Wood Creek History
Wood Creek was Everett's original water supply and was used from 1898 to 1917. The creek was dammed in 5 locations, and the main dam was originally located under the current wire crossing that lies a little bit east of an imaginary line drawn between Gold Way, in the Eastmont neighborhood, to Hamlett Lane in the Valley View neighborhood to the north.
The original wooden planks from 1898 remain in Wood Creek, and remnants of two reservoirs can be seen today. In fact, the wood dam planks that retained water in the reservoirs were used on trail systems to cross the creek in several sections on the trail. There are other remnants, such a cement pipes, and rusty metal valves.
As the pulp and paper industry flourished in Everett, Wood Creek could not supply the new demands, and Everett found a new source of water from the Sultan River.
The picture above is a waterfall that is draining into one of the smaller reservoirs. This particular reservoir is about 35 feet in length, and before the dam section was removed, it was about 8 feet deep. The original wooden planks hold the bank at the end of this small reservoir. Water pipes are evident here as well.
The main dam was much larger and is pictured in the footer at the very bottom of this page.
The City of Everett has proposed the sale of about 92.5 acres of undeveloped green belt property. Wood Creek lies in the valley between the Valley View and Eastmont neighborhoods. Wood Creek was the main source of drinking water for the city of Everett between 1898 and 1916, until the Sultan River water project was completed. The land and the creek is a critical habitat for a variety of animals and wildlife. Additionally, the land is unstable and many parts of the land are critically sloped. This group is for anyone opposing this proposal and for trying to preserve this critical land.
