Saturday, September 7, 2019

Spencer Jack & Jason Ask If I Recognize This?


That "Recognize This?" question was asked last night about the above photograph, with the asking coming from Spencer Jack and his dad, my favorite Jason nephew.

A couple things I see in the photo give me possible clues as to what I am looking at. In the distance it appears possibly that is what is known as Big Rock, at the center top. That would make this view looking southeast from a somewhat elevated view point.

To the upper center left I see a clump of trees which look sort of familiar.

Could this be a photo of my old hometown of Burlington, Washington? With the photo taken from a location part way up Burlington Hill?

But, where is the Skagit River? Shouldn't the Skagit River be seeable from this vantage point?

That clump of trees which looks familiar looks like the clump of old growth fir trees which made up the southeast corner of the park across the street from the Washington Avenue house in which I grew up, with the park at that point in time being known as Maiben Park.

If this photo is of Burlington I would hazard to guess the photo was taken prior to the 1950s.

At some point in the 1950s the Skagit River flooded Burlington as far as the location of Maiben Park.

And now that you are causing me to think about this, this photo must have been taken way before the 1950s, because I am not seeing Roosevelt Grade School, or Lincoln Grade School, which was across the street known as Fairhaven Avenue. Lincoln Grade School burned down long before my eyes ever saw Burlington. I believe Roosevelt Grade School was built in the 1920s, named after the first president with the Roosevelt last name.

So, Spencer Jack and Jason, did I recognize Burlington correctly? Or is this a view of old Mount Vernon, looking north, and that lump in the distance is not Big Rock, but is, instead, the aforementioned Burlington Hill?

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