SKAGIT CITY:
The history of Skagit City is so interwoven with the general history that only a brief mention will be necessary here. This historic place is situated near the fork of the Skagit River. It's in the heart of the Skagit delta, surrounded on every side by one of the richest farming regions in the northwest.
Skagit City was built along the dike with Barker's Trading Post established in 1869. Ten years later Skagit City was a thrifty village with hotels, saloons, stores, schools, churches and other public buildings.
LAKE MCMURRAY:
McMurray came into existence in 1890 after the surveyors from Seattle staked their line along the lakeshore. Soon a town was organized by Dr. Marcus Kenyon and platted in honor of an early local pioneer. Before long a construction company reached the lake and McMurray's growth began. A thirty-room hotel was completed along with a postoffice, and soon many other commercial enterprises were built. In the fall of that year trains began running a regular schedule. The railroad company was so impressed with the growth that it built a substantial depot costing two thousand dollars.
The McMurray Cedar Lumber Company began erecting its plant in the fall of 1890 and finished it the following spring. It was a modern combination mill with a lumber capacity of sixty thousand board feet and a shingle output of seventy-five thousand a day, whose operation involved a large work force. The town grew rapidly until hard times, when it suffered severely. In 1896 the town was revived with the mill changing hands to the Atlas Lumber and Shingle Company. The town survived a plant fire in 1901 but couldn't persist in the economic downturns of the early 1920s. The Atlas Lumber and Shingle Company closed its doors in 1923 leaving the town without the major employer.
FIR ISLAND:
Mann's Landing, as Fir was first named, had its inception in the logging industry. When the logging industry began to assume large proportions near the Skagit during the middle seventies, extensive boom facilities became a necessity at the river's mouth, the maintenance of which in turn required great crews of men. So it was only natural that in 1876 C. H. Mann should open a store upon his claim nearby. Since it was conveniently situated upon the shore, boats at once began making calls there, and very shortly the point became known as Mann's Landing.
CONWAY
Thomas P. Jones and Charles Villeneuve settled upon and near the site of Conway in 1873, the land. In 1891 the great Northern came through, designating this point as a station. Thereupon Mr. Jones platted the town site of Conway upon a portion of his land. Villeneuve bought four lots and in 1892 erected the present store building. A heavy flood in 1894 all but destroyed the place. Two years later Mr. Villeneuve leased his store to William Bonser, who retained possession for two years, finally returning the business to its owner. The wealthy Skagit delta flats surrounded the town, furnishing its main support.