Rhs Newsletter 05 2007

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Reco er rd

MAY 2007 NEWSLETTER

Red

THE

REDMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

VOLUME 9, NUMBER 5

16600 NE 80th Street, Room 106 Redmond, WA 98052 ~ Tel 425.885.2919

Our Mission: To Discover, Recover, Preserve, Share and Celebrate Redmond’s History

website ~ www.redmondhistory.org e-mail ~ [email protected] HOURS: Tuesday through Thursday 1-6 p.m., Friday, 4-6 p.m. and by appointment

HISTORY IS HAPPENING IN REDMOND!

P

resident’s Corner



The business card reads:

DeJong Sawdust and Shavings Soft in all the right places

T

he Little Shoe Store That Could

At the end of June 2006, the Town Shoe Repair

Cory DeJong II bought the business on

at 7867 Leary

Avondale Road from Ade Rosenberg and

Way closed.

began delivering sawdust and wood chips

What made this

in a 1946 Chevy truck back in 1950. His wife,

little store unique

Ruby, put in her time to make the business a

is that it was

success by answering the phone and taking

one of the oldest

sawdust orders. It wasn’t long before

buildings in the

Cory III was riding in the truck with his dad

county, in its

and working alongside him. Cory III recalls the

original location,

day he and his dad took off in the truck and

that was still being used for the same purpose it was built for 102

by the time they got to Syse’s Corner, his dad turned to him and said, “We don’t have any orders today. Where are we going?” They worked together for years and finally Cory III took over. They continued on with a tradition of the family working together. (Continued on page 2)

Photo of Town Show Repair by Miguel Llanos.

years earlier! Ole Skjarstad, an immigrant from Norway who came to the U.S. in 1889, constructed the building in 1904. On the 1910 census he is listed as a shoemaker. He lived for a time with his wife, Mary, and daughter, Olive in the house behind the boot shop. That building is still there also, and it’s even older than the shop.

In 1904, Redmond was still

what would be called a frontier town and there were a lot fewer buildings in those days. There was the Odd Fellows Hall (now Edwardian Antiques) built in 1903, W.D. Donnelly General Merchandise built in 1900, the Corner Tavern Cory Dejong (left) with an unidentified employee in his salvage office.

The Redmond Recorder ~May 2007

Meeting Location: REDMOND LIBRARY

(Continued on page 3)

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MAY 12 MEETING Saturday, May 12 at 10:30 a.m. at the REDMOND LIBRARY 15990 NE 85th Street in Redmond Topic: Lake Washington Shipyards SPEAKER: Shirley Haines

History is Happening in Redmond!

2007 GENERAL MEETINGS 2nd Saturday of the Month 10 a.m. (unless otherwise stated) May 12th Meeting Place REDMOND LIBRARY Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center

16600 NE 80th St

june 16 (NEW DATE) ~ RHS holds its annual picnic at Anderson Park at noon. other meeting dates: september 8 October 13 November 9 ...................................................

President’s Corner (Continued from page 1)

Lorraine, Cory III’s wife, has been busy with telephone sales, and son Dave has worked as truck driver, loader operator and other various jobs. Their daughter Shannon is also involved in the business. It’s quite the family affair. Today the operation has expanded to 14 trucks, a couple dozen employees and two locations: Lake Stevens and on 11807 Avondale, across the street from the original site. One long-time employee is Scott Davidson. Today Scott and his two sons are part of the crew. Cory III tells me Scott started working when he was 8 years old. Where were the child labor laws? The business clientele has changed somewhat over the years. The first customers were chicken and dairy farmers. Then there were deliveries to horse farms of the rich and famous like Eddie Bauer and Chris Himes. Landscaping materials have been added to the wood by-products and are a major part of the business. So there you have it: bark, fertile

2007 Executive Board

mulch, chicken and chips, topsoil,

Judy Lang President Naomi Hardy Vice-President Miguel Llanos Vice-President Joanne Westlund Treasurer Margaret Wiese Corresponding Secretary Beryl Standley Recording Secretary

play chips, hog fuel, and wood carpet. Do we even know what some of those things are! Family and tradition are still trademarks of our great Redmond community. Come and hear more stories at our next meeting in the

Board of Directors

Terri Gordon Chris Himes Tom Hitzroth Jon Magnusson Amo Marr Doris Schaible Patti Simpson Ward

Executive Director

Beryl Standley

Attorney

Charles Diesen

...................................................

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The Redmond Recorder Published nine times annually Miguel Llanos Editor Patti Simpson Ward Newsletter Graphic Designer

The Redmond Recorder ~May 2007

Redmond Library at 10:30 a.m., May 12th. l Cory and Ruby DeJong

~ Judy Aries Lang, RHS President

A

nother Painful Paddle Memory

Wayne (Buck) Willhite sent this e-mail about teacher Russell Kellogg and his paddle: “I was reading the (March RHS) Redmond newsletter . . . article about Russell Kellogg. I just jumped out of my chair and grabbed my butt in memory. “I along with several others in shop class met with Homer ~ the 8-hole, 3/4 inch-wide, 16-inch-long paddle, guaranteed to raise you off the ground at least four inches. There were five of us that skipped shop class and went down to Sammamish Slough at the number nine hole in the Redmond Golf Links. We swam, played tag, had some pop, then called it a day.

2

(Continued on page 3)

History is Happening in Redmond!

T

he Little Shoe Store That Could

(Continued from page 1)

(now O’Leary Park) built in 1903, the Alpine Hut (formerly Redmond Hardware) built in 1903. Other buildings along Leary Way were constructed about this time showing that by 1904 Redmond was in a small building boom. Three hotels were also in that area of town. They were the

This photo shows today’s Leary Way around 1905. The second freestanding building from the right is the shoe store started by Ole Skjarstad. A simple “Shoe Store” sign hangs from the awning. (Photo used by permission of the Eastside Heritage Center.)

Hotel Redmond, the Hotel Walther, and the Sikes Valley Hotel. A circa 1905 photo of Leary Way shows that there were elevated wood sidewalks but the street was dirt. The photo also shows that there were only four buildings on that side of the block! Ole Skjarstad owned the first car in town, the first telephone, and opened the first bank account in the Redmond State Bank. Ole died in 1942, almost 40 years after he first came to town. This little building, the only one left on the block dwarfed by larger buildings, has had several changes of hands. At present the current owner is going to keep the little building at 7867 Leary Way as it is, so for now it can still witness the changes in Redmond as the city moves further into the 21st Century. l

A

Heap of Historical Thanks for These Donations

Dorothy Gilroy, Judy Lang and Doris

~ Tom Hitzroth

Another Painful Paddle Memory (Continued from page 2)

“The next day in shop class, it was explained to us what

Townsend for planning the book signing

we did wrong by going to the river. Going to the river was a

event at the library in February. And Beryl

lot of fun, butt turned out to be ‘not all that much fun.’

Standley and Joanne Westlund for successful sales at the event.

“There was stinging pain felt by all involved. I was last and will remember that 8-holer the rest of my life. Jim Van Noy was the first to get the swat, and after all was over we all

Tom Hitzroth for representing us in

(except for Jim) headed for the boys’ bathroom with a few

judging the Puget Sound regional history day

tears showing.

contests in March

“When we walked into the bathroom, there sat Jim in the sink full of cold water, with tears, and his pants down around

Eileen McCoskrie and Anne and Harvey Tollfeldt for booth sitting at the Parks Department’s Fun & Fit Fair

The Redmond Recorder ~May 2007

his ankles. “The humor in that vision took a lot of the sting out of the group.”

3

l

History is Happening in Redmond!

RHS

History Makers We thank these lifetime benefactors, folks recognized for either a significant financial contribution or their long-term dedication to the Society.

New Day for RHS Picnic!

MAJOR BENEFACTORS

Please see the

membership form on Page 6 for information on how to join this worthy group with a tax-deductible donation of $1,000 or more. l

Mark (or re-mark) your

John Anderson Barbara Neal Beeson Brad Best Naomi Hardy Patricia Weiss Jovag Barbara Weiss Joyce Glenn Lampaert (deceased) Roy Lampaert Miguel Llanos Jon Magnussen Daryl Martin Allison Reed Morris Charles Reed Frances Reed Vivian Robinson Laurie Rockenbeck Margy Rockenbeck William Rockenbeck Don Watts Margaret Evers Wiese

calendars for our third annual picnic at Anderson Park. We had to move it back a week to June 16. We’ll have burgers and hot dogs but please bring potluck as well. Anyone have ideas for music? The Oldtime Fiddlers might not be available this year, so suggestions are welcome. Call the office at 425.885.2919 or e-mail redmondhistory@hotmail. com. l

2007 Walking Tours RHS board member Tom

Hitzroth has lined up a new round of walking tours through old Redmond, and even added a

W

new building to the short route

ere You at Our April Meeting?

These were! First time attendees are noted in BOLD TYPE and a

Adams, Ray Anderson, Betty Anspach, Ray Arnesen, Jan Ballisty, Sharon Barker, Becky Bruneau, Bernie Bruneau, Pierre Chinn, Yvonne Davies, John Dreyfuss, Jenny Dudley, Irene Duffus, Natalie Dunlap, Fred Emmanuel, Tony Frey, Marilyn Frey, Stan Goshorn, Jean Etta Hammersberg, Clara Hammersberg, Jerry Hanson, Henry Hanson, Jo Hanson, Marge Hanson, Roy Himes, Chris

★ ★

★

★

★

★

Hudson, Carolyn Karimi, Christa Kenyon, Bruce LaBrie, Euclid Lambert, Benjamin Lambert, Hillary Lambert, Lyn Lambert, Steve Lang, Judy Llanos, Miguel Lyons, George Lyons, Jackie Magnuson, Cheryl Marrs, Pat Martin, Daryl Martin, Ward Matsui, Dorothy McCormick, Elma McCroskie, Eileen Miller, Larry Montgomery, Mary Morelli, Dante Morris, Richard Muñoz, Alexa Neal, Marion

★

★ ★ ★ ★

★

Peeples, Clint Phillips, John Phillips, Roxie Plackett, Holly Salmi, Anne Sellers, Dawn Stalwick, Dale Stoneback, Phyllis Swanson, Kris Torell, Jerry Townsend, Joe Trapp, Carol Vallene, Arlyn Westlund, Joanne White, Bob Wiese, Margaret Williams, Audrey Williams, Larry Williams, Lois Wilson, Dana Wilson, Jim Yoder, Bob Westlund, Joanne

as the result of new research.

★!

★

Space is limited, and to sign up either email Tom at [email protected] or call the office at 425.885.2919. The tour dates are: May 20, June 17 and September 16. The walks run from 1-2:30 p.m and start at the Justice White House across from Half-Price Books. They will not be held in case of rain. A $6 per person contribution is requested which goes toward buying a bench for the walking route. l

Class of 1967

Joanne Fraser (Miller in ’67!)

is hoping to organize a gettogether this summer for the Redmond High class of ’67. Contact her at joannefraser@ earthlink.net if you can be part of the party. l

The Redmond Recorder ~May 2007

4

History is Happening in Redmond!

R

edmond Reads RedmondReflections



Reader feedback is just phenomenal as folks express their appreciation for our new book. They tell us it brings back old memories and explains some things they’d always wondered about, but best of all, it encourages them to share their own recollections, photographs and topics—for the next printing! Jo Ann Ingersoll writes us about the cover: “I love the picture on the cover . . . Although I didn’t see Josef Scaylea taking this photograph, I remember the day itself very well. “At the time, our house was located right where Redmond Florist is today in the Bear Creek Shopping Center. The cows belonged to my neighbors, Rex and Ruth Rosenbach, who lived across Avondale Way from us. “The day Scaylea took this photograph, Rex had brought his cattle to graze in this field, which the Rosenbachs rented from Mr. Buckley. I looked out my kitchen window and wondered why all of the cows were running. Then I noticed that Kelly, my wire-haired terrier, was chasing them. With a lot of effort, we finally caught our dog and got the cows settled down in their new home—the beautiful pasture shown on the cover of Redmond Reflections. “My husband, Russ, painted a picture of that same landscape, from exactly the same viewpoint, but without the cows. It was such a pretty scene with the creek making a curve at that point. I don’t know what happened to that painting. Does anyone know?” Help us all learn more about Redmond. Mail your comments and/or corrections about Redmond Reflections to our office in the Old Schoolhouse, or e-mail us at [email protected]. l

✂ Redmond Reflections Order Form We ship free for current members, so if you haven't joined or renewed, there's a form on the last page of this newsletter that you can send in with the book order form below. Price per book: $21.78 ($20.00 + $1.78 Washington Sales Tax) (Non-Members, please add postage: $3 for one book, $5 for two and $8 for three or more) ADDRESS TO MAIL BOOK(S) TO:

Name:______________________________________

Name:____________________________________

Telephone: __________________________________

Address: __________________________________

No. of Books Ordered: ________________________

City/St./Zip: _______________________________

Amount Enclosed: ____________________________

__________________________________________

Mail completed form (please print clearly) and check or money order to:

Redmond Historical Society 16600 NE 80th, Room 106 Redmond, WA 98052

The Redmond Recorder ~May 2007

5

History is Happening in Redmond!

WANTED!!! BUSINESS PARTNERS!

IS YOUR BUSINESS ROOTED IN REDMOND? if so, Redmond Historical Society is looking for partners who, in exchange for a tax deductable financial donation, would be allowed to reach our 1,200 readers via this space and on our website at: www.redmondhistory.org Contact Miguel Llanos at [email protected] or by phone at 425.869.9806.

J

oin the Redmond Historical Society AND HELP DISCOVER, RECOVER, PRESERVE AND SHARE REDMOND’S HISTORY!

LEVELS OF MEMBERSHIP (✓ Check one only.) $5.00 $20.00 $35.00 $200.00 $250.00 $1,000.00

❍ TRAILBLAZER (Student) ❍ PIONEER (Individual) ❍ HOMESTEADER (Family) ❍ ENTREPRENEUR (Supporter) ❍ CORPORATE (Business) ❍ HISTORY MAKER (Lifetime) All Contributions are tax deductible.

✂

Please make checks payable to: REDMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY

✉ Fill out the form below and mail it with your check to:

Redmond Historical Society Attn: Membership ORSCC, Room 106 16600 NE 80th Street Redmond, WA 98052

(PLEASE CLIP AND MAIL THIS INFORMATION WITH YOUR CHECK.)

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