Logging: Edmonds' First Industry

When George Brackett was forced ashore in his canoe in 1870, he found what he was seeking: easily accessible timber, plenty of fresh water, gently sloping shoreline, and easy access to the growing markets for wood and forest products dotting the shoreline of Puget Sound.

He returned two years later and purchased 147 acres for $650. In 1876 he commenced actively developing his property, beginning with a wharf and sawmill at the foot of Bell Street (see Patch article ). Brackett and others immediately began harvesting the easily accessible timber closest to the mill and wharf, leaving behind a swath of cleared, mostly level land, ideal for development. Brackett platted the town, and the first homes and businesses soon began to spring up.

The city of Edmonds was incorporated in 1890, the boundaries being Caspers Street on the north, Pine Street on the south, Ninth Avenue on the east, and Puget Sound on the west. Development was halting at first, largely due to the economic downturn of the 1890’s.

The turn of the century saw rapid development in what is now the downtown core and Edmonds bowl areas, and the face of the land quickly changed from cleared forest to vibrant town. These years saw an array of businesses locate on Main Street, the construction of the and , and much homebuilding to serve the growing population. By 1910 the United States census showed the city’s population to be 1,114. Two years before the entire population of Snohomish County was listed as 1,546. 

But much harvestable timber was still to be had on the town fringes. As the core of Edmonds developed, logging operations moved to exploit this. Mushrooming growth in the Puget Sound region put heavy demand on Edmonds' ,and local loggers worked literally day and night to meet the demand. By the early 1900s, logging activity had reached into the Meadowdale and Woodway areas, and east to the rim of the Edmonds bowl. 

Logging in less accessible locations meant that the timber had to be transported greater distances over less friendly terrain. This was mostly accomplished by teams of horses and oxen pulling massive logging wagons or dragging the huge logs over skid roads. Other solutions included logging railroads, typically short-lived operations with only a few miles of track. Operators typically would move on after logging off a piece of wooded property, taking rails, locomotives and other rolling stock to the new location.

Logging activity continued in the Edmonds area for a number of years, but tapered off in the late 1920s and 1930s when most harvestable timber had been cut. The shingle mills continued to operate with logs brought in mostly by water from other areas around Puget Sound. But as the resource dwindled, the mills cut back on operations and began to shut down, the last mill closing in 1951.