People & Stories

Meadowdale: “One of the most prettily situated hamlets in Snohomish County.”

by Tiffany Villigan, 2011

The very early years

Long before you or I were here, the area that is now known as Meadowdale was nothing but lush, green forests and waterfront. If you’ve ever wandered through Lund’s Gulch or the adjoining Meadowdale County Park—following the trails that take you from civilization, through a dense forest and steep ravines, and miraculously deposit you at the clear blue waters of Puget Sound—you may be able to imagine what the area was like 200 years ago. Indeed, it would later be described as “one of the most prettily situated hamlets in Snohomish County,” and “extremely pretty [whose] views of Puget Sound are glorious.”

The region that would eventually be named “Meadowdale” stretched roughly from Continue reading


Meadowdale: “One of the most prettily situated hamlets in Snohomish County.” (part 2)

by Tiffany Villigan, 2011

Part II: Meadowdale continues to grow, and looks to satisfy the needs of its residents

By 1910, the region known as Meadowdale—bounded by current Highway 99 on the east, 180th St. SW to the south, Lake Serene to the north, and Puget Sound on the west—had grown from the uninhabited wilderness of the late 1800s and early 1900s to roughly 100 households.

With the expanding population, typical problems of a growing city began to arise, Continue reading


Seattle-Everett Interurban Railway Memories

Seattle-Everett Interurban Trolleyby Kent L. Haley, Keizer, Oregon, date unknown

The latest publication (Alderwood Clippings) was of interest to me . . . as you know, my father had his first teaching job at Alderwood Manor, I think the years 1920 and 1921.  Maybe until 1922.  I was four and a half when I first boarded that high-flying interurban car, and never got over it!  Sometimes the parlor car (the ones obtained in 1920 from the Spokane & Inland Empire) came along, and I can remember hanging over the brass railing Continue reading


Chicken Farming—The Way It Really Was—REALLY!

by Ray Pennock, June 1999

So you have all studied history and know all there is to know about the history of the chicken farms and early Alderwood Manor!  Certainly the number of chicken houses that were built, the thousands of baby chicks and their incubators are well documented.  The millions of nourishing eggs that were produced is also legendary.  And the fryers—well, no picnic could possibly be called a success without three or four ladies bringing delicious servings of fried chicken.  End of story? Continue reading


Early Doctors

by Norm Nelson, undated

In the early years of Edmonds there were two doctors, Dr. H. H. Kretzler and Dr. A.W. Schmidt.  Both of whom had a somewhat disparaging opinion of the other.  Dr. Schmidt at one time saying he didn’t see how anyone could put any trust in Dr. Kretzler, Dr. Kretzler having a somewhat similar opinion of Dr. Schmidt.  Both probably of about equal ability.

Dr. Kretzler could frequently be seen tooling his big Chrysler down Main Street, Continue reading


City Newspaper Delivered Promptly to Settler’s Homes

The following is from the 1922 Spring Edition of the Alderwood Manor Countryside newspaper.

When one stops to think that three years ago Alderwood Manor was but the beginning of a great project, and that today it has among its many other conveniences that of having the big city dailies delivered to the homes, one can in a measure guage (sic) the wonderful Alderwood Manor spirit of which every visitor speaks. The industry, and energy of the Little Landers is no better evidenced than in the new business venture of P. Wigen, a resident of subdivision 4. Continue reading


Alderwood Manor Business Memories

By Halide Lobdell Patterson

Directly across the street from Alderwood Grade School (location across from the Lynnwood Convention Center on 196th in Lynnwood) lived George Romano, who had a shoe repair shop.  In the 30’s I think most kids like me, with rapidly growing feet, had one pair of shoes at a time.  So when my leather soles wore out, I would go across the street after school and sit in Mr. Romano’s shop for whatever time it took for him to put on new soles.

Both Mother and I patronized the “Beauty Shop” once it was started Continue reading