All Over The Map: Roadside holiday signs live on in Everett
The south facing Buse Timber sign says Happy Holidays. (Buse Timber)
Anyone who’s driven on I-5 between Everett and Marysville around the holiday season in the past 56 years or so has probably seen them. Looking to the west from the busy lanes in the vicinity of several sloughs the highway crosses in that area, two low-key but reliable decorative signs have been a dependable fixture – and dependable source of mild holiday cheer – for generations of drivers.
Steward of the signs is Buse Timber, a company specializing in milling large pieces of lumber – big timbers – used in all kinds of construction projects around the Pacific Northwest. The company was founded in 1946 by brothers Del and Norm Buse; Del’s son Dave Buse sold it to a group of employees in 2004.