Pictures Of The Past

Wallie Funk, editor and co-publisher of the Anacortes American newspaper in Anacortes, Wash., from 1950 to 1964, wrote a series of delightful Anacortes history stories, which ran as a guest column in the American from 1994 to 2001. This book reprints many of the best of those informative, humorous and surprisingly relevant columns. It is lavishly illustrated with more than 180 photos -- most of them from the Anacortes Museum's massive Wallie Funk Collection.Topics include the history of early Fidalgo Island pioneers and Anacortes' founders; lumber and plywood mills; publishing and photography; the arrival of Shell Oil; the successful All-America City effort; the local fishing fleet; theaters; parks; local sports; the Anacortes Arts Festival and the Marineers' Pageant; and the development of hospitals, schools, and other public amenities.