Editing Lake Stevens, Washington (section)

==History==

Lake Stevens was named in 1859 for territorial governor [[Isaac Stevens]] and was originally listed as "Stevens Lake" on early maps.<ref>{{cite book |last=Phillips |first=James W. |year=1971 |title=Washington State Place Names |page=[https://archive.org/details/washingtonstatep00phil/page/138 138] |publisher=[[University of Washington Press]] |isbn=0-295-95158-3 |oclc=1052713900 |url=https://archive.org/details/washingtonstatep00phil |url-access=registration |via=[[The Internet Archive]] |access-date=November 18, 2019}}</ref> The area around the lake was used for [[berry]] gathering by the indigenous [[Skykomish people|Skykomish]], who also used most of the [[Pilchuck River]] basin for hunting.<ref name="Hollenbeck">{{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 |page=167 |publisher=[[United States Forest Service]] |oclc=892024380 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/005998596 |via=[[HathiTrust]] |access-date=April 30, 2020}}</ref> The first [[Homestead Acts|homesteads]] around the lake were established by emigrants in the 1880s, beginning with Joseph William Davison's {{convert|160|acre|km2|adj=on}} claim along the east shore filed in 1886.<ref name="PI-Centennial">{{cite news |last=Twekesbury |first=Don |date=May 15, 1989 |title=Lake Stevens tackles ambitious birthday projects |page=B1 |work=[[Seattle Post-Intelligencer]]}}</ref> A two-[[city block|block]] townsite at the northeast end of the lake named "Outing" was claimed on October 8, 1889, by Charles A. Missimer and [[plat]]ted the following year.<ref name="HistoryLink">{{cite web |last=Blake |first=Warner |date=December 8, 2017 |title=Lake Stevens — Thumbnail History |url=http://www.historylink.org/File/20491 |work=[[HistoryLink]] |access-date=February 14, 2019}}</ref> The construction of the [[Seattle, Lake Shore and Eastern Railway]] along the eastern side of the Pilchuck River Valley in 1889 spurred the creation of more settlements in the area. Among them were Machias in 1890, which was followed by Hartford (originally named "Ferry"), later a major junction for the [[Everett and Monte Cristo Railway]] completed in 1892.<ref>{{cite book |last=Whitfield |first=William M. |year=1926 |title=History of Snohomish County, Washington |pages=614, 617 |publisher=Pioneer Historical Publishing Company |location=Chicago |oclc=8437390 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102122401 |via=HathiTrust |access-date=April 30, 2020}}</ref><ref>{{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. |title=An Illustrated History of Skagit and Snohomish Counties |year=1906 |page=[https://archive.org/details/illustratedhisto00inte/page/372 372] |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=May 13, 2020}}</ref>

[[File:Lake Stevens, WA - North Cove Park 04.jpg|thumb|right|North Cove Park, near the former site of the Rucker Brothers sawmill]]

Outing was later vacated and sold between various investors before the townsite was acquired in 1905 by the [[Rucker Brothers]], who planned to build a [[sawmill]] after a previous venture by [[Jacob Falconer]] had failed.<ref name="PI-1998">{{cite news |last=Schubert |first=Ruth |date=September 5, 1998 |title=Struggling to hold on to the small-town feel |page=D1 |work=Seattle Post-Intelligencer}}</ref> The Rucker Brothers constructed a railroad spur from Hartford and redirected the flow of Cassidy Creek, the main outlet of the lake, to prepare land for their [[wood shingle|shingle]] mill, which opened in 1907.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> A plat for the town of Lake Stevens was filed by the Rucker Brothers on February 8, 1908, including a business district and residences to accommodate the mill's 250 workers.{{sfnp|Whitfield|1926|pages=616–617}} The sawmill, one of the largest in the United States, was partially destroyed in a 1919 fire and later rebuilt.<ref name="Herald-Incorp">{{cite news |date=November 23, 2019 |title=Looking back: Lake Stevens votes to become a city |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/looking-back-lake-stevens-votes-to-become-a-city/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=April 30, 2020}}</ref> It was permanently closed after a second fire in 1925 and dismantled, causing many residents to leave the area.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> One of the remnants from the old mill was a locomotive that sunk in the early 1910s and was rediscovered in 1995 by a [[U.S. Navy]] training team, following a request from the local [[historical society]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Barrios |first=Joseph |date=July 24, 1995 |title=Lake Stevens' locomotive legend a reality |page=B1 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=19950724&slug=2133047 |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=May 6, 2020}}</ref>

By the mid-1920s, the entire shoreline of Lake Stevens had been divided into small lots and tracts for summer homes and resorts.{{sfnp|Whitfield|1926|pages=616–617}} Following the demise of the Rucker mill, Lake Stevens was primarily a [[resort town|resort community]] that drew 3,000 visitors on busy days to fish, swim, and [[water skiing|water-ski]] on the lake.<ref name="Times-Museum">{{cite news |last=Whitely |first=Peyton |date=August 20, 2003 |title=Museum collection keeps close track of small city's history |page=H3 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20030820&slug=museum20n |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Cameron-256">{{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 |page=256 |publisher=Kelcema Books LLC |location=Index, Washington |isbn=978-0-9766700-0-1 |oclc=62728798}}</ref> While the major lakeside resorts were successful, the Lake Stevens area saw little residential and commercial development for several decades as the downtown area stagnated.<ref name="Times-Ghost">{{cite news |last=Whitely |first=Peyton |date=September 15, 2004 |title=Book recalls time before downtown was "ghost town" |page=H16 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20040915&slug=mitchell15n |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref> The first [[Hewitt Avenue Trestle]] was completed in 1939, providing an elevated highway over the [[Snohomish River]] floodplain between Everett and Cavalero Hill, with onward connections to areas around Lake Stevens.{{sfnp|Cameron|LeWarne|May|O'Donnell|2005|p=253}}

Suburban development around Lake Stevens began in the 1950s, shortly after plans were announced to build a large [[shopping center]] named Frontier Village at the intersection of two state highways west of the lake (later [[Washington State Route 9|State Route 9]] and [[Washington State Route 204|State Route 204]]). Business owners in downtown Lake Stevens proposed [[Municipal incorporation|incorporation]] in 1958 to prevent retailers from relocating to the new shopping center, offering local control of policing and street maintenance with no increase in taxes.<ref name="HL-Incorp">{{cite web |last=Blake |first=Warner |date=December 8, 2017 |title=Town of Lake Stevens incorporates on November 21, 1960. |url=https://www.historylink.org/File/20492 |work=HistoryLink |access-date=May 14, 2020}}</ref> On November 19, 1960, Lake Stevens voted 299–40 in favor of incorporating as a city, which was certified by the state government on November 29. The town boundaries were set around downtown and included an estimated 900 residents.<ref name="Herald-Incorp"/><ref name="LSJ-25Years">{{cite news |last=Shoudy |first=Ad |date=July 24, 1985 |title=City celebrates first twenty-five years |pages=8–9 |work=Lake Stevens Journal |url=http://lsj.stparchive.com/Archive/LSJ/LSJ07241985P08.php |via=Lake Stevens Historical Museum |access-date=May 14, 2020 |archive-date=March 30, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220330044146/http://lsj.stparchive.com/Archive/LSJ/LSJ07241985P08.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The city government purchased a former [[post office]] building for use as a [[city hall]], which included a [[jail]] that was never used due to a change in state laws.<ref name="HL-Incorp"/><ref name="LSJ-25Years"/>

The development of resorts around Lake Stevens also caused water quality to deteriorate, necessitating the creation of a voluntary drainage district in 1932 to manage runoff and pollution. It was replaced in 1963 by an independent [[sewer district]], which mandated vegetation buffers for homes and later installed a large [[aeration]] system to slow the growth of [[algae]] in the lake.<ref name="HistoryLink"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Whitely |first=Peyton |date=July 14, 2004 |title=Lake aerator ready, but isn't needed yet |page=H26 |url=https://archive.seattletimes.com/archive/?date=20040714&slug=aeration14n |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=May 13, 2020}}</ref> Frontier Village opened in 1960 and later expanded as State Route 9 and State Route 204 were improved through the area. A new highway bypassing downtown, [[Washington State Route 92|State Route 92]], opened at the end of the decade.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> The area around Frontier Village was developed into a suburban [[commuter town]] in the 1970s and 1980s with the construction of several residential [[subdivision (land)|subdivisions]].<ref name="Times-2007">{{cite news |last=Siderius |first=Christina |date=March 25, 2007 |title=Lake Stevens: City looks big but feels like a small town |page=E5 |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/business/real-estate/lake-stevens-city-looks-big-but-feels-like-a-small-town/ |work=The Seattle Times |access-date=May 8, 2020}}</ref><ref name="HazardPlan">{{cite report |date=September 2015 |title=Snohomish County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, Volume 2: Planning Partner Annexes |page=8{{hyphen}}2 |url=https://snohomishcountywa.gov/DocumentCenter/View/14608 |publisher=Snohomish County |access-date=May 1, 2020}}</ref> [[Hewlett-Packard]] won approval from the county government to build a {{convert|125|acre|ha|adj=mid}} manufacturing plant northwest of Lake Stevens in 1983, despite opposition from local residents looking to preserve the area's rural character.<ref>{{cite news |last=Underwood |first=Doug |date=April 5, 1981 |title=SORE point: Hewlett-Packard rezoning faces challenge |page=D5 |work=The She Seattle Times}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last=Bergsman |first=Jerry |date=February 6, 1985 |title=Hewlett-Packard begins move to new home |page=H1 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

By the late 1990s, the city had over 5,700 residents and was among the fastest-growing cities in the state. The unincorporated areas to the west of the lake also grew to over 20,000 people, adding [[multi-family housing]] to its existing inventory of single-family neighborhoods, and rejected an attempt to build a second shopping center and commercial complex on Cavalero Hill.<ref name="PI-1998"/><ref name="HazardPlan"/> Lake Stevens unsuccessfully attempted to [[annexation|annex]] the western neighborhoods in 1993, but adopted plans to create "one community around the lake" and revitalize its downtown.<ref name="PI-1998"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Logg |first=Cathy |date=December 2, 2005 |title=Lake Stevens attempts maximum annexations |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/lake-stevens-attempts-maximum-annexations/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=May 14, 2020}}</ref> The first major annexations were completed in 2006, adding {{convert|1,563|acre|ha}} around Frontier Village and the north end of the lake.<ref>{{cite news |last=Holtz |first=Jackson |date=December 22, 2006 |title=City takes over control of lake |work=The Everett Herald}}</ref> From 2000 to 2010, the city quadrupled in population to nearly 30,000 people and added {{convert|5|sqmi|sqkm}}.<ref name="Herald-Growing">{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=August 15, 2014 |title=Rapid expansion has caused growing pains for Lake Stevens |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/rapid-expansion-has-caused-growing-pains-for-lake-stevens/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref> The largest annexation, consisting of {{convert|9|sqmi|sqkm}} in the southwest corner of the Lake Stevens [[urban growth boundary|urban growth area]], was completed in December 2009 and added more than 10,000 residents.<ref name="Herald-SW2009">{{cite news |last=Sheets |first=Bill |date=December 29, 2009 |title=Lake Stevens to add more than 10,000 through annexation |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/lake-stevens-to-add-more-than-10000-through-annexation/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref> Further annexations of areas to the southeast of the lake are planned to complete the full encirclement of Lake Stevens.<ref name="Herald-Annexations">{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=October 21, 2016 |title=Annexations would add thousands of people to Lake Stevens |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/annexations-would-add-thousands-of-people-to-lake-stevens/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=October 18, 2019}}</ref>

The city government adopted plans in 2018 to redevelop downtown Lake Stevens with denser housing and commercial use, including [[mixed-use development|mixed-use buildings]] and walkable streets.<ref name="Herald-Downtown">{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=July 14, 2018 |title=Plan paints picture of change for downtown Lake Stevens |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/plan-paints-picture-of-change-for-downtown-lake-stevens/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref> The former [[city hall]] in downtown was demolished in 2017 as part of an expansion for North Cove Park, with city services temporarily relocated at an adjacent building until a permanent replacement is built.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=December 5, 2016 |title=Demolition time: Lake Stevens readies for new City Hall |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/demolition-time-lake-stevens-readies-for-new-city-hall/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref><ref name="Herald-LibraryBond">{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=December 29, 2017 |title=Voters again will consider a Lake Stevens library bond |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/lake-stevens-library-bond-going-back-in-front-of-voters/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref> The police station was relocated to an abandoned fire station and will open a new headquarters building on Chapel Hill in the 2020s.<ref name="Herald-Downtown"/><ref>{{cite news |last=Davey |first=Stephanie |date=September 30, 2019 |title=Lake Stevens police may soon have a new station |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/lake-stevens-police-may-soon-have-a-new-station/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref> An earlier plan to combine city services, the police station, and a new [[library]] at a [[civic campus]] on Chapel Hill fell through after the failure of a library bond measure.<ref>{{cite news |last=Bray |first=Kari |date=May 12, 2015 |title=Plan for new Lake Stevens civic center resurfaces |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/plan-for-new-lake-stevens-civic-center-resurfaces/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=May 5, 2020}}</ref> The {{convert|3|acre|ha|adj=mid}} property had been acquired in 2016 and is planned to be rezoned for commercial use.<ref>{{cite news |last=Haun |first=Riley |date=November 25, 2022 |title=On site once planned for city hall, Lake Stevens OK's commercial rezone |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/on-site-once-planned-for-city-hall-lake-stevens-oks-commercial-rezone/ |work=The Everett Herald |accessdate=May 2, 2023}}</ref>