When you visit historic downtown Anacortes, you might see a man wearing a black cap with a corncob pipe hanging from his pepper-gray beard scooting around in an electric three-wheel cart. That is local artist Bill Mitchell. He has decorated the town since 1984 with murals conveying its history. An example is this delightful painting of Skagit Saloon as it appeared in 1891. That was the year the town was founded and grew from 40 to 4000 residents in twelve months. The bar burned down in 1902. However, a reminder of its patrons’ antics lives on. So does the image of the bartender, owner and proprietor, A. Olsen.
