HistoryLink Tours

Look along the east-west sidewalk that goes from Marine View Drive toward the bay. You are on the former location of an Everett landmark during the City of Smokestacks days – the 14th Street Dock. The dock was primarily occupied by numerous shingle mills during the 1890s and early 1900s. Only two mills remained during the 1940s. The dock was originally built on pilings. Over the years as the port area developed, the dock and surrounding area were filled with earthen material.

Looking west and east at this location, you would see several shingle mills operating with the typical sight of a smokestack and refuse burner. In the early days, a slaughterhouse known as the Monte Cristo Market operated at the west end of the dock. This slaughterhouse supplied much of the meat to the new Everett community, but it was also a food source for crabs. Crabs living in the tidelands of the area were fed the scraps from the market, a diet consisting of beef and pork livers, kidneys, and hearts. The crabs were so numerous that they dredged a channel to the feeding trough. According to the locals, they were known to be the “biggest, fightingest” crabs one could see. It took only a few minutes to catch a sack full of crabs near the market.

Walk south along the front of the apartment building on Seiner Drive, then turn east to Marine View Drive. Turn south on Marine View Drive until you reach the Grand Avenue Park Pedestrian Overpass. You’ll get the best view from the bridge (built in 2020 for storm drainage).