The following article appeared in the September 2003 issue of The Third Age (News and Information for Contemporary Seniors Vol.31, No. 1 ref page12 and 13. Titled Granite Falls ... second century mirrors its first Townspeople fee pride and share town's history Section: Perspective On The Past By : Louise Lindgren, author. I received Louise Lindgren's kind permission to copy this article to WASNOHOM-L@rootsweb.com and also to PSRoots-L@rootsweb.com for persons subscribing to these two genealogical sites/bulletins. In the Third Age copy there is an approx. 3" x 5" photo with the caption: "Pioneer Wirt Robe and his mother in their store. -Photo courtesy of Granite Falls Historical Society. Article quoted in full as follows: A hundred years ago the town of Granite Falls was incorporated, and townspeiple have been celebrating that fact for the past eight months with special programs and events that will continue through the year. They have much to think about as they look back and then forward, to the changes that are happening at such a swift pace that they almost mirror the early development of the town. The History of Snohomish County, written by William Whitfield in 1926, estimated there were 50-60 people in Granite in 1900. By 1904 there were over 400. Lontime residents of Granite Falls today may be able to relate to the feelings of the pioneers as they have watched their population jump from 911 in 1980 to over 2,900 today. Another interesting source of information for comparison in a different way is "The Coast" magazine of June 1902 which waxes poetic about the natural wonders of the area. "Four fresh water lakes lie in one direction from the place, and seven in another, which afford most excellent fishing. In the forests and along the lakes and streams, grouse, pheasants, ducks and wild geese are plentiful." The article goes on to describe the train trip leaving Granite for Robe Canyon and the town of Monte Cristo. "... the train passes for a few miles through a dense forest of fir, cedar, hemlock and larch. Suddently to the left of the track the curtain of trees falls away and one can see, hundreds of feet below, the rushing tumbling waters of the Stillaguamish River. Later, we cross the river and marvel at the pure, clear color of the splashing, hurrying waters below, whose roar can be heard above the noise of the train." Such language was used to lur city dwellers to the area for tourism and settlement. Does that differ from the efforts of real estate developers today who have platted streets with names like Paradise Parkway, Vista court, and Mountain View Street? Or, laid out a series of streets near the Jordan Road with names that evoke the beauty of lush forests - Pine, Cedar, and Dogwood Courts, as well as Hemlock Way? Human nature doesn't really change all that much. People want to feel pride in their chosen hom and want to share their stories with others, putting it all in the best light possible. Back in 1919, an album and history of Granite Falls was created that does just that. According to the Granite Falls Historical Society, the album, with text written in a flowing longhand, was probably put together by Anna Pugh. Mt. Pugh was named for one of her relatives, so she already must have felt a strong sense of connection with the history of the place. She speaks of the beginning: "When in the early part of the (nineteenth) century, hunters, trappers, and finally settlers came to locate at or near the present site of Granite, they found that it, and great stretches of the surrounding land, had been burned clean by a great forest fiee, such as has never been known in these parts since. They named this the the 'Big Burn.' "The settlement carried this name for about three years, when for some unknown reason it was changed to 'Portage.' But this cause confusion and after a period of about a year, ... the name 'Granite Falls,' was finally decided upon. The choice fell to this name because of the beautiful water bounding over the huge granite rocks nearby." Anna's attitude toward "Portage" was not shared by homesteader Martha Turner, who, according to the "Coast" article, fought hard for the name. Early pioneers called it "Portage" because the Indians carried canoes from one river to the other over this narrow piece of land. The album has a number of pioneer profiles that shed light on the diversity of the early settlers. For instance, "Mr. Joseph S. Enas was born December 10, 1854 in the Azores Islands." he worked in a brick factory upon arriving in the U.S. and quickly taught himself to speak English before settleing on a "squatter's claim" near Granite Falls. There was also Joseph Swartz, founder and owner of the Swartz Mills on Swartz Pond, a few miles distant from Granite Fall. He was born in Southern Russia in the Province of Podolsk in 1860 and acquired a college education before settleing here. She also praises the pioneers for their stamina and fearlessness, relating, "One, when but four families resided here, a homestead was molested by wolves which were quite numerouse. They not only attacked the small stock but also the horses and the cows." And, "The forests were also very dangerous, not only because of the ferocious animals which lurked in them, but because of the danger of falling trees. Once, whilt two brothers were traveling homeward from Snohomish with supplies on their back, a tree suddenly fell, striking one of the brohers on the head, which resulted in a serious injury." Her attitude toward courafge is that one must hav it, and she shows scorn for anyh she perceives as "timid." Thus, in speaking of the declining bear threat because of the "march of civilization," she states that in 1919 only a few bears remain near town, "...who sometimes appear suddenly from bushes and frighten over timid fisherman." In her eyes, every fisherman m u s t have courage! The album notes that Fred P. Anderson came in 1888. In 1892 he erected the pioneer shingle mill of the town and organized Granite Falls Manufacturing and Mercantile Company. By 1893 he and W.H. Davis had purchased the town's first mercantile store, established by Mark Swinnerton of Marysville. Anderson became sole owner in 1894, but lost the store in the business depression of 1895. He died in 1906, a victim of a premature blast in his mine near town. Anna refers to other pioneers as well, with names that are still in use on roads today. Henry Menzel established himself in 1888, with a claim four miles southwest of town. His family name lives on in Menzel Lake Road and Robe-Menzel Road. Ira Carpenter (the Carpenter Road) came in 1887, homesteading on Carpenter Creek. The brothers Wirt and T.K. Robe were extremely active in the early establishment of the homeastead at Robe in Robe Canyon, but also as businessmen in the town of Granite Falls. T.K. is credited with being one of two men who heavily promoted the town, and his name appears in connection with a number of diverse enterprises. Realizing that the Pugh album was created in 1919, when the United States was involved in the First World War, it is not surprising that there is one patriotic photo showing a boy and girl holding a flag on the steps of the high school - the girl dressed elaborately as "Lady Liberty." This is followed by a photo of Phyllis Parr, Abbertine Torrant, Babara Wichser and Ruth Curtiss with the statement, "These four girls that we see here represented have taken a pledge not to eat any candy during the war. The school is proud to say that such heroic and staunch patriotic spirit exists to enable these to do their bit to help in the present crisis." Forty three men and boys are listed as serving their country, a high proportion of a population hovering around 600. The album is a treasure for researchers of Granite Falls history as it covers all the bases, from the environment to business development, social activities to the development of churches, lodge, and schools. In short, in this centennial year it would be worthwhile to stop in for a visit at the Granite Falls Museum on the corner of Wabash and Union some Sunday afternoon. The album is just one of the historical surprises that awayt and may help with perspective on the past a n d present. End of the quoted article by Louise Lindgren that appeared in the September 2003 issue of The Third Age paper. * * * 30 * * * COMMENT : When I read this article, not only did I think that it was a great historical article to post on 2 of the rootsweb sites for Puget Sound and Snohomish County, but it also "hit home" for me as I come to learn that I have an ancestral Cousin living in Everett, WA. Margaret Summit, who has her Ph D in Eng. Lit. from CA (don't recall which well known Univ.) whom I will see at the Sno-Isle Genealogical Society meeting this Wednesday eve. who edits The Sounder - the Sno-Isle Gen Soc publication-this lady is steeped in Robe History and of her Robe Family. What is interesting is that her maiden name is ROBE, which was a surprise for me as I have been aware or the town of Robe from Snohomish County histories, so I was surprised to learn that the town for which Robe got its name is that of my ancestral Cousin's surname, and that she knows a lot about Robe and its history and the people who lived there. Cousin Margaret enters my Clark Genealogy via the MICHAEL ancestry ( a Palatine family from what is now called Germany - near the Pfalz region of the country in the 1700s - the Michael name became Anglicized from Michel, or Mikel per the ship's records of which I have a copy). However, way down the Line from that time was Anna Michael who married Jason S(quire) Clark, my Grt Grt Grandparents who came by ox team 1847 OR Trail from Indiana to Brownsville, OR. My Grt GF was only 2 yrs old when they came across those plains and rugged territory. The Michael Family and the Clark Family each had their own wagons and traveled together out West. It is through those two families that makes Margaret Summitt, and Carroll Clark ancestral Cousin. She and I share another Cousin from the Michael line who is an RN and lives in Banks, Oregon. We have exchanged a lot of genealogy over the years since we met in the 1980s. I have only met Cousin Margaret in the past few years, however. Another of our Cousins, from the Michael side, whom I have never met personally, has a cradle made from the covered wagon that the Michael Family used to come out this way over the Oregone Trail, 1847. I can recall having no brothers or sisters, and being raised by an Aunt and Uncle and having no knowledge that I had any family as I knew only a few my cousins whom I seldom saw and didn't know very well. I have found it uncanny and pure luck that I have found and proven so many lines ancestry that I would have thought impossible - especially with the name Clark, as a started. I am so appreciative of various sources who have helped me, but I became challenged by the pieces of the puzzle that kept popping up here and there over the years. I am so pleased that I made the effort to seek and find when I was young enought to get around and play the clues when I did. The timing turned out to be just right. I hope Cousin Margaret will tell us more about the tiny community of Robe so related to Granite Falls. * * * My copy of An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties, etc.is leather bound, printed by the Interstate Publishing Co. in 1906; has a table of contents, but no index and consists of 1,117 pages including the Biog. Sketches in a single volume, gold gilded page edges. If I want to see my Clark family I have to go to Clarence Bagley's History of King County where there is a Biographical Sketch of my Grandfather and his Clark Family history oriented toward White River Valley, Titusville, and Kent, WA early history. Carroll in Snohomish, WA Any typing errors are all mine! w7iml@gte.net. * * * 30 * * *