“There are no unsacred places;
There are only sacred places,
And desecrated places.”
“There are no unsacred places;
There are only sacred places,
And desecrated places.”
-Wendell Berry, "How to Be a Poet"
-Wendell Berry, "How to Be a Poet"
Snohomish's First Cemetery
Snohomish's First Cemetery
an untold true story
an untold true story
coming in 2025
coming in 2025
“The graveyard containing the remains of the city’s pioneers, great and small, presented the highway department with two alternatives... Go Around or Go Through... The bureaucratic mind which believes the shortest distance between two points is a straight line chose the second course. Bisected and shorn of its loveliness and the bones of half its residents, the cemetery was neglected and eventually forgotten.”
“The graveyard containing the remains of the city’s pioneers, great and small, presented the highway department with two alternatives... Go Around or Go Through... The bureaucratic mind which believes the shortest distance between two points is a straight line chose the second course. Bisected and shorn of its loveliness and the bones of half its residents, the cemetery was neglected and eventually forgotten.”
-Bill Bates, 1960
-Bill Bates, 1960
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Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pilchuck River, a sacred burial ground holds the memories of generations.
Perched on a bluff overlooking the Pilchuck River, a sacred burial ground holds the memories of generations.
To both Coast Salish families, and the American settlers who carved out Snohomish County, the site was a promise of eternal rest.
To both Coast Salish families, and the American settlers who carved out Snohomish County, the site was a promise of eternal rest.
In 1876 it became the county's official cemetery, donated by the "Mother of Snohomish" after the untimely death of her first husband. For decades, headstones marked where Snohomish's earliest pioneers lay buried.
In 1876 it became the county's official cemetery, donated by the "Mother of Snohomish" after the untimely death of her first husband. For decades, headstones marked where Snohomish's earliest pioneers lay buried.
In time, newer cemeteries opened and this one faced neglect: records lost, graves overgrown, headstones tipped. By the mid-20th century, the burial ground had been bulldozed and built over. Local memory held little trace of its existence.
In time, newer cemeteries opened and this one faced neglect: records lost, graves overgrown, headstones tipped. By the mid-20th century, the burial ground had been bulldozed and built over. Local memory held little trace of its existence.
One hundred and twenty years later, a descendant came looking for ancestors. The City of Snohomish knew nothing, but a court order demanded it peel back a parking lot, revealing dozens of ancient artifacts and human remains.
One hundred and twenty years later, a descendant came looking for ancestors. The City of Snohomish knew nothing, but a court order demanded it peel back a parking lot, revealing dozens of ancient artifacts and human remains.
This is a story of what the city forgot.
the complete history - coming in 2025
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