Welcome to Whatcom County, Washington Genealogy and History
Welcome to Genealogy Trails Volunteers working to put free historical data online. My name is Marla  and as your Whatcom County, Washington host I try to post as much data online as possible in order to make it freely available to all. We gratefully accept contributions of raw data such as census information, marriage/birth/death records, obituaries, county histories, biographies, old newspaper items - anything that would help someone build their family tree!! Feel free to email me  with your contributions - every little bit helps. I regret that I am unable to do personal research
Whatcom County was named for an Indian Chief.  The word Whatcom is an Indian word meaning "noisy water".  The County was created on March 9, 1854 from Island County, Washington Territory.  San Juan County was part of Whatcom county until 1873.  Skagit County was part of Whatcom County until 1883.      Cities include: Acme, Blaine, Bellingham, Custer, Deming, Everson, Ferndale, Glacier, Kendall, Laurel, Lynden, Maple Falls, Newhalem, Nooksack, Point Roberts, Sumas, Van Zandt, and Wickersham   The County seat is Bellingham Population: 166,814 (as of 2000) Total Area: 2504 sq. miles (2120 sq. miles of land and 384 sq. miles of water) Highest Point: Mount Baker, 10,778 feet Largest Body of Inland Water: Lake Whatcom Rivers: Nooksack River Bordered on the North by Canada, the East by Okanogan County, the South by Skagit County, and the West by Georgia Strait (Pacific Ocean) Whatcom County has five entry points to Canada; Peace Arch Crossing, Interstate 5 Crossings (both in Blaine), Lynden, Sumas, and Point Roberts Interesting Facts Point Roberts is an extension of the Tsawwassen Peninsula, which is bisected by the international boundary along the 49th Parallel.  It is separated from the United States by 25 miles of British Columbia.  There are two ways to get to Point Roberts: by boat, or by entering Canada, traveling to Tsawwassen, British Columbia, and reentering the US. Whatcom County is the #1 producer of raspberries in the state.  Given that the state itself is the #1 producer of raspberries in the country, Whatcom County is responsible for almost 75% of the nation's raspberry production!! Whatcom County is home of the Peace Arch, which celebrates the undefended character of the border between the US and Canada.  3,000 miles without fortification or troops.  The Arch stands among 40 acres of formal gardens and has bronze doors, fixed permanently open.  Sealed inside are fragments from ships "Mayflower" and "Beaver" (Hudson Bay Company's first steamboat on the Washington coast). In 1935, Clark Gable and Loretta Young filmed scenes for "Call of the Wild" at Heather Meadows.  Heather Meadows is the site of the Mt. Baker Ski Lodge. County Festivals:  Northwest Washington Fair (Lynden)- The third week of August   Ski to Sea (Bellingham)- Memorial Day Weekend  Deming Log Show (Deming)- Second full weekend in June  Pioneer Days (Ferndale)- July Everson-Nooksack Summer Festival (Everson)- July   Baker Blues Festival (Deming Log Show Grounds)- July  World of Wood Festival (Black Mountain Forestry Center)- August  Sumas Labor Day Rodeo (Sumas)-  Labor Day Weekend  Threshing Bee and Antique Tractor Show (Berthusen Park, Lynden)- first weekend in August Old Fashioned 4th of July Celebration (Blaine)- 4th of July Lynden Raspberry Festival (Lynden)- July   Colleges: Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College, Bellingham Technical College
Surrounding Counties Skagit County  Okanogan County San Juan County Join our Mailing Lists to be notified of our website updates.	Online Data Births Deaths Marriages Biographies Cemeteries History Newspaper Stories Obituaries Census Data Military Data Miscellaneous Data Back to the Washington State Page
Last Updated: December 16, 2008 1900 Census-Lummi Indian Reservation 1900 Census-Fairhaven Coming soon: Continuing-1900 Census	powered by FreeFind Visit our National Site
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