Shelter Bay slips quietly past 50 year anniversary

It was just over a half century ago that the Shelter Bay development, which some predicted would transform then sleepy La Conner into the Carmel of the Northwest, both literally and figuratively changed the local landscape.

That is when Osberg Construction of Seattle was in the midst of dredging millions of yards from what had been known as Indian Bay to create the present harbor and moorage area that serves as a visual anchor for the 420-acre planned residential community. The population now hovers near 2,000.

The Osberg firm employed large work crews and a fleet of heavy equipment for the jo...