Veteran Journalist, Who Wrote Edmonds History Book For Centennial, Dies

Archie Satterfield, a veteran journalist who wrote one of the most respected books on the history of Edmonds, has died at 78.

The Seattle Times reports that Satterfield died from a stroke after surgery in Bellingham. He most recently lived in Oak Harbor.

Satterfield was living in Edmonds when commissioned by Barbara Kindness of the city's Centennial Commission to write a history of town as it approached its 100th anniversary in 1990.

The result was Edmonds: The First Century, a 128-page book with an abundance of historical photographs, most provided by the Edmonds Historical Museum.

Chapter headings include "Beginnings," "The Bracketts Remember," "The Fires," "Downtown Buidlings" and "Ferries," among others. The books is spiced with sidebars titled "According to Local Legend," compiled by the author using original and source material.

In his introduction to the book, Satterfield acknowledged an earlier book about Edmonds that set the standard for readibility while providing plenty of history: Ray Cloud's Edmonds: The Gem of the Puget Sound.

Satterfield grew up in the Missouri Ozarks. After serving four years in the Navy, he attended St. Louis University and the University of Missouri before moving to Seattle in 1959 and receiving a bachelor's degree in English from the University of Washington.

Satterfield worked for both The Seattle Times and The Post-Intelligencer. In 1980, he founded the regional magazine Northwest Living.

No services are planned, as per Satterfield's request.