A ride along Interstate 5 through Mount Vernon’s downtown offers views of the mighty Skagit River, the West Division bridge and, of course, the towering Tulip Stack.
The colorful stack, especially vibrant on a gray February day, is a remnant of Mount Vernon’s industrial past. In 1906, the Pacific Coast Condensed Milk Company began condensing milk from the many local dairy farms into cans to be shipped around the country, according to the City of Mount Vernon. The smokestack released the excess steam created in the canning process.
The Carnation Milk Company of Seattle took over a year later and operated the factory until it closed in 1975, according to the Skagit Valley Historical Museum.
In 1987, a design featuring two red tulips by Esther McLatchy was painted onto the smoke stack — an ode to the vibrant tulip fields that bloom each spring and that attract thousands of visitors for the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival.
In 2006, the tower began to crumble, damaging neighboring buildings, roads and vehicles, according to an article in the Skagit Valley Herald. In 2007, the top 30 feet of the tower were lobbed off, the structural integrity improved and a new design by McLatchy was added.
WTD is published online Mondays and in print Fridays. Have a suggestion for a "What's the Deal With?" inquiry? Email us at newstips@cascadiadaily.com.
Hailey Hoffman is a CDN visual journalist; reach her at haileyhoffman@cascadiadaily.com; 360-922-3090 ext. 103.
