Back in 1902, when Congress approved $22,000 for a lighthouse at Mukilteo, that was a lot of money. According to measuringworth.com, $22,000 back then would translate in 2016 to anything from $503,000 to $16,200,000, depending on how you calculate it! The House representatives must have been convinced that a lighthouse at Mukilteo would create real value in keeping the waterways safe and profitable.
Was Mukilteo a dangerous place for boats?
Unfortunately for human interest, there are no fables of shipwrecks or rescues in the Mukilteo area, as far as the Archive team knows. There is, of course, the hulk of the Pacific Queen on the beach at Picnic Point, which anyone can see when riding the train from Mukilteo to Edmonds. There are other wrecks in the water at this site, which you can see from Google maps, but reportedly the area was a shipyard at one time, which accounts for them. Shipwreck fans can read more about this wooden-hulled minesweeper on flickr, where photographers have contributed what they learned in the attempt to get close and get a good shot. (It’s on private property.)
The Archive team also reviewed the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) interactive map showing known wrecks and obstructions to maritime navigation. The map is a fun tool, but shows no shipwrecks in the vicinity of the lighthouse. Nor do local divers appear to have records online of shipwrecks in the immediate vicinity. Why then was Mukilteo chosen as a lighthouse site?
What the newspapers say
The local newspapers reported that the Everett Chamber of Commerce petitioned the federal government in 1902 for a lighthouse at Mukilteo Point. The Seattle Daily Times states in the Feburary 12, 1902 issue:
The interest of area pilots is consistent with what we know about shipping at Mukilteo. The Crown Lumber Company employed Howard Josh as tugboat captain from 1914 to 1930 to pilot the company tug, N.D. Tobey, managing the 3-, 4-, and even 5-masted ships that came in to take on lumber.
Likewise, the newspaper Washingon Standard, based in Olympia, described the need for a lighthouse and fog station in detail on March 14, 1902:
The petitions were approved and the lighthouse was opened in 1906. Given the apparent dangers in navigation, it may be very good luck that there are no famous shipwrecks in the area.
Do you know shipwreck or rescue stories in Everett or Mukilteo waters? Share them with us in the comments below. Thanks!