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Author Abbi Wonacott writs about the spring of 1856, when Washington Territorial soldiers hiked down to the Mashel River where it meets the Nisqually River outside of Eatonville, Wash., and attacked a Nisqually Indian band trying to hide from the fighting during the territorial wars. Why did they do it, and what really happened? This…
This photo of Ladd, Jim and George Van Cleve was taken around 1940. These three guys were the heart and soul of Van Cleve Motors in Eatonville and Morton for decades. We’re posting this picture because early March, 2011 the VanCleve motors building in Eatonville was knocked down. Even though the structure had gotten old, we’ll…
This book looks at the notorious Medicine Creek Treaty with the Nisqually, Puyallup, Muckleshoot and other tribes, which claimed 2.4 million acres for the United States — an area that includes much of today’s Pierce, Lewis, Thurston and Mason counties. The 384-page book by Richard Kluger takes a new look at a local piece of history.…
Ready for an “unsolved crime” story? This one, however, is likely to stay unsolved since it took place over 80 years ago. In October 1928, Julian Tison, his wife, and two teenage sons, took over the management of Friendly Inn — a “roadside resort and eating place” about 2.5 miles outside Eatonville near the Mashell River.…
Forty years ago, in 1971, an article ran in the Dispatch about the development of a “535-acre Zoo-Park”. This facility, tentatively called Northwoods Trek, would “exhibit, propagate and preserve predominately native Northwest and Alaska species of wildlife in their natural habitat,” and potentially bring in 500,000 people a year. Large Donation A local couple —…
It was 1943 and the world was at war. Even in the tiny town on Eatonville, far from the front lines, the impact the war was having on the country was obvious. Articles of the Time In a September ’43 issue of the Dispatch, articles about the new women’s athletic club and an episode at…
What do Eatonville and Mary Bridge Children’s Hospital have in common? Answer: Dr. A. W. Bridge. In 1909 a young doctor, Albert Wellington (A.W.) Bridge, schooled at the Vermont Medical School, arrived in Eatonville carrying his bicycle and all his earthy possessions. He’d lost his father to a logging accident and his late mother had…
History of Southeastern Pierce County Besides a history of Eatonville, Ohop Valley, Longmire, Ashford, National, Elbe, Alder and LaGrande, this 235-page book also includes 154 photographs, an every-name index to text and photographs and the 50th Anniversary Edition of the Eatonville Dispatch. 252 pp. Velobound. 1989. Where to Order Your Copy You can order yours through…
This 114-page book, written by Abbi Wonacott, covers the early Eatonville settlers, Indiana Henry, Ohop settlers, T.C. Van Eaton, and more. The book contains many facts, stories and pictures of the town and community’s early days. Where You Can Find Your Copy • The book can be purchased at Kirk’s Pharmacy, in Eatonville, WA •…
The first Eatonville theatre was built in 1915 on Mashell Avenue by Frank Van Eaton in 1915. Electricity hadn’t made it’s way to town yet. so a 2-cylinder kerosene generator powered the silent movies. A piano supplied the score, and the same pianist sometimes sold popcorn. Early pianists included Mrs. A.W. Fairburn, Miss Ethel Stinnette, Mrs.…
It was September 21, 1924, and the townspeople of Eatonville were battling a string of arsons. Little did they know the real fire was yet to come. Rumor has it, that afternoon in Alder a Fire Marshall swapped someone at the Cascade Timber Company a bottle of whiskey for a slash fire permit. Despite how…
Eatonville To Rainier 