Turn off Chuckanut Drive near the start of the Interurban Trail, and you will likely arrive at Woodstock Farm, a quaint city park dotted with buildings from the early 1900s. Situated at the top of scenic Chuckanut Bay, the park features an orchard, a network of paths through the farm and surrounding forest, and gorgeous views of Puget Sound from atop a large bluff.
The Farm — somewhat of a misnomer, given that little farming was done there — has connections to early Bellingham history. It was first established by prominent Fairhaven businessman and philanthropist Cyrus Gates in 1905.
Gates, who named the estate after his hometown in Vermont, moved to Whatcom County in 1890. He managed the Larrabee family’s business for more than three decades and was instrumental in the creation of Larrabee State Park, Arroyo Park and Fairhaven Park, in addition to sections of the Mount Baker Highway and Chuckanut Drive.
After ownership passed to Raymond and Gladyce Lee in 1944, the farm was eventually purchased by the city in 2005, using funds provided by the Greenways levy, a program that continues to improve public space in Bellingham to this day.
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