Digital Archives
Browse the MHS digital archives of over 5,000 items associated with the early days of Mukilteo. You may also order electronic copies of photos for a small fee. (No fee for MHS Members and educational institutions.)
Historical Timelines
Mukilteo History
- Mukilteo — Thumbnail History (via HistoryLink.org)
A brief history of Mukilteo by Margaret Riddle.
Personal Stories
- Rudolph and his boat the Mukilteo Skiff (1.5 MB)
This is the story of Rudolph Pallas growing up in Mukilteo. He watched windjammers from far away places arrive and depart from this port, and this is where his dreams of a life at sea began. - Japanese Gulch (500 KB)
Mas Odoi and his family lived in Japanese Gulch in the 1920s. Read about Mas’s memories of growing up in Mukilteo and of his experiences during WWII.
About the Lens
The Fresnel Lens in the Mukilteo Lighthouse was built in France in 1852. This ingenious device causes its 150 watt bulb to be visible from 10 miles away! In November of that same year, a group of 44 pioneers convened in what was then the town of Monticello, near present day Longview, Washington. They prepared a petition to the Oregon Governor and Legislature to separate the area north of the Columbia River into its own U.S. Territory to be called Columbia Territory. In 1853, one year after the Mukilteo Fresnel lens was made, Congress created the Territory but named it Washington. Thus the Mukilteo Fresnel lens, one year older than the Washington Territory, is thirty seven years older than the State of Washington.
See https://www.sos.wa.gov/legacy/timeline/detail.aspx?id=214 for more details.