Sedro-Woolley Chamber Member Benefits

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The Sedro-Woolley community fought hard to reclaim the hospital they lost when United General Hospital and Skagit Valley Hospital merged …

(MCO) celebrating their first anniversary this month, is owned by Mark & Taylor Morgan.  Opening last November in a slow economy the business has grown steadily.  For those of you who have yet to visit this new retail business in town you are in for a treat.

Morgan owns the adjacent business Cascade Mountain Loans, and noticed a need when a prior sporting goods store left downtown Sedro-Woolley.  Mark began carrying fishing poles in the Pawnshop and noticed how quickly they were moving and the requests for more equipment kept coming.  According to Taylor Morgan, “that is when he decided to    negotiate for the adjacent space and the idea for a full-fledged retail space took off.”

Mark comes across as a man with strong principles and values.  He speaks his mind and talks straight.  When he talks of being a single father for the past 13 years and you see what a fine young lady he has raised, it is apparent he has imparted those values to the daughter he loves.  Taylor Morgan, 20, who owns the building housing Morgan Creek Outfitters, is also a full partner in the business.  Mark opened his first business in town February 1, 1992 working 6 days a week to keep his business and family afloat.

The building MCO occupies was purchased from Greer Drummond.  Local artist Sheila Stewart created vignettes of old time stores throughout the space.  Mark had a vision and basic design in mind, but wanted to be sure it did not look like a Yosemite Sam cartoon. 

You can visit the Armory, the Boot and Sock Store, the Mercantile, or the Bait and Tackle Shop all attractively showcased and well organized.  In addition you will also find yourself gazing upward at the elk antler chandeliers and wagon wheel lighting fixtures.  You’ll see Canadian Geese flying a V formation across the ceiling, and many stuffed animals from deer to bobcat, to cobra and mongoose.

Big sellers this time of year are camo gear, rain gear, hats and gloves as it is duck and deer season.  But the store sells everything from custom arrow cutting to citronella wristbands and “ass blaster hot sauce.”  You can find a ring to cook on, a pot to put it in and the equipment to catch or shoot your dinner. MCO features spices, rubs, cures, and brines repackaging some for sale in smaller quantities.

 When a business in Sedro-Woolley actually creates and produces a brand new tourist attraction designed to bring people to our neck of the woods at their own expenses and initiative, we at the Chamber have to stand up and offer our applause. Cascade Job Corps has created the Haunted Hospital utilizing the talents of their students and it will be a scream.Cascade Job Corps is celebrating their 25 years in Sedro-Woolley and doing so in a terrific new way. Ever been deloused, prodded with electrical devices, received Electrical Shock therapy, or a lobotomy well here may be your chance. Starting October 2 and running every Friday and Saturday night through October 31 Cascade Job Corps will present the Haunted Hospital. Come see ghostly apparitions, crazed patients, and maybe not so helpful staff. Or contact Brian Hurst at 854-2161 to don some scary duds and participate in the fun. The connection between Cascade Job Corps and a Haunted Hospital is the site of the Job Corps campus which once was a mental institution known as Northern State Hospital. The cost is only $5.00 per person.
Brian Hurst, who is directing the production, wanted to point out to everyone that in no way is this portrayed as a historical depiction, but rather just good old Halloween type fun and entertainment. The former mental institution was well known for its humane practices; a notable occurrence, since many facilities for the mentally ill were known for their torturous treatment of their patients.
Cascade Job Corps situated just off Fruitdale road inhabits 41 of the 1000 acres formerly occupied by the hospital. According to local historian Noel V Bourasaw, “Old timers used to say that Sedro-Woolley’s economy in the first half of the 20th century sat on a four-legged stool. The first leg was the logging industry, the second was agriculture, the third was Skagit Steel, and the fourth was Northern State Hospital, four miles northeast of town.” (Skagit River Journal, 2003) Citing from the same article:
 
 “…(a) state commission was appointed in 1909 to select a site in the north part of the state for a hospital for harmless insane and that the Commercial Club of Sedro-Woolley soon secured options on an 800-acre site. State Senator Emerson Hammer, attorney Charles Gable and Skiyou farmer James M. Harrison lobbied successfully to have the state purchase for $75,000 a site northeast of town and east of what was called Duke’s Hill and the state commission accepted it on Sept. 13, 1909
 
The Commercial Club of Sedro-Woolley preceded the Chamber of Commerce of Sedro-Woolley, which was founded in 1914. When you visit the site you are struck by the majesty of the century year old oaks, the Spanish style architecture which features tile roofs, and the sense of history and mystery which surround the place. Northern State Hospital no longer houses the mentally insane.

The Perkins Variety Apples and Eagle Haven Winery were selected …