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From: "Carroll Clark" <>
Subject: SNOHOMISH CEMETERY FOLLOW UP :
Date: Wed, 15 Mar 2006 13:19:41 -0800

I gained the permission from The Editor, Becky Reed and the Staff Reporter
Jenny Zuvela of the SNOHOMISH COUNTY TRIBUNE to copy to WASNOHOM & PSRoot
Bulletins the following
articles regarding Snohomish Cemetery and the newly proposed relocation of
a new senior center for Snohomish seniors. More items will come out in
the future as to what the finalized plans will be for both sites. I thank
them for their reporting skills in making these articles possible:
Here is what the Tribune has reported, so far. The Tribune and the Herald
newspapers have been relating to the public these concerns.

QUOTED in Full: Snohomish County Tribune Vol 117, Number 11 for Wednesday,
March 15, 2006.
Snohomish drops plan to build on cemetery By
Jenny Zuvela
The dead can rest in peace for now at the old Snohomish Cemetery
The city of Snohomish decided on March 7 to abandon plans to build a senior
center over the dilapidated pioneer graveyard because of escalating costs
due to the high number of remains found.
It would cost a minimum $575,000 to remove, identify and relocate close to
100 human remains archeologists found late last year, according to the city.
The City Council voted unanimously to stop pursuing a senior center at the
Cypress Avenue property and to instead consider city property on Fourth
Street near the library on Maple Avenue. A less likely location is the
Carnegie Building on First Street.
Concerned citizens and descendnts of Snohomish pioneers were relieved.
"I think it's the first reasonable decision they've made (concerning the
cemetery)," said Carolynn Crawford, descendant of several pioneers buried
there. Crawford and her family have fought the city on this issue for 10
years. "look at all the money they've poured into this thing."
After finding 96 spots that contained human remains, city staff
reconsidered the process started more than a decade ago to decertify the
cemetery and build a community center.
Archeologists also discovered 17 empty grave shafts that were possibly
exhumed at some point. Archeologists found an interesting trench under the
former parking lot. It appears a piece of heavy equipment dug the trench,
dumped the headstones and bases inside on top of four human remains and
reburied them.
The city suspects this was done in 1947 when U.S. Highway 2 (now Second
Street) was built.
"Finding 96 positive results was a huge surprise," City Manager Larry
Bauman said. "(The additional work) was far greater than we had budgeted.
Given, the scope of this, we felt it was really more appropriate to hold
this property as a historical cemetery."
So far, the city has spent $185,373 in legal fees and archeological work
and expects to spend $19,725 more to finish
If the city were to exhume and rebury the remains elsewhere, the total
cost of decertification would escalate to $723,600, which doesn't include
legal fees if the results were challeneged in court. Officials decided the
cost was too high.
Other options are available.
In 2000, the city qcquired a vacant 1.27 acre site on Fourth Streeet along
with land to build the Ano-Isle library, support services director Brad
Nelson said. The Burlington Northern Sanda Fe railroad* used to run through
the property. The spot is not big enough for senior housing, which was also
planned at the Cypress Avenue location, and the soil could be contaminated
with petroleum. But it's worth a try, city officials said.
Snohomish Seniors executive director Karen Charnell said the seniors
support building on the alternate site.
The council approved spending $14,000 to test the Fourth Street property's
soil for contamination and stability for construction. The city
will begin working with an architect soon to redesign the center to fit the
new location. The public will have a chance to weigh in on those things in
about two months during a public hearing, Nelson said.
In the meantime, the city and the Tulalip Tribes are drafting an agreement
that will govern the transition of the cemetery from a building site to a
memorial, Nelson said.
In the coming months, stakeholders will need to determine what to do with
the pink house owned by the Snohomish Seniors, what to do with seven burials
in the Second Street right-of-way and what the cemetery will eventually
become, he said.
Snohomish resident Guy Faussett's family has lived in the area since 1892,
he said. Faussett has protested the senior center fplans at the cemetery
property since the beginning.
"I realize (the current council and staff) inherited a lot of these poor
decisions by past mayors and councils, (but) it's the city's responsibility
to maintain the final resting place of the city's pioneers," he said. "And
there's plenty of property that's not going to stir up controversy."
Senior center member James McAlister opposed the Cypress Avenue plans and
believes at least one of his ancestors is buried there. He said the Fourth
Street property is the best location for the seniors.
"If there's any opposition to the senior center bing built on the new
location, I'd definitely have something to say about that," McAllister said.
The City Council also voted March 7 to provide up to $12,000 to the senior
group to cover rent and other expenses for one year while the organization
is temporarily located at a church.
The city placed any headstones and bases found on the propery, including a
pile** that had been on the site at least 10 year, in secure storage until
the parties involved figure out their final resting place.
END OF QUOTED ARTICLE by Staff Writer for Snohomish County Tribune, Jenny
Zuvela.

COMMENTS : * The railroad running North-South across 4th Street where the
newly proposed site for a new senior center to be considered, is
actually the NORTHERN PACIFIC Railroad, not the Burlington Northern Santa Fe
railroad.
A picture of the Northern Pacific Depot in Snohomish may be seen in the
Snohomish Historical Society's 2nd RIVER REFLECTIONS Part II]1910-1980 era
history.The picture is on pg. 17 and the location of the depot is at 3rd and
Lincoln Streets, right in back of the ne $8 meg. Snohomish Library, where
the
parking lot for the Library is located.
I know this for I used to go to that Depot when I was attempting to learn
"land line" Morse code which produces "clicks" of sound, whereas I had
already
mastered the International Morse Code which uses tones - also there are at
least 13 characters difference between the two codes, making it a challenge
to
be able to interpret both codes readily and w/o effort when hearing the
differences in "sounds".

Another interesting item that I noticed and should have been recognized by
city officials and that is:
In the 1st volume of River Reflections Snohomish City 1859 to 1910 a history
of Snohomish by the Snohomish Historical Society staff, states on page 55
in its last paragraph concerning the history of Indian Cemetery which more
properly known, and of record, as "Snohomish Cemetery" as I have said many
times in past writings. Page 55, final para. states "The portions of the
property not affected by the highway right-of way still contain a number of
graves on
both sides of U.S. Highway 2". What is important in this statement is not
only were there still remains, but in the both sides of the former Highway
2, which means that the Pioneer Village on the North side of Snohomish
Cemetery is on top of the cemetery and there are several buildings including
a log cabin and tombstones taken from the cemetery and placed to look like a
real cemetery, for show, when it is not. There may be remains buried under
that area
which the archeological explorations hasn't done, and it remains to be seen
what will come of that portion -in the past the city referred to it as
Parcel C.
when the first attempts toward building a senior center on Parcels A and B.
were staked off .
**As to a pile of stones - I recall the "pile" or dumped base stones at the
base of some trees close to the extended portion of the Snohomish Senior
Center
building that had been extended 30 ft for Bingo, et al activities. There
were 3 very large sandstone bases with "worked" decor on them, plus 1
marble,
appeared to be a sort of pinkish colored marble base stone with the letters
T H O M A S in large capital letters across it, plus a good sized thick
slab of wood that appeared to be some kind of cover to a grave or coffin. I
checked on these ever so often and I noticed that they had been askew but
the Thomas stone was readable. Then, as time passed I saw the stones still
in disaray but the Thomas base had been turned in such a way that it was not
longer
visible for the name but the same stone base.
If one goes across the 2nd street access through the north portion (NOT "the
middle" as reported by many) of the Snohomish Cemetery, now called
Old Snohomish Village, or whatever - a fake Village of buildings, a log
cabin from the Machias area closest to Snohomish, plus the exemplary
real tombstones, but relacted there to form a fake cemetery. Are there
remains in that portion of that Northern smaller section of the original
Snohomish Cemetery, as the Hwy 2 cut was not to include that portion. The
Hwy 2 cut was 80ft wide, and is now known as 2nd Street near
Pine and Cypress.

There's more to this Story, but I will submit this, then I will write about
some more of the Story when I can find time: namely
The cemetery history . . . By Jenny Zuvela with hers and the Editor's
permisssions which I have gained.

Isn't Genealogy a fun thing to do. Pieces of the "puzzles" keep popping up
here and there, but if we are diligent enough and don't lose faith, things
begin to come together. I guess that is why I have come to think of my
Motto (my genealogical motto): They Want to Be Found !
Now if I can just apply this to my elusive SCOTT ancestry who left few
clues, and not much in writing, but it's OUT THERE somewhere and I have
Faith
that I will be able to find it - eventually, if I try hard enough and apply
enough "expertise" to accomplish that goal.

Sincerely, Carroll in Snohomish (he loves to seek for the Good).


* * * 30 * * *




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• SNOHOMISH CEMETERY FOLLOW UP : by "Carroll Clark" <>