Editing Darrington, Washington (section)

==History==

===Prehistory and early exploration===

The upper Stillaguamish and Sauk valleys on the [[Sauk River (Washington)|Sauk]], [[Suiattle River|Suiattle]], and [[White Chuck River|White Chuck]] rivers were historically inhabited by various [[Native Americans in the United States|Native American]] [[Coast Salish]] groups, including the [[Stillaguamish people|Stillaguamish]], the [[Sauk-Suiattle Indian Tribe of Washington|Sauk-Suiattle]], and the [[Upper Skagit Indian Tribe|Upper Skagit]].<ref name="HistoryLink">{{cite web |last=Oakley |first=Janet |date=January 17, 2009 |title=Darrington — Thumbnail History |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/8798 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |access-date=February 28, 2019}}</ref> The Sauk-Suiattle maintained a village site and burial ground near modern-day Darrington, while the Skagit used the plain between the Stillaguamish and Sauk rivers as a [[portage]] for overland transport of canoes. The portage, [[Anglicisation (linguistics)|Anglicized]] as Kudsl Kudsl or Kuds-al-kaid, was also used as a transiting point for travelers from [[Eastern Washington]] on their way to and from the [[Puget Sound]] coast.<ref name="Prehistory">{{cite book |last1=Hollenbeck |first1=Jan L. |last2=Moss |first2=Madonna |year=1987 |title=A Cultural Resource Overview: Prehistory, Ethnography and History: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest |publisher=[[United States Forest Service]] |pages=135–139, 156–157 |oclc=892024380 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005998596 |via=[[HathiTrust]] |access-date=February 28, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Poehlman18">{{cite book |last=Poehlman |first=Elizabeth S. |year=1979 |title=Darrington: Mining Town/Timber Town |pages=18–19 |publisher=Gold Hill Press |location=Shoreline, Washington |lccn=78-75242 |oclc=34948805 }}</ref>

The area was known as Burn or Sauk Portage to early surveyors and visitors from towns along the Puget Sound coastline. A group of railroad surveyors for the [[Northern Pacific Railway]] arrived in modern-day Darrington in 1870 while plotting the potential route for a railroad crossing the [[Cascade Range|Cascades]] to [[Lake Chelan]], but ultimately chose [[Stampede Pass]] to the south.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=35–37}} The North Stillaguamish Valley was nicknamed "Starve Out" by early settlers, who arrived alone and underprepared for the area's conditions, leading to several difficult winters.<ref name="History1906">{{cite book|editor1-last=Hastie |editor1-first=Thomas P. |editor2-last=Batey |editor2-first=David |editor3-last=Sisson |editor3-first=E.A. |editor4-last=Graham |editor4-first=Albert L. |year=1906 |title=An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties |pages=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedhisto00inte/page/408 408], 461 |chapter=Chapter VI: Cities and Towns |publisher=Interstate Publishing Company |location=Chicago |lccn=06030900 |oclc=11299996 |url=https://archive.org/details/illustratedhisto00inte |via=[[The Internet Archive]] |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref> Soldiers sent to the area by the valley settlers threatened to evict the Sauk-Suiattles; this did not occur as the settlers' claim that the Sauk-Suiattle were hostile and had attacked them was determined to be unfounded. The tribe later hired surveyors to record their claims to the eastern side of the Sauk River, lands that currently comprise their [[Indian reservation]].{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=21–23}}

The discovery of gold and other valuable minerals in the [[Monte Cristo, Washington|Monte Cristo]] area in 1889 lured prospectors into the North Cascades and stimulated the development of the surrounding valleys. A {{convert|45|mi|km|adj=mid}} [[wagon road]] along the Sauk River connecting Monte Cristo to Sauk Prairie and the settlement of [[Sauk City, Washington|Sauk City]] on the [[Skagit River]] was built in 1891, later forming part of the modern [[Mountain Loop Highway]].{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=38–40}}<ref>{{cite book |last=Beckey |first=Fred W. |author-link=Fred Beckey |orig-year=1973 |year=2003 |title=Cascade Alpine Guide Vol. 2: Stevens Pass to Rainy Pass |page=29 |series=[[Cascade Alpine Guide]] |edition=3rd |publisher=[[The Mountaineers (club)|The Mountaineers Books]] |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-ukAUElJXPIC |isbn=0-89886-838-6 |oclc=52517872 |via=Google Books |access-date=March 9, 2019}}</ref> It was only used for three years before being replaced by the [[Everett and Monte Cristo Railway]] to the south; until that time, the Sauk Prairie at the modern site of Darrington was an overnight camping spot for prospectors.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=38–40}} Nearby areas were explored by prospectors who made over a hundred claims to tracts of land in the highlands around the valley, including Gold Hill.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=40–41}}<ref name="Poehlman-RR">{{cite news |last=Poehlman |first=Elizabeth S. |date=August 2, 1972 |title=Railways prominent in Darrington past |page=21 |work=The Arlington Times |url=http://arl.stparchive.com/Archive/ARL/ARL08021972P021.php |via=Small Town Papers |access-date=February 27, 2019 |archive-date=October 19, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211019072422/http://arl.stparchive.com/Archive/ARL/ARL08021972P021.php |url-status=dead }}</ref>

===Establishment and early development===
[[File:Packtrain at the Montegue and Moore store in Darrington, Washington, ca 1905 (WASTATE 487).jpeg|thumb|right|A group of [[packhorse]]s pictured outside a [[general store]] in Darrington, {{circa}} 1905]]
The Sauk Prairie campsite evolved into a settlement that was known as "The Portage" and developed around several homesteads established between 1888 and 1891.<ref>{{cite news |date=August 2, 1972 |title=Darrington history dates back to 1888 |page=21 |work=The Arlington Times}}</ref> A vote on a name was held by several pioneer residents in July 1891 in advance of the establishment of a [[post office]].{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=59–61}} The vote was tied between two options, Portage (in some accounts, Norma) and Darrington, the [[maiden name]] of settler W. W. Cristopher's mother.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=59–61}}<ref>{{cite news |date=July 3, 2002 |title=How local towns got their names |page=A6 |work=The Arlington Times |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=nr4kAAAAIBAJ&pg=2428%2C2636723 |via=Google News Archive |access-date=March 9, 2019}}</ref> According to some reports, the name was originally to be "Barrington" but was changed due to a mistake from the [[United States Post Office Department|Postal Department]] or by the townspeople to resemble the word "dare".<ref name="Times-South72">{{cite news |last=Johnsrud |first=Byron |date=August 27, 1972 |title=There's a touch of the South about bucolic Darrington |pages=8–9 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Meany |first=Edmond S. |author-link=Edmond S. Meany |year=1923 |title=Origin of Washington Geographic Names |page=63 |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |oclc=1963675 |jstor=40474558 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/001444300 |via=[[HathiTrust]] |access-date=February 28, 2019}}</ref> By the end of the decade, the town had gained a [[school]]house, a [[general store]], a [[hotel]], and a [[postmaster]], Fred Olds, whose horse inspired the naming of [[Whitehorse Mountain (Washington)|Whitehorse Mountain]].<ref name="HistoryLink"/>{{sfnp|Beckey|2003|page=129}}

Darrington's residents lobbied the [[Seattle and International Railway]] for the construction of a [[branch line]] from [[Arlington, Washington|Arlington]] to the town as early as 1895,{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=42}} offering a 15-year contract to ship 75 percent of the area's extracted [[ore]]s. The railroad agreed to the offer and began construction in 1900. It later merged with the Northern Pacific Railway, outpacing [[Great Northern Railway (U.S.)|Great Northern]] and their plans to build a railroad to their timber holdings in the Sauk River valley.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=47–50}} Railway crews arrived in the Darrington area by the following year and the first train arrived at the town's depot in 1901.<ref name="Whitfield1926">{{cite book |last=Whitfield |first=William M. |year=1926 |title=History of Snohomish County, Washington |publisher=Pioneer Historical Publishing Company |location=Chicago |pages=552–556 |oclc=8437390 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102122401 |via=HathiTrust |access-date=March 1, 2019}}</ref>

Several [[sawmill]]s and other timber industries began in the years following the railroad's completion, as mining fortunes in the surrounding area dwindled.<ref name="Whitfield1926"/> Most of the original prospectors had left the Darrington area during the [[Klondike gold rush]] of the late 1890s, while those who remained established a single [[smelter]] in the mountains.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=43}} A [[Bornite]] mine was later developed at Long Mountain in hopes of reviving mining in the area, but was abandoned after its mineral deposits were found to be smaller than expected.<ref name="History1906"/>{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=46}} By 1906, Darrington had more than a hundred residents; a second hotel and the town's first [[social club]] had been built.<ref name="HistoryLink"/><ref name="Poehlman-RR"/> The U.S. Lumber Company, which began in 1901 as the Allen Mill, was the largest employer in Darrington during the early 1910s, producing 23,000 [[board feet]] (54.28 m{{sup|3}}) of wood per day.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=53–55}}

U.S. Lumber angered the townspeople by hiring 21 [[Japanese American|Japanese]] laborers at similar wages to their white counterparts. In June 1910, a mob of white men [[race riot|rioted]] and drove the Japanese out of town after little resistance, paying for their train fare to Everett after allowing them to retrieve their belongings.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 15, 1910 |title=Japanese Will Be Put Under Protection |page=4 |work=[[Oregon Statesman]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29373107/japanese_will_be_put_under_protection/ |via=[[Newspapers.com]] |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> A report by Seattle-based vice-consul Kinjiro Hayashi was forwarded to the [[Japanese Ambassador to the United States|Japanese ambassador]] and state government.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 16, 1910 |title=Japanese Envoy Asked to Act in Darrington Case |page=4 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The company filed for an [[court injunction|injunction]] after rioters had threatened to burn its Darrington mill and other properties should it attempt to return the Japanese laborers.<ref>{{cite news |date=June 18, 1910 |title=Darrington Mill Company to Ask For Injunction |page=1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The injunction was denied,<ref>{{cite news |date=June 17, 1910 |title=No Injunction to Protect Japanese |page=6 |work=[[The Tacoma Times]]}}</ref> but the townspeople relented and allowed 20 Japanese laborers to return to the mill a week later following [[Prince Fushimi Hiroyasu]]'s visit to Seattle.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=53–55}}<ref>{{cite news |date=June 19, 1910 |title=Wait For Departure of Prince Fushimi |page=3 |work=[[The Billings Gazette]] |url=https://www.newspapers.com/clip/29374278/wait_for_departure_of_prince_fushimi/ |via=Newspapers.com |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref>

===Early 20th century===
[[File:Entrance to Camp Darrington CCC Camp, Mt. Baker National Forest, Washington (3226865012).jpg|thumb|right|The entrance to Camp Darrington, established in 1933 by the [[Civilian Conservation Corps]]]]

Darrington's residents resisted the county government's [[dry county|dry]] plan to prohibit the sale of alcohol and close the town's saloons. They circulated a petition to [[municipal incorporation|incorporate]] Darrington as a fourth-class city in order to continue alcohol sales, but the attempt was thwarted after protests by U.S. Lumber and several civic leaders.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=53–55}}<ref name="HL-Incorp">{{cite web |last=Oakley |first=Janet |date=December 13, 2010 |title=Darrington incorporates as a fourth-class town on October 15, 1945. |url=http://historylink.org/File/9645 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> On July 5, 1910, the town voted 46–35 in favor of remaining a "wet" settlement, but the countywide plebiscite the same day passed in favor of prohibition.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=53–55}}

The town grew substantially in the early 1920s, with new sawmills attracting more residents and businesses. The wagon road along the North Fork Stillaguamish River (now part of [[Washington State Route 530|State Route 530]]) was improved. A local improvement club established a [[fire department]], a municipal [[water supply]], and electrical service. [[Standard Oil]] built an auxiliary [[gas station]] in 1922 to serve the area, and a [[stagecoach]] service started at the same time.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=104}} Darrington gained its first [[movie theater]] in 1923, a [[high school]] in 1925, and a purpose-built [[jail]] that replaced a disused [[boxcar]].<ref name="HistoryLink"/>{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=74–75, 102–104}}

Falling lumber prices during the [[Great Depression]] led several small sawmills in the Darrington area to suspend operations for a full year and laying off most of the town's workforce in late 1930.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=156}} The town suffered outbreaks of [[scarlet fever]] and [[smallpox]] in 1931, followed by winter storms that damaged bridges and roads in the Sauk valley.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=157}} The [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] (CCC) work program established Camp Darrington on May 20, 1933, to provide employment for up to 200 men from northern Snohomish County.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> The townspeople established a local [[cooperative]] association in 1935 to create jobs, including 33 at an independent sawmill, and provide services at a shared cost.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=158–159}}

Camp Darrington was primarily used to fight [[wildfire]]s and develop infrastructure in the Darrington district of the [[Mount Baker National Forest]], including roads, trails, and a series of [[fire lookout tower]]s atop nearby mountains.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=140}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Stevick |first=Eric |date=May 15, 2006 |title=A House Shares its Past |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/06/05/15/100loc_a1darrington001.cfm |work=The Everett Herald |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070416091354/http://www.heraldnet.com/stories/06/05/15/100loc_a1darrington001.cfm |archive-date=April 16, 2007 |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> Among its projects was the [[Mountain Loop Highway]], which provided connections between [[ranger station]]s in Darrington and [[Granite Falls, Washington|Granite Falls]] and also opened up the Cascades backcountry to logging and recreation.<ref>{{cite web |last=Cameron |first=David A. |date=March 4, 2008 |title=A key part of the work to build the scenic Mountain Loop Highway linking Granite Falls to Darrington (Snohomish County) begins on March 23, 1936. |url=https://historylink.org/File/8460 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> The camp employed the first wave of [[Appalachian American|Appalachian]] emigrants from [[North Carolina]], who would eventually form a majority of the town's population.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=119}}<ref>{{cite book |last1=Cameron |first1=David A. |last2=LeWarne |first2=Charles P. |last3=May |first3=M. Allan |last4=O'Donnell |first4=Jack C. |last5=O'Donnell |first5=Lawrence E. |year=2005 |title=Snohomish County: An Illustrated History |pages=196–197 |publisher=Kelcema Books LLC |location=Index, Washington |isbn=978-0-9766700-0-1 |oclc=62728798}}</ref> Camp Darrington workers also assisted in the creation of two winter sports areas that were equipped with [[ski run]]s, [[toboggan]] trails, and a [[ski jump]].{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=160}} The [[Works Progress Administration]], another federal jobs program, provided funds to replace the town's overcrowded high school in 1936.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=74}}

===Incorporation and decline of lumber===

Darrington reached a population of 600 residents in 1945 and was officially incorporated as a fourth-class town on October 15, 1945, following a 96–60 vote in favor.<ref name="HL-Incorp"/> The townspeople celebrated by establishing an annual summer festival, the Timberbowl, which ran until 1967 and was initially used to raise funds for a [[fire engine]] and other equipment.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=107–108}} A two-story [[town hall]] was built in 1947, housing the town council chambers, offices for town officials, the [[police department]], the fire department, and a [[public library]].{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=107–108}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Swaney |first=Aaron |date=September 4, 2015 |title=River Time Brewing opens in downtown Darrington |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/life/river-time-brewing-opens-in-downtown-darrington/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> In 1952, the town built a dedicated [[community center]] to serve as a venue for various social functions and a general gymnasium with seating for 1,200 people.<ref>{{cite news |last=Fiege |first=Gale |date=August 19, 2011 |title=New community center gym floor ready for Darrington's high school athletes |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/new-community-center-gym-floor-ready-for-darringtons-high-school-athletes/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> A new high school and [[Darrington Municipal Airport|municipal airport]] opened in 1958 at opposite ends of the town.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=75}}<ref>{{cite news |last=Bergsman |first=Jerry |date=August 8, 1981 |title=Comprehensive plan paves way for new hangar at airport |page=F7 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

Railroad companies with large timber holdings in the area began to leave in the 1960s, leading to the rise of independent "[[Gyppo logger|gyppo]]" loggers who salvaged discarded timber while under contract to regional paper mills.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=162–163}} A large [[open-pit mine]] on Miners Ridge planned by [[Kennecott Utah Copper|Kennecott]] in the late 1960s was halted after intervention from environmental activists and local politicians.<ref>{{cite news |last=Muhlstein |first=Julie |date=April 26, 2020 |title=An open-pit mine that wasn't: Ridge near Glacier Peak spared |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/an-open-pit-mine-that-wasnt-ridge-near-glacier-peak-spared/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=April 27, 2020}}</ref> Northern Pacific ended passenger rail service to the Darrington area in the 1960s, and the passenger depot was demolished in 1967.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|pages=47–50}} The railroad was eventually abandoned in 1990 and its [[Right-of-way (transportation)|right-of-way]] was acquired by the county for conversion into a [[rail trail]].<ref name="Times-Vision"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Reed |first=Claudia |date=September 2, 1993 |title=New hiking trail may go alongside an old rail line |page=4 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

The gyppo operations gave way to a small local timber company, Summit Timber, which acquired the largest sawmill in Darrington, now the Hampton mill.{{sfnp|Poehlman|1979|page=165}}<ref>{{cite news |date=October 19, 2001 |title=Portland company will buy Darrington sawmill |page=E1 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> Several smaller mills in Darrington and surrounding communities, including four for [[cedar shake]]s, closed during the 1960s, leading to further population decline.<ref name="PI-1990">{{cite news |last=Werner |first=Larry |date=September 22, 1990 |title=Timber town of Darrington knows it will survive |page=A10 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The area's timber industry was also adversely affected by tighter logging restrictions on federal lands during the 1980s and 1990s meant to protect the mountain habitats of threatened and endangered species, including the [[northern spotted owl]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Pryne |first=Eric |date=March 28, 1993 |title=Big trees, big questions |page=A1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> In response, Summit transitioned to processing private forests and lands managed by the [[Washington State Department of Natural Resources]], maintaining its position as the town's largest employer.<ref>{{cite news |last=Erb |first=George |date=August 15, 1999 |title=Ruling spikes timber sales |url=https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/stories/1999/08/16/story3.html |work=[[Puget Sound Business Journal]] |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Times-Vision">{{cite news |last=Larsen |first=Richard W. |date=November 17, 1991 |title=A vision for Darrington |page=A21 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19911117/1317701/a-vision-for-darrington |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> The loss of timber-industry jobs led to local protests, part of the "[[timber wars]]" that erupted across logging communities in the [[Pacific Northwest]] during the 1990s.<ref>{{cite news |date=July 10, 2015 |title=Logging partnership formed for Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/logging-partnership-formed-for-mount-baker-snoqualmie-national-forest/ |work=The Everett Herald |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Broom |first=Jack |date=February 27, 1988 |title=Logging trucks roll to protest forest-use plan |page=A8 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

===Tourism economy and modern Darrington===
[[File:Darrington Street and Emens Avenue, Darrington, WA.jpg|thumb|right|Darrington Street in downtown Darrington]]

The town government sought to diversify Darrington's economy and focus on [[tourism industry|tourism]] as an alternate industry, creating new festivals and promoting its existing [[bluegrass festival]] and [[rodeo]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Dietrich |first=Bill |date=August 6, 1991 |title=Lumbering towns now take light steps |page=A1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19910806/1298451/lumbering-towns-now-take-light-steps----communities-loggers-move-slowly-toward-uncertain-future-without-mainstay-industry |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref><ref name="Times-Bloom">{{cite news |last=Pryne |first=Eric |date=June 1, 1993 |title=A plan blooms in Darrington |page=A1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/19930601/1704305/a-plan-blooms-in-darrington----timber-towns-new-wildflower-festival-part-of-survival-bid |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=February 28, 2019}}</ref> It adopted strong [[land use]] controls to preserve its rural character in the 1970s, which prevented new development until 2002.<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitely |first=Peyton |date=August 16, 2003 |title=Buyers scarce for controversial Darrington houses |page=H16 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/20030416/develop16n0/buyers-scarce-for-controversial-darrington-houses |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=February 28, 2019}}</ref> Darrington subsequently developed into a [[bedroom community]] for commuters working in Everett and [[Marysville, Washington|Marysville]].<ref name="Times-Sewage">{{cite news |last=Burkitt |first=Janet |date=July 17, 2000 |title=Lure of past clouds town's future |page=B1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> Opposition from residents forced the town government to drop plans for a 400-bed minimum-security prison work camp in 1990.<ref name="PI-1990"/>

The town government unsuccessfully campaigned for a [[NASCAR]] racetrack and regional [[swimming]] center in the early 2000s, aiming to become an all-year destination for the county.<ref>{{cite news |last=Brooks |first=Diane |date=October 22, 2003 |title=Idea for regional swim center surfaces again in Darrington |page=H8 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Heffter |first=April 7, 2004 |title=Marysville-Arlington area drives for a NASCAR track |page=H20 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/snohomishcountynews/2001896759_nascar07n.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref> Several major floods in the late 1990s and early 2000s damaged properties along the rivers; in 2003, a flood [[Washout (erosion)|washed out]] part of the Mountain Loop Highway.<ref>{{cite news |last=Whitely |first=Peyton |date=April 21, 2004 |title=River taking a neighborhood |page=H23 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> The highway was not restored until 2008, costing Darrington approximately $750,000 in tourist revenue and forcing several businesses to close.<ref>{{cite news |last=Hodges |first=Jane |date=June 2, 2004 |title=Area's small businesses feeling pinch |page=H23 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Gilmore |first=Susan |date=June 27, 2008 |title=Darrington, Granite Falls to celebrate reopening of Mountain Loop Highway |page=B1 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2008020289_highway27m.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> Darrington's main lumber mill laid off 67 workers in 2011, citing the effects of the [[Great Recession]] and declining demand.<ref>{{cite news |date=October 14, 2011 |title=Arlington, Darrington companies announce layoffs coming in December |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/business/arlington-darrington-companies-announce-layoffs-coming-in-december/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref> The town government, running on a small budget of $1.6&nbsp;million, accepted several grants from the state to upgrade its water system and repair streets during the recession.<ref name="Herald-Budget">{{cite news |last=Fiege |first=Gale |date=December 7, 2010 |title=Darrington's modest budget covers town's needs |url=http://heraldnet.com/article/20101207/NEWS01/712079895/1043/COMM0605 |work=The Everett Herald |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101216073014/http://heraldnet.com/article/20101207/NEWS01/712079895/1043/COMM0605 |archive-date=December 16, 2010 |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref>

On March 22, 2014, a [[2014 Oso mudslide|major mudslide]] on a hillside near [[Oso, Washington|Oso]], {{convert|12|mi|km}} west of Darrington, destroyed dozens of homes and a section of State Route 530, cutting off direct road access between Arlington and Darrington for two months.<ref>{{cite news |last=Johnson |first=Kirk |date=July 23, 2014 |title=Washington Mudslide Report Cites Rain, but Doesn't Give Cause or Assign Blame |page=A13 |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2014/07/23/us/washington-mudslide-report-cites-rain-but-doesnt-give-cause-or-assign-blame.html |work=The New York Times |access-date=March 10, 2019}}</ref> It killed 43 people, becoming the [[List of landslides|deadliest landslide]] in U.S. history and the deadliest natural disaster in state history since the [[1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Doughton |first=Sandi |author-link=Sandi Doughton |date=December 22, 2015 |title=New analysis shows Oso landslide was no fluke |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/science/new-analysis-shows-oso-landslide-was-no-fluke/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Burns |first=Frances |date=April 16, 2014 |title=Medical examiner: 39 now confirmed dead in Washington State mudslide |url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2014/04/16/Medical-examiner-39-now-confirmed-dead-in-Washington-State-mudslide/3311397677335/ |publisher=United Press International |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref> Darrington was one of the main staging areas for disaster response workers and supplies; the community center was used as an [[emergency shelter]] for victims and the [[rodeo]] grounds became an animal shelter and housing for workers.<ref>{{cite news |last=Lacitis |first=Erik |date=March 26, 2014 |title=A small town's embrace: In Darrington, 'we help people out' |page=A1 |url=http://old.seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2023225246_mudslidedarringtonxml.html |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Catchpole |first=Dan |date=March 30, 2014 |title=Grit and heart keep Darrington going |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/grit-and-heart-keep-darrington-going/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=King |first=Rikki |date=June 20, 2015 |title=In Darrington, a slide reunion means laughter, tears |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/in-darrington-a-slide-reunion-means-laughter-tears/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref>

State Route 530 was partially reopened by early June and a permanent replacement was opened in September.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=June 20, 2014 |title=Highway 530 open to two-way traffic at mudslide site |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/highway-530-open-to-two-way-traffic-at-mudslide-site/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=King |first=Rikki |date=September 27, 2014 |title=43 trees mark lives lost along Highway 530 in Oso |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/43-trees-mark-lives-lost-along-highway-530-in-oso/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref> The increased costs to local businesses resulting from the long detour via [[Washington State Route 20|State Route 20]] were mitigated with low-interest loans from the [[Small Business Administration]] and recovery funds, including $9.5 million in private donations.<ref>{{cite news |last=Catchpole |first=Dan |date=April 25, 2014 |title=For Darrington, disaster is a blow it can little afford |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/for-darrington-disaster-is-a-blow-it-can-little-afford/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Cornwell |first=Paige |date=March 18, 2015 |title=Oso landslide donations: Where the millions went |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/millions-in-donations-help-ease-burden-in-oso-slide-communities/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 12, 2019}}</ref> The tourism industry in Darrington also received a state-funded advertising campaign, keeping revenue and visitation for local events at pre-slide levels.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=June 19, 2014 |title=Ads to boost tourism in Stillaguamish Valley begin airing |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/business/ads-to-boost-tourism-in-stillaguamish-valley-begin-airing/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=July 30, 2014 |title=Darrington businesses are ready to be 'mobbed' |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/darrington-businesses-are-ready-to-be-mobbed-2/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Broom |first=Jack |date=March 17, 2015 |title=In Darrington, 'recovery is a marathon, not a sprint' |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/seattle-news/in-darrington-recovery-is-a-marathon-not-a-sprint/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=March 12, 2019}}</ref> The state government, together with the [[Economic Alliance Snohomish County]] and [[Washington State University]], drafted a $65 million economic recovery plan that was put into effect in 2016.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=December 2, 2015 |title=Officials to present Oso mudslide economic recovery plan |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/officials-to-present-oso-mudslide-economic-recovery-plan/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=March 11, 2019}}</ref>