The beautiful tulip fields of Skagit County are familiar to all in this northwest section of Washington, and a continuing tourist attraction. Skagit County produces three-fourths of all bulbs in the state, according to research by Charles J. GOULD, Plant Pathologist Emeritus of Washington State University.

          In 1989 the total acreage in the state was over 2,000 acres, but this included one firm in Skagit County which grew 1,310 acres and is the largest producer of iris, tulips and narcissus (daffodil) bulbs in the U.S. and perhaps in the world. The total acreage now is about the highest on record.

          It was only natural for bulb festivals to spring up when beauty came by the acre. The first large festival was an annual Tulip Festival at Bellingham from 1920 to 1930, followed by the Puyallup Valley Daffodil Festival in 1926, which is reported to have the third largest flower parade in the U.S.

          The La Conner Civic Garden Club presented a Tulip show from 1946 to 1964, until Oak Harbor’s Holland Happening began. It originally included a tulip show. The La Conner club sold its tulip show staging to Oak Harbor.

          About 1985 Mount Vernon opened the Skagit Valley Tulip Festival with many other communities participating.

          George William GIBBS is credited with having planted the nucleus of the first recorded commercial bulb farm in Washington state, in 1892. GIBBS, born in England, was already 62 when he began growing bulbs on 121 acres of land near the town of Orcase on Orcas Island in the San Juans.

          GIBBS expanded his bulb plantings and put himself in touch with leading growers in Holland. Apparently GIBBS bragged about his results and was told by one Dutch grower, to “beware that he was not heading for a fall…it was impossible for a grown man to succeed in the business of bulb culture without having been familiarized with the industry from childhood.” This got the Captain’s dander up and he sent samples of his bulbs to Holland for examination. The Dutch grower later visited GIBBS at Orcase “to see for himself another land which could grow bulbs equal to Holland.”

          In May 1898, a party of expert bulb growers from Holland made a special visit to GIBBS’ gardens, reporting “we were astonished to see such fine plants grown in that part of the world by a man never trained in bulb culture. Here we saw lilies and other plants growing stronger than we had ever seen them in any country.” That fall GIBBS imported 50,000 more bulbs from Holland. All were dug and planted by hand.

          GIBBS later moved to near Bellingham and as late as 1907, when he was 77 years old, he was still growing bulbs. He was honored among horticulturists, and Dr. FLETCHER of Cornell wrote in 1904 that the honor of being the pioneer bulb grower of Washington belongs to Mr. George GIBBS of Bellingham. His exhibits and speeches may have been responsible for the development of bulb growing here.

          GIBBS died at the age of 89. GOULD wrote “…I believe that we owe to George William GIBBS the title of 'Father of the Bulb Industry in Washington State'.”