Welcome to Bothell/Mill Creek/Canyon Park

 - for a day or a lifetime.

In a little over a century, the Bothell/Mill Creek/Canyon Park communities have evolved from an isolated logging village housing a handful of hardy pioneers to a multi-faceted full-service city with a resident population of approximately 30,000 and a business population of about 20,000. Over that time the City has taken on several roles - way station, mill town, local farm supplies and services center, suburban bedroom community, and, within the last decade, regional employment center.

The Bothell area was originally swampy, heavily forested and inhabited by the Simump Tribe. These Native Americans referred to the region as the "Squak", meaning a swampy lowland. In the early 1870`s, white settlers came to this area seeking homesteads. At the time, the only transportation was by boat. The "Squak Slough", now the Sammamish River, was the main transportation artery for this center of early timber harvesting activities and later farming.

In the spring of 1889, David C. Bothell and his wife, Mary Ann, filed the first plat in what was to become the City of Bothell. The town was incorporated in 1909, some 20 years later. Gerhard Ericksen, the first Postmaster, is reputed to have said, "There are so many Bothell`s in town, let`s call it Bothell."

Lumber and shingle production fueled the early local economy. The Bothell Shingle Company mill produced 125,000 shingles in a single day at its peak. Cedar was brought in on a seven-mile water flume to the busy mills, and some of the locals would hitch a ride on a log headed for town at 3 to 4 miles per hour.

Shipping on the Squak Slough was the only way for commerce to reach Bothell, Woodinville, Redmond, and Issaquah. In addition to lumber transport, local produce was distributed, first by rowboats up to 50 feet long, later by flat-bottomed scows, and eventually by steam-boats of various designs. Regular passenger service from Seattle to Bothell was provided three times a day on the steamboats-the fare a costly 25 cents.

In 1917, Lake Washington was lowered nine feet to install the Lake Union locks. This spelled the end of practical use of the slough. By then, rail and road transportation had made overland shipping simpler and faster.

The first merchant to set up business was E.W. Allen in 1884. He soon sold the shop to Gerhard Ericksen. Several other merchants followed, making their living offering needed supplies, hardware and textiles to area residents. Other elements of a permanent community were established, including a school and a church. A newspaper was founded in 1903; a bank in 1908. Bothell`s Main Street, still dirt with wooden sidewalks, began to take shape-the streets were not paved until 1926.

In April 1908, a major fire began in the Bothell Hotel, and destroyed five buildings on Main Street. In 1911, Bothell`s worst fire destroyed all 11 buildings. Soon after the fire, a local fire department was formed. A motorized hose cart was purchased in 1916. Several of the structures rebuilt after the 1911 fire still stand today on Main Street.

Much of Bothell`s history can still be enjoyed today. Many of the important buildings in Bothell`s past have a story to tell.