Our Roots
Woodinville was named after its first settlers, Ira and Susan Woodin, who rowed across Lake Washington and up the Squak Slough (now the Sammamish) in 1871. They put down stakes at a scenic bend in the river, and other folks liked the location too, for it became a staging area between Seattle and logging camps upstream.
The location right next to the water made it easy to float logs downstream to the lumber mills, which were busy supplying lumber to Seattle. Business picked up when the Lake Shore & Eastern Railway reached the town. Soon Woodinville boasted hotels, general stores, a school desk factory, a community church, and, of course, saloons.
With some of the land cleared, dairy cows had plenty of grazing space. Eventually milk was delivered fresh to Seattle daily. A Holstein dairy farm built by Frederick Spencer Stimson, Hollywood Farm set records for milk production with more than 100 cows and a prize-winning bull.
Over time the area around Woodinville became known for its gardens and nursery business. Viticulture started in the 19th century, and now about 100 wineries are dotted around the green countryside. Ira and Susan Woodin knew a good thing when they saw it, and history has proven them right.