Upper Skykomish Valley (WA) (Images of America)
Title: Author chronicles Skykomish Valley historyAuthor: Debra SmithPublisher: HeraldNetDate: 4/14/09Warren Carlson only spent a few years living in Skykomish, but he still considers it home.When the opportunity came to write a book about the area's history, Carlson volunteered.The result is "Upper Skyko­mish Valley," a soft-cover, 128-page book that features historical snippets and photos dating from 1890 to the present. The book is set to be released Monday.This isn't the complete history and Carlson doesn't pretend any different.It's mainly a story that chronicles how transportation, particularly the railroad, forever changed the area. Until 1890, American Indians from the Skykomish Tribe were the only regular visitors to the upper portions of the Sky Valley.When the Great Northern Rail­road came into the valley, it brought outside access. It also took away news of a rich strike of lead ore.The valley turned out to have an abundance of all kinds of minerals. Thousands streamed into the area to prospect mining claims. However, with no smelter nearby, it was impossible to process the ore in a profitable fashion, which is why the Skykomish Valley never became known as a mining hot spot, Carlson said.Carlson had help with this book, including Bob Kelly from the Skykomish Historical Society and Michael Moore, a Skykomish resident who catalogued thousands of historical photos.Carlson is a retired yearbook representative who lives in Olympia with his wife. He is now working on a compilation of life stories of people who lived along the valley.