Rhs Newsletter 10 2003

History is Happening in Redmond!

The Redmond Recorder October 2003 Vol. 5, No. 8 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: Mondays-Thursdays, 1-4pm

Oct. 11 speaker: Patrick Hirsch

‘Redmond through the camera’

Grande Dames of Redmond From left to right, Nokomis members Jennie Bryden, Diantha Janus, Rose Weiss, Janet Hockenbery and Amo Marr were part of the Derby Days 2003 Grand Parade.

As the City’s official TV journalist, Patrick Hirsch has interviewed Redmond personalities and filmed City events. He’ll entertain us with some historical highlights and maybe even answer the question: Who’s the hardest City official to work with? Oct. 11 meeting 2-3:30 pm Cotterill Auditorium Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center

Sept. 13 speaker: Eric Erickson The Eastside’s foremost historian on logging and railways, Eric Erickson showed maps and images of Lake Sammamish and the Ames Lake area when lumberjacks, trains and mills were more common than Starbuck stores! Included was the only known photo of the Lake Sammamish Shingle Mill on Weber Point. Eric will be presenting another show Oct. 25, 12:30pm, at the Sammamish Library. Home

The Nokomis Club -- Redmond’s oldest, continuing group – will be honored Oct. 18 with a plaque dedication at the Redmond Library. The Nokomis ladies brought Redmond its first library in 1927. Named after the grandmother of Henry Longfellow’s Hiawatha, the Nokomis Club was formed in 1909. Now the oldest women’s club in the state, its members first met in homes to read and discuss books.

Oct. 18 Dedication at Redmond Library 2.30 pm: Dr. Lorraine McConaghy’s lecture on early Redmond 4 pm:

This first library was in a tiny building next to today’s Plaque unveiled Half-Price Books on Leary Way. It opened with 800 titles, most donated by locals and fraternal societies. In that first year, the library was open some four hours a week and 95 cards were issued. For the next 20 years members volunteered to act both as librarians and fully fund the library. When in 1933 a new location was needed, the club constructed a building on land donated by a member – this building is now the Redmond Chamber of Commerce. In 1947, the library became part of the King County Rural Library District and Mamie Orr was its first paid librarian. The club continued to provide funds for the building and maintenance until 1960. It was not until 1964 that the City of Redmond in partnership with King County Library Service assumed complete responsibility for the library!

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History is Happening in Redmond!

Society Business Volunteers needed: Lawyer Very occasional review of documents/contracts. Contact Miguel at 425 8699806.

Office staff Greet visitors, help with small tasks as regular or substitute. Call Judy Lang at 425 823-3551.

Web site: Back issues of our newsletter are online at www.redmondhistory.org Would you like a guided tour of our Web site? Call the office to set up an appointment with Miguel.

Membership renewals: Please don’t forget to renew for 2003. We actually have fewer members so far this year than last year, even with more people receiving this newsletter than ever! Use the form on the back page to renew or to join for the first time.

Library display: Check out the new display at the Redmond Library, some two dozen historical photos are on the wall adjacent to the new snack area. As soon as you walk in, it’s on your right-hand side. Home

Will Redmond’s most famous artist have a park to call home? © By

Lyn Fleury Lambert A local journalist lamented in print near the close of the 20th Century that nowhere on the bustling Eastside was there a place where one might journey for nostalgic or sentimental reasons, no special spot where one could boost a sagging spirit or renew a sense of soul. A reader responded, suggesting that indeed there was such a place, a little green jewel of a place, on Leary Way in Redmond, known by the uninspired moniker of “Slough House Park.” In 1992 artist and centenarian Dudley Carter, adjudged by many to be the Eastside’s most treasured artist, internationally known and loved, died, leaving behind a marvelous legacy at Slough House Park. Dudley’s bequest included his art studio, fashioned in the manner of a native Haida dwelling, and a group of monumental wood sculptures of the sort that brought the sculptor to international prominence. But perhaps most importantly, Dudley Carter bequeathed to us a sense of primordial spirit – a spirit noted by some to be a perfect antidote for obsession with corporate life and high technology. That spirit permeates the place where Dudley Carter lived and worked and died. The woodsman cum artist, born in Canada in 1891, first excited the art world in 1932 when the new Seattle Art Museum purchased his 11-foot axe-hewn cedar sculpture, “Rivalry of the Winds.” (Now on display at the Redmond Library.) For the next 60 years he enjoyed a highly prolific and profitable career as a monumental wood sculptor. Many of his works continue to proclaim their Northwest-Coast-Native-inspired beauty throughout the Puget Sound landscape. His “Legend of the Moon,” interpreting a myth important to the Coast Salish who long ago peopled this land we now call home, has greeted visitors to Redmond’s Marymoor Park since 1978. In 1987, King County boldly appointed 96-year-old Dudley Carter their first “Artist-inResidence” and gave the old master the key to the 1950s rambler located on property purchased as part of the Sammamish Trail right-of-way. Until Dudley moved in, the home had been used off and on for art classes, yoga classes and the like. Prior to the county’s acquisition, the property belonged to a noted horticulturist and his family. In the mid 1950s, Dudley Carter had built a home and studio on acreage he and his wife owned on the Bellevue-Redmond Road in the wilderness that is now Redmond. He lived and worked there for about 40 years. When in his 80s, Dudley sold the property, having been told he could expect to remain there the rest of his life. That didn’t pan out, however, and at the age of 94 he found himself without a home. That’s when Dudley Carter fans got busy and successfully lobbied King County to establish him as Artist-in-Residence. Dudley fulfilled his role vigorously, welcoming the public from daybreak to dusk, seven days a week. Thousands made the pilgrimage to Slough House Park … apprentice artists came to advance their skill; collectors found treasures to enhance their homes and gardens; tourists ventured in to check out a man with a unique heritage and an art form unfamiliar to them; developers sought sculptured spirit for their projects; media people - writers, Continued on Page 3

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History is Happening in Redmond!

Redmondiscing Barbara (Armstrong) Johnson, now living in Coolidge, Ariz., wrote to share memories ahead of a return visit. An excerpt: The news letter is so great and wonderful. There are so many names that bring back so many memories for both of us. I lived in Redmond from 1944 to 1963. Gene moved to Redmond in 1947 from Bellevue and he bought Redmond Repair Service which he sold in June 1963. We lived in the apartment in the gas station for seven years. Gene’s mom Adeline Johnson had ten acres of ground in N.E. 100th and we had 5 acres of that and had our home up there. The home is still there plus a lot more homes. It belongs to Bill and Lela Roberts … Jerry Hammersberg was our mailman. Wonder if he remembers us. His wife went to school with my sister Shirley Armstrong Driskill, I believe. Pauline Nichols is also my sister. Diane Hollingsworth Harder is my oldest friend and we started school at Adams School, in Ballard, in 1938. We moved to Redmond in 1944 and lived with Diane’s folks for a short time and through them we purchased the Peterson place on Willows Road. Her first name was Helen and she was with the Redmond Bike Derby for many years. Barbara Johnson 130 W. Martin Rd. Coolidge, AZ 85228-9212 Home

Dudley Carter and Slough House

Continued from page 2

photographers, painters, radio broadcasters, TV crews, film-makers came, recognizing in him a worthy subject; young children with their parents and teachers enjoyed his fanciful creations and his stories of the ways of life that prompted those creations; elders came, hoping to comprehend how it can be possible “to be alive and well and working so dynamically at one-hundred.” Dudley graciously welcomed all. After a brief illness the much revered artist died in his sleep in the Slough House residence, just a month short of his 101st birthday. Later, talented native Haida artist Ralph Bennett arrived on the scene, determined to do what he could to sustain the legacy of this white man who helped preserve and advance the art and culture of Northwest Coast indigenous people. With the approval of King County, Ralph moved into Slough House and picked up the mantle of Artist-in-Residence. Ralph, with an energetic group of supporters, went to work, creating his own fine carvings, generously sharing the art, the stories, the culture of his people … and in so doing, maintained the little forested park as a delightful place for pilgrimage until 1998 when the county abruptly decided to close the premises. Meanwhile, admirers of Dudley A King County notice posted on Dudley’s Haida House warns Carter and his art were working squatters to stay away but that hadn’t stopped someone from breaking in, throwing a mattress down and sleeping there. with corporate entities and with Leonard Garfield, then manager of King County’s Office of Cultural Resources to preserve Dudley’s legacy. Garfield prepared a proposal for a Dudley C. Carter Northwest Arts and Cultural Center at Slough House Park. Dudley’s Haida House studio and a renovated or redesigned residence would accommodate a succession of artists-in-residence. A sculpture garden would showcase the grouping of monumental Carter works acquired in 1995 by arts patron Marvin Boys. Other sculptures would join them as circumstances allowed. With funding for parks hard to come by, King County Council declined to implement the plan and a prime piece of spirit-filled property along with Dudley Carter’s unique Haida style studio and four fine artworks sit there while Nature does what Nature does to take back to herself those wonderful woodworks. Thankfully, a number of Dudley Carter’s irreplaceable works are preserved elsewhere, appropriately displayed in museums, libraries, schools and other public venues. Those at Slough House Park cry out for similar attention. Is it too late to claim the legacy endowed to us by Dudley Carter? Have we lost the chance to redeem a very special place for pilgrimage while we let government bureaucracies slowly grind their gears? Time will tell. Or will it take eternity? Dudley Carter is the subject of a book in progress, “Remembering Dudley,” by H. Mary Sikkema and Lyn Fleury Lambert.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Postscript: Since Lyn Lambert wrote this in April 2003, the City of Redmond has negotiated with King County to take over Slough House Park and eventually return the area to public use. The City Parks Department will be seeking public input on potential uses for the park, so stay tuned for developments!

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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 to support our mission! Tony Emanuel for salvaging, reframing and working on installing the Inglewood service station sign that will hang in our office. Kudos too to Dale Potter for helping. Larry Hoger for renewed help with scanning photos. Betty Gaudy, now of Cottonwood, Arizona, for donating Redmond artifacts during a visit this summer. Daphne Harold, the City employee who ensures our newsletters get out to the world! Betty Thompson for filling in as an office substitute. Lillian Garland for accepting the challenge of helping to organize our office. Jackie Perrigo Morris Norris for donating two Dorisjean Colvin prints. Clara Hammersberg for a “Dewey for President” button, WWII tax tokens and a Redmond National Bank book with a Harry’s Market receipt signed by Perky Johnson!

Hitzroth History, Inc.

Former Marymoor Museum President Tom Hitzroth, right, led the first ever walking tour through historic Redmond. At Brad Best’s, formerly Redmond State Bank, a bench and shade helped in the 90-degree heat! The Sept. 28 event was a test-run, with participants invited from a cross-section of Redmond, but all will be able to go on future tours. Watch this newsletter for announcements to sign up. Thanks Tom for helping share our heritage! Home

Were you at our Sept. 13 meeting? These folks were: Blair, Dusty Watts Buckley, Roy Call, Mardy Campbell, Sally Chatfield, Doug* Cisneros, Nancy Daly, Sharon Emmanuel, Betty Emmanuel, Tony Erickson, Eric Frey, Stan Garland, Lillian Gilbert, Evelyn Goetschius, Millie Goetschius, Russell Gorlick, Audrey R. Gossard, Clint Guptill, Willow Hardy, Naomi Hawkins, Carol Himes, Chris Jovag, Pat Weiss Joyce, Barbara Weiss Joyce, Jim Keller, Lou Lampaert, Glenn Lampaert, Norma Lampaert, Roy Lang, Judy Aries Llanos, Miguel Magnuson, Cheryl Mann, Dale Mann, Diana Mann, Marge Marr, Clare (Amo) Martin, Daryl McCormick, Elma McCoskrie, Ruthann Mellquest, Gerry Radtke Montgomery, Mary Morris, Allison Reed Munoz, Alexa Norris, Jackie Plackett, Holly Robinson, Vivian Salmi, Ann Standley, Beryl Stensland, Don Sween, Faye Underhill, Kristine Usibelli, Helen Watts, Don Watts, Wally* Watts, Mrs. Wally* Weiss, Rose Wiese, Margaret Evers

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History is Happening in Redmond!

History Mystery Photo A white casket, center, and the hearse make clear it’s a funeral but any idea whose or whose home this is? Our history chief Naomi Hardy suspects it’s on the Red Brick Road, which went in during 1912-13. The undated photo is from our Sammamish Valley News collection. Send Naomi your thoughts, [email protected] or 425 883-3866.

Hobo Junction?

“Riding the Rails,” a 1973 book by Michael Mathers, includes this section on Redmond: “Another such place was Redmond, Washington, a suburb of Seattle. There were fifteen or more shacks on the backside of a large hill covered with trees, vines and underbrush. From the tracks nothing could be seen but dense woods. At the base of the hill a path went into the foliage. It divided into a maze of others, each leading to a separate dwelling in a clearing. Some were one-room affairs, others two or three rooms with glass windows, but all were constructed from material found in the railroad yard and a dump nearby. A few places even had vegetable gardens. One man inhabited each house – there was no communal life as in the Oroville jungle; these men kept to themselves and were not at all friendly to outsiders. After visiting several of them, I was asked to get out.”

If anyone knows more about this, contact Miguel at 425 869-9806. Thanks to Dick Musgrove for alerting us! --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Can you guess the year? Answer on Page 6.

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Old Schoolhouse Mysteries, Update Time capsule? Rumor has it a time capsule was once placed under or near the flagpole. If anyone has specifics contact Miguel at 869-9806.

Tennis court photos? The courts are gone with the new construction, but we’d love to have photos of when they were in full swing! Call Miguel if you have photos we can scan.

Flagpole is moving: Good news, not-so-good news about the flagpole. It will be saved, but it is being moved about 30 feet to the west so that the front of building can be all grass and landscaping.

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History is Happening in Redmond!

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2003 Golden Reunion

Stories, photos to share? Or a Redmond history mystery that needs to be solved? You can: • Send items to our office via US mail , • E-mail [email protected] • Call Miguel at 425 869-9806 --------------------------------------Trivia Games We’re selling the games produced by Redmond High School students for their marketing club. The history trivia section contains lots of facts that Naomi Hardy contributed. Games are $20 and are available at the Society office, open Mondays through Thursdays 14pm, except holidays. --------------------------------------Redmond rent mystery answer (from page 5): 1925 (East Side Journal)

Dozens of graduates from the Old Redmond Schoolhouse gathered Sept. 7 for their annual reunion. Here they listen as numbers are called out for a scholarship raffle that had as grand prize a handmade quilt. The event also dedicated the childhood memory paintings by Loana “Barney” Johnson Reilly. More on that in our next issue.

Join the Redmond Historical Society And help discover, recover, preserve, share and celebrate Redmond’s history! Levels of Membership (Check 1 only)

‫ ٱ‬Trailblazer (Student)................ $ 5.00 ‫ ٱ‬Pioneer (Individual).............. $ 20.00 ‫ ٱ‬Homesteader (Family).......... $ 35.00 ‫ ٱ‬Entrepreneur (Supporter).... $ 250.00 ‫ ٱ‬History Maker (Lifetime) $ 1,000.00 All Contributions are Tax Deductible

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:

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