Site founded Sept. 1, 2000. We passed one million page views on Memorial Day, May 2006
These home pages remain free of any charge. We need donations or subscriptions/gifts.
Please pass on this website link to your family, relatives, friends and clients.

Skagit River Journal

of History & Folklore
Subscribers Edition Stories & Photos
The most in-depth, comprehensive site about the Skagit
Covers from British Columbia to Puget Sound. Counties covered: Skagit, Whatcom, Island, San Juan, Snohomish & BC. An evolving history dedicated to committing random acts of historical kindness

Noel V. Bourasaw, editor (bullet)

810 Central Ave., Sedro-Woolley, Washington, 98284
Home of the Tarheel Stomp (bullet)

Mortimer Cook slept here & named the town Bug

Gilbert's Cabin Today 2005

This is what Gilbert Landre's cabin looked like in 1950 when the last stabilization was completed.

By Dr. Jesse Kennedy Located on the Cascade River East of Marblemount, within the North Cascades National Park, this hewn log cabin was built in 1894 by a French Canadian miner named Gilbert Landre. His cabin became a hostelry for other miners working the Cascade Mining District in the North Cascades. The cabin was one large room with a loft that was reached by stairs in the SW corner. After Landre's death in Marblemount in 1905, the cabin continued to serve as a shelter for travelers well into the 1930s. About 1940 John Dayo (a U.S. Forest Service employee) built a roof on the cabin, but it was blown off by an avalanche. The original foundation-logs and floor-joists were replaced in the 1950s. Of critical interest is the graffiti on the walls from visitors to the cabin from its construction up until the 1930s. The graffiti presents a virtual historic registry of the population of this remote backcountry area. All that remains today are four walls (12 feet high) with door and window openings.
On Oct. 26, 2005 a site evaluation by North Cascades National Park staff — Dana Barton, Historic Preservationist and Jesse Kennedy, Chief, Cultural Resources Branch — was conducted to identify the work necessary to stabilize the structure. The structure was found to be remarkably sound considering it was constructed over 100 years ago and has not had a roof since the 1940s. The primary work involves structural stabilization and includes replacing the sill logs (lowest course of logs), straightening the walls, and removing encroaching vegetation. This stabilization work will be completed in the Summer of 2006 by students enrolled in the University of Oregon's School of Architecture and Allied Arts' Pacific Northwest Preservation Field School.

Photos of Landre's Cabin in October 2005

This is the southeast corner of the cabin. Note that the dovetail joints are amazingly tight and note the width of the logs. (All photos and captions by Dr. Jesse Kennedy.)

This is Harriet Barry's graffiti from 1911.

This is C. Ward's graffiti from 1910.

This is what the front of cabin looks like today, obscured by slide alder and vegetation that will be removed

Journal ed. note: Dr. Kennedy and I plan to visit the cabin in late August and we will report back with more photos. Meanwhile, we hope that readers who have memories, documents or photos of the area around Cascade River, Cascade Pass, Landre's Cabin or Mineral Park will share copies with us. We are also looking for any records of the visits to the area in the early years of the century by Gifford Pinchot, Mary Roberts Rinehart of the Saturday Evening Post, or a Mrs. Billington, a Bohemian painter.

More to read about this mining district

See the history of Gilbert's Cabin and his record as a prospector, along with a profile of the mines and pioneers of Cascade River, Cascade Pass and Mineral Park.
For a thorough review of the North Cascades Mines, we strongly suggest the new book, Discovering Washington's Historic Mines, Volume 3: The Northern Cascade Mountains. See this Journal review.
See the index to Journal stories on the mines of the North Cascades
See a complete list of upriver photo features, with profiles of pioneers and towns and townships from Utopia through Marblemount and Newhalem and the North Cascades.
The National Park Service NOCA division commissioned an exhaustive history of the cultural history and resources of the North Cascades and this website is a good portal from which you can follow many links to other stories, maps and photos.

See this Journal website for a timeline of local, state, national and international events for years of the pioneer period.
Search the entire Journal site.
Due to continued popular demand, in the interest of furthering our "open source" policy, we are assembling a collection of CDs that will include hard copy of our pioneer profiles and town profiles from years 1-5, so that you can print them individually at your convenience. Inquire for details today via email.

You can click the donation button to contribute to the upkeep of this site at a time when we may be forced to cut it back for lack of funds. You can also subscribe to our optional Subscribers-Paid Journal magazine online, which is about to enter its sixth year with exclusive stories, in-depth research and photos that are shared with our subscribers first. If you like what you read, thank you in advance for whatever support you can provide. You can go here to read the preview edition to see examples of our in-depth research.

Story posted on Aug. 6, 2006
(bullet)

Did you enjoy this story? Remember, as with all our features, this story is a draft and will evolve as we discover more information and photos. This process continues until we eventually compile a book about Northwest history.
(bullet)

Can you help? We welcome correction and criticism.
(bullet)

Please report any broken links or files that do not open and we will send you the correct link. With more than 500 features, we depend on your report. Thank you.

Return to our home page anytime

You can read the history websites about our prime sponsors:
(bullet)

Jones and Solveig Atterberry, NorthWest Properties Aiken & Associates: . . . See our website
Please let us show you residential and commercial property in Sedro-Woolley and Skagit County 2204 Riverside Drive, Mount Vernon, Washington . . . 360 708-8935 . . . 360 708-1729
(bullet)

Schooner Tavern/Cocktails at 621 Metcalf Street in downtown Sedro-Woolley, across from Hammer Square: www.schoonerwoolley.com web page . . . History of bar and building
(bullet)

Oliver Hammer Clothes Shop at 817 Metcalf Street in downtown Sedro-Woolley, 82 years.
(bullet)

Joy's Sedro-Woolley Bakery-Cafe at 823 Metcalf Street in downtown Sedro-Woolley, 82 years.
(bullet)

Check out Sedro-Woolley First section for links to all stories and reasons to shop here first
or make this your destination on your visit or vacation.
(bullet)

DelNagro Masonry Brick, block, stone — See our work at the new Hammer Heritage Square
See our website www.4bricklayers.com
(bullet)

Are you looking to buy or sell a historic property, business or residence? We may be able to assist. Email us for details.
(bullet)

Peace and quiet at the Alpine RV Park, just north of Marblemount on Hwy 20
Park your RV or pitch a tent by the Skagit river, just a short drive from Winthrop or Sedro-Woolley

Did you find what you were seeking? We have helped many people find individual names or places, so email if you have any difficulty.

Tip: Put quotation marks around a specific name or item of two words or more, and then experiment with different combinations of the words without quote marks. We are currently researching some of the names most recently searched for — check the list here. Maybe you have searched for one of them?

Please sign our guestbook so our readers will know where you found out about us, or share something you know about the Skagit River or your memories or those of your family. Share your reactions or suggestions or comment on our Journal. Thank you for taking time out of your busy day to visit our site.

View My Guestbook
Sign My Guestbook

Email us at: journal@stumpranchonline.com

Mail copies/documents to Street address: Skagit River Journal, 810 Central Ave., Sedro-Woolley, WA, 98284.