Editing Blaine, Washington (section)

==History==
The area was first settled in the mid-19th century by pioneers who established the town as a seaport for the west coast logging and fishing industries, and as a jumping off point for prospectors heading to [[British Columbia]]'s gold fields. Blaine was officially incorporated on May 20, 1890, and was named after [[James G. Blaine]] (1830−1893), who was a [[United States Senate|U.S. senator]] from the state of [[Maine]], [[United States Secretary of State|Secretary of State]], and, in [[1884 United States presidential election|1884]], the unsuccessful [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican]] presidential candidate. The city has a "turn-of-the-century" theme, marked by remodeled buildings and signs resembling designs that existed during the late 19th century and early 20th century.

[[Image:Plover1.jpg|thumb|left|The {{MV|Plover}} once conveyed workers to and from the cannery in the 1940s. Today it ferries tourists from Blaine to a resort on Semiahmoo Spit.]]

The world's largest [[salmon]] [[cannery]]<ref>{{Citation |last=Hrutfiord |first=Jan |title=Blaine: forged by fish and timber |newspaper=The Northern Light |location=Blaine, Washington |date=August 2, 2001 |url=http://www.thenorthernlight.com/news/article.exm/2001-08-02_blaine__forged_by_fish_and_timber |access-date=<!-----October 11, 2009-----> |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101231064402/http://thenorthernlight.com/news/article.exm/2001-08-02_blaine__forged_by_fish_and_timber |archive-date=December 31, 2010 }}</ref> was operated by the [[Alaska Packers' Association]] for decades in Blaine; the cannery site has been converted to a waterfront destination resort on [[Semiahmoo Spit]]. Several [[saw mill]]s once operated on Blaine's waterfront, and much of the lumber was transported from its wharves and docks to help rebuild San Francisco following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 fire]] there. The forests were soon logged but Blaine's fishing industry remained strong into the second half of the 20th century. Into the 1970s Blaine was home to hundreds of commercial [[Seine fishing|purse seiners]] and [[gillnet]]ters plying the waters offshore of British Columbia, between Washington state and southeast Alaska. Blaine's two large marinas are still home to hundreds of recreational sailboats and yachts. Nature lovers have always appreciated Blaine's coastal location, its accessible bike and walking trails, and view of mountains and water. Birdwatchers across the continent have discovered the area's high content of [[Bird migration|migratory birds]] and waterfowl: Blaine's Drayton Harbor, Semiahmoo Spit and Boundary Bay are ranked as Important [[Birding]] Areas by the [[Audubon Society]].

The Cains are the most notable family in Blaine's short history, credited with its founding and achievements. At one time owning most of present-day Blaine, the Cain brothers erected the biggest store north of Seattle, a lumber and shingle mill, a hotel (largest in the state at the time), the first public wharf, and donated large public tracts of land.

Nathan Cornish and family moved to Blaine in 1889. He became mayor in 1901; his platform was "twelve miles of wooden sidewalk". His daughter, [[Nellie Cornish]], having failed to open a successful piano teaching business in Blaine, moved to Seattle, where she founded the [[Cornish College of the Arts]] in 1914, which still exists today.

On May 9, 1970, approximately 450 Canadian protestors demonstrating against the [[Cambodian campaign]] of the [[Vietnam War]] crossed the border and conducted a "symbolic invasion" of Blaine.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 11, 1970 |title=Canadians vandalize U.S. city |page=1 |work=[[The Albertan]] |agency=[[Canadian Press]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114339360/canadians-vandalize-us-city/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |accessdate=December 8, 2022}}</ref> Several buildings' windows were smashed, flags were torn down, and the Peace Arch was vandalized before police officers and vigilantes pushed the protestors back to the Canadian side of the border.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 12, 1970 |title=Canadian mob invades Blaine |page=1 |work=Vancouver Express |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/114339101/canadian-mob-invades-blaine/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=December 8, 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Dougherty |first=Phil |date=August 2, 2007 |title=About 450 Canadians invade Blaine on May 9, 1970. |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/8242 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |accessdate=December 8, 2022}}</ref>