Newhalem in Whatcom County, Washington — The American West (Northwest)
Welcome to Ladder Creek Falls & Gardens
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 28, 2015
1. Welcome to Ladder Creek Falls & Gardens Marker
Public tours of the Skagit Project began in 1922. The first public tour, originating in Seattle, was a three-day event involving automobiles, trains and boats. Ladder Creek Falls and Gardens became a highlight of the tour, showcasing the wonders of electricity. Tropical vegetation was planted and pools were added as special design features and stocked with trout and goldfish. A zoo built in nearby Diablo provided the exotic wildlife for the garden.
The garden has changed over the years and the exotic flora has been replaced with vegetation better adapted to the climate. Most of the historic framework remains. The Gardens are listed in the National Register of Historic Places, and Seattle City Light is preserving this important piece of Northwest history.
Erected by Seattle City Light.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Horticulture & Forestry • Man-Made Features
this page online
Location. 48° 40.509′ N, 121° 14.403′ W. Marker is in Newhalem, Washington, in Whatcom County. Marker can be reached from North Cascades Highway (Newhalem Street) (Washington Route 20) 0.2 miles east of Main Street, on the right when traveling east. Marker is located along the Ladder Creek Falls Trail, east of the Skagit River pedestrian bridge and south of the Gorge Powerhouse. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Marblemount WA 98267, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 7 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies. Electric Forest (within shouting distance of this marker); Lighting of the Falls (within shouting distance of this marker); Gorge Powerhouse (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); Old Number 6 (approx. 0.3 miles away); Gorge High Dam (approx. 2.2 miles away); Transmission Lines (approx. 2.2 miles away); Chain of Dams (approx. 2.2 miles away); The North Cascades (approx. 7 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Newhalem.
More about this marker. Marker is a large, framed composite plaque, mounted vertically on waist-high metal posts.
Regarding Welcome to Ladder Creek Falls & Gardens. Ladder Creek Falls is a part
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 28, 2015
2. Welcome to Ladder Creek Falls & Gardens Marker (tall view; trail and gardens in background)
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. Skagit River Hydroelectric Project
Also see . . .
1. Ladder Creek Falls Trail. When the hydroelectric project near Ross Lake was under construction during the 1930s and '40s, owner and developer J.D. Ross built a trail to nearby Ladder Creek Falls to showcase the area. The falls and surrounding gardens quickly became a tourist attraction, illuminated at night with colored lights and livened up by music that was piped in on Friday evenings for visitors who came from Seattle for a night out. (Submitted on January 29, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
2. James Delmage (J.D.) Ross. Ross is best known for his efforts to secure and construct the hydroelectric project on the Upper Skagit River, which provides 40 percent of Seattle’s electricity. A lover of animals and flowers Ross did much to enhance the tours for the many visitors. A wide variety of flowers were planted alongside trails. He introduced numerous trees and shrubs, along with many species of birds new to the Skagit valley, where they still flourish. Another “Ross Touch” along the tour was, of course, electricity. Hidden phonographs and amplifiers piped music throughout the hillsides, and at night the falls were illuminated
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, July 28, 2015
3. Welcome to Ladder Creek Falls & Gardens Marker (wide view; Gorge Powerhouse in background)
Credits. This page was last revised on March 7, 2023. It was originally submitted on January 28, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 289 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on January 28, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. 2, 3. submitted on January 29, 2019, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. • Andrew Ruppenstein was the editor who published this page.
