The Great Northern Railway Depot in the town of Skykomish, Washington, served as the functional and symbolic hub of railroad activity from the time of its construction in 1894. The depot is the sole surviving primary, original structure in the Skykomish rail yard, and is one of only a very few wood-frame Great Northern depots still standing in Washington State. Constructed from standard Great Northern plans for rural train stations of the early 1890s, the depot as such is an increasingly rare and important example of its type. It stood for 28 years on the south side of the railroad tracks facing north toward John Maloney’s general store and the Skykomish Hotel. In 1922, the building was moved to the north side of the tracks, re-oriented to face the south, and considerably expanded with alterations to exterior cladding material and window arrangements. The 1922 relocation of the building and the concurrent addition of a freight room only serve to enhance the depot’s integral association with the operation and development of the Skykomish yard over time. Activity in the Skykomish yard slowed in the 1940s with passenger service ending in 1971. Today the depot has been converted to a visitors center.

Maloney’s General Store is significant for its association with John Maloney, founder of Skykomish and a prominent early businessman. As Skykomish’s first commercial building, Maloney’s General Store housed the General Store and Post Office. The store was built in 1893, the same year the Great Northern Railway’s transcontinental line was completed. Both the store and the community grew with the railroad; as Maloney prospered, east and west wings were added. Maloney was instrumental in the development of nearby lumber mills. mines, and rock quarries. The Maloney Store is now the home of the Skykomish Historical Society and museum.

The Skykomish Commercial District was the major settlement in the Upper Skykomish River Valley and is the last town before the summit at Stevens Pass. The district is significantly associated with the development of the Great Northern Railroad, a major factor in the economic growth of the Pacific Northwest. The district runs roughly east to west along the town’s main street, Railroad Avenue. Thirteen contributing buildings and one contributing structure here document four periods of town history: Maloney’s General Store (1893), the depot (1894), the Superintendent’s House (1895) and the Patrick McEvoy house (1897) come from the earliest days of the town’s founding; the Skykomish Hotel (1904), the Whistling Post Tavern (1905), and Maloney’s Warehouse/Theater (1906) were all erected after the disastrous fire that destroyed most of the commercial district in 1904; and finally, the Cascadia Hotel (1922), the Teacherage (1920), Town Hall (1926), the school’s Manual Training building (1923), and the Masonic Hall (1924) and woodshed were all built during the town’s greatest activity due to railroad expansion.