Winter 2019 A Publication of the Mukilteo Historical Society Looking Back From the Year 2044 A Futuristic Vision of Mukilteo By Neil Anderson On this warm spring day, June 1, 2044, I’m sitting in my car at In 2029, the BNSF & CN Railroad finished the tunnel under- the Mukilteo ferry dock waiting for the 11 am sailing to Ca- neath the Mukilteo town site. The Canadian National Railroad mano Island to visit my oldest son. The ferry terminal is not so merged into the BNSF in 2025, creating the largest railway in new anymore. Locals call this location the “old tank farm” the world. site. My parents called this general area Shingle Mill beach. To reduce train traffic in town and delays caused by mud- Time marches on, doesn’t it? slides, the tunnel was built. This engineering achievement runs from a point near Japanese Gulch to a point near Naketa Beach. The old track was removed, including the seawall south of Lighthouse Park. The natural beach has returned. From the BNSF & CN mainline at the east end of the new tun- nel near Japanese Gulch, only a small spur line now exists to serve the Mukilteo Sounder station and the Boeing 797 assem- bly facility. A car ferry has provided transportation from Mukilteo to Whidbey Island since 1919. Pictured is one of the older boats from the 1930s. Mukilteo has seen so many changes in the last 25 years. Prob- ably the most significant change is that the ferry no longer travels to Whidbey Island from Mukilteo, since Mukilteo and Clinton were connected by the Daniel J. Evans Memorial Bridge in 2041. The bridge was quite an accomplishment and, I must admit, the bridge is quite spectacular. North portal of the Mukilteo tunnel. My youngest son lives in Mukilteo’s Rosehill-Losvar Condo- minium complex, two 24-story residential towers constructed The Harbour Pointe residential community remains virtually next to the Rosehill Community Center. They are the two tall- the same, although the Harbour Pointe Resort Golf Course & est buildings in Mukilteo and are adjacent to the 14-story Spa now hosts several PGA golf tournaments each year. The Mukilteo Financial Center Building. The two condo towers tournament golfers and television audience viewers enjoy the are designed somewhat similar to the old Smith Tower in Se- course with its many spectacular views. attle to reduce view blockage and allow for view corridors. Mukilteo is now a destination for tourists and travelers. Luxu- The project is considered quite a success. ry accommodations are plentiful. The Hilton, Sheraton, Four The old Losvar condominiums next to the lighthouse were Seasons, and Westin hotel chains have all constructed facili- demolished as part of a development agreement and the prop- ties along Possession View Boulevard, formerly known as the erty was added to Lighthouse Park. My dad’s childhood home Mukilteo Speedway. th at 4 and Loveland is just a hop, skip, and jump away from With population growth, a new high school was established in the Rosehill-Losvar towers. He never would have believed it. Continued on page 3... PAGE 2 MHS NEWSLINE A Message from our President In Memoriam I am excited to serve another term as MHS President for 2019-20. We have three new members on our Board of Directors, who are already immersed in projects–Craig Fisher, Mark Sutherland, and Sharon Sutherland. We also have five new Advisory Board members, after the Bylaws revision was approved to include their role. MHS members put in many hours and/or contribute financially to make it all work. I’m honored to learn from everyone and to carry on the mission of MHS. My first year as Presi- dent was all about learning the job role. My second year was more about learning the histo- MHS is mourning the recent ry of the organization, learning about historical building preservation, and understanding deaths of two of its longtime the community that MHS supports. I look forward to discovering what 2019 will teach me! members, Tom “Bear” Keane At our annual Board retreat on January 5th, we developed the following major goals, using and Mim Loree. the MHS mission for guidance: Tom Keane, who died on No- • Develop initial online access to 200 historical object records in addition to the online vember 9, lived for many years photo archives (which will also grow). at the Losvar Condominiums. • An exhibit committee and chair, Craig Fisher, was established to plan and place exhibits. From his apartment he kept A library exhibit is scheduled for April. The Interpretive Center was painted and updated watch over the light station and last year and now exhibits need to be planned for that space. An interpretive sign for the volunteered as a lighthouse do- fog horn/baffle was suggested by community member, Norm Webb. Plans and estimates cent for many years. He was also are being collected. delightful as the MHS Santa • The Humidity Abatement Team has tracked and analyzed humidity levels in the light- when the lighthouse opened at house since October and will continue to investigate moisture issues. An LEP grant ap- Christmas time. Tom’s sly hu- plication was submitted to request additional funding for repairs outlined in the historical mor and the twinkle in his eyes building inspection performed on 11/1/2018. MHS is collaborating with the City of Muk- will be missed by all. MHS ilteo’s Public Works team on this project. In April, I will present our project at the LEP sends its condolences to Tom’s workshop to inform others in the lighthouse community about our lessons learned and to wife Char, another longtime perhaps inspire others to perform similar projects. member, and to all their friends • Over the past two years, the Board has created processes to amplify visibility in the com- and family. munity using ads, banners, and “Mukilteo Revisited” articles in the Beacon. The efforts Muriel “Mim” Loree passed have been very successful. MHS needs someone to manage the schedule for these activi- away on December 23, not long ties going forward. after she learned that her beloved Lens cleaning has been planned by previous Boards since 2013. On February 1st, Chad Seahawks had once again gotten Kaiser cleaned the MHS-owned Fresnel lens in the lighthouse lobby and the active United into the playoffs! A longtime States Coast Guard-owned Fresnel lens in the tower. The lens display glass in the lobby member of MHS, Mim served in was also cleaned, which had not been done since the lens was installed in 1997. many roles, including MHS On January 31st, the Board met with committee chairs to review budgets and plans for the President, 1992-1994. Mim was coming year. MHS treasurer, Al Friedrich, will work with the Board to finalize the budget also Mukilteo’s Citizen of the at an upcoming meeting. Committee chairs and their teams work long hours to manage Year in 1992. She helped create their roles and responsibilities, including gift shop management, staffing for weddings and the Lighthouse gift shop and special tours, garden management, storyteller events, technology requirements, mainte- managed it for a number of nance, volunteer staffing for the season, archive projects, publicity, exhibit planning, speak- years. She served as the MHS er scheduling, and newsletter publishing. Each committee chair plays an important role, as Wedding Coordinator well into it takes thousands of volunteer hours each year to implement the plans. her nineties! MHS extends its sympathy to all of Mim’s family Sue Anderson and Mary O’Neill are busy buying new items for the gift shop. March is al- and friends. ways bursting with activity as we put a shine on the lighthouse and prepare it for visitors from near and far. Annual cleaning day and volunteer training sessions are listed on the MHS is a volunteer organization, calendar. Opening Day is Saturday, April 6th. All the committees listed above can use help, and its current members are which may involve just one task. Docents and gift shop staff keep the lighthouse open dur- deeply appreciative of the far- ing the upcoming season. More volunteers mean that fewer people must work additional reaching legacy left behind by shifts. For me, a day at the lighthouse means learning something new, meeting new people, such active volunteers as Mim and enjoying the beauty of the northwest. Here we go! Loree and Tom Keane. ♦ Joanne Mulloy, President ♦ MHS NEWSLINE PAGE 3 Continued from page 1... names of many of the historic operations of old Mukilteo. 2034, the third high school in this city of 49,000 people. Odd- Now we have the Seahorse Coffee Shop, the New Ferry ly, this school is located in the old town area and is not your Lunch Café, and the ever popular McConnell’s Donuts. The typical campus. The new high school consists of two retired best steaks on the west coast are grilled at the Crown Lumber Washington State ferries, the MV Chelan and the MV Kittitas. Steakhouse. Surrounding the entire commercial development are rose bushes, signifying the sight of many roses seen by British ex- plorer George Vancouver at this location during his 1792 ex- pedition. Mukilteo is one of the most livable cities in the country, if not THE most livable. One of the reasons is the fact that city resi- dents have no electricity bills. It all goes back to the Daniel J. Evans Bridge over to Whidbey Island. The bridge is also a wind turbine power generation facility. It is a complex story, A 1950’s image of the ferry Olympic leaving but engineers devised a most successful plan.