In 1992, a young Bill Reynolds reported on a pressing question: what would become of the Moore-Clark property? Its fate has been a constant question ever since.
The site at the south end of town holds more than a century of history. Though the record isn’t complete, key moments reflect major changes in La Conner and Skagit County.
The Albers Brothers Milling Company built the warehouse in 1898. The 65-foot building loomed over Swinomish Slough, jutting out over the water’s edge like much of the waterfront. It took advantage of easy maritime transportation farther south, giving Skagit farmers direct waterfront access to urban grain markets.
The building that had long stored and shipped local oats and grains soon was packing peas. The McMillan Canning Company, started in 1934, moved into the building.
The McMillans specialized in peas, part of a regional growth in vegetable canning at the time. The company’s advertisements (available from the archives at the Skagit County Historical Museum) promised that “salt sea breezes impart a better tasting high quality pea.”
The very saltwater that provided the breeze that produced great peas connected to another component of the local economy: fish. Commercial fishing long represented a central part of the area’s economy and culture.
The Moore-Clark Company, which primarily produced hatchery fish food, formed when La Conner’s R. Vernon Moore partnered with Utah-based Clark.
While La Conner developed its tourist economy, Moore-Clark represented one of a dwindling industrial presence in the town. In the mid-1970s, it installed flash-freezing technology to help produce 10 million bounds of fish pellets annually. It used hake and herring, as well as salmon and tuna viscera. When it expanded a few years later, new products also included poultry byproducts.
By 1981, the company operated 24 hours a day, six days a week. According to a news report, the general manager said Moore-Clark employed 35 people and contributed $700,000 to La Conner’s economy. Almost all of the feed the company produced went to government hatcheries.
All of this could mean problems typically associated with industrial activities, like pollution and even rats. The town cited Moore-Clark, but worked cooperatively with the company and state pollution authority. Some residents grew impatient with the inconveniences and threatened a lawsuit. The company eventually installed a $250,000 scrubber.
In 1992, Moore-Clark announced the plant’s closure. Then, it employed about 30 people and its industrial wages made it an important part of the town’s economy. It also contributed taxes and was a significant customer for La Conner’s sewer treatment plant. The loss spelled economic uncertainty.
By the time of its closure, the company had become a subsidiary of British Petroleum. While the plant was making money, corporate downsizing and relocating to British Columbia promised greater profits.
Unnamed sources at the time speculated to Reynolds that the parent company bought Moore-Clark to remove competition. “You could see it coming,” said this anonymous source, who noted equipment was left unrepaired for some time.
La Conner leaders worried about the loss of tax revenue and the wages that shipped out of town. Mayor Dan O’Donnell and others hoped to maintain industrial zoning for the property that was selling for $1.8 million.
O’Donnell worried about losing the industrial base. “If we can’t find a suitable industry to come in here we’ll probably have to bite the bullet and turn Moore-Clark into a mini-mall,” he said.
Two subsequent owners of the property did not redevelop the property.
The Town Council recently approved a mixed-use development plan for the property, however, the town does not currently own the property. The next phase, like all the previous uses, will reflect the community’s evolution.
Adam M. Sowards: Adam is a writer and Pacific Northwest historian. The author of several award-winning books, Sowards grew up in the region and has lived in Skagit Valley since 2021.
