"Little Chicago" Neighborhood

The Burning of "Little Chicago"

The area around the rim of where Cap Sante Marina is now was called, for a time, "Little Chicago" likely in reference to the Hooverville-like structures built there. The comparison has been exaggerated as most of the structures were actually boat houses, though some people did live there and many did not have legal claim to the land the structures were built on.

In 1956, the residents were evicted and in 1957, the structures were burned in preparation for the construction of Cap Sante Marina.

Anacortes American, Volume 66, Number 48, 29 November 1956 Opens in new windowPreparation for New Construction

The November 19, 1956 edition of the Anacortes American talks about the state of "Little Chicago" as residents move to other locations, leaving the buildings in less than ideal shape.

The article also talks about the plans to burn the remaining structures.

Additionally, the article ends with a humous story of H. B. Trafton, one of the residents not only moving out, but, being that his structure was actually a houseboat, motored his home away.

Anacortes American, Volume 67, Number 5, 31 January 1957 Opens in new windowCap Sante Marina

The January 31, 1957 edition of the Anacortes American displayed a proposed diagram for Cap Sante Marina from the Port of Anacortes.