Completed in 1896, Chuckanut Drive was the first road to connect Whatcom County with points south and helped usher in a new era of transportation in northwest Washington, where travel had commonly been done by canoe, steam boat, sailing ship, or train. The road enabled residents to market their products in Bellingham and return home the same day, and people also traveled it for its scenic beauty. In 1901, amid controversy, Skagit County sold a three mile section of the road to the Great Northern Railway, and the road remained impassable until convicts from local jails began rebuilding it in 1910. From 1913 until 1931, Chuckanut Drive was part of the Pacific Highway, which stretched from San Diego, California to Vancouver, British Columbia, and travelers from this spot have long enjoyed views of Puget Sound, the San Juan Islands, and the Olympic Mountains on the horizon.