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The towns of Marblemount and Rockport are situated on the last large river plain in the Upper Skagit River Valley. The present highway follows the route of Indians, pack trains and pioneer wagons as it passes through the valley up the river and eventually over the North Cascades mountain range. Here you will discover some of the most fascinating scenery and history in Washington State
The town received it's name in 1890 from Matilda Clark Buller, a hotel keeper, who named the town for a mountain across the river which resembled marble to her. At that time there were more than 1500 miners and prospectors in the area. A trading post during the last years of the 19th century, Marblemount is rich with the history of the gold rush. Few buildings of the era still stand.
In 1901, the community of Rockport was founded by Albert Von Pressentin. The town was the terminus for the railroad from Anacortes. In its heyday, there were daily three trains to Burlington. The Rockport Hotel, built along the river, had twenty-one rooms with hot and cold running water. This was a popular stopover for those traveling to Newhalem during the construction of the Seattle City Light hydroelectric project, and later when the early tours of the project brought families out of the city on vacation.
Before the water behind the dams inundated the valley, the Davis family homesteaded this area. Remains of their primitive water power machinery can be seen on display in Newhalem. Both of these two towns, located in Whatcom County, were constructed as "company towns" to house the workforce for the dams and powerhouses of Seattle City Light's Skagit Hydroelectric Project. J.D. Ross, who envisaged and spearheaded the project, also promoted the first tours of the site. His remains are in a crypt in the hillside near Gorge powerhouse in Newhalem. In recent years, the number of resident plant operators and maintenance crew have been reduced due to automation and some functions are now remotely controlled from Seattle. Many of the homes that used to be filled with families have been removed, and there is no longer any school here, services are reduced and the population is quite small.
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Washington's boldest physical feature is the lofty Cascade Range, rising to 14,410 ft at Mt. Rainier. The Cascades block the eastward movement of warm ocean air from the Alaska Current, causing a lot rainfall to the west and desert like conditions to the east. The valleys of the Wenatchee, Yakima, and other rivers flowing eastward from the mountains are important irrigated farming areas, while the Cascades themselves are the site of North Cascades and Mount Rainier national parks, several national forests, and noted ski resorts. Their scenery is a major tourist attraction. Mount St. Helens, on the west slope near the Oregon boundary, is the most recent (1980) Cascade peak to erupt.
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Historical Quotations GEORGE VANCOUVER: The snow on these hills probably dissolves as the summer advances, for pine tree's produce on their very summits.
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Places to Visit
The Cascades also has a whole shopping center named after it. The Cascades shopping center is located on Commercial Road in the center of Portsmouth. The Cascades is a whole high street under one roof. Taylor Woodrow Property Co Ltd and British Rail Pension Fund owns the Cascades shopping center. The Cascades Shopping center opened in 1989. It has 60 shops in 420,000 sq ft. The anchor stores of the site are Marks & Spencer, Little woods, and Woolworth’s. This shopping center has two floors and you can easily get to it by car, bus, or train. Shopping at The Cascades is a pleasure with so many stores in the same building. There is something for everyone at prices that you can afford. It also has tasty food and the latest fashions. The long Atrium glass roof lets the suns rays both warm and light the precinct. The area surrounding the Cascades shopping center is a busy shopping area and contains many more high street names. There are a lot of good places to eat and shop. There is a baby changing room in the Cascades shopping center, which makes life easier for mum and baby. There is a great choice of food and drink from the Food Court with six kiosks, they offer a wide choice of meals, which you can sit and enjoy in the 450 seats that the stores provided. Access for the disabled is very good and there are disabled toilets available as well.
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Maps Old Map Of Washington
Current Map Of Washington
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Image Credits
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