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Marietta

A cluster of weather-beaten houses once occupied by families employed in the Bellingham mills or in fishing. Perched above the piles of driftwood on the beach were a number of shacks, where squatters led a hermit-like life. Gulls drift and soar, white wings flashing against the grey of stormy skies as they wheel and tack and soar with the gale, or swoop down, feet dangling like the landing gear of an airplane, to pick up some bit of floating debris.

It was once a town of considerable importance when river boats ran the river to Ferndale and Lynden. The name was Lummi until 1892 when the post office name was changed to Marietta. It was for a deceased daughter of homesteaders Solomon and Mary Allen, whose name was Mary Etta.

The Nooksack River meets the banks Bellingham Bay at Marietta. Early industry in this area included fishing, fruit gardens and logging. The town of Marietta, however, does not seem to have been prosperous long and is now a neglected suburb of Bellingham.

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