Historic Skykomish tavern destroyed in arson fire

Originally named the Olympia Tavern (right), the Whistling Post Tavern was one of Skykomish's notable historic buildings.

The Sky Valley Chronicle reports that the historic Whistling Post Tavern in Skykomish was destroyed by fire Tuesday morning, and officials are now saying the blaze was likely arson.

The tavern first opened in 1897 as the Olympia Tavern & Pool Hall.

Skykomish got its start thanks to the Great Northern Railway, which was seeking a route to the Puget Sound through the Cascade Mountains. An expedition by John F. Stevens in 1890 led to the discovery of what we now know as Stevens Pass, and construction commenced.

Tiny downtown Skykomish has seen two major fires, the first in 1904 (during which the Olympia Tavern was destroyed, but rebuilt in 1905), then again in 1970.

Fire remains one of the great major threats to historic preservation in Washington State and the western U.S., where so many buildings were built from the once plentiful timber harvested from the mountains and foothills. It is even more devastating, as in the case of the Whistling Stop, that the fire was set intentionally.

The current owners are saying they plan to rebuild, and I hope they do... I've also been hoping restoration of the amazing four story Skykomish Hotel will occur in the near future. Unfortunately, it appears there is much weirdness going on between city government and the owners, whose blog is rather eyebrow raising, to say the least.

If you'd like to explore more of Skykomish's history, check out the Skykomish Historical Society's site.