Our History
Situated on the delta near the mouth
of the Skagit River, La Conner was founded in the early 1860's and
is Skagit County's oldest community. First settled by non-natives
just after the Civil War, our early settlers included many with
names recognizable today such as Alexander Underwood, Michael Sullivan,
Sam Calhoun and A.G. Tillinghast. In 1869, John Conner purchased
the trading post built by John Hayes, another early settler, on
the west side of the Swinomish Slough and established a post office.
In 1869, all the Town plus 70 acres was deeded to John Conner for
$500! To honor his wife, Louisa A. Conner, the Town's original name
of Swinomish was changed to La Conner in 1870. La Conner was briefly
the county seat before Mount Vernon.
The early settlers diked hundreds of acres of
land, creating farmland which would surpass per-acre yields around
the globe. La Conner soon became a popular farm community and
a hub for steamers carrying passengers and freight from Seattle.
By the turn of the century, La Conner's population had reached
1,000. La Conner was a thriving community due, in large measure,
to its proximity to the water. Logging and fishing prospered until
the depression. Artists settled in the area, in the 1940's, enjoying
the unique light and inspiration from nature. Renowned artists
include Morris Graves, Guy Anderson, Richard Gilkey and Clayton
James. Some artists were leaders of the Northwest School of Art.
In the 1970's, tourists discovered the area along with folks seeking
the peace and quiet of an old fashioned town.
Today, La Conner is a balance of people who
work and live here, including the Swinomish Tribal Community,
Shelter Bay residents from across the Channel, fishermen, farmers,
artists, and carpenters - a diverse mix of cultures and educational
backgrounds. If you need a place to relax and browse through interesting
shops and art galleries, if you want to watch the waterfront or
enjoy fine restaurants, inns and bed & breakfasts, then come
to La Conner. You can also enjoy natural beauty and wildlife such
as bird watching. La Conner is wintering grounds for swans and
Canadian geese. The fertile farmlands continue to produce food
and seed crops and, of course, our annual Tulip festival is celebrated
around the world.
La Conner is on the National Registry
of Historic places. The Civic Garden Club was the first courthouse
north of Seattle. We value our history and heritage. We are an
exciting place to live and to visit.
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