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

1. ^ Alan J Stein, Skykomish -- Thumbnail History, HistoryLink.org, August 12, 1999. Accessed 3 April 2006.
2. ^ ^{a b c} Gavin Borchert, Local Authorpalooza!: Mary Daheim, Seattle Weekly, March 29, 2006. Accessed 3 April 2006.