Editing Monroe, Washington (section)

===Civic projects and fairs===

During the 1920s, several of the larger industrial employers in Monroe expanded their operations and attracted new businesses to the area, including an early [[radio station]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Robertson |first=Nellie E. |year=2002 |title=Monroe: The Next Thirty Years, 1911–1940 |pages=76, 80 |edition=1st |publisher=Monroe Historical Society |oclc=50470732}}</ref> The county government opened a new 100-bed hospital on the poor farm complex in 1925 at a cost of $92,000 (equivalent to ${{formatprice|{{Inflation|US-GDP|92000|1925|r=-3}}}} in {{Inflation-year|US-GDP}} dollars){{inflation-fn|US-GDP}} to provide services to local residents.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|page=86}} By the end of the decade, the town had gained new churches, a new [[masonic hall]], a larger condensery plant, and a [[movie theater]].<ref name="Timeline"/> A [[greenhouse]] operated by the Great Northern Railway was established in 1926 to supply passengers and decorate trains with fresh flowers. The complex later expanded to include ten greenhouses, but were demolished in 1962.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|page=98}}

At the onset of the [[Great Depression]] in 1929, several lettuce farms in the Monroe area had folded and been acquired by the Frye Company, which provided employment through the decade for 1,000 residents.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> The farm was foreclosed in the late 1930s by a subsidiary of Great Northern after lettuce prices had declined.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|page=103}} Service organizations in the town ran charity assistance programs for unemployed residents and their families, raising money from large employers to fund food and clothing donations.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|page=112}} The [[Works Progress Administration]] (WPA) began civic improvement projects around Monroe in 1933, including repairs to damage caused by a major flood in February 1932.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|pages=116–118}} The WPA also funded road improvements and a new [[middle school]] with a small [[auditorium]] that is now home to the Wagner Performing Arts Center.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|pages=137–138}}

The local [[The National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry|granges]] of the Monroe area began organizing [[agricultural fair]]s and [[parade]]s in the 1930s on a semi-regular basis.{{sfnp|Robertson|2002|pages=137–138}} The county also had its own regular fair that was hosted in Snohomish and [[Granite Falls, Washington|Granite Falls]] until the 1920s.<ref name="Herald-Fairs">{{cite news |last1=Arnold |first1=Justin |last2=Nohara |first2=Yoshiaki |date=July 27, 2008 |title=100? Evergreen State Fair's age doesn't add up, some buffs say |url=https://www.heraldnet.com/news/100-evergreen-state-fairs-age-doesnt-add-up-some-buffs-say/ |work=The Everett Herald |access-date=October 13, 2019}}</ref> The granges hosted the first Cavalcade of the Valleys in 1941, which was followed by the Snohomish County Fair at the poor farm grounds in 1946. The event was renamed the Evergreen State Fair in 1949 and has been hosted annually in Monroe ever since.<ref name="Herald-Fairs"/><ref name="MHS-Fair">{{cite web |last=Wojciechowski |first=Bill |date=November 18, 2013 |title=The Fair |url=http://www.monroehistoricalsociety.org/stories/the-fair/ |publisher=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=October 7, 2019}}</ref> The fairgrounds were bisected by [[U.S. Route 2 in Washington|U.S. Route 2]], the successor to an earlier highway across Stevens Pass, which opened in 1949.<ref name="MHS-Fair"/><ref>{{cite news |date=August 28, 1949 |title=Four-Year-Old Fair 'Grows Up' This Year |page=14 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref>

Following the Great Depression and [[World War II]], Monroe's economy became more reliant on agriculture and smaller industries.<ref name="Times-1949">{{cite news |date=January 30, 1949 |title=Monroe Practices Economy in Administration |pages=2, 6 |work=The Seattle Times}}</ref> A [[frozen food]] processing facility was located in Monroe until 1958 and was later replaced with a [[seafood]] processor.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> By 1949, the local government had twice rejected proposals to become a third-class city because of the increased operating costs needed; it also lacked a full-time fire department.<ref name="Times-1949"/> The Valley General Hospital was established in 1961 to replace the county-run general hospital on the poor farm complex.<ref name="Timeline"/> A [[1965 Puget Sound earthquake|major earthquake]] struck the [[Puget Sound region]] on April 29, 1965, causing severe damage to the original [[Monroe High School (Washington)|Monroe High School]] and its annex.<ref>{{cite news |date=May 6, 1965 |title=Quake Hurts High School, Aid Monies Being Sought |page=1 |work=The Monroe Monitor |url=http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS05061965P01.php |via=Monroe Historical Society |access-date=October 13, 2019 |archive-date=October 14, 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191014052326/http://mhs.stparchive.com/Archive/MHS/MHS05061965P01.php |url-status=dead }}</ref> The high school campus was demolished and replaced by a new building that opened in October 1968 and served the city until the modern campus was built in 1999.<ref name="Timeline"/> Great Northern was consolidated into the [[Burlington Northern Railroad]] in 1970, and the Monroe train depot was demolished in October of that year.{{sfnp|Taylor|Monroe Historical Society|2013|page=93}}