Saturday, March 28, 2015

Some Bellingham murals

Mural at the corner of Holly and Bay Streets
Today, after our usual morning walk, I went exploring around Old Town in Bellingham looking for some murals I'd noticed before. There are plenty of them all around town, but this one has captured my interest for quite awhile. I went looking for some information about the artist (or artists) but I was unable to find out anything on line.
Whatcom County Railway & Light Co.
This closeup of the left-hand side of the mural made me wonder about the name on the building and what it was all about in the history of the town. Here's what I found:
By 1902, Stone & Webster had acquired the Fairhaven and New Whatcom. Over the next several months Northern Railway and Improvement sold the rest of its holdings which included Fairhaven Electric Light, Power and Motor Company and the Whatcom-Fairhaven Gas Company. Stone & Webster organized these under the umbrella name of the Whatcom County Railway and Light Company. (from this link)
Apparently, at the turn of the last century several businessmen from California wanted to make Bellingham into an urban area to rival Seattle and Tacoma.  But for whatever reason it didn't happen. I'm glad, since the town today is just the right size for me.

The mural below is just a short distance away on Prospect Street; I took a picture of it, since I pass by it every day in the bus. It's got so much detail but all I've learned about it is that it's a story of Salmon Woman and the Native Americans who were here first (I think).
Down the street from the museum
Bellingham was a major center for salmon fishing. At one time, the largest salmon processing plant in the world was located in the Fairhaven district. By 1925, eight salmon canneries were doing business in Bellingham Bay. This took quite a toll on the salmon, obviously, and pretty much decimated the salmon runs until the traps they used were banned. Slowly they returned to a new normal, but most fishermen moved north to Alaska where the salmon were more abundant.

I'll spend some time taking pictures of the murals in Fairhaven one of these days and will share those with you, too. I love Bellingham, can you tell?
:-)

24 comments:

  1. they're really neat. i really like the salmon one.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh wow. I suspect the longer I looked at Salmon Woman the more I would see. Thank you so much.

    ReplyDelete
  3. What great murals. You are very fortunate indeed to live in a town that has these. There are a couple of small towns in the south valley that have great murals that we've gone to see and photograph. The ones in Fresno are more "modern" and tend more toward the look of graffiti rather than telling a story like your murals do.

    ReplyDelete
  4. I like murals this street scene is very much alive. I find it hard to photograph murals. It's hard to get to the right place for a photo.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Interesting murals! They look more interesting than the ones I found!

    ReplyDelete
  6. You have good reason to love Bellingham. Those murals are really awesome. It adds so much interest to the area.

    ReplyDelete
  7. I read your review of the second Best Marigold Hotel – I guess it is second best, too. I still would like to see it. I like murals and enjoyed looking at yours. Bellingham does sound like a great city – good to live in. I am pleased that you are in a place you enjoy, it makes a lot of difference.

    ReplyDelete
  8. The mural of the vintage street scene is wonderful.
    Yes, Bellingham suits you very well.

    ReplyDelete
  9. We have one in town. I always enjoy them in other towns. I enjoyed yours also. You live in quite a large city compared to the 3,700 people in a town 14 miles away from us or the 323 people (counting dogs and summer residents) at Osage which is 4 miles from us. Seems I might live in the boonies:)

    ReplyDelete
  10. That's extremely talented artistry. I think they are wonderful and that you are very lucky to be able to admire them whenever you like.

    ReplyDelete
  11. Wow!!! Just plain wow!! What incredible works. I'm sure glad you took time to share these wonderful pieces of art.

    ReplyDelete
  12. Very interesting. The murals in Hawaii usually show sea life in the ocean.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Those are really well done. I love towns that invest in murals. It is a way to put forth visual town history. We need more.

    ReplyDelete
  14. Oh, I enjoyed them both! I love murals because they have such character. I'd love to see more if you ever get the chance. What a lovely town. :)

    ReplyDelete
  15. Really cool. I've never been to Bellingham, but now I've got to put it on my bucket list.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I love seeing murals, there is usually so much to discover in them.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Isn't that just the way it goes. No info on the artist. Geez. I ate a lot of home made canned salmon growing up. From our fishing trips. Salmon patties!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Great murals and a great place to live. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Oh you have some amazing captures here!

    ReplyDelete
  20. What great murals and imagination, maybe the artist chose to e anonymous, but his/her work is truly magnificent.
    Thank you for sharing your well-loved home.
    ~Jo

    ReplyDelete
  21. I did find this article online hope it might be of interest.
    http://www.seattletimes.com/outdoors/bringing-bellinghams-murals-to-life/
    ~Jo

    ReplyDelete
  22. They are magnificent murals. Such a talented artist.

    ReplyDelete

I really appreciate your comments! If you see a word verification box here, just ignore it. I don't use the darn thing and Blogger is trying to get us to use it, I guess. Ignore it and your comment will still appear.