Eui Ho Shin stands outside the Index General Store that he bought nine months ago. He moved from West Seattle with his family to get away from the city after two robbery attempts.

A beloved, one-lane bridge has spanned the north fork of the Skykomish River and marked the entrance to town for nearly eight decades. The county will replace the decaying structure with a new two-lane bridge.

With Mount Index in the background, Amanda Hovde Muth, 4, tries to reign in Bandit and Cassie. Her family, from Edmonds, has owned a cabin in Index for 40 years. They come up about 12 times a year.

Wes Smith, 85, has lived in Index since 1917, and his wife, Hazel, 81, has lived in the town almost as long.

Postmaster Cheryl Fleming entertains children who visit the post office located in the back of the Index General Store.

Bailey Hale, 3-1/2, reacts as a Snoopy puppet pops out of the mailboxes at the Index Post Office. She is with her sister, Donna, left, and friend Elizabeth Finley.

Potter Peter Olsen has his dog Max to keep him company in the studio behind his home. He sells his pottery along with two other artists at the Avenue A Gallery.

Chelan Blue Tove Soper, 17, left, who was born in Index and lived there all her life, shows Yarrow Breen Landkamer, 17, her artwork outside the Bush House, a popular meeting spot for teens.

Dan McLaughlin is the town's maintenance man and a longtime river boatman. His dog Dire waits in the truck while McLaughlin makes his recycling rounds.

An idyllic view of Index, captured from Lookout Point 800 feet above town.

Come rain or snow, Bob Hubbard of Index walks everywhere he goes, often 16 to 18 miles per day. He likes to travel through the woods where nature provides boundless curiosities he details in his newspaper column.