber Company. Columbia Veneer shut down after just a few years of operation. The William Hulbert Mill was gone, but casket manufacturing remained on the site. Morris, Inc. concluded its boat building operation during the decade. After removing the vacant Super Mill plant, which it had purchased, the Port redeveloped the 14th Street Dock Basin (south of the earthen fill) into a large, modern marina with around 950 slips for commercial and pleasure craft. The separate section for the fishing fleet was expanded and improved. The new marina was called Everett Yacht Basin and it was nearly 100 percent occupied by The old basin between Piers 1 and 2 was phased out and the Everett Yacht Club moved to the North Waterfront in It was located on the approximate site of what had once been the end of 14th Street Dock. Everett Fish Company expanded in 1964, and the number of firms leasing in the North Waterfront remained about the same. Morris Boats occupied a structure near 14th Street Dock that was later known as the Mall Building. Here, a new Morris-built speedboat leaves the plant. The 14th Street Dock Super Shingle Mill, which lasted until the 1960s, is partially visible in the background. Photo courtesy Morris family collections 1970s Improvements continued at the Everett Yacht Basin in the 1970s. By 1972, facilities existed for 180 commercial fishing boats and 822 pleasure boats. Five years later, more land area was being created with earthen fill to the south of the Everett Yacht Basin. It would be used in a few years to expand the marina. 18

13 Meanwhile, the commercial fishing industry was in the early stages of a downturn that would see the number of vessels decline dramatically over the next few decades. The sale of the Everett Fish Company was the beginning of ownership changes that eventually caused the fish processing plant to cease operations in the 1990s. Tidewater Plywood, the last of the wood products mills, left by the early 1970s. Casket manufacturing was down to a fraction of its earlier production. Despite the general decrease in some of the long-established companies, the number of businesses in the North Waterfront grew sharply during the decade. By 1979, more than 20 firms operated on the site. One of these was Cruise-A-Home, which bucked the area s decline in boat building by producing a unique fiberglass pleasure craft. Many of the 1979 firms were related to the boat and marine industries and a few, like Dunlap Industrial Hardware and Churchill Brothers Marine Canvas Products, remained in s Significant changes occurred in the North Waterfront during the 1980s. By 1982, the Port of Everett had extended the Everett Yacht Basin to the south. The expansion could accommodate more than 2,000 recreational boats and commercial fishing craft. The fishermen had separate floats in the marina s southeast corner. On the earthen fill that had been created to form the southern boundary of the yacht basin, the new Marina Village opened in This development included a mix of restaurants, shops, and a year later, a hotel. Now, one could enjoy a salmon dinner at Anthony s Homeport on very nearly the same site the Clough-Hartley plant had pumped out millions of shingles. In the northwest corner of the Port s North Waterfront, a launching facility for small boats was developed with ample room for patrons to park their boat trailers. Along 10th Street and the area where it reaches West Marine View Drive (formerly Norton Avenue), entrepreneur John Schack developed an industrial complex of six buildings that housed several different businesses. By 1989, nearly 40 firms occupied buildings in the North Waterfront. 19

14 This 1980s postcard shows the Weyerhaeuser Building when it was occupied by the Everett Area Chamber of Commerce. In the left background is Marina Village with the expanded marina to the right. Photo courtesy Jack C. O Donnell collection 1990s The North Waterfront got a new neighbor to the south when Naval Station Everett opened in The Port of Everett had sold 110 acres to the Navy to provide this new military installation. The naval station was, undoubtedly, the biggest physical change ever on the city waterfront. Two long-time North Waterfront companies closed in the 1990s: the casket operation and the Olympic Fish Company (the final fish processor). The number of fishermen and vessels diminished under the pressure of dwindling fish runs, government regulations, and escalating costs of operation. The total number of firms in the North Waterfront continued to increase and diversify. By decade s end, more than 65 different companies operated in the area, running the gamut from restaurants to machine shops. A few, like Puget Sound Truck Lines, Fishermen s Boat Shop, Everett 20

15 Some buildings served different purposes over the years. This 14th Street structure, known recently as the Mall Building, served originally as the Morris Brothers boat manufacturing plant. Gillnet storage, a yacht sales center, and marine supply store have since been in the building. Photo courtesy Lawrence E. O Donnell Engineering, Inc., and American Boiler Works, had been there since the 1960s. Many of the companies, such as Performance Marine and Harbor Marine Maintenance, offered services and products directly related to recreational and commercial boating. 21st Century 2000s With the arrival of the 21st century, the North Waterfront had matured into a marina and boat launching facility surrounded by a variety of businesses and recreational amenities. Another marina was created in 2007 with the opening of the 12th Street Yacht Basin. This new facility accommodated 220 boats, ranging in length from 40 to 70 feet, with end ties for vessels up to 143 feet long. The main yacht basin became the largest public marina on the West Coast with a capacity of about 2,300 boats, including guest moorage. 21

16 Completed in 2007, the 12th Street Yacht Basin (above) was designed to accommodate larger pleasure craft up to 143 feet in length. The southern portion of the 14th Street Dock Yacht Basin, is shown at left. Photos courtesy Lawrence E. O Donnell 22