Van Zandt, Washington facts for kids

This building used to be a church in Van Zandt, but now it's a woodworking shop.

Van Zandt is a small place in Whatcom County, Washington. It's called an unincorporated community, which means it's a town that isn't officially run by its own local government, but by the county.

In Van Zandt, you'll find a community hall, a park, a cemetery, and a volunteer fire station. There's also a church. Most people here live in the countryside and work in farming or lumber, which means working with wood and trees. The area also has a natural rock formation called the Van Zandt Dike, named after the community.

Van Zandt's Past: A Look at Its History

Early Days and the Post Office

Van Zandt got its own post office in 1892. It stayed open until 1955. The community was named after J. M. Van Zandt. He was the first postmaster and started living there in 1883. After the post office closed, people in Van Zandt started getting their mail from Deming, a nearby town.

The Old Schoolhouse and Community Hall

A schoolhouse was built in Van Zandt in 1925. It's still standing today, but it needs a lot of repairs. This building now serves as a community hall where people gather. It also hosts KAVZ-LP, a local radio station. As of 2024, the community is working hard to raise money to fix the building. The state of Washington even gave them a grant of $500,000 to help with the repairs!

Logging and Railroads

In the 1930s, the Northern Pacific Railway built a train track through the valley. This made logging much more popular in the area. Many roads and small logging railroads were built into the sides of the valley to help move the timber.

Everybody's Store: A Community Hub

Van Zandt used to have a popular store called Everybody's Store. It opened in 1970 and closed in 2019. This store was a fun place to visit and brought tourists to the community. It sold gifts, clothes, special artisan meats and cheeses, and even ice cream.

The Ecovillage Commune

In 1971, an 80-acre homestead was started in Van Zandt. In 1983, this land was given to the Evergreen Land Trust. This organization helps set up communes in Washington. Today, an ecovillage commune lives on the land. They play an active role in the local community.

Bridge Replacement Project

In 2016, the bridge over the Nooksack River on Potter Road was replaced. The old bridge was built way back in 1927 and was becoming unsafe for people to use.

Getting Around Van Zandt: Transportation

Van Zandt is located between two towns, Acme and Deming. It sits along Washington State Route 9. You can also get to Van Zandt by bus! The WTA bus line 72X has one stop in front of the community center. However, this bus only comes twice a day. A train track owned by BNSF also runs through the middle of the community.

Fun in Van Zandt: Recreation

Parks and Community Events

Van Zandt has a park called Josh VanderYacht Memorial Park. This park has courts for different sports and a playground. Events also happen in the community hall and in a gazebo located inside the park.

Hiking Trails and Waterfalls

The valley where Van Zandt is located has some trails and spots for hiking. One place, Hard Scrabble Falls, used to be a popular waterfall to hike to. However, the private owner of the land has closed the trail. This was done to protect the land around the falls because of unruly activity. You can still see the falls from the highway. Other waterfalls and creeks are in the valley, but they are often on private property.

River Activities

Tubing down the South Fork Nooksack River used to be a popular summer activity in Van Zandt. It was especially popular in the neighboring town of Acme. But in 2022, the Whatcom County Council voted to ban tubing. This was done to protect the home of Chinook salmon in the river. However, Swimming is still a popular summer activity in the area. The Van Zandt Dike also used to be a spot for recreational target shooting.

See also

• Index of Washington (state)-related articles
• List of unincorporated communities in Washington
• Deming, Washington
• Acme, Washington