blog – Eatonville To Rainier

Alder High, 1917

The picture reads Alder High 1917, so this may be the entire high school. In 1909 a four-room school house was built in Alder. In 1913 they added a gymnasium. From left to right are: Bill Marek, Ruth Swanson (teacher), Curtis Hedborg, Grace Parks, Elizabeth Hotes, Margret Hotes and Einar Carlson. Photo courtesy of Pat…

October 12, 2011
Salmon Bakes

Abbi Wonacott provided this about the early Salmon bakes. This is an excerpt from her book, Firm Foundation. One event the Indians and settlers enjoyed together were salmon bakes. Late in June, as the Chinook salmon was starting their run, the Barrs would invite many from all around to partake in a salmon bake. On…

October 11, 2011
Map of the Eatonville Lumber Mill

This is a hand drawn map of the Eatonville Lumber Company created around 1950. The mill pond is still remaining. You can see from the skateboard park. Image courtesy of Pat Van Eaton. Click on image to enlarge.

October 10, 2011
Snapshots of Eatonville’s Early Logging (and a few terms)

Eatonville was built on logging. Here are a few snapshots of the loggers of the early days and a few logging terms that live on today. Blow Down:  A tree felled by the wind or some other natural causes. Bucker: The logger who cuts the felled logs to size to get the most scale. Calks: The…

October 9, 2011
Eatonville Evacuation: The Removal of the Japanese

This article comes from guest blogger, Abbi Wonacott. Thanks! As early as the 1910’s, Japanese men were recruited to come and work at the Eatonville Lumber Company. These men labored worked hard and embraced their little town beneath the great mountain. Soon, these men brought their Japanese wives and raised their children here. Many of…

October 9, 2011
Center Street 1926

This picture has a little wear and tear, but it’s one of my favorites of Center Street, taken around 1926. You can clearly see Christensen’s Clothing (now the Sears building), and kitty corner from it is the Eatonville Bank. Some of the hot topics in Eatonville that year were: • The paving of Mountain Road (known…

October 7, 2011
July 4 1910 and 2011

Nothing stops Eatonville when it comes to 4th of July parades. Even though these two pictures were taken over 100 years apart, it appears we still like the same kinds of cars we did back then. This first picture is on Mashell. The Redman Hall (building on the far left) sits where Jebino’s parking lot…

October 6, 2011
Salmon Bakes at Indian Henry’s Village

This picture and article appeared in the 50th Anniversary Edition of The Eatonville Dispatch, July 23, 1959. “A poignant memory of persons who lived in the Eatonville area early in the century, and ofttimes talked about now, are the salmon bakes at Indian Henry‘s village near the Nisqually west of town. A keen friendship existed…

October 5, 2011
Logging Deaths Mount in 1923

1923 was a dangerous year in the woods if you were in Eatonville. There were nine deaths and two serious injuries to Eatonville loggers. There could have been more, but those were the ones reported at the Eatonville hospitals. Here are are few of the grizzly details: • Dan Crabill was crushed to death in…

October 4, 2011
65 Percent Unemployment in 1934

Today, Eatonville residents are having a hard time weathering the recession, but we’ve weathered worse. Here is an excerpt from the History of Southeastern Pierce County . . . “In 1933 and 1934 it would have been hard to find, anywhere in the state of Washignton, a town worse off or with poorer prospects than…

October 3, 2011
1932 – Eatonville Lumber Mill Burns, but the Town Doesn’t Give up

By 1932 the depression had reached alarming proportions. But for Eatonville, it was about to get a whole lot worse. On December 8, the sawmill of the Eatonville Lumber Company went up in flames, destroying the town’s only large industry. In just hours, what had been one of the largest and most productive mills in…

October 2, 2011
First Town Meeting (1910)

The first meeting of the Eatonville town council was held July 14, 1910 at Joseph Hearn’s jewelry store. (You may know it better today as Eatonville Outdoor. Mr. Hearn, a member of the council, was appointed to a committee to inspect lots for a site for the Town Hall, and to find out how much…

October 2, 2011