Alfred W. Pettibone (March 14, 1835 – September 2, 1914) was one of the first Bellingham, Washington residents and pioneers who actively participated in the city's formation, in particular developing the merchandise trade and real estate businesses.
In the beginning of his career, he worked as a trader in Victoria and Langley, Canada, supplying international explorers, and then became one of the biggest local merchants in Lodi, Wisconsin, during the American Civil War.
The Pettibones' family house in Bellingham, built on Eldridge Avenue, later became one of the city's historic buildings.
In 1858, he moved to Whatcom County, Washington, travelling there on a number of steamers, including the John L. Stevens and the Oregon.
At the time, the city was under control of the Hudson's Bay Company and Governor Douglass, who forced the Pettibones to move their enterprise to Victoria, Canada.
[2] For some time, the Pettibones worked in Victoria, and later opened a branch firm in Langley, a city on the Fraser River.
When it closed, the brothers returned to Wisconsin, where Pettibone did business in Lodi, becoming one of the biggest local merchants during the Civil War.
[4][9] The Pettibones were one of the Peabody heirs, and in 1886, after a series of legal disputes over land in Bellingham, they built a family home in the heart of the city on Eldridge Avenue.