Part 2 of two parts. You can read Part 1 here.

For years I have enjoyed walks and drives heading north on Olympic View Drive toward Perrinville. About three-quarters of a mile north of Puget Drive, just before the road heads uphill, I have admired the framed, weather-beaten metal sign that reads University Colony with a blue heron situated in the lower right corner.

Years ago, I remember asking people about the sign and the community. I was told it originally was a commune for a group of the University of Washington professors back in the 1920s. That made me curious, but I never took the time to research it until recently. Here is a glimpse back in time.

Life in the mid-1920s and 1930s

During the mid-1920s, a rumor indicated that there was a possibility of an animal hide tanning plant factory going to be built at the end of the road leading down to the beach. This caused a panic with the owners, and they all rushed back up to Everett to purchase all the tide lots in the name of the community.

Later in the 1920s, Ocean Avenue on the west side of the community was rumored to be opened up to outside motorists. If that would have occurred, it would have brought motorists literally into the front yards of the houses facing Puget Sound with no place to turn around. Another trip back to Everett ensued, and a portion of the avenue was reverted back to each property owner.

Once the cabins had been erected, and electricity and water were available, the properties functioned primarily as a summer camp. Families came throughout the summer months and vacationed on their properties. A ladder was placed against the sea wall, which provided access across the railway tracks and down to the beach. A cement block was buried in the sand and a raft was extended outward into the water by a long rope. Kids dove off the raft, and swam in the Sound’s shallow/warmer waters. Each winter the storms would wash the rafts and ladders away, and they were replaced each year. According to historical records, fishing off the beach was also very successful, and the community members benefited from the fresh fish.

As time passed, more lots were purchased and a variety of summer homes were constructed. Some were beautifully made with enclosed front porches and interior paneling made from “knotty pine.”

As the community grew, a post with the owners’ names painted on wooden arrows was erected. It directed visitors to the various properties, as there were no other indicators as to where each property was situated.

Dirt courts were also built on several properties where the campers could participate in tennis, badminton, volleyball or other activities. Flood lights were actually installed over a couple of courts to provide for nighttime entertainment. Bonfires were in abundance both on the properties and on the beach as the families communed and recreated together.

Although the community was almost exclusively used as a summer encampment, in 1938 the residents decided to give the property a formal name. Each of the 18 property owners submitted a name for consideration, and University Colony was chosen. Other submissions included University Settlement, University Gardens, University Village and University Roadsted.

During this period, Olympic Avenue was being extended north and eastward in small sections. The road was renamed Snake Road due to the fact that it “snaked” its way along the upper ridgeline and through the roughed tree-lined route. By 1938, the road extended out to what is now Perrinville, and slightly beyond. If you are interested in learning about the beginnings of Perrinville, you can read about its history here.

Life in the 1940s and 1950s

In 1940, a square wooden sign was created and placed alongside Snake Road to indicate where the Colony was located.

The first year-round residency began in late 1939 when Raymond and Hazel Davis decided to make the summer house they had bought two years earlier, their full time home. They and their three young daughters had decided to live in the house one winter to see if they could “survive” in the country on a permanent basis. After that, they lived in the house for the next 14 years.

The youngest daughter, Sally, in her personal written history of their life at University Colony recorded some of her favorite memories:

• “My mother cooked and baked bread on the wood stove, and I bathed in the big kitchen sink.
• There was a swing with long ropes between two tall cedar trees just below a large weeping willow tree, and we could swing way up to the tall mock orange bushes.
• Those were the days of the Great Depression when ‘hobos” were still riding the rails and would come to our door for food. Mother always fed them and word got around, I guess.
• We had a large ‘victory garden’ which had corn, rhubarb, carrots, Blue Lake beans, and several rows of peas. We also had raspberries and boysenberries – enough to eat and can for the winter.
• In the summer time we chased the ice man down the road in our bare feet and grabbed slivers of ice from the splintery wood truck bed.
• Upon hearing a train’s whistle down “at the bend” we would sprint down to the bluff in time to wave to the engineer and count the cars.
• We spent all day at the beach doing what kids do…building sandcastles, hunting for geoducks, and setting up long fishing lines to catch bass and flounder We learned to walk the rails, and put pennies on the tracks for the trains to smash.
• The Fourth of July was a really big day in the Colony. For days kids gathered to make lst, 2nd and 3rd place medals out of red, white and blue crepe paper. Games included gunny sack races, rolling pin tosses followed by huge potluck picnics. After dark we would all go the beach for magical fireworks, which were launched from the raft by our fathers.
• The attack on Pearl Harbor, on December 7, 1941 scared everyone badly and changed our lives forever. Reports of mini-subs entering Puget Sound through the Straits of Juan De Fuca were unsettling to say the least. My father nailed “blackout” blankets over all of the windows and cursed the Japanese at night. We bought war stamps and bonds, saved tin foil, and toothpaste tubes for the war effort and endured air raid drills at school.”

In closing, she wrote: “University Colony provided a way of life that my children and grandchildren can’t imagine today. Perhaps these memories will help them know who I am.”

In conversations with longtime resident Alan Rieck, who was raised in the Colony in the mid-1940s through the ’50s, he fondly remembered the large number of kids in the neighborhood playing in the vacant lots, throughout the various properties, and on the beach.

He also, with a grin, recounted as a youngster climbing over the gate at the south end of the Colony into Lindsay’s pasture, while being extremely wary of a horse named “Potsy” who lived there.

Alan, now with somewhat of a frown, also recalled as a small child having to climb up the steep hill (Wharf Street) to Snake Road in all kinds of weather, to catch the school bus, as Sound View Place was not open to through traffic at that time.

Author’s note: After World War II, the need for more housing resulted in additional lots being purchased and the colony became the home to year-round residences  The Colony was no longer just a summer camp or retreat area for many of the inhabitants.

Life in the 1950s and 1960s

Over the next two decades, the number of permanent residences grew. For the most part, the new residents were of humble means and the residences reflected that. Many of the new owners had large families, and the sound of children playing echoed throughout the neighborhood.

A strong sense of community also arose. Everyone pitched in twice a year for clean-up days and large potlucks. The community had a strong sense of pride in keeping the Colony clean and welcoming.

Additional traditions also took root during this time. Every Fourth of July the north end of Sound View Place was blocked off for several blocks where a community picnic and potluck was held. That tradition lasted for more than three decades.

In 1961, University Colony was annexed by the City of Edmonds. The fence at the north end of the Lindsay farm was removed and Sound View Place was opened to through traffic for the first time. In 1967, the water and sewer systems were also taken over by the City of Edmonds.

1970s to today

By the end of 1975 the Colony had grown to nearly full capacity with 36 property owners

Then in 1976, the Colony had its first and only major controversy. An ex-Edmonds City Councilmember and Washington State House Representative began to build a three-story house on one of the waterfront lots that he had purchased eight years earlier. The large house, which was “out of character” for the Colony, also blocked the view of several residents who had lived in the Colony for over 20 years.

After an Edmonds Board of Zoning Adjustment meeting, the house was deemed to be legal, and the home was built despite the objections of the neighbors. Hard feelings remained for a while, but life in the Colony soon went back to its harmonious ways. As time went by, people moved in and out, but the neighborhood feeling still was strong.

In the early 1980s, the post with the arrows pointing to various properties was removed. But the twice a year, clean-up days, potlucks and Fourth of July celebrations continued with children still playing noisily in the streets. Sea lions could still be heard barking, while they lounged on the raft that had been placed in the water for children to recreate on. But time kept moving on.

By the late 1980s, the annual Fourth of July celebration and community clean-up days had gone by the wayside. But the community still held annual meetings with potluck dinners while discussing improvements and items that affected the community. One of the improvements in 1999 was the replacement of the old wooden sign with a metal sign that had the colony’s name proudly displayed along with a Great Blue Heron in the corner. It was then installed on Olympic View Drive for everyone to see. Snake Road had previously been renamed, as conscientious planners attempted to fit together an organized grid of streets within Edmonds.

As time passed, the mix of houses and residents continued to change. Newer and larger houses replaced the smaller cabins and more modest houses that had been constructed earlier. The number of children diminished and almost everyone had their own gardeners.

Today, University Colony has 37 residents. Despite the changes, everyone you talk to says it is a great place to live. Fortunately, there is still visible evidence of the Colony’s original state. One hundred-year-old sequoia (redwood) and Douglas fir trees remain on a number of properties. There are homes that still have the footprint of the original cabin, plus additions that were added over time.

A few of the cabins have also been turned into sheds and storage units. The original building materials can still be seen under the moss-covered roofs, and it reminds you of the hard work and joy that the original settlers must have experienced.

Today, when you walk north from Puget Drive on 9th Avenue North, you will walk about a half mile to Cherry Street. There, 9th Avenue North becomes Sound View Place. One block further north you will see Water Street heading west toward the water. At the bottom of Water Street you will see the two remaining blocks of what is Ocean Avenue. At one point it went to the end of University Colony alongside the railroad tracks.

If you continue to walk north on Sound View Drive, the next street is Lindsay Place. This is where the Lindsay farm once was situated, just south of the Colony.

One long block further north you will arrive at the center of University Colony, the intersection of Sound View Place and Wharf Street. The weathered University Colony metal sign is up the steep hill to your right.

Author’s note: This research project has been extremely rewarding. Not only have I learned a lot about this amazing place, but I have met some incredible people who live in University Colony. Their willingness to open their homes, share their family’s history and reflect upon their experiences over multiple decades has been truly inspirational.

Thanks goes to Alan Rieck, Kathleen and Bob Sears, Susan Jorgensen, Gary Nelson, Kim Prater, Bill Wilson and especially Gale Andre for her invaluable assistance in this research endeavor.

This project could not have been completed without the help of Mary Schaff at Ask A Librarian – Washington State Library Association. Mary’s research into the 1906 sale/purchase of the property was invaluable.

— This article was researched and written by Byron Wilkes