Alpine, Washington
There have been two villages named Alpine in Washington State. The earliest was located on the shores of Lake Cavanaugh in Skagit County from 1894-1898.
Alpine, Washington, was a town in the Cascade Mountains, near Skykomish, Washington. Founded in the late 19th century and originally named Nippon, Washington, it was first built to house Japanese railway workers.[1] Another nearby railway town, Corea, housed Korean workers. About eight miles west of Stevens Pass, Alpine had only rail access, and was a mile from the nearest road.[2]
The local lumber baron changed the town's name from Nippon to Alpine in 1903. Its population peaked at 200–300 people; after the nearby woods were logged out, it was evacuated and intentionally burned, around 1929. All that remains are two foundation stones.[2]
Author Mary Daheim, whose family, the Dawsons, lived in Alpine approximately 1916–1922 (before she was born) sets her "Emma Lord" mystery novels in a fictional, surviving town of Alpine.[2]
References
- ↑ Alan J Stein, Skykomish -- Thumbnail History, HistoryLink.org, August 12, 1999. Accessed 3 April 2006.
- 1 2 3 Gavin Borchert, Local Authorpalooza!: Mary Daheim, Seattle Weekly, March 29, 2006. Accessed 3 April 2006.
