'Darrington, Wash., on the Great Northern R.R.'

Another one of those head scratchers -- there may well be thousands of these postcards, and variations thereof, still in existence:

Notice anything odd?

Some early enterprising photographer rushed to get this view of Whitehorse mountain and a young Darrington onto the postcard carousels at newsstands, post offices and general stores around the Puget Sound region.

The only problem? The Great Northern Railway never had a route to Darrington. It was the Northern Pacific Railway that built a branch route to Darrington, arriving there in June 1901.

The error continued on several variations of the postcard, including this Puget Sound News Co. version below; its divided back and German origin indicates it would have been published between 1907 and 1915.

Lowman & Hanford Co., a Seattle postcard publisher in business from 1894 to 1955, continued the error on the hand tinted color version below, probably produced between 1915 and 1930.

I don't think the error was ever corrected, as I have never found any newer versions of this card — which is not surprising. Postcard companies routinely updated their images every few years as towns and landscapes changed.

Perhaps Lowman & Hanford commissioned a photographer to return to Darrington to take a new photo — or maybe they gave up on producing postcards of the northwestern Washington region when Arlington's J. Boyd Ellis of the Ellis Postcard Company began producing higher quality real photo postcards.

Whitehorse Trail on CTC agenda May 31

Northern Pacific bridge #10 crossing Deer Creek at Oso.

Now that the Centennial Trail is nearing completion, the Centennial Trail Coalition of Snohomish County is turning its attention to speeding up the completion of the proposed Whitehorse Trail between Arlington and Darrington.

May 31, the CTC will be presenting an afternoon walk and an evening presentation for those interested in the development plans for the Whitehorse Trail.

The afternoon event starts at 5:30 p.m. as a trail walk and tour at Cloverdale Farm, located 1/2 mile north of Hwy 530 on 115th Ave NE, near Trafton. The walk will view the stretch of the Whitehorse Trail between Cloverdale Farm and the “Tin Bridge,” just under a mile west of the farm.  

Following the walk, at 7 p.m., room 65 in the Trafton School building, 12616 Jim Creek Road, the CTC will host its general meeting, featuring a representative from Snohomish County Parks, and local residents who have been active in promoting the Centennial Trail.

With the Centennial Trail's last gaps now being filled in, the timing is right to get the Whitehorse Trail, once the Northern Pacific Railway's branch line connecting Arlington and Darrington, on the map.

Snohomish County has estimated some 500,000 walkers, hikers, horseback riders and cyclists are now using the Centennial Trail each year. The Whitehorse Trail, which branches off the Centennial Trail just north of downtown Arlington, would provide another 27.7 miles for recreational traffic (currently, approximately six miles of the trail is open from Darrington to the Swede Heaven Road; the trail is also now partially accessible from the original railroad switch just past Haller Bridge in Arlington).

But the Whitehorse Trail's potential is not just recreational; it's an economic opportunity that residents of northeast Snohomish County should take seriously. 

Early postcard of NPR tracks near Hazel, with Mt. Higgins in distance.

There are a number of small communities on the route -- including Trafton and Oso -- that became towns as a result of the route opening in 1901. Other place names we know today -- Cicero, Halterman, Hazel, Fortson and Whitehorse -- were also once bustling communities along the rail line. As the logging industry declined, so did the populations of most of these whistle-stops.    

When the Whitehorse Trail is completed it will bring in thousands of visitors a week, and with them, money to patronize local businesses. Merchants with the foresight to offer goods and services that cater to trail users are the ones that will probably benefit the most.

Considering the economic challenges our area has experienced over the last 30 years with the decline of logging, farming and fishing -- our heritage industries -- these recreational trails serve not only as a key to our future, they also would be a way to help honor and preserve our area's heritage.

Spend a day in Darrington May 26

Postcard view of "downtown" Darrington, exact date unknown, probably early 1900s.

If you're planning to stick around the area over Memorial Day weekend, you might consider a day trip to Darrington May 26 for their annual Darrington Day event.

Described by the Darrington Area Business Association as "Darrington's annual celebration of wildflowers, waterfalls & outdoor adventures,"the event also celebrates the 121st year of the town's existence.

But for history buffs like me, the town's self guided history and trivia tour is the main attraction. A couple bits of trivia to tempt you:

• According to the 1910 census, the town had 250 residents & 14 pianos. 

• Many homes and business buildings were once part of the Sauk River Logging Camp and were constructed on railroad flat cars, a mobile camp that moved its location five times before becoming part of the town. (Source: Darrington Historical Society)

More history related events take place at the Darrington Senior Center, where there will be a historical logging display by the Darrington Historical Society, and a number of historical photos needing identification.

Ellis Postcard Co. postcard view of Darrington, probably 1940s.

Mountain Loop Books & Coffee will host author Aaron Young, signing his new book about the waterfalls of the Mountain Loop Highway, as well as author Brenda Ballard signing the latest book in her series "The Boy From Granite Falls," set during the 1930s in the Mountain Loop area.

Events take place from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 26. There will be various opportunities to learn about outdoor recreation and wildflowers along the historical Mountain Loop Highway and the adjacent Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest; also on the schedule is the Darrington Open Air Market and live music at Old School Park by the Whitehorse Musician's Guild from noon until dusk.

For more information about the town, visit Destination Darrington Washington.

Historic fire lookout ordered removed

Photo courtesy Washington Trust for Historic Preservation

Disappointing news: The Daily Herald reports that the historic Green Mountain fire lookout in the Glacier Peak Wilderness northeast of Darrington has been ordered removed by a federal judge, citing it a violation of the federal Wilderness Act.

The lawsuit, filed in 2010 by Wilderness Watch, alleged that the Forest Service violated the federal Wilderness Act, which doesn't allow for the use of motorized vehicles nor new construction in wilderness areas. Helicopters were used to haul out the old lookout and haul in what Wilderness Watch calls a new building.

The Forest Service has maintained that the lookout was restored, not reconstructed, and that the historical significance of the forest fire lookout made it an allowable project in the Glacier Peak Wilderness of the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. The lookout is on the national and state registers of historic places.

The lookout was built by a Civilian Conservation Corps crew in the summer of 1933, atop 6,500-foot-tall Green Mountain in the North Cascade Range. Each summer the lookout was staffed for the purpose of early reporting of forest fires.

While I understand the intent of the Wilderness Act, banning further human development and interference in what's left of the nation's pristine wilderness areas, the historian in me wonders why there is no exception to the rule for historic structures like the lookout. It's an important artifact in tracing how national parks and forests were developed at the turn of the 19th/20th century.

For further reading, check out this 2011 Herald article about the history of fire lookouts in the North Cascade Range.