Whatcom

The name Whatcom means "the noise of the waterfalls" and was the Lummi Indian name for their summer camps at the mouth of Whatcom Creek. The city of Whatcom (now known as Old Town) was created from the first land claims of Henry Roeder and Edward Eldridge in the 1850's. The community soon grew into a bustling lumber mill town. The first brick building in the Puget Sound was erected here in 1858 and stood as a testament to the hopes and dreams of white settlers intent on creating a durable and long-lasting community in the area. Situated next to the slow-growing community of Sehome, the town of Whatcom became officially incorporated in 1883. Sehome, renamed New Whatcom in 1888, merged with Whatcom in 1890. In 1901, the 'New' was dropped, leaving the consolidated city to be known as Whatcom. It was this larger city that merged with the town of Fairhaven in 1903 to become the City of Bellingham. At the time of consolidation, according to the 1903-4 City Directory, Whatcom was estimated to include nearly 20,000 residents, 10 public schools, and a free library. The Normal School (now Western Washington University) boasted enrollment of over 400 students. The main industries included six shingle mills, four planing mills, three saw mills, two foundries and two brickyards. During this period, the town experienced rapid growth, spurred by the real estate interests of the Bellingham Bay Improvement Co. BBIC was also building a large power plant on the Nooksack River to provide electricity to most of the region and to power the Bellingham Bay and British Columbia Railroad to the Mt. Baker gold fields. Remnants of this plant are still visible near Nooksack Falls. Before merging with Fairhaven, Whatcom was the county seat of Whatcom County.