A family on Bellingham Bay could rightly think the future looked
bright. The towns along its shore boomed with industry. The
surrounding forest and farmland provided products and produce.
There were family-wage jobs to be had: $2.50 a day for a
laborer, $2 plus board for a farmhand, $45 a month for a
teamster, $45 to $75 a month for a teacher. And there was new
technology, such as telephones and electric lights. So what was
it like for a family in October 1903, when Whatcom and Fairhaven
agreed to come together and create Bellingham? This article,
along with another article on Fairhaven, was first published in
hard copy magazine. It is now posted on-line