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Building the Skagit

 

This small book covers the history of Washington State's Upper Skagit River, and details construction of Seattle City Light's Skagit Hydroelectric Project.

Obtaining a Copy

Building the Skagit: A Century of Upper Skagit Valley History 1870-1970
by Paul C. Pitzer
Lake Grove, Oregon: The Galley Press, 1978

105 pages including pictures, maps, index, bibliography - paper-back only.

Third Printing now available, Contact:

• Skagit General Store
  500 Newhalem Street
  Rockport, Washington 98283
  Phone: 509-997-8764

  Or: Skagit County Historical Museum
  PO Box 818
  501 South 4th Street
  La Conner, Washington 98257-0818
  

Contents

Chapter 1: "A Little Gold, A Lot of Noise"

From the 1880s through the early years of the 20th Century, a number of gold and silver rushes brought thousands of hopeful prospectors to the Upper Skagit, over a colorful and sometimes dangerous trail along the unpredictable river.

Chapter 2: "Homesteaders and Headaches"

A number of people settled along the Skagit and attempted to develop farms or road houses. They locked horns with the Forest Service which hoped to remove them and implement the conservation practices of that time.

Chapter 3: "Let's Build a Dam - Somewhere."

Early in the 20th century, a number of small companies staked claims on the water power that the Skagit would provide. Ultimately, in the wake of World War I, Seattle City Light acquired the Skagit and built its first dam at Gorge Creek. [CLICK HERE FOR AN EXCERPT FROM THIS CHAPTER]

Chapter 4: "Let's Build Another Dam - Somewhere Else."

After considerable controversy and politics, Seattle City Light built its second dam at Diablo Canyon.

Chapter 5: "Step Right This Way, Folks"

To foster positive public relations, Seattle City Light Superintendent J. D. Ross developed a tour which took thousands of tourists through the Skagit Project. In the late 1920s, and especially through the 1930s, the tour built until it hosted upwards of 500 people on each trip. [CLICK HERE FOR AN EXCERPT FROM THIS CHAPTER]

For information on the Skagit Tour today, Click here

 

Chapter 6: "Gold!!! Again?"

With development by City Light, the Upper Skagit became more accessible, and another small gold rush occurred.

Chapter 7: "Ruby to the War"

World War II led to the need for electricity and to power homes of the flood of people who flocked to the Northwest and its airplane and ship building industries. With this motivation, City Light began construction of Ruby Dam, now Ross Dam, which was the capstone of the Skagit Project.

Chapter 8: "The Post War Boom"

The years following World War II saw completion of Ross Dam, and other additions to the Skagit Project.

Chapter 9: "Back Where We Started."

In the late 1950s and through the 1960s, City Light removed the small dams at Gorge Creek, and built the last and newest dam on the river, the Gorge High Dam.

Epilogue:

The last section discusses completion of Washington state Highway #22, the so-called North Cross State Highway, and looks to the future of the project.

For a fuller text, see:

A. "A History of the Upper Skagit Valley, 1880-1924," unpublished Master of Arts Thesis, Univeristy of Washington, 1966.
B. "A History of the Upper Skagit Valley, 1924-1961," unpublished manuscript, 1972.

• Both available at the Suzallo Library, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington.
•  
• For background on the Skagit Railroad and a link to other Skagit resources see
• http://www.geocities.com/skagitjournal/
• For information on the Skagit General Store, click below:
• http://www.marblemount.com/citylight/skagitstore.htm