SEDRO-WOOLLEY & AREA
  

January 22, 2011
There was a break in the rain today so we drove about 70 miles north to the Sedro-Woolley area with two missions. We wanted to check on the Bald Eagles, and we intended to find the old Northern State Hospital, a hospital for the 'harmless insane' 4 miles northeast of the town, originally opened in 1910.

Closed around 1973, it is currently up for sale by the WA State Government as a fund-raiser. The architecture is specifically mentioned as a selling point, along with the fact that it has been declared an historical site.

We were amazed that we'd not spotted it yet and we intended to remedy that today.

     
   
     
Near the city of Mount Vernon we were thrilled to see that the Trumpeter Swans had returned.
     
   
     
The swans, along with Snow Geese are thought to be a sign of Spring. There were many hundreds of them
 
     
   
     
We watched them forage for food. Here's one coming in for a landing.

     
   
     
Our beloved Twin Sisters Mountain was in fine form today.
   
     
   
     
The Bald Eagle numbers were 'way down.
     
   
     
In the end, our total count was 29.
 
     
   
     
I smiled at a cow busy eating his lunch.
 
     
   
     
Hooray! We found the entrance to the Northern State Hospital but our joy quickly turned to dismay as there were Danger and Absolutely No Trespassing signs all over the place.

Through the trees I could see only one of the fabled buildings. 'The permanent buildings were designed in the Spanish Revival style and were the most striking in the county when the campus was completed in the 1930s'.
 
There are many interesting stories connected with the Hospital, including several ghost stories and this one about Pete Beletsky, formerly a patient at the hospital.

Upon his release Pete was befriended by the family of the hospital's gatekeeper. With their permission, he made his home in a hollowed-out cedar tree stump on the edge of their property.

Around Sedro-Woolley, Pete was known as The Stumphouse Man. Ooooh, I would loved to have seen his house, and the graveyard too.
 
From our vantage point at the end of the driveway we could see that the grounds looked well maintained. It's a shame we couldn't drive closer. Still, it was a very nice day.


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