Embedded Files
By Bud Meyers Jr. and taken, in part, from that prepared by Noel Bourasaw, editor of:
1872-3
A.R. Williamson starts a hop farm about 1 mile west of Lyman. Native pickers are from local tribes and also come from as far away as British Columbia, crossing the Nooksack river and hiking through Lyman Pass.
1877
Otto Klement enters the region claiming to be second, only to Williamson, among settlers to come this far up the Skagit. He begins scouting and timber cruising.
1877
Valentine Adam homesteads 160 acres that included most of present-day Lyman. Henry L. Cooper homesteads east of Lyman and his cousin, Henry C, Leggett files for a patent west of Lyman.
1877
Otto Klement, Charles Von Pressentin, John Duncan, John Rowley, and Frank Scott embarked on an enterprise up the Skagit river in canoes guided by natives. They discovered gold at the mouth of Ruby creek and returned downstream to Mount Vernon to winter and secure provisions. They return to Ruby creek in 1878. Although not rich, the news of the gold strike was broadcast.
1880
Otto Klement opens a small trading post along the bank of the north Skagit Slough. John Bieble operates a saloon in the trading post.
1879-80
It is estimated 5000 men streamed to the upper Skagit in search of gold. Among them was Lorenzo Lyman, J.D., who, in 1880 took residence on Cockreham island near the native village. He applied for, and was appointed postmaster as his namesake office.
1881
Lorenzo Lyman returns to Montana and becomes a judge.
1881
Otto Klement takes over as postmaster November 9th and with location of the post office (named “Lyman”) in his trading post.
Photo of Otto Klement, courtesy of Bud Meyers Jr.
1881
Birdsey Minkler establishes a water powered mill on the south side of the Skagit River at the base of Coal Mountain and begins harvesting timber from land disputed as native property. Litigation is found in the Indians' favor by Secretary of the Interior, Hitchcock.
1882
Colonel Chamber of the Territorial Militia holds a summit with Indians at Lyman after settlers suspected an uprising was afoot. They had become alarmed by the upriver arrival of numerous canoes full of visiting tribe people. Actually, the Indian influx was simply to harvest the salmon runs.
1883
January 29th Henry Cooper marries Clara Bartlett, a correspondence bride who has traveled from Maine to wed him. They build the first family home in Lyman.
April 28th Valentine Adams and Henry Cooper exchange homesteads. Cooper's warranty deed from Adams excludes several acres known as the "Klement Plat" that is jointly owned by Clothier and English and Otto Klement.
1884
January 5th, Clothier and English sell their 2/3rds interest in the "Klement Plat" to Otto Klement. He moves quickly to begin exploiting the plat to start the Town of Lyman.
Klement hires George Savage of Day Creek to survey the plat for a town: 100 foot x 50 foot lots and streets are laid out. A Main Street extends from 2nd Street (north boundary) south for 3 blocks , then abruptly proceeds at a right angle from east to west for 1 block near the north shore of the North Skagit River Slough. 'Commercial Avenue " (at right angle) extends from the west terminus of Main Street south to the slough.
A flurry of sales and construction begin:
1884
Lyman's first school is built. It is one story and located on the second lot east of Main Street, north side of 1st street.
A bridge is built spanning the North Skagit Slough. A dirt road proceeds south about 1/4 mile to the place where a ferry crossing the Main Skagit River to the Day Creek side is established.
1884
Otto Klement constructs a large general store and post office, in plans for a business district near the slough. He sells commercial and residential lots.
1884
July 29th Elizabeth Cooper becomes Lyman’s first child born to settlers.
1884
John Browning and Henry Quinn open the large "Lyman Hotel" next to Klement's general store.
1884
Henry Cooper opens a livery stable across from the general store.
1884
Clothier and English (Mount Vernon founders) begin logging in, and near, Lyman. They receive all the timber for free for clearing the trees (many were cedars up to 12 feet in diameter).
1884
November 28th, By Territorial Statute, Skagit County is formed from the southern section of Whatcom County. La Conner is established as seat. Birdsey Dwight Minkler wins a commissioner seat in the County and serves two terms.
Henrietta, Elizabeth and Frank Cooper. Photo courtesy of Bud Meyers Jr.
1887
Otto Klement files the plat for the Town of Lyman
1887
March 31st Otto Klement concludes the sale of his general store and post office to Birdsey Minkler. Minkler has a three-story home built on the south west corner of Main and 2nd Street (diagonally across from the present Town Hall). This was the most imposing house ever built in Lyman.
1887
November 26th Hannah Belle Minkler (Birdsey’s first wife) becomes Postmaster.
1889
A Knight’s of Pythias Hall is constructed on Commercial Street next to Cooper’s Livery and across from the general store and post office.
1888
April 15th Lyman Saw Mill Co. is incorporated by Otto Klement, Henry Quinn, Birdsey Minkler, John Roach, and Frank Ries.
1889
The Skagit River begins sending more water through North Skagit Slough and Lyman’s Commercial Street is flooded.
1889
A dirt road is completed on the north side of the river and connects Sedro Woolley to Lyman’s 1st Street.
1889
Washington achieves statehood on November 11.
Otto Klement's original plat map of Lyman, courtesy of Bud Meyers Jr.
Timeline and Highlights of Lyman History after Washington Statehood November 11, 1889.
By Bud Meyers Jr. and taken, in part, from that prepared by Noel Bourasaw, editor of:
Maud Minkler, courtesy of Bud Meyers, Jr.
1890-91
A dirt road is completed connecting Sedro Woolley with Lyman’s 1st Street.
1891
Seattle and Northern railroad reaches Lyman then proceeds to Hamilton and Rockport. The railroad starts at Ship Harbor, Anacortes.
1891
Birdsey Minkler has the “mansion” (present Town Hall) constructed for his new home.
1893
Hannah Minkler dies of peritonitis on May 25th. at age 36, in Providence Hospital, Seattle; leaving 8 children: Maud 19, John 16, Garfield 13, Birdsey Annette 11, Mary 8, Twins, Edith and Ethel 4, and Elmer 1.
1893
Birdsey returns to Lyman from a visit to Wisconsin with his new wife, Christina Nash, who poses as his housekeeper to avoid disturbing the grieving children or the townspeople.
1897
Lyman experiences a severe flood affecting the old commercial section.
1897
Birdsey establishes The Lyman Lumber and Shingle Company at a small Lake two miles west of Lyman. A little community is supported near the mill and, though the town disappeared, the lake is named Minkler.
1899
Birdsey Minkler serves as a Republican member of Washington’s first State Legislature.
1906
February 10th , John T. Hightower, C.R. Wilcox, Ed English, Wyman Kelly, and Elmer C. Million incorporate The Skagit Mill located in the north east section of town between what is the old Lyman/Hamilton highway and State highway 20. The mill had two main sections: one milled lumber, the other shingles. Each section had its own large drying kiln. The mill hires about 300 men and accounts for a surge in Lyman’s, population growth.
1906
Highland Timber Holding Company (future platform for English & Dempsey Brothers of Michigan) launches The Puget Sound and Baker River Railroad.
1906-1910
Birdsey Minkler serves in the State Senate as a Republican.
1909
The Town of Lyman is incorporated.
1911
May 8 th , Birdsey Minkler dies in Seattle at age 61. 1911 Obituary for Birdsey 5/21/1911 (probably Hamilton Herald Recorder)
“Funeral Lyman last Sunday. Died Seattle week ago Wed. Masonic funeral at home. Rev. Landen of Bellingham. Buried In Lyman cemetery lot beside wife. 600 there incl old Indian friends from early days. House he built 30 yrs. ago 1891? To be common property of children, they plan to convert it to refuge for sick and needy B.D Minkler Hospital…”
1911-1953
Birdsey Minkler’s eldest child, Maud Vanderford, takes occupancy of the house until her death in 1953. Maud is responsible for adding neoclassical pillars and the bay window to the house. Townspeople begin referring (somewhat wryly) to the structure as the “Minkler Mansion.”
1920
The Lyman Lumber and Shingle Company mill at Minkler Lake burns down and Garfield A. Minkler commits suicide in his store on May 20th .
1939
The Skagit Mill, the largest industry in town, closes over a labor dispute in which workers demand a 5 cent per hour raise. The result is a decline in Lyman’s population from a high of approximately 900.
1946
Maud’s husband, Bert Vanderford dies July 18 th . He was formerly a Lyman Mayor and postmaster.
1950
Lyman’s tavern is gutted by fire.
1953-2008
Minkler Mansion residents following Maud Minkler Vanderford’s death in 1953: Val Fields, third spouse of Lenore Minkler (died 1952), daughter of Garfield A. Minkler. Doris Peterson, Field’s daughter.
2008
Town of Lyman acquires the Minkler Mansion for the Town Hall, assisted with a subsidy as part of an Historic Preservation and Community Development Project.
2009
The community celebrates the centennial of the Town of Lyman’s incorporation.
Page updated
Google Sites
Report abuse