, 1892-04-11
QUIET L1rrLa IA CONNER.
Planted in Rich Country Where Horses
Wear Wooden Shoes.

JULIET Little LA GUNNER
Planted in Rich Country Where Horses
Wear Wooden Shoes.
La Conner. April 9.-The little city
Of La Conner, in skagit county, said to
be the greatest shipping point Of equa.
population in the state OF Washington, lis
built on small rocky promontory at
the junction of Sullivan's slough and the
Swinomish channel, near where the lat.
ter enters Skagit bay. Whitney's sta.
ton, on the Seattle & Northern railway,
is six miles north, and Mount Vernon.
the county seat, twelve miles northeast
of it. There is a population Of about
ZOO, and Of late it is striving tc
creep from its sluggishness and
put on more the appearance and dignity
! of the city. A school building has
! just been erected, with four large rooms,
at a cost of $4,000; and the council, al
the suggestion Of Mayor B. L. Martin,
are discussing the question Of bonding
the city for the purposes of improved
water and sewer systems. During the
last year the council has macadamized
between four and five miles OF streets
and finished three miles of road between
the town and Whitney station, on the
Seattle & Northern railway, which is the
nearest railroad connection
A bill has recently been reported upon
favorably by the present congress, APP
1 propriating $4,000 to commence work
on Swinomish slough, for the purpose of
dredging it for a ship channel between
Padilla and Skagit bay When this
work is completed twill allow sea-going
vessels to land and load at any point OPP
posite the flats, and, as a consequence,
will be of incalculabIe value to the farm
ing community Of that region, as the
crops can be loaded direct from the
farms. 1t is expected that work on this
very important enterprise will be COM
menced during the present year.
The toWnsite of La Conner covers
about 100 acres. 1t has population of
about 700 souls and has very fair water
front facilities. While the original sur
vey covered only the hilly knoll, seen at
a distance, one finds upon landing that
it is not all perched upon hill, but that
the business portion, or a large area of it,
is on a fiat as level as could be desired.
A view from the summit of the hill the
resident portion is most enhancing and
unlocked for. The view differs 'materi.
ally from every point. On the west side
1 the SWinomish slough divides it from
Fidalgo island. On the opposite side
from the town stands the Swinomish In
dian village, with its neat cottages and
gardens, conspicuous among which is
the neat little Catholic church. On the
east are miles Of farming country, south
and west is WILDLY island and vet
further beyond the glistening basin are
| the rugged crests OF the distant Olympic
range, outlined against the blue Of a
western sky.
Though less picturesque, the view on
the east above alluded to shows what
makes La Conner, point of Importance
the alluvial or marsh fats before
alluded to. These form portion OF the
Skaglt delta, mentioned in a recent let
ter descriptive OF Skagit county, and
may truthfully be classed as the richest
OF the rich oat bottoms known to the
world. At present the country does not
look particularly inviting, as the farmers
are getting the ground plowed and
seeded, and to one not knowing what
wealth Of waving grain it will show in
the fall-time it does not look prepos-
essing.
BY the way it may not be out Of place
to mention here that a portion of the
marsh is go wet and soggy during the
spring time that horses can
not be used for plowing it without
shoeing them with wooden moccasins.
This does not seem reasonable, but it
teams from sinking into the boggy soil
a short board, say eight inches ii diam
ater, sometimes octagon and OCCASION
O llU aCrorn footaro6 70 eolo oe
the foot to prevent them sinking. They
soon get used to the wooden shoe, and
step so as not to interfere in walking.
To a stranger it would appear as if the
ground was SO wet that the seed would
rot in it, but such is not the case; its
fertility seems fabulous. Such are the
surroundings OF La Conner.
Mike Sullivan, a sturdy son OF the
shamrock, was the first settler in this
vicinity. Sullivan slough, the principal
shipping slough through to the fats,
bears his name, and he and his success
ors and assigns still hold valuable inter
ests on the borders of the sluggish
waters. Soon after Samuel Calhoun
took up a residence on the marsh. Both
men arrived in 1864 or 1865, the country
being then unsurveyed. The town of
44et 7AO44LAOl3 4AOWCFCIy W tbS 1lOG 0lCdInOI
OF until 1869, when J. S. Conner arrived
at the rocky knoll and took up a resi-
dence. Mr.. Conner seems to have
figured out the advantages OF the situa-
ton, and two years later-1871 had a
survey made and the town plated.
| When he first arrived some one had
fitted UP little trading post, but being
impecunioua, was just struggling, and
wanted to quit
Mr.. Conner had crossed the plains
with his little family in 1868, and after
short stop at Olympia left his care
there and started TO look about the
| Sound for suitable location. He con-
cluded after hooking at several places
to settle at the depot of the flats, and
early in 1859 brought his family here.
4 He took up 160 acres and soon after
bought out the lone trader. His busi-
ness, as might have been expected, was
mainly with the Swinomish Indians
4 Just across the slough. Two years after
his arrival, owing to the number who
had meantime visited the site, he
plated the village, and in commemora-
tion of his spouse, whose initials were
! L. A., called the hamlet La Conner. His
business increased and it was soon
made postofice. AS the land in the
vicinity was reclaimed its value became
apparent, and with an eye to the future
he bought it up as his means permitted.
Ill-health forced him to dispose of the
store, and he visited California to re-
cuperate. He died at Oakland, in the
Golden state, in 1885. His son, Herbert
Conner, has since managed the estate
which has grown very valuable. The
flats, which were covered in the early
days by high tides, making the rock pile
upon which La Conner was first built an
island, have been shielded by high
n dykes. handsome farm and warehouses