About the W.T. Preston:
The W.T. Preston is the descendant of a long line of snagboats that worked the Puget Sound and its tributary rivers, clearing the waterways of navigational hazards. Until her retirement in 1981, the Preston was the only large, active sternwheeler remaining in the Sound. The Preston operated as far north as Blaine and south to Olympia and Shelton. Working all year round near large population centers distinguished the snagboat as one of the best-known vessels to navigate these waters.
Engineers (then the U.S. Engineer Department) had cleared waterways in Oregon since the early 1870s, no work was done in Washington territory until Congress appropriated $2,500 to open the Skagit River to navigation in 1880. A log raft was built, equipped with a derrick and hand-operated capstan for lifting snags from the river. In 1882, Congress allocated $20,000 for construction of a self-propelled snagboat to work on Puget Sound and its tributaries. In 1884, the first of these boats, the Skagit, began operation. Outfitted with a new hull in 1896, the Skagit served until 1914 when she was replaced by the Swinomish. In turn, the Swinomish was succeeded in 1929 by the wood-hulled W.T. Preston. In 1939, the Preston was fitted with a new steel hull and upper structure, or "house." The snagboat was named for William T. Preston, one of the Army Corps of Engineers' most outstanding civilian engineers.
The W.T. Preston is now housed as a National Historic Landmark as part of the Anacortes Maritime Heritage Center of the Anacortes Museum.
First Deck: engine room, crew sleeping quarters, crew mess hall, outside decking (ADA accessible). Second Deck: Galley, captain’s quarters, captain’s mess hall. Third Deck: Captain’s office, steering room, outside decking
Further resources:
https://www.anacorteswa.gov/475/Research
https://www.anacorteswa.gov/379/WT-Preston-Maritime-Center
https://www.cityofanacortes.org/DocumentCenter/View/4347/Self-Guided-WT-Preston-Tour-PDF?bidId=
