Back in the 1950s, Eric and Pearl Shurstad operated a BBQ restaurant at the corner of 172nd Street and Lakewood Road (Rex’s Corner), northwest of Marysville, WA. Two large chimneys generated huge plumes of smoke – and the area was always known to be smoky. As you might have guessed, that’s how the area became known as Smokey Point.

All of Snohomish County’s corners have a story. Some are named for the pioneer families that first homesteaded there. Many are named for the businesses that became landmarks and defined streets and towns. From neighborhood grocers to automobile service stations, these corners often acted as gateways or gathering places for distinct local communities.

You can learn more about Smokey Point and dozens of other famous Snohomish County corners thanks to a new website, www.snocohistory.com. You might even discover some hidden historic gems and learn the names of other corners that aren’t as familiar.

The website is the culmination of work by BOLA Architecture and Planning. In May 2013, the Snohomish County Historic Preservation Commission hired BOLA to gather and research materials and develop an interpretive exhibit to depict the history of select historic “corners” that are significant to the county. The Commission further sought to commemorate the notable corners by assembling and documenting the family histories and/or historic events that occurred at or near each site. The website features the result of this work. Through the collection of documents, photographs, site visits and oral histories, BOLA assembled additional information to expand on work previously started by David Dilgard, History Specialist at the Everett Public Library, and other local historians interested in the origins of street, neighborhood, and corner names throughout Snohomish County. The new website was developed by the Luminous Corporation, the same group that recently created the site for www.centennialtrail.com.

The corners discussed and illustrated in the website include the following:

Pioneer Stories, 1880s to 1960s
• Cavalero’s Corner, Lake Stevens
• Holmes’ Corner, Edmonds
• Nelson’s Corner, Mukilteo
• Rees’ Corner, Snohomish
• Larimer’s Corner, Everett
• Eisen’s Corner, Lynnwood
• Perrinville Corner, Edmonds

Life along the Bothell-Everett Highway, 1880s to 1950s
• Murphy’s Corner, Mill Creek
• Osborn’s Corner, Mill Creek
• Wintermute’s Corner, Mill Creek
• Kennard’s Corner, Bothell
• Thrasher’s Corner, Bothell
• Turner’s Corner, Woodinville
• Steven’s Corner, Maltby

Road-Tripping through Snohomish County, 1920s-1960s
• Keeler’s Korner, Lynnwood
• Rex’s Corner, Arlington
• Casino Corner, Everett
• Brandstrom’s Corner, Stanwood
• Heichel’s Corner, Stanwood
• Sandy Beach Corner, Lake Stevens

Additional corners include:
• Speakers Corner, Everett
• Jamison Corner, Snohomish

The Snohomish County Arts Commission will complete the commemorative work by installing a marker at most corner sites.