Editing Index, Washington (section)

===Early 20th century===
[[File:Index panorama, 1912 (PICKETT 104).jpeg|thumb|right|Panoramic view of Index, photographed in 1912 by Lee Pickett]]

Amos Gunn sold his properties in Index in 1899 shortly after the death of his wife Persis.<ref name="Whitfield">{{cite book |last=Whitfield |first=William M. |year=1926 |title=History of Snohomish County, Washington |pages=611–612 |publisher=Pioneer Historical Publishing Company |location=Chicago |oclc=8437390 |url=https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102122401 |via=[[HathiTrust]] |access-date=April 30, 2020 |archive-date=June 29, 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200629200801/https://catalog.hathitrust.org/Record/102122401 |url-status=live}}</ref> The town continued to grow with the arrival of social clubs, a schoolhouse, and its first newspaper, the ''Index Miner'' (later the ''Index News''), in 1899. In November 1902, a second major fire destroyed several buildings in the town, including the [[assay office]], and killed one person.<ref name="Whitfield"/> A granite [[quarry]] also opened east of Index in 1904 and later provided materials for the [[Washington State Capitol]] building in [[Olympia, Washington|Olympia]].<ref name="PI-Change"/><ref name="Whitfield"/> It became one of the main employers in the area, along with logging to supply a new [[sawmill]] that was later acquired by the Index-Galena Lumber Company.<ref name="PI-Change"/><ref name="Burgstahler-21">{{harvp|Burgstahler|1980|pp=21–24}}</ref> Plans to build a [[hydroelectric dam]] and a [[pulp mill]] at sites along both forks of the Skykomish River were proposed but never began construction.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> Index was also promoted as a tourist destination for [[recreational fishing|sport fishing]] and mountaineering;<ref name="HL-Incorporation"/><ref name="PI-1983"/> by 1905, it had five hotels and drew hundreds of visitors by train during the summer season.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>

Index was officially incorporated as a [[City government in Washington (state)|fourth-class city]] on October 11, 1907, with several hundred residents.<ref name="HL-Incorporation"/> A [[volunteer fire department]] was established and moved into a permanent [[fire station]] in 1913; its old facility was converted into a [[town hall]] with a [[jail]].<ref name="Burgstahler-21"/> An unpaved county road was completed from Gold Bar to Index in 1911, which brought regular automobiles to the area and scheduled bus service. The road included a bridge over the Skykomish River that was destroyed by one of two major floods in 1917 and later rebuilt.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> The [[Stevens Pass Highway]] (now part of [[U.S. Route 2 in Washington|U.S. Route 2]]) opened on July 11, 1925, and opened the area to [[skiing]] with the development of a new [[Stevens Pass Ski Area|ski area]] a few years later.<ref>{{harvp|Roe|1995|p=125}}</ref> The Great Northern's local "Dinkies" trains, which made daily stops in every Skykomish Valley settlement and provided Index with passenger and postal service, was discontinued in 1925 after the highway opened. The Stevens Pass Highway was rebuilt by the state government in 1933 and [[bypass (road)|bypassed]] Index, which reduced tourist traffic to the town and caused several businesses to close.<ref name="HistoryLink"/><ref name="Times-Bush">{{cite news |last=Eals |first=Clay |date=June 2, 2022 |title=Index's only inn perseveres amid historic charm and challenge |url=https://www.seattletimes.com/pacific-nw-magazine/indexs-only-inn-perseveres-amid-historic-charm-and-challenge/ |work=The Seattle Times |accessdate=February 6, 2025}}</ref>

The town's major industries saw reduced business during the early years of the [[Great Depression]], which resulted in the shutdown of lumber mills and mines in the area.<ref name="Roe-158">{{harvp|Roe|1995|pp=158–159}}</ref> The granite quarry closed permanently after a fire destroyed its warehouse in May 1932; it was not rebuilt due to the decreased demand for granite. A [[Civilian Conservation Corps]] camp was established east of Index in 1934 to provide jobs for unemployed men and improve lands owned by the [[United States Forest Service]] in the Cascades.<ref name="HistoryLink"/> On August 16, 1939, a [[wildfire]] that formed west of Index swept into the town and destroyed the church and seven residences;<ref name="HistoryLink"/><ref>{{cite news |date=August 17, 1939 |title=Fires Still Threaten Index |page=1 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-fires-still-threaten-in/164887559/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=February 6, 2025}}</ref> hundreds of firefighters from the United States Forest Service and local fire departments in the region prevented the fire from causing further damage before it retreated into the forests.<ref name="Roe-158"/><ref>{{cite news |date=August 19, 1939 |title=300 State and Federal Men on Fire Lines Continue to Fight Flames Near Index |page=1 |work=The Everett Herald |url=https://www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-herald-300-state-and-federal-m/164887604/ |via=Newspapers.com |accessdate=February 6, 2025}}</ref> The Sunset Mine, the last remaining copper mine in the area, had financial issues and was taken over by its workers after a dispute over unpaid wages; it was shut down in 1942 by a federal order to halt mining of non-essential materials during [[World War II]]. A natural [[hot springs]] near the town continued to draw tourists and was developed into a major resort named the Garland Mineral Springs; during World War II, it was converted into a [[United States Coast Guard|Coast Guard]] training camp.<ref name="HistoryLink"/>