Platmap of Monroe in 1910

Click on the above image for a larger version (192k).

By 1910 Monroe was the third largest city in Snohomish County after Everett and Snohomish. It had a thriving business district centered around the intersection of Main and Lewis Streets serving a fast growing population. In 1908 it had garnered two major employers, the new Washington State Reformatory that was being built by inmate labor one mile west of downtown in Park Place and the Condensery, which was built on the north side of Main Street on the east side of the railroad tracks (the large shaded area in the Tye City plat at upper right). Note that the main channel of the Skykomish River ran much closer to the east side of downtown Monroe at this time. Today, Woods Creek runs through that channel separating Monroe from Buck Island. The river also ran much closer to Park Place in 1910 than it does today. The railroad crossing the river is the Everett and Cherry Valley Traction Co., which ran south to Tolt (Carnation) and operated from 1911 to 1917. The line was later taken up. The current railroad trestle across the Skykomish is the remnant of the old Milwaukee Road branch line that was built in 1911 to connect Everett with the mainline near North Bend.

This platmap detail of downtown Monroe is taken from the 1910 Snohomish County Plat Book, a complete copy of which is in the Monroe Historical Society Museum. Photocopies of the complete Monroe area plat maps from this book are also available for purchase at the museum. For modern comparisons, visit the Snohomish County Assessor's website for excellent interactive platmaps, MapQuest for street maps, TerraServer for aerial photos, and Topozone for topographical maps.