City of Mukilteo Noteworthy Dates and Events

1792

Captain George Vancouver mapped the Puget Sound area (named after Lieutenant Peter Puget), landing on the point where the light station stands today, Captain Vancouver designated the area as Rosehill Point because of the beautiful wild roses that cover the hillsides.

1841

Puget Sound was re-explored by U.S. Naval Officer, Lieutenant Charles Wilkes, and the area known as Rosehill was renamed Elliot Point after the cabin boy, George Elliot.

1855

January 22 a peace treaty was signed between Governor Isaac Stevens, and 82 Native Americans that represented 22 tribes. The treaty ceded the coastal lands from Seattle to the Canadian border to the U.S. government. A copy of the treaty is in the lighthouse display case.

1860

First white settlement established by J.D. Fowler and his partner Morris Frost. Fowler operated the Exchange Saloon, trading staples for furs, feathers, and cranberries with the Indians. Fowler became the first County Auditor, first Judge, first local Postmaster, and first Notary Public. J.D. Fowler changed the town’s name from Point Elliot to Mukilteo. The name is a translation of the Indian word Muckl-Te-Oh. Some state it translates into long goose neck, possibly referring to the spit of land where the lighthouse stands today. Others claim the interpretation means good camping ground.

1861

Washington Territory Legislature establishes Snohomish County with Mukilteo designated as the first County Seat.

1893

Mukilteo’s first schoolhouse built known as Rosehill.

1903

Crown Lumber Company opened for business attracting Japanese immigrants. Crown Lumber provided housing for these workers in the area known today as Japanese Gulch.

1920

First water district in the state established in Mukilteo.

1930

Crown Lumber, and most other large area employers close due to the depression.

1951

State Park is established.

1973

Rosehill school is closed.