Sedro-Woolley, Washington (Images of America)

From the inauspicious beginnings in 1884 of a town named Bug, the two communities of Sedro and Woolley grew together, consolidated in 1898 by a lifeline of three railways: the Seattle & Northern, Seattle & International, and Fairhaven & Southern. Nestled in the beautiful Skagit Valley, Sedro-Woolley was carved out of the rich forest that, along with the discovery of a coal vein north of the city, cemented the area's prosperity and attracted the first hardy frontier residents.

Using more than 200 vintage photographs, this volume depicts the early settlers, businesses, homes, and churches of Sedro-Woolley. Other historic images depict changes in local transportation, from the only early means of travel available-the canoe-to the eventual trains that arrived three times a day and fostered commerce and community. Many of the images collected here were taken by the noted photographer Darius Kinsey and his wife Tabitha, who were residents of Sedro-Woolley at the turn of the century.