History is Happening in Redmond!
The Redmond Recorder September 2004 Vol. 6, No. 7 Redmond Historical Society Our mission: To discover, recover, preserve, share and celebrate Redmond’s history 16600 NE 80th St, Room 106, Redmond, WA 98052 425-885-2919 www.redmondhistory.org
[email protected] Office hours: Tuesday-Wednesday-Thursday, 1-4pm, or by appointment
President’s Corner
A Tale of Two Parks
Redmond Bicycle Derby 2004 awarded us the “Community Spirit Award” for our entry in the parade. Our special thanks to Butch Kent for providing us with two 1947 vintage Ford fire trucks as our entry. Members spreading the “community spirit” and riding on the trucks were Eileen McCoskrie, Jo Ann Ingersol, Naomi Hardy, Beryl Standley, Patsy Rosenbach, Daryl Martin, and drivers Butch and John Kent and myself. Cheryl Magnuson and Miguel Llanos quizzed the crowd with Redmond trivia. Steve and Doug Rowe, Amo Marr’s grandsons, carried our banner. See Page 6 for a group photo. Janice Armstrong Mayer, Eileen McCoskrie, Jean Etta Dudley, and Mary Montgomery kept our office open for visitors afterwards. For many of us growing up in Redmond, the Derby has been a longtime interest. Something you just wouldn’t want to miss. This was the first time Jo Ann had ridden in the parade and now she is hooked. There is just a special feeling being part of it. You can join this “community spirit” and “history happening” by visiting us at our next general meeting Sept. 11th at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center at 10:30 am. Hope to see you there.
County forsakes Marymoor, City dedicates Perrigo With dozens of Perrigos present, the City on July 31 dedicated Perrigo Community Park and the plaque at right -providing a great place to play and connect to our heritage. Just a few miles away at Marymoor, however, King County Parks has turned its crown jewel into a cash cow, milking it without regard to heritage. How so? Evicting Marymoor Museum in 2003 to make way for a concert promoter; Dissecting the historic area around Clise Mansion with a cyclone fence and green slats for concert events; Continued on Page 2
September 11 meeting and sawmill tour! Siblings Lorraine and Duane Isackson will take us back to rural Redmond, with Lorraine talking about the Happy Valley Grange and Duane about his family’s sawmill, the last on the Eastside, and his great-uncle’s 1887 log cabin, the second oldest structure in the area. Duane will also take folks on a mill tour afterwards, from 12.30-2pm. Take Redmond-Fall City Road to 244 Ave NE, then right about 50 feet.
Judy Aries Lang
The Redmond Recorder 9/04
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History is Happening in Redmond!
2004 Meetings All @ 10:30 am Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center 16600 NE 80th St. Second Saturday of the month Sept. 11, Oct. 9, Nov. 13 _________________________
2004 Executive Board Judy Lang, President Naomi Hardy, VP Miguel Llanos, VP Teresa Becker, Treasurer Margaret Wiese, Corresponding Secretary Beryl Standley, Recording Secretary Board of Directors Terri Gordon Tom Hitzroth Amo Marr Doris Schaible Veronica Smirnov
We need… Office help We need someone to staff our office Thursdays 1-4 p.m. from Oct. 21st to Jan. 2005. And we’ll continue to be closed Mondays unless a volunteer comes forward.
A Tale of Two Parks Continued from Page 1
Destroying the original gate pillars to Clise Mansion, seen at right along West Lake Sammamish Parkway before the deed. The County has also angered those who see parks as a sanctuary from urban life by opening RV camping spots and signing a deal for a fast food franchise shop inside the grounds. Society board member Tom Hitzroth, a past president of the Marymoor Museum, won a battle over the fence but since it had already been installed King County Parks was allowed to keep it this year. A few weeks later, he learned that the pillars had been destroyed. “I am saddened and angered by the loss,” he said. “After surviving out there for 99 Photo by Tom Hitzroth years the gatehouse pillars are gone.” Park Program Manager Norah Gaynor, in an e-mail to Tom, said she had contacted the Eastside Heritage Center but it didn’t want the pillars and they were “disposed of” since “the posts were not in the historic area so I don’t believe we had any requirement to consult with (King County) Cultural Resources on their disposal.” EHC Director Eden Toner doesn’t recall being contacted, and the entire episode doesn’t sit well with Tom. “The County’s attempt to resolve the entrance gate issue with Eastside Heritage Center was a token gesture,” he said. “The fact that the County felt no obligation to really see if preservation was an option demonstrates their ambivalence to historical issues.” The City of Redmond, on the other hand, has shown that heritage and parks work together to build community. Mayor Rosemarie Ives, several city council members, City parks officials and retired Parks Director John Couch were among those on Perrigo Community Park dedication day – a day that will be remembered for preserving our heritage, not destroying it.
Archive help Our archive notebooks need to be updated. Can be done at your leisure; no experience needed.
Videos, oral histories Transfer videotapes to CDs; tape interviews. Call Judy Lang at 425-823-3551
The Redmond Recorder 9/04
Photo by Miguel Llanos
Perrigos and others listen as Mayor Rosemarie Ives dedicates Perrigo Community Park and the plaque honoring pioneers Warren and Laura Perrigo, and William and Matilda Perrigo. The park is on 196th Ave NE between NE 95th (aka Conrad Olsen Road) and Union Hill Road.
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History is Happening in Redmond!
Our Condolences To relatives of Woody Reed and Colleen Perrigo Tosh Willis, Society members who passed away this summer.
City seeks info on Sammamish River Have you got personal histories, old photos, surveys, articles, etc., about the river, or slough, as some prefer to call it? If so, the City’s Division of Natural Resources would love to get a copy for its river records. Contact Peter Holte at 425-556-2822 or
[email protected].
Can you help clip newspaper obituaries? We’ve collected, scanned and indexed 500 obituaries of folks who contributed to Redmond’s history. But we need a volunteer to clip obituaries from current King County Journal, Redmond Reporter, Seattle Times and Seattle P-I newspapers. Also, if you have any old family obituaries, we’d appreciate photocopies of them. Newspaper name and date are helpful. Contact Margaret Wiese at
[email protected] or 425-7460472 if you can help!
Lampaert Lane Dedicated Glenn and Roy Lampaert as well as relatives and friends were on hand to dedicate the City’s first historic street signs on July 5. On 160th Ave NE just across from the library and bank, two signs mark the fact that this area used to be the Lampaert family’s cattle operation, the dirt road to which was known as Lampaert Lane. Mayor Rosemarie Ives pushed for the street signs, and a series of nine more are in the works. At the dedication, City Council President Nancy McCormick thanked the Lampaerts for their family’s contributions to our heritage. Photo by Miguel Llanos
President Bush in Redmond
Photo correction Duane Isackson and Tony Emmanuel point out that the truck shown with Tony’s story in the June newsletter is not the truck Tony wrote about. Both were owned by Henry Isackson, but the one photographed was bought for parts and never driven by Henry. The Redmond Recorder 9/04
Katherine Ganter / Redmond Reporter
It’s true, after a fundraiser at a Yarrow Point home, President Bush spent the night at the new Marriott on Aug. 13. His motorcade is seen here turning into Redmond Town Center. He made no speeches, but we’re sure he got a good’s night sleep in our fair city. Have any other presidents visited Redmond? See Page 6 for the answer.
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History is Happening in Redmond! East Side Journal April 21, 1927:
Redmondiscing… Yvonne Conway, daughter of Vonal (Tac) and Margaruite (Perky) Johnson, sent in a wonderful biography of her life. Here’s the first of several excerpts we’ll publish over the next few months: My grandparents were Mark and Mable (Perrigo) Johnson. Their home still stands on Avondale Road where my cousin (their granddaughter) resides today. Mable and her twin brother attended the first Redmond School. Mark was well known for his hunting abilities and his hound dogs. Farmers could count on Mark and his hounds to hunt down the bear and cougars that killed their farm animals. Everyone in the area looked forward to the Old Timers Picnic Mark and Mable held at their home each year in June.
East Side Journal Oct. 28, 1926:
Perrigo family collection
Mark and Mable Johnson are in the lead car, starting out in 1923 for faraway Maine.
In their younger days, they sold beef, pork and chickens in Seattle’s Pike Place Market. They traveled there by horse and buggy to the Kirkland ferry, which took them to Madison Park and then they traveled to the market. Because it was snowing one day, Mark hitched up the sled. When they reached Madison Park there was no snow. Mable walked all the way to the market because she was too embarrassed to be seen in a sled that was shooting sparks from the metal runners. My parents were Vonal and Margaruite Johnson but everyone knew them as Tac and Perky. My first grade teacher asked each one of us to state our name and our parents’ names. I said my name was Yvonne Johnson and my parents are Tac and Perky. My teacher said she believed those were their nicknames, and asked, what are their given names? When I got home, the first words out of my mouth was, “Mama, what is your name?” Mother’s brother called her Perky as a small child. Dad played on the Redmond football team, was a good tackler, hence the name Tac. The Redmond Recorder 9/04
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History is Happening in Redmond!
Thank Yous! A heap of historical thanks to these great people for donating treasures, expertise, time and energy! Amo Marr and Rose Weiss for staffing a Society booth at the Issaquah Chorale Society performance.
Linda Swanberg for facilitating our receipt of City records of building permits, sewer permits, etc. These contain lists of virtually everyone in town with their addresses -- a great research resource.
Duane Isackson for the square nails from his family's 1887 log cabin.
Nancy Glines for photos of dredging the Sammamish River, Addie's Cafe and Red Sundblad.
Shirley Haines for a photograph of Syse's Bear Creek Service Station.
Katherine Forgue Barker for allowing us to copy Her family photo album.
Melna Skillingstead for a golf ball found on the old Redmond Golf Links course. Tony Emmanuel for the J.J. Welcome Construction pamphlet.
Patsy Barker for photos of Dan Hager's interview with Clarence Barker, Daryl Martin and Dick Radtke and for arranging her brother’s visit.
Eric Erickson for the US Geological map showing Eric’s research of Siler’s logging operation.
Richard Grubb for a framed picture of the Justice White House, political ephemera and legal papers from his battles to save agricultural land in the Sammamish Valley.
Carol Trapp for her help with the Derby display.
Daryl Martin for working in the office this summer.
Ray Haines for "On the Ways" articles.
Jackie Norris for displaying her apple collection in the hallway display case and for donating, in conjunction with the Tolt Historical Society, Edna Isackson's graduation certificate from Redmond High School, Class of 1926
Tom Hitzroth for representing us with speaking engagements.
The Saturday Market volunteers.
Frank and Miye Yoshitake for SVN copies.
Were You at our June 12 Meeting? These folks were: Alexander, Margo Marr Anderson, Betty Buckley Ballisty, Sharon Barker, Bill* Barker, Katherine Forgue* Becker, Teresa Lang Bellings, Lucille Hansen Blair, Dusty Watts Call, Mardy Cash, Romni Cisneros, Nancy Dudley, Irene Elduen, Violet Emmanuel, Tony Frey, Stan Garland, Lillian Gilbert, Evelyn King Glines, Nancy* Gordon, Terri Goshorn, Jean Etta Dudley Groen, Luke Hall, Pat Hansen, Tom Hanson, Marge
The Redmond Recorder 9/04
Hanson, Roy Hardy, Jerry Hardy, Naomi Hitzroth, Tom Ingersoll, Jo Ann Isackson, Duane Isackson, Joanne* Lang, Judy Aries Leicester, Norma Leland, Bea* Llanos, Miguel Magnuson, Cheryl Magruder, Joan Mann, Ellie Marr, Clare (Amo) Martin, Daryl Mayer, Jan McCormick, Elma McCoskrie, Don McCoskrie, Eileen Mellquest, Gerry Radtke Mercer, Betty Miller, Larry
Moffett, Ben* Moffett, Leena Koskinen* Montgomery, Mary Murphy, Ed Norris, Jackie Rosenbach, Patsy Stoneback, Phyllis Standley, Beryl Sugden, Charlene Johnston Sugden, Mark* Sween, Faye Tollfeldt, Ann Tollfeldt, Harvey Truss, Colin Truss, Pamela Turner, Judy Gilbert Usibelli, Helen Watkins, JoAnn Weil-Piechenick, Shlomit Weiss, Rose Wiese, Margaret Evers Willis, Colleen Perrigo Tosh *First-time attendees
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History is Happening in Redmond!
Derby Days 2004 Parade Old Town Walking Tour Tom Hitzroth will walk you through Leary Way and its history. Sign up now, as the group is limited to 10 people. Tom uses jokes and trivia to make it lively. Dates: Sept. 19 Time: 1:00 to 2:30 Cost: $6 How to sign up: E-mail Tom at
[email protected] Or call office at 425-885-2919
For a who was who in our parade entry, see Page 1.
Other Presidents in Redmond? William Howard Taft stayed at the Hotel Redmond. Some accounts have Teddy Roosevelt visiting as well. As for a well known photo of then Mayor Chris Himes greeting President Jimmy Carter, that was at Boeing Field.
Newsletters via E-mail If you have e-mail please consider receiving our newsletter that way in order to save on mailing costs. To sign up, e-mail
[email protected]. If it doesn’t work out you can always go back to US Mail.
Join the Redmond Historical Society Please pay 2004 dues ASAP!! And help discover, recover, preserve, share and celebrate Redmond’s history! Levels of Membership (Check 1 only)
Trailblazer (Student) ............... $ 5.00 Pioneer (Individual) ............. $ 20.00 Homesteader (Family) ......... $ 35.00 Entrepreneur (Supporter) ... $ 200.00 Corporate (Business).......... $ 250.00 History Maker (Lifetime) $ 1,000.00 All Contributions are Tax Deductible
Please make checks payable to: Redmond Historical Society Mail To: Redmond Historical Society Attn: Membership ORSCC, Room 106 16600 NE 80th Street Redmond, WA 98052
Name__________________________________________________ Phone ______________________ (Please print your name exactly as you would like it to appear on your name tag for general meetings.) Address _____________________________________________ City _______________________ St ________ Zip _________________ E-Mail Address ________________________________________ Birth Date (MM/DD/YYYY) __________________________________ If Family Membership, other names to be included: _______________________________________________________________________ If you would like a short, one-liner on your name tag (e.g. Charter Member, or Pioneers Since 1903), enter it below:
The Redmond Recorder 9/04
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