Wyatt and Bethal executed real estate dealings and were later known as the "Fathers of Everett," while Jane served as their partner and principal advisor.

The Rucker family owned 50 acres (20 ha) of downtown Everett and in 1891 they were the first to put the city's platted lots on the market.

[1][5][4][6][7][excessive citations] In 1889, after James J. Hill's announcement that the Great Northern Railway would come over the Cascade Mountains to Puget Sound region, the excitement rose that it would also reach the Port Gardner Peninsula (an area formed by the Snohomish River and Port Gardner Bay, which later became a central part of the City of Everett).

[7][13][1] At the time of the Ruckers' arrival, the area mainly consisted of forests and was sparsely settled by Coast Salish peoples.

They built their house there and started to plat the townsite of Port Gardner in partnership with William G. Swalwell, his brother Wellington, and Frank B.

[8][14][15][16][4][6][11][12][1][excessive citations] Their plans for Port Gardner were interrupted by Henry Hewitt Jr., a lumberman and land speculator from Tacoma.

Hewitt invited John D. Rockefeller, American Steel Barge Company president Charles L. Colby, and Great Northern director Colgate Hoyt to invest in the area's development.

They agreed to cooperate and each of them transferred half of their holdings (overall, near 800 acres (320 ha) of land) to the East Coast syndicate.

[17][6][8] In different accounts, Jane Rucker was described as "a woman of exceptional ability,"[14] "intelligent and independent," and was considered a partner and advisor in the business affairs of her sons.

[7] The Ruckers also donated some of their property to house Everett's early factories and were involved in major city negotiations, such as the construction of a harbor.

They built a mountain resort, the Big Four Inn, had interests in several banking enterprises and commercial organizations, engaged in timber and mining businesses.

[13] After Jane Rucker's death, her sons built a pyramid-shaped monument with a tomb inside in Evergreen Cemetery honoring their mother.

[7] The inscription on the door of the mausoleum dedicated to Jane Rucker by her sons read "The Pioneer of Everett, The True Wife, The Perfect Mother, The Soul of Honor.