The Cicero area is composed of a narrow fertile valley along the North Fork Stillaguamish River.  Grant Creek, named after early settler John Grant, is the largest tributary of the river in the area, flowing down from the northern slopes of the valley near Fraily Mountain.  Bridalveil  Falls, now called Ryan Falls, was a real show stopper for travelers easily seen driving the Arlington-Darrington Road or coming up by train.

The first white settlers to come to the area in 1884 were Ralph Collingwood & his wife.  Mrs. Collingwood recalled that big event in her life “ On the first day of March, 1884, Mr. & Mrs. Collingwood, Ed Fisher, & Mr. Parks pitched their tent at the McEwan place, three miles up the North Fork Stillaguamish River & took possession of an old bachelor cabin. They had been taken up the river by Siwash Friday & his klootchman.  They had reached the place the third day after leaving Stanwood. That night a heavy snow fell & the next morning the men began to cut a trail to Mr. Collingwood's homestead claim three miles to the westward, which required eleven days. Then a cabin was built, the supplies packed in & Mrs. Collingwood, the first white woman on the North Fork Stillaguamish River took her canine body guard 'Shep' & moved into her first home".   They farmed their homestead many years building a substantial dairy herd.  Her husband of 32 years, Mr. Collingwood died at his home on February 5, 1897.  Mrs. Jennie Collingwood sold their dairy farm to Alfred & James Cavanaugh leaving a wilderness life she knew so well and community called Harmony.

Shortly after the Collingwoods arrived to the valley, Hiram Monty staked a claim in 1885 south of the river and built up a prosperous farm.  Other early homesteaders that settled around the Harmony community were the McNally brothers to the south of the river clearing land for a sheep ranch, John Grant north of the river toward Fraily Mountain was putting in a large orchard of fruit trees, Fock Brothers to the south of the river planted a large apple orchard.  Ben Hilderbrand north of the river  was building up a successful farm & also ran the local ferry.  In 1892 the growing settlement built a schoolhouse, the Fock brothers to the south if the river donated the land & Miss Kellogg came to Harmony as the first teacher. The school served also as a community hall & place for religious services.  The first road up the valley was to reach Harmony in 1897, anticipating this great accomplishment Ben Hilderbrand asserted the importance of building bridge over his land providing a right of way to cross the river & connect their divided community.  This was named the Hilderbrand Bridge and over time part of the settlement was referred to as Hilderbrand Crossing.  This bridge was where the current SR 530 bridge is today, the old bulkheads where this bridge once was is between the highway & the Whitehorse Trail.  Charles Hillis came to the valley in 1896 working as a hired man for the Hilderbrand Farm. Ben Hilderbrand's passed away the same year, April 9, 1896.  H.O. Siler & Charles Hillis bought the farm & later Charles built a road to his place from the new county road, this is still goes by the name as the Hillis Road.