BELLINGHAM, Wash., city and county seat of Whatcom County, on the eastern shore of Bellingham Bay, and on the Great Northern, Northern Pacific, Canadian Pacific and Bell ingham Bay and British Columbia railroads, 97 miles north of Seattle. The first settlement was made in October 1852 by Capt. Henry Roeder, who built a saw-mill on what is now Whatcom Creek. The Lummi tribe of Indians maintained their chief camp on the beach near the mouth and falls of Whatcom Creek, and called the camp or rather the locality g14/hrap cop," mean ing °the noisy water° or °the place of the noisy water.° The white men retained the Indian name for their town, modified as indicated by the spelling to Whatcom. This remained the name of the town until the consolidation of Whatcom and New Whatcom in 1891 under the name of New Whatcom, from which the prefix °New° was dropped by action of the State legislature 19 Feb. 1901. Fairhaven is the Eng lish interpretation of an Indian word or phrase, aSee-see-leecliel," meaning °a safe harbor° or °the sheltered beach;° this town was plotted and named in 1883 by Daniel J. Harns, the original donation claimant In 1890 Fairhaven and the adjoining town of Bellingham were incorporated as one city under the name of Fairhaven. On 27 Oct. 1903, the electors of • Fairhaven and Whatcom voted to consolidate the two cities under the name of Bellingham and the consolidation was duly consummated. The new name went into effect 28 Dec. 1903, and the post-office became Bellingham 1 April 1904. Bellingham Bay was named by Van couver in 1792, and the consolidated city takes its naine from that bay. The city is the com
mercial centre of a large lumber and agri cultural region ; salmon fishing is also an in dustry of great importance. Largest salmon cannery in the world, and mining and quarry ing are carried on in the vicinity. The princi pal manufacturing establishments include lum ber and shingle mills, salmon canneries, wood working and iron working plants and brick kilns. Salmon canning and brewing, milk con densing and the manufacture of cement and cans are also important industries. The United States census of manufactures for 1914 reported 86 industrial establishments of factory grade, employing 2,182 persons, of whom 1,922 are wage earners who receive $1,318,000 annually in wages. The capital invested totaled $6, 912,000, and the value of the year's output was $6,264,000: of this, $2,898,000 was the value added by manufacture. There are four banks with a combined capital of $600,000. There are 49 established churches in Belling ham representing practically all denominations. There are 11 city schools, two libraries, the Bellingham Bay Library and the Carnegie Library. The city also contains the State Nor mal School, and three business colleges, a parochial and two high schools. The govern ment is vested in a mayor, elected biennially, and a council of seven members, elected alter nately every two years. Pop. (1910) 24,298; (1916) 36,890.