Skykomish Kiosk
Skykomish Came with the Railroad...In 1889, James J. Hill decided to extend his railway, The Great Northern, westward across the continent to Seattle to link with the markets of the Orient. In the fall of that year, at age 33, John Maloney arrived in Seattle from Alaska. Since leaving his parents’ Missouri farm twelve years previous, he had prospected in several western statesBy now a skilled wilderness traveler, Maloney was hired by the Great Northern while he was homesteading near Lake Wenatchee His job was to be a packer and guide assisting in locating a route over the seemingly impenetrable northern Cascades. Maloney accompanied C.F. B. Haskell, a surveyor, when the Stevens Pass was discovered in the fall of 1890. Haskell named the pass for John F. Stevens, GN’s chief locating engineer in the Cascades. Construction of the railway over the Cascades began in October of 1891.While exploring the area, John Maloney recognized its untapped wealth of natural resources and the economic possibilities with the coming of the railroad. He staked a claim at the first level spot west of the pass on 140 level acres in a beautiful river valley, fifteen miles west of the pass. A railroad construction camp and siding were established, and for a few years the place may have been called Maloney Siding by locals. The first official railroad name was Foss Creek and then it became Skykomish when the first Post Office was established. On January 6, 1893, track laying crews working toward each other from the east and west, met just west of the Stevens Pass summit near Scenic. James Hill’s dream of uniting America’s heartland with the West Coast was realized. The name Skykomish is derived from the Native American words Skaikh meaning inland, and mish meaning people.The new community grew steadily in its early years. John Maloney married Louisa Fleming, a Virginia native, and on August 11, 1899 they filed a Plat of the Town of Skykomish. This original plat lay between the river and the tracks, from First to Sixth Street. Four subsequent additions were made to the Town in the next thirty years. The Town was incorporated June 5, 1909 with John Maloney as its first Mayor, and D.J. Manning, owner of the Skykomish Hotel, as Treasurer.Researching the past is always difficult, since often stories conflict and there are gaps in the records. The Skykomish Historical Society has made every effort to present the facts as accurately as possible based on the information currently available.
Cascadia Hotel and Cafe
The Cascadia, originally the Hatley Hotel, was built in 1922 on the site once occupied by Martin’s Boarding House.A fire in 1937 destroyed the second and third floors of the hotel, and only the second story was rebuilt.Today the Cascadia Inn offers 14 comfortable rooms for rent and a full-service cafe.For more info: https://www.historiccascadia.com/
Skykomish Community Church
King County records indicate this building was constructed in 1939. Local sources say the structure dates from even earlier, and was originally built as a residence and later converted for church use. Remodels in the 1950s and 1990s have given the building its present form.
Skykomish Town Hall
This building was a former Great Northern Railway storage building once located south of the tracks. In the 1930s a part of a WPA project it moved to its current location to serve as Town Hall, Library, and Town Jail, and was refurbished using materials from the school which was being torn down to make way for the new 1936 school (see No. 12). The six-panel front doors were from the 1902 school.
Olympia/Whistling Post Tavern
The Olympia was opened in 1897 by Patrick McEvoy, a Great Northern Railway engineer. Legend has it that McEvoy was at the controls when the first passenger train crossed the summit in 1893. The original Building was destroyed in the 1904 fires and was rebuilt in 1905. During prohibition it was known as the Maple Leaf Confectionery. It reverted to a saloon in 1933 and was renamed the Whistling Post. In April 2012, the building was again destroyed by a fire started during a burglary. It was rebuilt and reopened in January 2013 as it now stands.The Whistling Post offers beer, wine and spirits, food and a cozy community atmosphere.
Maloney General Store
Built by town founder, John Maloney, in 1904 after an earlier store burned, this building for many years housed the town’s general store, post office and hardware store. With its typical Western Boomtown Façade, the building began as a single 30 by 60-foot room. As the town grew, Maloney prospered and east and west wings were added. In addition to being a local landmark, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington Heritage Register. The west wing, the original butcher shop, is now the permanent home of the Skykomish Historical Society Museum.Skykomish Historical Society MuseumHoused in the historic Maloney’s Store building, built in 1893 by John Maloney, founder of Skykomish. Open weekends May through October, 12 pm to 4 pm.Toot SweetLocated in the historic Maloney’s Store building. Open Saturdays only, 12 pm to 4 pm. Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day weekend.Sit & Spin Laundromat Located in the Maloney’s Store building. Open 7 days a week from 6 am to 9 pm and has 7 Whirlpool stacker units available for the town and passers through in need of laundry services.
Maloney Warehouse
Now Onemish LodgeThis building built in 1908 originally sat alongside the railroad tracks, across the street and slightly west of its present day location. It served as a warehouse for John Maloney’s General Merchandise, with goods being transported in and out of town by freight train. In the early 1920s it was moved to its present day location, and not long after converted for use as a movie house which operated until about 1969. Recently it was rescued and restored using much of the original material to become Onemish Lodge an extended stay basecamp for recreation and tourism.https://onemishlodge.com/new-our-mission/
Manual Training Building
The Manual Training class of the Skykomish School built this building in 1922 as a school project. Formerly located one block west, it was moved to this location when the present day school was built. In 1954 it was purchased by the Town of Skykomish to serve as a fire hall. Today it houses a BNSF railroad operations office and warehouse.
Workers Cottage
Dating from the 1890s, this modest dwelling is typical of an early Skykomish worker’s cottage. Originally just one room, a kitchen and bathroom were later added to the rear of the house.
Teacherage
Known locally as the Teacher’s Cottage, this circa 1915 residence of Craftsman design originally housed single, female teachers employed by the Skykomish School District. It is now the home of the District’s Superintendent.
Skykomish School
The Skykomish School, constructed in 1936, is one of seven schools built in Washington State under President Franklin Roosevelt’s Works Progress Administration. Under the program, the community provided the concrete and lumber from local sources, and the WPA provided the labor.The building was designed by architect William Mallis, and replaced a two-story, wood-framed schoolhouse on the same property. The three-story, concrete building has streamlined Modeme detailing and Art Deco ornaments. Although utilitarian in appearance, it was considered at the forefront of school design when constructed. Through careful stewardship. The Skykomish School building retains its historic integrity both inside and out, and has been in continual use serving grades pre-kindergarten through twelve for over eighty years as Skykomish School District #404.https://www.skykomish.wednet.edu/about/community
King County Library System–Skykomish
In November of 1944, the Town of Skykomish became the first municipality in King County to contract with the King County Library System for library services. For the first fifty years the Library was housed in the Town Hall building. It moved to this building in October of 1993. The building dates from 1947, and has housed several businesses that have come and gone through the years.
Masonic Hall
Still active, the Skykomish Free and Accepted Masons Lodge #259 is the oldest and only surviving fraternal organization in Skykomish. The Hall was built in 1924 with donated labor and local materials, and through the years has been the hub of many of the Town’s social events.It is also now home to the Skykomish Harvest Foodbank.
Great Northern Railway Depot
Built in 1898, it was originally located in approximately the current location. During an expansion of the rail yard in 1922, the building was moved to the north side of the tracks and enlarged to 105-feet long including a freight room. In 1970 passenger service to Skykomish was discontinued, and it became a crew office and storage facility for the railway. As part of the Skykomish oil clean-up settlement, the depot is now owned by the town and has been returned to the south side of the tracks. near where it began more than a century ago. It is again a 24 by 60-foot standard depot building, housing the Skykomish Visitor’s Center, the ride-on Great Northern & Cascade Railway Club and an extension of the Skykomish Historical Society Museum. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places and the Washington Heritage Register, it is one of the last wood frame Great Northern depots remaining in the state.Great Northern & Cascade Railway Mini Train Rides Established in 2012, it offers free mini train rides (donations accepted) on 1/8th scale trains, weekends and holidays, May through October.Tour the original 1898 Depot and museum now open 10 am to 4 pm (closed Tuesday and Wednesday) thanks to a Community Grant from King County’s 4Culture.
