December 18 – January 7, 2009 • Over 216 million files served since 1998

The Past as Presents

This year both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on a Thursday, the day we usually post our weekly update at HistoryLink.org. Because of this, we present a special three-week edition stuffed with anniversaries, biographies, overviews, and plenty of other historical tidbits to fill your holiday reading list. We begin by featuring some of the many new essays we’ve published during the past few months in our ongoing effort to grow and expand the online encyclopedia of Washington state history.

We've got plenty of new essays ready for the upcoming centennial of the Alaska-Yukon-Pacific Exposition. Jennifer Ott starts us off with a biography of Godfrey Chealander -- who came up with the idea for a Seattle exposition -- and tells us about last-minute preparations for the fair, the dining room opened by Olympia High School Domestic Science students, the first National Conservation Congress, and Labor Day celebrations during the fair. Phil Dougherty provides us with a bio of Albert S. Kerry and invites us to the Lumber Manufacturer's convention held at the Hoo-Hoo House. Mary Henry, with help from Olaf Kvamme, sculpts the story of Finn Frolich, Laura Arksey celebrates Spokane Day, and Marjorie Ann Reeves and Paula Becker strike up the band on Dixie Day.

Karen Blair teaches us about Central Washington University and Gregg Herrington does the same for Clark College. Margaret Riddle details the history of the Tulalip Tribes, Phil Dougherty heats up some firefighting technology, Duane Colt Denfeld marches us through Fort Lawton and Discovery Park, and Louis Fiset looks back at Camp Harmony. Laura Arksey strolls through Winthrop and Cashmere, Aaron Goings tells us about Hoquiam and its shingle weavers, Michael Paulus reads up on the Walla Walla Public Library, Dotty DeCoster reaches great heights with Seattle's Mutual Life Building and checks in on Ye College Inn. Meanwhile, Jim Kershner checks out Washington Mutual.

For the arts, David F. Martin paints a vivid picture of the life of Z. Vanessa Helder. Pete Blecha toots a horn for the Draper Children's Home band, strums up the local history of Hawaiian music, rocks out with the Sonics, spins records with Kearny Barton, and bids goodbye to Tuba Man. Eric Flom raises the curtain on three Liberty Theatre openings -- in Everett, Yakima, and Northport -- and shines a spotlight on theater architect Marcus Priteca.

Cassandra Tate informs us about Catherine May's political career, Jim Kershner details the life of Spokane civic leader James Chase, Mary Henry tells the story of historian Esther Mumford and that of Washington state legislator Marjorie Pitter King, Don Duncan focuses in on photographer Asahel Curtis, and Phil Dougherty logs on with a look at Marysville pioneer Alexander Spithill. We've got some new People's Histories, too. Ruth Williams writes about her grandmother, Alice Bryant, Crystal J. Ortmann looks back at Cathlamet in the 1930s, Alfred Schaeffer recalls Metaline Falls, and Russ Banham remembers SAFECO and its founder, H. K. Dent. Bill Kombol digs up some info on coal miner Clarence "Molly" Masters and we also have a first-hand look at Black Diamond and Franklin in 1902.

Daryl McClary combs the wreckage of a 1952 Skymaster crash in Tacoma and investigates a 1992 fatal shooting at Fairchild Air Force Base. Other newly noted anniversaries in the encyclopedia include the 1909 opening of Seattle's Sorrento Hotel, a 1939 union-made riot near Seattle's Lake Union, and the opening and closing of the downtown Seattle branch of the Federal Reserve Bank. And keeping on top of recent history, we note this year's opening of Cama Beach State Park, the dedication of Fremont's Late for the Interurban statue, the completion of the Seattle Public Library's Libraries for All campaign, and the strange tale of "D. B. Tuber," and we end with a trip down Sea-Tac Airport's new third runway.

History for the Holidays

Over the years, folks around Washington have received lots of nice gifts during the holidays. On Christmas Eve, 1888, West Seattle residents got a brand new boat to play with. In 1907, folks in Yakima woke up Christmas morn to find a shiny new train set waiting for them. In 1913, Lowell got an iron works.

Theatergoers got a special treat in 1933 with a memorable Christmas Day performance by Katherine Cornell and company at Seattle's Metropolitan Theatre. But some of the best gifts are the simplest ones, as Dorothea Nordstrand recalls about Seattle's first Christmas in 1851, as well as her own special gift received in 1922.

The crossover from one year to the next is also filled with noteworthy events. On January 1, 1901, the Seattle Public Library burned down. In 1904, thousands descended on Lynden for a New Year's Eve party. At midnight on December 31, 1915, Washington state went dry (nearly five years ahead of the rest of the nation). Seattle's first booze bust followed exactly two hours and 55 minutes later.

The Boeing Model 307 Stratoliner took to the skies on December 31, 1938, but on December 31, 1967, the town of Wawawai prepared to go under. And many in Seattle remember the millennium eve celebration that got snuffed in 1999, due to terrorism fears and post-WTO jitters.

We end on New Year's Eve, 1995, when secondary treatment of Seattle and King County sewage was underway at West Point after years of controversy. R. H. Thomson had chosen the Magnolia site as a sewage outflow in 1913, but primary treatment did not begin there until 1966. All we can say to that is "Happy Poo Year."

Cold Starts

This time of year marks numerous milestones in the settlement of Washington, beginning with the arrival of Esther Clark Short and her family near Fort Vancouver on December 25, 1845. The first land claims Oak Harbor were made on January 4, 1851, and Job Carr arrived at the future site of Tacoma on Christmas Day, 1864.

King and Pierce counties were created on December 22, 1852. The Territorial Legislature created Klickitat County on December 29, 1859, and the State Legislature changed the name of Clarke County to Clark County on December 23, 1925. And a few cities celebrate birthdays too. Ellensburg incorporated on January 1, 1884, Sedro and Woolley combined to form Sedro-Woolley on December 19, 1898, and on December 28, 1903, Whatcom and Fairhaven merged to form Bellingham.

Past Events, Present Tense

Burning Lights: On December 28, 1857, the Cape Flattery Lighthouse began operation on Tatoosh Island, named for Chief Tatoosh of the Makah Tribe. The beacon was the first such navigational aid to assist mariners entering the Strait of Juan de Fuca. The waterway was brightened further on January 1, 1892, with the opening of the Destruction Island lighthouse.

Learning Sites: Some of the state's colleges are celebrating anniversaries this time of year. On December 20, 1859, the Washington territorial legislature chartered Whitman Seminary, which went on to become Whitman College. Whitworth College got its start on January 2, 1900. Shoreline Community College opened its doors on January 6, 1964, and two years later Bellevue Community College welcomed its first students on January 3, 1966.

Notable News: Some influential newspapers throughout the Puget Sound region began publication this time of year, including the Union Record on December 20, 1899, the Lake Washington Reflector on January 1, 1918, and the all-English Japanese-American Courier on January 1, 1928. In other newspaper history, the Everett News published a hair-raising story on January 5, 1892 about a death-defying log-chute ride taken by a reporter a few days earlier. And on the morning of December 27, 1921, startled readers of the Seattle Post-Intelligencer learned that William Randolph Hearst had taken over the 40-year-old paper.

News of Notes: This time of year is noted for many performance venue anniversaries, beginning on December 27, 1907, with the opening of Seattle's Moore Theatre. On December 30, 1927, The Jazz Singer provided an aural sensation at the Blue Mouse, marking the beginning of the end of the silent era. Tacoma's Pantages Theatre opened on January 7, 1918, and Olympia's Liberty Theatre opened on New Year's Eve, 1924. The Seattle Symphony Orchestra performed its first concert on December 29, 1903, and one year ago, ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held at the Edmonds Center for the Arts on January 4, 2007.

Swift Water: On December 23, 1918, the residents of Edgewick, a small logging community along Boxley Creek below Cedar Falls, lost everything they owned when a dam burst in the Cedar River watershed and sent a wall of water crashing through their town. Miraculously, no life was lost. Survivors sardonically renamed the stream Christmas Creek.

Got Milk?: On December 19, 1920, Segis Pietertje Prospect (better known as Possum Sweetheart) broke the world record for milk production out in Carnation. But on December 23, 2003, a less-than-contented cow in Mabton became the first bovine in the United States to test positive for mad-cow disease.

To Your Health!: On December 22, 1945, a hardy band of grangers, unionists, and reformers incorporated Group Health Cooperative of Puget Sound, which began offering medical care and hospital services on January 1, 1947. Initially condemned as "socialized medicine" by the AMA, Group Health survived to become one of the nation's largest member-governed health-care systems.

To Victory!: What better way to start the new year than with a good football game? On January 1, 1921, Everett High won the national high-school title, and Coach Enoch Bagshaw went on to take the University of Washington to their first Rose Bowl victory. The university's most recent Rose Bowl win happened on January 1, 2001.

Slay Rides: If you're traveling over the holidays, please be careful. On January 2, 1949, an airliner crashed at Boeing Field. On December 20, 1952, an Air Force transport plane met with disaster at Moses Lake, and on January 7, 1953, a cargo plane crashed at the base of Squak Mountain. Drivers fared no better when Spokane's Division Street Bridge collapsed on December 18, 1915, and when Kelso's Allen Street Bridge did the same on January 3, 1923.

Stocking Stuffers: Other notable anniversaries this time of year include: Nautical visits from the Charles W. Wetmore, the Leschi, and the Shilka; Seattle's purchase of Woodland Park and the opening of Children's Orthopedic Hospital; a big purchase by Weyerhaeuser; the completion of the Dalles Bridge; and the gripping story of Staff Sergeant John M. Horan.

Lumps of Coal: It's been said that crime doesn't take a holiday, and a few grim anniversaries bear that out. On December 27, 1936, 10-year-old Charles F. Mattson was kidnapped in Tacoma, and later murdered. On December 22, 1969, 300 pounds of pearls were hijacked from Sea-Tac Airport, and a messenger was killed in the process. And on Christmas Eve, 1985, Charles Goldmark and his family were slain in Seattle by a right-wing extremist.

Quote of the Week

Yesterday is history. Tomorrow is a mystery. And today? Today is a gift. That's why we call it the present.

                      --Babatunde Olatunji

Image of the Week

The Columbia River Interstate Bridge was completed between Vancouver, Washington, and Portland, Oregon, in January, 1917.