, 1892-04-11
TWO SHAGIT TOWNS
Both Named After the Wives of
the Men Who Founded
Them.
How lFr. Bowman, After Waiting for
Years, Saw AnacOrtes Grow Up
in Day.
La Conner, Started Many Years Ago, Is
Still Growing steadily-A Little
History.

ANAcoRrEs, April 8.-several years
ago Amos Bowman, civil engineer. who
had been in the employ of the dominion
government, took up his residence ON
the north end OF Fidalgo island, where
the city Of Anacortes now stands, built a
home, had wharf constructed to supply
passing boats with wood, water, etc.,
and began, through charts Of his own
make, worked off on lithograph press,
to let the outside world know the char
aeter OF country surrounding him. To
him its Typographical situation, at.the
very portals Of the Sound and rich back
country, together with its means Of
ingress and egress, forced the belief that
some day it would be the site of a city.
He had married Miss Anna Curtis.
and, in thinking up name for the
future city, mingled the letters into
'Anacortes," and when a postofice was
later established it went on the record
under that title.
Fidalgo island, on which the new city
is being built, is really one of the San
Juan group, otherwise one Of the De
Haro archipelago, and it is the only. one
accessible by rail from the continent,
the Swinomish slough dividing it. II
belongs to Skagit county. Anacortes is
situated on Ship harbor and Guemas
channel, which separates it from guemas
island. 1t is about sixty miles north of
Seattle.
In the fall Of 1889 the Oregon Improve
ment company secured large subsidy
Of land from Bowman and other prop
erty owners on Ship harbor, conditioned
that it would build railroad from Ana
coItes to tine Hamilton coal fields, about
thlrty-tWo miles east on the Skagit river.
it being also understood by the public at
large that the thirty-two miles of road
were to be merely a beginning, and the
road, which is now known as the Seat
tie y Northern, would continue east to
Sauk City, and thence across the Skagit
pass to Spokane, thus making Anaeorfes
the terminal OF direct overland rail
way.
About the same time James F, Nc
Naught, Chief attorney for the Northern
Pacific; u M. Buckley, recent assistant
IN F-NkNz
p Hayt RoiIy Go+,a-.t ct,..1l Ssollloi : olIh
ana McNilxen and otbnrs of c2ttio tie'llls59
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tfng down the foraet onJ ,Iotti,a. - 80 -. y
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