‘Mountlake Terrace: A History of Four Square Miles’ provides revealing look at small city

Mountlake Terrace teacher and author Randal Gravelle has put the history of the city on paper in a new book, Mountlake Terrace: A History of Four Square Miles.

“I’m fascinated by history,” Gravelle said. “It’s always much more tangled and convoluted than most people realize.”

Mountlake Terrace: A History of Four Square Miles chronicles the area’s history, from the Native American tribes and European explorers, to the abandoned airstrip that realtors purchased to create low-cost housing for World War II veterans, to its incorporation as a city on Nov. 29, 1954.

Gravelle said he knew that other authors had attempted to write the city’s history, but they hadn’t been able to complete the project. Further, surrounding towns had books written about them and “it was about time we documented our city’s past,” he said.

“Being retired, I had no excuses,” Gravelle said. “I figured the community already had an interest in our history, so I thought I’d give it a shot.”

Gravelle retired from teaching, primarily in the Everett School District, in 2019, after a 36-year career. His first book, Hooverville and the Unemployed: Seattle during the Great Depression, was published in 2015.

Gravelle wrote  A History of Four Square Miles not only because he loves history; he wanted to stick up for the city. He was born in Mountlake Terrace in 1958, but his family moved soon after. He has been a resident since he moved back in 1988.

There is also his love of research.

“I love pulling on the threads and finding where they lead,” Gravelle said.

However, when one pulls a thread, it might unravel the fabric covering an uncomfortable truth.

“I think the thing that was the most startling was finding out we were originally a whites-only development,” Gravelle said. “This was even after the Supreme Court ruled this to be illegal. That pretty well floored me.”

Besides the stark contrast between Mountlake Terrace’s original concept and its current diverse and accepting reputation, Gravelle said he found the history of Lake Ballinger and its connection to the presidencies of Lincoln, Grant, Taft and Roosevelt to be interesting as well as housing details when planning the community. There are also stories on Mountlake Terrace High School’s championships in soccer and basketball, how the city got Bicentennial Park, and former Police Chief John Turner’s perspective on dealing with gangs in the 1990s.

“Honestly, I didn’t know much about the history of the city when I started, so I was constantly surprised,” Gravelle said.

Along with the surprises were inspirational people who helped make the city what it is today.

“Lillian Boot was an amazing woman, and I felt fortunate to have found her story,” Gravelle said.

“She was a Black woman who moved to Mountlake Terrace when the city was still under the whites-only covenant. Her willingness to stand against threats and to keep pushing for political power was inspiring. The white people who helped and supported her were inspirational as well. It showed that the city was far from monolithic.”

Another person Gravelle admires is Pat McMahan. While McMahan was far from alone in helping to incorporate Mountlake Terrace into a city, Gravelle said, he was only 23 when he spearheaded the movement and had to combat a vigorous opposition.

“Afterwards, his name is threaded through the city’s history,” Gravelle said. “He probably had more influence on the city than anyone else.”

There’s also Ira and Julia Bartholomew, a couple who restarted from scratch when he was 69 and she was 55. Gravelle said they single-handedly built a home on Lake Ballinger’s Edmount Island.

Another inspirational figure in the book is Stacey Burns, the editor of Mountlake Terrace High’s Hawkeye newspaper, who in 1995 stood up for the First Amendment even at the risk of being jailed.

“But, again, there were so many people who worked to create what we have,” Gravelle said.

Mountlake Terrace: A History of Four Square Miles is available on Amazon in both eBook and paperback formats. Or check with your local bookshop.