Gerhard Johan Ericksen Figure - Bothell, WA
Posted by: 
NorStar
N 47° 45.614 W 122° 12.313
10T E 559561 N 5289957
This wooden painted figure of Gerhard Johan Ericksen is one of many figures permanently fixed to the wall and has a plaque that states he was the first postmaster in Bothell, as well as a state legislator.
Waymark Code: WM9W7B
Location: Washington, United States
Date Posted: 10/04/2010
Views: 4
In the downtown section of Bothell, permanently installed on the walls of the stores there are wooden figures and plaques of citizens of the city. They are near life sized, and I found it to be one of the more creative ways to honor people.
This figure and plaque of Gerhard Johan Ericksen, is of a man who goes back over one hundred years. As the plaque states, he was born in Molde, Norway on May 26, 1860, and died March 8, 1920. He was the first Postmaster, the first President of Bothell State Bank, and a State Legislator.
He stands there in a brown suit coat and light vest, and a hand half in a pocket, his blue eyes looking stately off into space. Beside him is most likely a descendant of his, since "Bud" L. Ericksen shares the same last name.
One reference, historylink.org, gives Gerhard the honor of being the one who named the town. He was the first to buy land from David Bothell, and, when he became the first Postmaster of the area in 1888, he was asked what to name it. His reply was, "There are so many Bothells in town and that's a good name, so let's call it Bothell" [see link]. In 1893, Ericksen's store had failed during an economic downturn, but went into business building a water flume to float short logs to make cedar shakes. He later started another store, and he became a State Legislator.
As a legislator, he is known for getting a road built from Seattle to Everett which went through Bothell. Part of it is still called the Bothell Everett Highway, though, over the years, it has changed and parts may have been rerouted.
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