Washington / BACKROADS CULTURE

Skykomish

A bridge on the way to a different life.

HistoryRailroadsMountains

Dedicated town story

A Skykomish interviewee came around 1998 to leave the rat race and ski. Finding a place in town turned an escape into a home. The speaker’s memory of crossing the bridge and finding it hard to leave brings a personal decision into the railroad town beside Highway 2.

Snow-dusted Skykomish and its railway sit beneath forested mountains.
Rail and mountain town. Frame from a Backroads Culture archive video.Backroads Culture / SPYR Media Group · Film frame 00:10.48
A bearded participant in overalls and a cap speaks inside a bar.
A voice from the Skykomish film; participant not identified in this frame. Frame from a Backroads Culture archive video.Backroads Culture / SPYR Media Group · Film frame 01:08.13
A steel bridge stands beside a sign welcoming visitors to Skykomish.
At the bridge into town. Frame from a Backroads Culture archive video.Backroads Culture / SPYR Media Group · Film frame 01:16.87

Come for the mountain

The participant recalls arriving to ski, then finding a place in town.

Stay on the other side of the bridge

The bridge becomes a threshold in the account, connecting a decision to stay with Skykomish’s rail-and-river setting.

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About this story

An editorial account drawn from Backroads Culture’s original reporting and project material. The coverage label describes what is available here. Original media and collaboration credits accompany the work. Dates and offers in archive reels belong to their original publication.

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