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Index, Washington

Coordinates: 47°49′15″N 121°33′14″W / 47.82083°N 121.55389°W / 47.82083; -121.55389
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Index
x̌əx̌aʔusalʔtxʷ
Index and surrounding mountains viewed from the Index Town Wall Trailhead
Index and surrounding mountains viewed from the Index Town Wall Trailhead
Location of Index, Washington
Location of Index, Washington
Coordinates: 47°49′15″N 121°33′14″W / 47.82083°N 121.55389°W / 47.82083; -121.55389
CountryUnited States
StateWashington
CountySnohomish
Founded1889
IncorporatedOctober 11, 1907
Government
 • TypeMayor–council
 • MayorNorm Johnson
Area
 • Total
0.23 sq mi (0.59 km2)
 • Land0.23 sq mi (0.59 km2)
 • Water0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation
577 ft (176 m)
Population
 • Total
155
 • Estimate 
(2022)[3]
156
 • Density673.91/sq mi (262.71/km2)
Time zoneUTC-8 (Pacific (PST))
 • Summer (DST)UTC-7 (PDT)
ZIP code
98256
Area code360
FIPS code53-33175
GNIS feature ID1521157[4]

Index (Lushootseed: x̌əx̌aʔusalʔtxʷ)[5][a] is a town in Snohomish County, Washington, United States. The population was 155 at the 2020 census, making it the smallest incorporated municipality in the county. Index lies along the North Fork of the Skykomish River in the Cascade Mountains and is connected to surrounding communities by U.S. Route 2.

The town was established in 1889 by Amos Gunn and his family after they purchased an existing claim to build a home and hotel. It was named for Mount Index (now Baring Mountain), which resembled an index finger. Index became a stop on the Great Northern Railway in 1893 and was platted the same year amid a boom in mineral exploration in the area. The town reached its peak population of 1,000 residents by 1900 and was incorporated as a municipality on October 11, 1907.

The modern economy of Index relies heavily on tourism and outdoor recreation that draws from its location along U.S. Route 2.

History

[edit]

Prior to settlement by European Americans, the Skykomish people had many villages along the Skykomish River between Sultan and Index. One large and important village of the bəsx̌əx̌əx̌alč[b] band was at x̌əx̌aʔusalʔtxʷ (translated to sawbill duck)[6] in modern-day Index.[5] At the village were several longhouses, including a large potlatch house. x̌əx̌aʔusalʔtxʷ was the base camp for people traveling into the Cascades for hunting and gathering.[5] The Skykomish people were signatories of the 1855 Treaty of Point Elliott and many were moved to the Tulalip Indian Reservation, where they later amalgamated with the Snohomish and Snoqualmie tribes.[6] Some members of the tribe elected to stay in the Skykomish Valley, primarily near Gold Bar and Sultan.[7]

The first non-native settlers in the area were prospectors who placed individual mineral rights for claims in the Cascades, beginning with a gold rush in 1874 along Silver Creek near what later became the community of Galena.[6] Amos Gunn, a Civil War veteran from Illinois, arrived at the fork of the Skykomish River with his wife and six children in 1889 and bought a squatter's claim to establish a homestead. He constructed a home that also served as a hotel for prospectors and railroad workers on the Great Northern Railway.[8][9] His wife Persis named their site "Index" for nearby Mount Index (later renamed Baring Mountain),[10][11] itself named for its resemblance to an index finger.[12][13] Mount Persis and Gunn's Peaks were also named for the family.[9][14] Mines in the area yielded gold, silver, copper, and galena among other minerals, which spurred further settlement around the North Fork of the Skykomish River.[12]

Index was assigned a post office in November 1891 and Amos Gunn served as postmaster, delivering parcels by horseback from Wallace (now Startup) on a 12-mile (19 km) overland trail.[7][15] The Gunns' hotel was expanded two years later to accommodate an increasing number of prospectors who arrived on the Great Northern and traveled onward towards Galena and Mineral City.[9] The railroad across Stevens Pass had been completed in January 1893 and a stagecoach road was opened from Index to Galena within a few years.[7] The town plat for Index was filed by Amos Gunn on April 25, 1893, shortly after a controlling interest in the settlement was acquired by the Everett Terminal Land and Milling Company.[8][16] The plat reserved 100 feet (30 m) for the main street, which had been surfaced with gravel due to frequent flooding from the Skykomish River and was sought for use for a branch railroad to Galena.[7][12] A fire destroyed the Gunns' hotel, general store, and several residences in the town on July 22 of that year, but had not damaged the Great Northern depot.[8] The town's buildings were rebuilt as mining activity had temporarily subsided due to the Panic of 1893 and was eclipsed by logging and farming as the main local industry.[17] The Copper Bell and Sunset mines were opened in 1898 and brought the town to its peak population of 1,000 in 1900.[8][16]

Panoramic view of Index, photographed in 1912 by Lee Pickett

Amos Gunn sold his properties in Index in 1899 shortly after the death of his wife Persis.[18] The town continued to grow with the arrival of social clubs, a schoolhouse, and its first newspaper, the Index Miner (later the Index News), in 1899. In November 1902, a second major fire destroyed several buildings in the town, including the assay office, and killed one person.[18] A granite quarry also opened east of Index in 1904 and later provided materials for the Washington State Capitol building in Olympia.[12][18] It became one of the main employers in the area, along with logging to supply a new sawmill that was later acquired by the Index-Galena Lumber Company.[12][19] Plans to build a hydroelectric dam and a pulp mill at sites along both forks of the Skykomish River were proposed but never began construction.[17] Index was also promoted as a tourist destination for sport fishing and mountaineering;[7][8] by 1905, it had five hotels and drew hundreds of visitors by train during the summer season.[17]

Index was officially incorporated as a fourth-class city on October 11, 1907, with several hundred residents.[7] A volunteer fire department was established and moved into a permanent fire station in 1913; its old facility was converted into a town hall with a jail.[19] A public library was established in 1913 and was one of several small-town libraries to receive a donation of used books from the Seattle Public Library system.[20] An unpaved county road was completed from Gold Bar to Index in 1911, which brought regular automobiles to the area and scheduled bus service. The road included a bridge over the Skykomish River that was destroyed by one of two major floods in 1917 and later rebuilt.[17] The Stevens Pass Highway opened on July 11, 1925, and opened the area to skiing with the development of a new ski area a few years later.[21] The Great Northern's local "Dinkies" trains, which made daily stops in every Skykomish Valley settlement and provided Index with passenger and postal service, was discontinued in 1925 after the highway opened. The Stevens Pass Highway was rebuilt by the state government in 1933 and bypassed Index, which reduced tourist traffic to the town and caused several businesses to close.[17][22]

The town's major industries saw reduced business during the early years of the Great Depression, which resulted in the shutdown of lumber mills and mines in the area.[23] The granite quarry was closed after its warehouse was destroyed by a fire in May 1932 and was not rebuilt due to the decreased demand for granite. A Civilian Conservation Corps camp was established east of Index in 1934 to provide jobs for unemployed men and improve lands owned by the United States Forest Service in the Cascades.[17] On August 16, 1939, a wildfire that formed west of Index swept into the town and destroyed the church and seven residences;[17][24] hundreds of firefighters from the United States Forest Service and local fire departments in the region prevented the fire from causing further damage before it retreated into the forests.[23][25] The Sunset Mine, the last remaining copper mine in the area, had financial issues and was taken over by its workers after a dispute over unpaid wages; it was shut down in 1942 by a federal order to halt mining of non-essential materials during World War II. A natural hot springs near the town continued to draw tourists and was developed into a major resort named the Garland Mineral Springs; during World War II, it was converted into a Coast Guard training camp.[17]

Index entered a period of economic stagnation and reduced employment following the Great Depression and World War II, as most of its industries had closed and were not replaced.[23] Local families left the town and were replaced by a population of retirees and urban residents who maintained vacation homes. The local high school was closed in 1942 and students were moved to Sultan Senior High School; the other school buildings were condemned by the state fire marshal in 1952 and replaced three years later by a new consolidated school.[14][26] In 1962, Great Northern rebuilt its railroad through Index on an embankment with a wider curve that cut off several streets. The original railroad depot in the town was also demolished and the lone grade crossing was made steeper, creating a blind hill.[17][27] By the 1980s, the town had organized emergency medical services and a new historical society; in 1984, 19 business licenses were issued by the town government, mostly to cottage industries and home businesses.[28] The Index Town Wall was the site of a drilling experiment in 1984 for a local company that planned to supply an Australian diamond mine. The machine created a 12-foot (3.7 m) tunnel that ran 200 feet (61 m) deep into the granite face of the Town Wall; the tunnel was later repurposed by the University of Washington for physics experiments.[17][29]

The population of Index declined to 200 by the end of the 20th century.[12][30] The Index area had few jobs and services, with only a single restaurant and general store by the 1980s to serve a population of around 150.[31] Much of the town was damaged by a major flood in December 1980, but buildings and roads were later rebuilt by residents.[10]

Geography

[edit]

Index is located in the western foothills of the Cascade Mountains; the summit of Mount Index is located 3 miles (4.8 km) south of the town. The Index Town Walls, granite cliffs up to 500 feet (150 m) high, are located on the northern edge of the town. These walls are popularly used for rock climbing, offering a variety of high-quality cracks for this purpose.[32] The mountains around Index range from 5,464 to 6,244 feet (1,665 to 1,903 m) in height,[22] while the town itself sits at an elevation of 577 feet (176 m).[citation needed] According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.23 square miles (0.60 km2), all of it land.[33]

Index is located on the North Fork Skykomish River, just above its confluence with the main channel of the Skykomish River. The Skykomish River's Sunset Falls, a nearly 300-foot-long (91 m) granite chute that drops some 100 feet (30 m), is located approximately 1 mile (1.6 km) from the town (on the South Fork Skykomish River).[citation needed] In December 1980, the Skykomish River flooded the town and destroyed eight homes.[34]

The town is located 1 mile (1.6 km) north of US Highway 2, approximately 25 miles (40 km) west of Stevens Pass. The BNSF Scenic Subdivision, formerly the Great Northern Railway Cascade Division, runs through the middle of the town. Index was once an important stop for mining (particularly Monte Cristo and Galena) and timber activities to the north.

The area north of Index is designated a "high risk" area for wildfires.[35]

Economy

[edit]

Since the 20th century, the local economy has transitioned from resource extraction industries to tourism, particularly outdoor recreation in the summer months.[36] An outdoor shooting range on national forest property near Index was opened in 1947 and operated until 2004, including for several decades without a valid special use permit from the United States Forest Service. The range was permanently closed due to lead contamination.[37] Paradise Sound maintained a recording studio where albums were recorded by Alice in Chains and The Walkabouts.[12][38]

The area had several granite quarries that were used to supply building materials for the Washington State Capitol Building and Smith Tower in Seattle.[39]

Demographics

[edit]
Historical population
CensusPop.Note
1910417
1920412−1.2%
1930381−7.5%
1940217−43.0%
1950211−2.8%
1960158−25.1%
19701697.0%
1980147−13.0%
1990139−5.4%
200015712.9%
201017813.4%
2020155−12.9%
2022 (est.)156[3]0.6%
U.S. Decennial Census[40]

Index has a small population of around 200 permanent residents, many of whom are retirees or work locally, alongside seasonal residents living in vacation homes.[41] The town's population has declined since its peak in the 1890s of 1,000 residents.[30] As of the 2020 census, Index has 155 residents and is the smallest municipality in Snohomish County and Western Washington.[2][42]

2020 census

[edit]

As of the 2020 U.S. census, there were 155 people living in the town, which had a population density of 673.91 inhabitants per square mile (260.2/km2). The racial makeup of Index was 85.2% White, 1.9% American Indian and Alaskan Native, 0.6% Black or African American, 0.6% Asian, and 11.6% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino people of any race was 4.5% of the population.[43]

2010 census

[edit]

As of the 2010 U.S. census, there were 178 people, 80 households, and 44 families living in the town. The population density was 773.9 inhabitants per square mile (298.8/km2). There were 116 housing units at an average density of 504.3 per square mile (194.7/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 95.5% White, 1.7% Asian, 0.6% Pacific Islander, 0.6% from other races, and 1.7% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.5% of the population.[44]

There were 80 households, of which 26.3% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.3% were married couples living together, 12.5% had a female householder with no husband present, 1.3% had a male householder with no wife present, and 45.0% were non-families. 41.3% of all households were made up of individuals, and 12.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.23 and the average family size was 3.02.[44]

The median age in the town was 42 years. 22.5% of residents were under the age of 18; 5.6% were between the ages of 18 and 24; 24.1% were from 25 to 44; 35.5% were from 45 to 64; and 12.4% were 65 years of age or older. The gender makeup of the town was 47.2% male and 52.8% female.[44]

Government and politics

[edit]
Index Town Hall

Index is an incorporated town with a mayor–council form of government.[45] The mayor and five-member town council are elected to four-year terms by residents who are eligible to vote.[30] As of 2025, Norm Johnson is the town's mayor.[46] Index's government has three employed positions: a clerk for day-to-day management, a maintenance person, and a water distribution manager to oversee the water supply. The town contracts with the county government to provide additional services and with Sky Valley Fire for firefighting and protection.[30][35]

The town had the highest voter turnout of any municipality in Snohomish County from 2013 to 2023, with 60 percent of residents returning a ballot in the 2023 general election.[47] At the federal level, Index is part of the 8th congressional district, which encompasses the eastern portions of the Snohomish, King, and Pierce counties as well as the entirety of Chelan and Kittitas counties.[48] It was part of the 1st congressional district until 2022, when the 8th district was extended into Snohomish County.[49] At the state level, the town is part of the 12th legislative district, which also crosses the Cascade Mountains and includes Skykomish, part of Snoqualmie, and all of Chelan County except for Wenatchee.[50][51] Index was previously part of the 39th legislative district until it was moved into the cross-mountain district as part of a redistricting compromise in 2022.[52] The town also lies within the Snohomish County Council's 5th district, which includes the Skykomish Valley, Snohomish, and Lake Stevens.[53]

Culture

[edit]

For many years, the Red Men Hall fraternal lodge, the largest building in town, served as the center for social life.[17] It collapsed in 2009 after a severe snowstorm and was subsequently demolished. Another historic building in Index, the Bush House, was named an endangered landmark by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation.[54] The Bush House opened as a hotel in 1899 and closed in 2002 in a state of disrepair; it and underwent renovations from 2012 to 2017 for use as a hotel, restaurant, and event venue.[55] A new restaurant at the hotel was opened in June 2023.[56]

The Index Arts Festival was founded in 2004 and is held annually at Doolittle Pioneer Park during the first weekend in August.[57] It includes exhibitions, outdoor musical performances, poetry, and live demonstrations of specialty arts.[58][59] The Index area has been used for several film and television productions, including the 1987 film Harry and the Hendersons and 2016 film Captain Fantastic.[60]

Religion

[edit]

The town is home to the Aquarian Tabernacle Church, a Wicca church that was established in Seattle and moved to Index in 1979. The church was among the first modern Pagan institutions to be recognized by the state government; it also operates an online seminary based in Index.[61] The Aquarian Tabernacle also organizes Wiccan holiday events at nearby state parks that draw more than 200 worshippers.[62] The town is also home to a Protestant Christian church.[61]

Parks and recreation

[edit]

The Index Town Wall, a set of cliffs that face the town, is among the most popular crags in Washington and draws climbers from the Puget Sound region.[63] Most of the climbing area lies within Forks of the Sky State Park, created in 2010 after the state government acquired private lands that were being used by climbers.[64] Non-profit climbing groups have also purchased parcels near the Town Wall for recreation and conservation, including donations to expand the state park.[63]

The sole urban park in Index is Doolittle Pioneer Park, which includes a picnic shelter and public barbeque.[65] The surrounding area also includes several hiking trails maintained by the United States Forest Service and the Snohomish County Parks & Recreation Department.[64] Heybrook Ridge County Park, which has several trails and a historic fire lookout, opened in 2017 after nine years of development by the county government.[66][67] The land was acquired in a public–private partnership with a volunteer conservation group in 2008 to prevent the area from being clearcut.[68][69] Another trail in the county park, Erinswood Trail, opened at the bottom of the ridge in 2021 with full accessibility for wheelchairs.[66]

Education

[edit]

The Index School District serves the town and surrounding areas in the southeast corner of Snohomish County.[70] It has a single combined elementary–middle school with an enrollment of 28 students and three full-time teachers as of 2020.[71] The school district was established in 1892 and built its first schoolhouse in 1899 for a class of 40 students; the schoolhouse was replaced in 1908 by the Index School, a larger building with four classrooms.[14] A high school was opened in 1918, but was only used until 1942 as enrollment declined; high school students have been bused to Sultan Senior High School since Index High School was closed.[14][17] A new school building was constructed in 1955 to replace the condemned Index School and remains in use;[14] it was renovated in 2019.[17][72]

The town is part of the Sno-Isle Libraries system, which operates a twice-monthly bookmobile service to Index.[73]

Infrastructure

[edit]

Transportation

[edit]
The Wes Smith Bridge, opened in 1999, connects Index to U.S. Route 2

Index is located 1 mile (1.6 km) northeast of U.S. Route 2 (US 2), which connects Everett to the Skykomish Valley and Stevens Pass. The town is connected to US 2 by Index–Galena Road,[74] which continues northeast into the Wild Sky Wilderness. A flood in November 2006 washed out a section of the road beyond Index at milepost 6.4.[75] The road was reopened in November 2023 after a three-year repair project that relocated sections to higher ground and added new culverts and bridges. The project cost $29 million to complete and was mostly funded by the federal government.[36][76]

The town's bridge over the North Fork of the Skykomish River is the Smith Bridge, a 265-foot (81 m) tied-arch bridge that carries two lanes of 5th Street to Index–Galena Road. It opened in September 1999 and was the first tied-arch bridge in Snohomish County, with a height of 65 feet (20 m). The Smith Bridge replaced the earlier Index Bridge No. 122, a timber bridge that was constructed in 1918 and only carried one lane of traffic.[77] The old bridge had been moved 30 feet (9.1 m) from its original site in April 1998 to be used during construction of the new bridge;[78] the relocated bridge was also closed entirely for several days in October to prepare for flood control measures, leaving Index with only a winding gravel road to connect to the rest of the world.[79]

Utilities

[edit]

Electric power for Index is provided by the Snohomish County Public Utility District (PUD), a consumer-owned public utility that serves all of Snohomish County. The utility derives most of its electricity from hydroelectricity that it purchases from the federal Bonneville Power Administration or generates on its own.[80] A plan to build a new hydroelectric power plant at Sunset Falls near Index was proposed in 2011 but abandoned seven years later due to opposition from environmentalists and local residents.[81] Natural gas for the town's residents and businesses is provided by Puget Sound Energy, a private company that serves most of the Seattle metropolitan area.[82]

The town has limited internet service that is primarily provided by satellite services and mobile broadband companies.[83] In 2024, the county government approved a contract with Ziply Fiber to provide broadband internet service to Index using an existing fiber line. The $4.3 million program, which also includes Verlot, is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 and is expected to be completed in 2025.[84]

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ huh-HAH-oo-salt; lit. "Little Sawbill house"
  2. ^ bes-huh-huh-HALCH; meaning "sword fern people"

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on March 11, 2022. Retrieved August 7, 2020.
  2. ^ a b "Profile: Index town, Washington". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Annual Estimates of the Resident Population for Incorporated Places in Washington: April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2022". United States Census Bureau. May 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  4. ^ "Index, Washington". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. September 10, 1979. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  5. ^ a b c Hollenbeck, Jan L.; Moss, Madonna (1987). A Cultural Resource Overview: Prehistory, Ethnography and History: Mt. Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest. United States Forest Service. pp. 161–164. OCLC 892024380. Archived from the original on March 29, 2019. Retrieved January 5, 2019 – via HathiTrust.
  6. ^ a b c Roe, Joann (1995). Stevens Pass: The Story of Railroading and Recreation in the North Cascades. Seattle: Mountaineers Books. p. 150. ISBN 0898863716. OCLC 32199366.
  7. ^ a b c d e f Lindgren, Louise (November 21, 2019). "Index incorporates on October 11, 1907". HistoryLink. Retrieved February 4, 2025.
  8. ^ a b c d e Warren, James (November 8, 1983). "Gunn family traveled west to found the town of Index". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. D2.
  9. ^ a b c Roe (1995), p. 151
  10. ^ a b Cameron, David A.; LeWarne, Charles P.; May, M. Allan; O'Donnell, Jack C.; O'Donnell, Lawrence E. (2005). Snohomish County: An Illustrated History. Index, Washington: Kelcema Books LLC. pp. 96, 348. ISBN 978-0-9766700-0-1. OCLC 62728798.
  11. ^ Meany, Edmond S. (1923). Origin of Washington geographic names. Seattle: University of Washington Press. p. 119. Archived from the original on May 10, 2017. Retrieved August 14, 2016.
  12. ^ a b c d e f g Graydon, Don (September 6, 1997). "Small town 'on brink of change'". Seattle Post-Intelligencer. p. D1.
  13. ^ Phillips, James W. (1971). Washington State Place Names. University of Washington Press. p. 65. ISBN 0-295-95158-3. OCLC 1052713900. Retrieved November 18, 2019 – via The Internet Archive.
  14. ^ a b c d e Slager, Melisa (December 4, 2005). "Tiny town's school endures". The Everett Herald. p. B1. Retrieved February 4, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  15. ^ Burgstahler, Ruth (1980). Index: A Historical Perspective. Index Historical Society. p. 8. OCLC 6384024.
  16. ^ a b Roe (1995), pp. 154–155
  17. ^ a b c Whitfield, William M. (1926). History of Snohomish County, Washington. Chicago: Pioneer Historical Publishing Company. pp. 611–612. OCLC 8437390. Archived from the original on June 29, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2020 – via HathiTrust.
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  19. ^ Burgstahler (1980), p. 25
  20. ^ Roe (1995), p. 125
  21. ^ a b Eals, Clay (June 2, 2022). "Index's only inn perseveres amid historic charm and challenge". The Seattle Times. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  22. ^ a b c Roe (1995), pp. 158–159
  23. ^ "Fires Still Threaten Index". The Everett Herald. August 17, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  24. ^ "300 State and Federal Men on Fire Lines Continue to Fight Flames Near Index". The Everett Herald. August 19, 1939. p. 1. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  25. ^ Burgstahler (1980), pp. 33–34
  26. ^ "Index Seeks RR Crossing Safety". The Everett Herald. December 8, 1964. p. 1B. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  27. ^ Harrison, Brenda (October 2, 1985). "They came, they saw, they stayed". The Everett Herald. p. AE2. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  28. ^ Folkerts, Dale (April 15, 1984). "Mining juggernaut not boring to folks around Index cliff". The Everett Herald. p. 3A. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
  29. ^ a b c d Snohomish County Natural Hazard Mitigation Plan Update, Volume 2: Planning Partner Annexes (Report). Snohomish County. September 2015. p. 7-1. Archived from the original on April 25, 2017. Retrieved April 12, 2020.
  30. ^ Shaw, Linda (October 28, 1987). "Main Streets: Index plays against rugged backdrop". The Seattle Times. p. H1.
  31. ^ Cramer, Darryl (2000). Sky Valley Rock. Sky Valley Press. ISBN 0-9678531-0-9.
  32. ^ "2018 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Archived from the original on September 15, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2020.
  33. ^ Gullien, Tomas (December 27, 1980). "Index residents keep wary eye on surging Skykomish". The Seattle Times. p. A3.
  34. ^ a b Hansen, Jordan (September 20, 2023). "After Maui wildfires, Sky Valley locals look warily at US 2". The Everett Herald. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  35. ^ a b Bryan, Zachariah (June 6, 2021). "Wilderness awaits beyond the washout on Index-Galena Road". The Everett Herald. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  36. ^ Bray, Kari (April 3, 2016). "Forest Service to get the lead out of former Index shooting range". The Everett Herald. Retrieved February 11, 2024.
  37. ^ "Studio Directory". The Rocket. Seattle. July 21, 1999. p. 15.
  38. ^ Jones, Iris (January 28, 1999). "Index draws visitors year-round". The Bellingham Herald. p. 8. Retrieved February 9, 2024 – via Newspapers.com.
  39. ^ "Census of Population and Housing". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 26, 2013.
  40. ^ Sanders, Julia-Grace (May 23, 2020). "The town the virus seemed to miss: No cases counted in Index". The Everett Herald. Archived from the original on June 1, 2020. Retrieved May 23, 2020.
  41. ^ Thompson, Joseph (August 13, 2021). "2020 Census: Snohomish County grows by more than 114,000". The Everett Herald. Retrieved March 22, 2024.
  42. ^ "Index town, Washington – 2020 United States Census Table P2: Hispanic or Latino, And Not Hispanic or Latino By Race". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  43. ^ a b c "Decennial Census Tables". United States Census Bureau. September 2011. Archived from the original on July 16, 2020. Retrieved May 26, 2020.
  44. ^ "Washington City and Town Profiles". Municipal Research and Services Center. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  45. ^ "MRSC Officials Directory". Municipal Research and Services Center. Retrieved February 6, 2025.
  46. ^ Hansen, Jordan (December 4, 2023). "Index, smallest town in Snohomish County, is No. 1 in voter turnout". The Everett Herald. Retrieved December 23, 2023.
  47. ^ Census Bureau Geography Division (2023). 118th Congress of the United States: Washington – Congressional District 8 (PDF) (Map). 1:368,000. United States Census Bureau. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  48. ^ Cornfield, Jerry (October 25, 2022). "Snohomish County in middle of key battle for control of U.S. House". The Everett Herald. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  49. ^ Washington State Legislative & Congressional District Map (PDF) (Map). Washington State Redistricting Commission. July 2024. Puget Sound inset. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
  50. ^ Cornfield, Jerry (November 24, 2021). "Proposed political map links cities from Monroe to Wenatchee". The Everett Herald. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  51. ^ Cornfield, Jerry (December 3, 2021). "State Supreme Court declines to draw new redistricting plan". The Everett Herald. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  52. ^ Snohomish County: County Council Districts (Map). Snohomish County Elections. May 12, 2022. Retrieved January 16, 2024.
  53. ^ Smith, Debra (May 31, 2009). "Saving a historic hotel in Index". The Everett Herald. Archived from the original on June 5, 2009. Retrieved July 24, 2019.
  54. ^ Muhlstein, Julie (July 3, 2017). "Couple faithfully renovating historic 1899 Bush House in Index". The Everett Herald. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  55. ^ Haun, Riley (June 30, 2023). "Get a modern taste of Index history at North Fork Kitchen". The Everett Herald. Retrieved February 9, 2024.
  56. ^ Fiege, Gale (August 15, 2015). "Still time to head for the hills". The Everett Herald. p. A11. Retrieved February 6, 2025 – via Newspapers.com.
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