From the Cascades to the Columbia - Q1 2022
jOn nEwTOn
Broker, ABr, CNe, SreS
206-550-0822 (Cell) 509-674-4431 (Office) jonnewton@windermere.com jonnewton.net
CLE ELUM
YOUR TRUSTED LOCAL REALTOR “My first priority is client satisfaction delivered through hard work, professionalism and market knowledge with a little humor thrown in to make your experience enjoyable.”
• 20 years experience in our local real estate market • Known for low pressure, high integrity service • Certified Negotiation Expert (CNE) • Over 100 five star reviews with zillow • Highest level of client satisfaction, referrals and repeat customers “Jon is an outstanding realtor. He listens carefully to his clients, respects their time and is very knowledgeable about all the properties and land in upper Kittitas County. He knows their history and is open and forthright about possible issues, including weather patterns, climate, water, possible development etc. I would highly recommend him.” “Jon helped us negotiate a very difficult land purchase. He succeeded where others had failed and we are now happily expanding our ranch. He has the perfect balance of knowledge, expertise and friendly approach; while standing firm when needed. We will ask him to represent us again!” “Jon Newton was wonderful to work with I would definitely use Jon again as our agent. We could tell that Jon was very knowledgeable and very well experienced at what he does. We really appreciate him for making our experience a pleasure.” 191534-1
2
K V LIVING
Congratulations to the 2021 winners of
BEST OF KITTITAS COUNTY Your local lender 509-925-5800
To Our #1Customers for voting us the BEST... 11 years in a row!
THANK YOU! C.W. BARBERSHOP 808 UNIVERSITY WAY ELLENSBURG, WA 509.962.2599 WALK-INS WELCOME
VOTED BEST BARBER SHOP Open: Mon.-Fri. 9:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Sat. 9:30 a.m.-3:00 p.m.
Equal Housing Lender Ellensburg Office NMLS-1391360.
THANK YOU KITTITAS COUNTY FOR VOTING US #1!
Voted the best setting for your special events
Best Farm and Feed Store 925-5397 • 500 W. Third • Open 7 Days A Week
Nicely landscaped lawn 4,300 sf enclosed heated and air conditioned building
7820 Hwy 97 Ellensburg, WA
McIntosh Ranch
(509) 929-3675 | Like us on Facebook
DAILY sandwich specials y FRESH, HOMEMADE soups!
Best Sandwich & Best Bakery Come down and see why we were voted #1!
PROUD TO BE YOUR LOCAL, FAMILY-OWNED FUNERAL HOME (509) 925-2902 brooksidefuneral.com
Mon.-Fri. 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Dealers In
Bulk Foods • Deli Items • Baked Goods Fresh Baked Breads Daily
Gluten-free breads from Jenny Mae’s
509.925.BAKE 306 S. MAIN ST #2 ELLENSBURG
Like us on Facebook for daily special updates!
K V LIVING
3
Costly toll Snow of 1996 left its mark on Kittitas County........................... page 7
TABLE of
A hill with a history
Craig’s Hill has been a sledding destination for generations............. page 20 4
K V LIVING
Putting passion to paper
On the cover:
John Lundin puts passions for history and skiing to good use ........................... page12
An unidentified small child stands on a snowcovered Ellensburg sidewalk while holding onto a sled in this Mary Mires photo. Exact location and date unknown; estimated at circa 1900-1919. It is possible this kid was heading to sled on Craig’s Hill.
Looking Back:
Questions of past linger today.......... page 22 K V LIVING
5
KITTITAS VALLEY
Letter from the Editor
A
lready, 2022 has served to remind us that we live in a true fourseason climate in Kittitas County. In this edition of Kittitas Valley Living, we look back at the last winter that compares to what we’ve seen this year — the snows of 1996. That year’s snow fall well eclipsed what we’ve seen so far this winter and left a lasting impact on the memories of Kittitas County residents and on many of its buildings. But winter is about more than weathering the storm, it’s about having fun and county residents have long enjoyed what winter provides. This Kittitas Valley Living contains a look back at the brief, but distinguished history of ski jumping in the county. On a slightly smaller scale we visit Ellensburg’s most notable winter destination — sledding on the back side of Craig’s Hill. So sit back with a cup of hot chocolate, if you’re so inclined, and enjoy what the season and Kittitas Valley Living has to offer. — Michael Gallagher
Q1 | 2022
Editor: Michael Gallagher Writers: Jack Belcher, Karl Holappa, Rodney Harwood Photos by: Jack Belcher, Rodney Harwood, Karl Holappa Designer: Stan Eichwald Publication of the Daily Record 401 N. Main St. Ellensburg WA 98926 509-925-1414 To submit a story idea or upcoming event, email newsroom@kvnews.com. For information about advertising, email: advertising@kvnews.com. www.dailyrecordnews.com
DENTISTRY
Safe environment Comprehensive care Experienced solutions
Healthy Teeth, Better Living CALL 509.962.8299 or visit us on Facebook or at
www.wpdds.com
95359-1 157008
6
K V LIVING
Costly toll
Snow of 1996 left its mark on Kittitas County By RODNEY HARWOOD staff writer
I
n some ways, the great snowfall of 1996 that pummeled the Pacific Northwest was a scene out of a John Ford Clymer painting. Clymer’s 1951 Barn Roof Ski Jump work on display at the Clymer Museum/Gallery showcases the sheer joy of children skiing off the roof of a barn in a winter scene that always brings a smile. Daily Record reporter Dori O’Neal captured a real-life moment in her Dec. 31, 1996 photograph of Soren Smith, 4, of Gaston Ore., and Zack DeLuca, 4, of Ellensburg sledding off the roof of Carrie Rehkopf ’s house. HISTORIC BLIZZARD But the historic winter blizzard was anything but picturesque. Heavy snows and rains began falling in Kittitas County, beginning on Nov. 19, 1996. A new storm system reached the Pacific Northwest on Dec. 26, 1996, dropping over two feet of snow throughout the entire state, where snow totaled over 70 inches in Upper County and over 50 inches in the Kittitas Valley area. Longtime Daily Record reporter Mike Johnston reported damages to local buildings and property was an estimated $20 million across the county. Buildings collapsed. A county state of emergency was declared to helped people and businesses find funding to repair or rebuild. Private residences, as well as local businesses were damaged. Snowfall resulted in the closure of major highways like I-90, airports, businesses, and local roadways. As the snowfall melted, the flooding began and at times Pine Street looked like it had a river running through it. RECENT HISTORY “People don’t think this is history just because it happened in our own lifetime,” Kittitas County Historical Museum executive director Sadie Thayer said. “But with history, you start looking back and it’s been five years since this happened or 10 years since that. We need to preserve this even though it seems like recent history at the moment. “I would love for people that went through the snow of ‘96 to
come forward with their stories or pictures so that we can preserve them.” Snow accumulated quickly, as of November 1996, snowfall levels in Lower County reached 57 inches on the ground. There was 76 inches in Cle Elum. Drifts and low visibility forced I-90 and I-82 closure on Christmas day. Two hikers were found dead in the Cascade Mountains northwest of Snoqualmie Pass from an avalanche. CITY PLAN County and city crews worked around the clock to clear the roads and help people and work crews get around. City Engineer Derek Mayo was still in college at the time, but remembers the running water through various locations at Central Washington University campus. “I grew up on the West Side, so 1996 was an eye opening experience for me, because we didn’t have that much snow,” K V LIVING
7
The Twin City Foods building roof collapsed under heavy snowfall during the winter storm of 1996. Howard Burnett provided this photograph taken by his father.
Mayo said. “I remember we had over 48 inches at one time on the ground. I had heard stories of building collapsing, but we were pretty isolated on campus. “Being part of the process now, the city prepares for it every year. We have our snow plow maps put together; routes put together. We contain and make sure all of the main and side streets get taken care of first thing in the morning. Looking at it now, it’s nice to know that all of the planning for events like that works. We have things in place and the equipment to handle it.” There was no preparing for a great deal of the events that happened as work crews made adjustments on the fly. On Dec. 28, 1996, the 90-year-old, 12,000 square-foot iconic Moose Lodge building on Third Avenue collapsed under heavy snow. According to reports, utility crews had successfully turned off
88
KKVV LLIIVVIIN NG G
the gas minutes before the roof collapsed. “We ran for our lives, let’s put it that way,” Moose Lodge office clerk De Kendall said at the time. POPPING SOUND City building inspector Jerry Shiner had just walked up to the second floor of the Moose Lodge when he heard a popping sound and knew a collapse was imminent. The roof collapsed, exposing the top floor of the two-story landmark, spewing rubble and brick in the process. Repairs were estimated at $1.5 million. The Moose Lodge was condemned. According to Thayer’s research, contractors demolished the 64,000-square-foot area at Twin City Foods. Damage was estimated at $3.5 million. A large barn at Anderson Hay & Grain; three large hay barns at Feedcorn; barns at the Kittitas County Fairgrounds; Springwood Party Barn; and numerous farm buildings,
barns, and private residences took on heavy damage. “That was the year it flooded the freeway in Selah. We had several buildings collapse,” Anderson Hay & Grain CEO Mark Anderson recalled. “We saved a lot of buildings, but it was a real big deal. “We built a big contraption on the end of a loader to remove snow. Our buildings are steel with saddle covering on them. It was enough weight to twist the steel it was so heavy.” A storage shed near the office building at Anderson Hay & Grain collapsed. Luckily no one was injured, Anderson said. UNDER SIEGE Other structures that collapsed under the wet, heavy northwestern snow included three hay sheds at Feedcom Enterprises on Tjossem Road in Badger Pocket. According to Daily Record reports, Mary
Following the heavy snowfall that crippled the city of Ellensburg, flooding followed in 1997 with several streets around town.
Ann Levine, Feedcom manager said the pole construction sheds about 90,000 square feet, housed about 7,000 tons of hay, which was salvaged. A 200-square foot section at Twin City Foods collapsed. The cave-in occurred above one of the cold storage units. “Three employees were in the area moments before the collapse,” Ellensburg Fire Department assistant fire chief Brad Smith said at the time. “They heard a cracking and popping sound, but were able to exit the area before the roof came crashing down.” All over the area, people and work crews were scrambling to save property and equipment. The historic Lamb Airplane Hanger and other buildings at Bower’s Field were under attack from the winter blast. BOWERS FIELD According to Daily Record reports, Midstate Aviation airplane mechanic Ed
Beeson heard popping and cracking at the main hangar at Bowers Field when he arrived at 6:30 a.m. “I got the call and when I arrived you could visibly see the beams splitting apart, so we started moving aircraft out of the building,” owner Ron Mitchell said at the time. More than $1.5 million in aircraft were in the building, which Mid-State leased from Kittitas County. “The last 12 planes were removed only a few minutes before the roof came down at 8:30 a.m. on Dec. 30, 1996,” Mitchell said. “We really had no business being inside, but we were able to save the aircraft. We threw a rope loop over the props and pulled them out with a tractor.” The large structure at Bowers Field was built during World War II when Bowers Field was used as an Army training center. COUNTY SAW ITS SHARE Kittitas elder Allen Aronica lives on the
family ranch on Naneum Creek, which was homesteaded by his ancestors. The Vietnam veteran who served in Bravo Company, Third Battalion, 39th Infantry in the Mekong Delta, remembers some of the out buildings and barn didn’t make it. “The snow was piled up so high that my dog could stand there and look right in the kitchen window,” he said with a laugh. “I’d been around long enough to know that you had to keep up with it. If you didn’t get the snow cleared, there would be another two feet the next night. “I was just trying to keep the house clear. The barn collapsed under the weight. What’s crazy is that some of them are steel buildings. I’d never seen steel twist like that. When the snow gets to melting, then you get a lot of ice build up and that creates the weight. Of course, that also led to flooding. The water froze all the way to the creek bottom and the water would run up over the top and out K V LIVING
9
Main Street just north of 4th Avenue flooded after the heavy snowfall in November and December of 1996 began to melt.
of the bank.” Aronica said the house where he was born collapsed, along with a shed for his calves and two-three other out buildings. IN KITTITAS In Kittitas, Daily Record reports said the top of the Kittitas water tower buckled like a tin can after a 12-inch gate valve at the base of the tower broke with weather-related freeze. City officials were concerned the 120foot tower would tumble. The tower that holds 500,000 gallons of water had to be drained, which left the entire city without water for a period of time and an estimated 16 people were evacuated from Cahill Manor, located nearby, the report said.
10
K V LIVING
IN CLE ELUM In Cle Elum, the Pinecrest Manor nursing home was evacuated because of stress fractures. Cle Elum Bowl bowling alley was one of several structures that collapsed and was not replaced. The Cle Elum/Roslyn elementary
We’re Here for you
The Primary Flight Training facility at Bowers Field was heavily damaged by snow during the winter storm of 1996.
whenever your family needs us. ALL YOUR MEDICAL AND DENTAL CARE UNDER ONE ROOF.
SERVICES INCLUDE
FULL SPECTRUM FAMILY MEDICINE COMPREHENSIVE DENTAL CARE OBSTETRICS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH OSTEOPATHIC MANIPULATION THERAPY PHARMACY ONSITE LAB CARE COORDINATION CONNECT PROGRAM FIRST STEPS/CYSHCN PSYCHIATRIC SERVICES
We are here for you when your family needs us. CHCW is proud to be a member of the Ellensburg Community and to care for it’s population.
Main Street just north of 4th Avenue flooded after the heavy snowfall in November and December of 1996 began to melt.
school was in danger of collapsing. One block on Second Street was closed. About 12 bricks on the south wall had broken off. Crews were expecting the rest of the building to collapse at any time. The historic assault of Mother Nature is one for the record books. One where city and county work crews joined forces with citizens to work together during a civic crisis. u
Call today to get your family enrolled in any of our many services.
Call Today!
509 . 962 . 1414 521 East Mountain View Ave. Ellensburg, WA
CHCW.org/chcw-ellensburg K V LIVING
11
Seattle Ski Club member Howard Dalsbo flies through the air at a 1930 event in Cle Elum. Cecelia Maybo collection-Archives/special collections; James E. Brooks Library; Central Washington University
Putting passion to paper
John Lundin puts passions for history and skiing to good use By Karl Holappa Research compiled by John W. Lundin
L
iving on the eastern front of the Cascade Range means Kittitas County residents have the luxury of a wealth of both front and backcountry skiing options at their fingertips. What local ski enthusiasts may not know is that the county has a deep and storied relationship with the sport, helping forge the path toward the
12
K V LIVING
modern-day levels of enthusiasm for both skiing and snowboarding within Washington state. Over the past decade, John W. Lundin has channeled his dual passions for history and winter sports to tirelessly compile historical records about skiing in both Washington and Idaho. In doing so, Lundin, a retired trial lawyer who splits his time between the two states, has created some of the most comprehensive and accessible historical resources on ski
history within Kittitas County. Along with two books published on the history of skiing in Washington state, Lundin has published a multitude of essays on various aspects of the sport, two of which highlight the creation of ski clubs in both Upper and Lower County. The following is an excerpt from Lundin’s essay titled Ellensburg Ski Club. In 1921, the Cle Elum Ski Club was formed by local residents led by John “Syke” Bresko, opening what has been
The Cle Elum ski jump under construction in 1931. Cecelia Maybo collection-Archives/ special collections; James E. Brooks Library; Central Washington University K V LIVING
13
Margaret Odell, mother of author John W. Lundin at the Milwaukee Ski Bowl in 1938. Contributed/ John W. Lundin
14
K V LIVING
Author John W. Lundin stands at the former Cle Elum Ski Club ski jump site. Contributed/ John W. Lundin
K V LIVING
15
A member of the Ellensburg Ski Club is pictured after completing a run on the ski jump. Date unknown. Archives/special collections; James E. Brooks Library; Central Washington University
called the first organized ski area west of Denver, “a skiers paradise,” that attracted between 100-400 locals every weekend. The Club sponsored ski races, jumping competitions, carnivals, and special contests from 1924 until 1933, attracting spectators and competitors from all over the Northwest. Northern Pacific trains provided access to Cle Elum from Seattle, Ellensburg and Yakima, and Norwegian jumpers dominated the events. Sports fans from Ellensburg attended the Cle Elum tournaments from its early years. The Cle Elum club leased 40 acres of land on the ridge two miles north of town from the Northern Pacific Railroad at a nominal rate, built ski jumps and a shelter in 1923, and a two-story lodge in 1928. In 1931, the club built a giant new $5,000 ski jump advertised as one of the most hazardous in the world, 6% steeper than any in Norway which was the center of ski jumping. From 1924 to 1933, the club held annual jumping tournaments attracting competitors from 16
K V LIVING
all over the Northwest. The first several tournaments included a variety of skiing carnival events as well as jumping events. After the club built a new jump in the late 1920s, the club held traditional jumping tournaments. Spectators and competitors had to hike up a steep hill through the snow nearly two miles to reach the jump site on the top of a ridge north of town. The first annual Cle Elum Ski Club Ski Carnival, held on February 15, 1924, attracted 1,500 spectators from all sections of Kittitas County, and was a “huge success.” Roslyn, Easton and Ellensburg sent large delegations who witnessed a “grand exhibition.” The competitions were held on the Kiwanis ski course near the town. Four jumpers competed. John Holden, a professional jumper from Seattle, had the longest jump of 83 feet. Arthur Ronstad from Renton scored the most points, followed by Peter Blucher of Tacoma, Ivan Finsberg from Seattle, and John Holden. “Arthur Ronstad thrilled the spectators during
one of his leaps when he struck the course sideways due to the wind and rode over a hundred feet on one foot, nearly straightening up, only to fall after a great effort. He was roundly applauded.” There were enthusiastic skiers from Ellensburg from at least the mid-1920s. Fifty skiers from Cle Elum’s Summit Ski Club took the Northern Pacific train to Martin on Stampede Pass on April 5, 1925, to enjoy spring skiing. They were joined by visiting skiers from Tacoma, Yakima and Ellensburg. Another trip was planned for the following Sunday, when a party of 75 skiers attended the “annual Martin ski party.” A ski club formed in Ellensburg in 1930. In January 1931, a representative of the club wrote the Cle Elum Ski Club, saying the past year, it had built a nice course located eight miles west of town, and “we have just begun to make people around here see that there is some fun out in the snow on skis & toboggans.” The Ski Club was holding an open house on January 10, 1931, with a tournament designed not to compete with Cle Elum’s, but to “create more fans that will want to come to Cle Elum.” The Ellensburg Ski Club asked for help putting on the event. There would be six events: an A-jump (good for up to 175 feet), a B-jump, Rocky Run, Boy’s Gliding (under 15), Ladies gliding, and a toboggan race with “suitable prizes in each event.” The three thousand people who attended the 1929 Cle Elum tournament had to hike two miles from town to the jumping site at the top of the ridge north of town, to witness the event from below the jump. They saw Olaf Locken set a distance record of 165 feet from the “gigantic runway” at the Ski Club hill. The largest out-of-town delegation was from Ellensburg, and ski fans from Enumclaw, near Mount Rainier, also attended. For the 1931 Cle Elum Tournament, the Northern Pacific’s Ellensburg Special left Ellensburg at 8:00 a.m. and arrived in
A hut built by the Cle Elum Ski Club pictured with spectators during a club-hosted event in 1923. Cecelia Maybo collection-Archives/special collections; James E. Brooks Library; Central Washington University
Cle Elum at 10:00 a.m. Four Ellensburg jumpers entered the 1932 Cle Elum tournament as Class A competitors, joining “the best ski riders the Northwest has,” including 18 Class A and 22 Class B jumpers. Ellensburg competitors included Dwight Bradshaw, Murl Pease, Edmund Letzsche, and Roy Evans. On January 15, 1932, the Ellensburg Ski Club held its First annual competitive jumping tournament, initiating its new course in Robinson Canyon, under the guidance of Carl Solberg. In 1928, Solberg was the featured attraction at the Cle Elum tournament, where he was identified as representing Easton, and was “a former national champion and famed in Europe.” He was later called the “world champion skier in 1914.” CULTIVATING TWO PASSIONS Lundin’s passion for curating history first began a decade ago when he was inspired to research the history of the Wood River Valley in Idaho, an area his great-grandparents moved to in 1881 during the area’s first silver strike. He
splits his time between Seattle and the valley, which includes the Sun Valley ski area. “My brother and I have a long-term project writing a book about the history of the Wood River Valley based on our family’s experiences here,” he said. “That was my first endeavor into history research and writing.” In 2015, Lundin’s longtime friend Dave Moffatt, whose family previously owned the ski areas at Snoqualmie Summit approached him with his ambition to create a historical museum at the summit. That ambition developed into the volunteer-run Washington State Ski and Snowboard Museum, which has been open at the pass since November 2015. “He asked whether I would be interested in participating because I am a longtime skier and my mother was a longtime skier,” he said. “I said it sounded great. I was still practicing law full-time, so it was something to do in my spare time. Having a ski museum was a longtime wish of ski historians, and it had
been discussed for about 25 years or so. Dave, who had retired, had decided it was time to bring it to fruition.” Lundin was part of a diverse and passionate group assembled by Moffatt to begin fundraising and curating planned exhibits for the planned museum. Since its opening, Lundin said the museum has been extremely successful, attracting approximately 6,000 visitors prior to the pandemic. “It’s small, and because we don’t have a lot of room for artifacts, it’s very high-tech,” he said. “We have a lot of touchscreens and audiovisual stuff.” As the foundations of the museum began to take shape in 2015, Lundin said he was inspired to become more involved in the historical aspect of the organization. “What got me started was I came across a picture of my mother in 1938 at the Milwaukee Ski Bowl,” he said. “I was embarrassed to say I had never heard of the Milwaukee Ski Bowl, and that was the center of alpine skiing in our state for over a decade. It was the first modern ski area.” K V LIVING
17
Lundin’s research on the Milwaukee Ski Bowl resulted in an essay he had published on historylink.org, the online encyclopedia of Washington State history. “I got really excited,” he said. “I thought gosh, this whole thing existed and was so important and I had never heard about it. What other parts of the history of skiing in Washington had I not known about?” FROM ESSAYS TO BOOKS On a trip to Upper County, Lundin said he was having a conversation with some residents about his research on the Milwaukee Ski Bowl, and he was asked about if he had knowledge about the Cle Elum Ski Club. He had not, and that revelation kicked off a new phase of research for him. “It turns out the person I met, his mother was the president of the North Kittitas County Historical Society,” he said. “She had a whole bunch of memorabilia she had rescued from a yard sale, including original materials and pictures. He made that that available to me.” The materials provided to Lundin created the framework for an essay on the Cle Elum Ski Club, and while learning about the ski jump constructed for the club, he then became interested in learning about the history of ski jumping in the state. “I was always generally aware that some was done, but I didn’t really realize before then how important it was to our ski history, certainly for at least the first three decades of skiing in Washington,” he said. “Ski jumping was by far the most popular face of the sport. I was blown away learning that.” Lundin continued to write essays on various aspects of the sport’s history in the state, and he was contacted by an editor for The History Press, an imprint of Arcadia Publishing. The publisher is known for producing high-quality history books in conjunction with regional historians around the nation.
18 18
KKVV LLIIVVIIN NG G
An ad from the Seattle Daily Times, Feb. 9, 1931, Seattle Daily Times (published as THE SEATTLE DAILY TIMES) - February 9, 1931 - page 11
“Somehow he had found out about my essays on ski history and asked if I could put them together in a book for them because they would love to publish it,” he said. “I said I would love to do it.”
Lundin’s first book published by the imprint was Early Skiing on Snoqualmie Pass, which went on to receive an award from the International Ski History Association for outstanding regional ski
history book of 2018. While writing that book, Lundin split his research time between Washington and Idaho historical subjects, writing a book on the role of the Union Pacific railroad in the Wood River Valley. In 2020, Lundin began to work with the National Nordic Museum in Seattle to create an installation revolving around the history of ski jumping within the state at its new location in the Ballard neighborhood. The installation that followed was a joint venture between the National Nordic Museum and the Washington State Ski and Snowboard Museum. Lundin was part of the team that helped curate the exhibit, and it inspired him to write a book dedicated to the topic. The book, “Ski jumping in WashingtonA Nordic tradition,” was released as a companion piece to “Early Skiing on Snoqualmie Pass” in 2021. He was recently notified the book won the International Ski History Association’s Skade Award as outstanding ski history book of 2021. “It feels great,” Lundin said of the awards he has won for his books. “It’s real recognition from my peers that they recognize the significance of the work I’ve done.” PROCESS OF WRITING “I’ve always been a voracious reader of history,” Lundin said of his passion. “Most of my adult life, I’ve read between 30 and 50 books a year, and almost all of them have been history books. I have always had an interest in and affinity for history.” As he began to research ski history, Lundin said one of the most valuable resources he found was in the reporting done by newspapers on both sides of the mountains. “One of the lessons I learned in doing the history was that local newspapers were some of the biggest proponents of skiing,” he said. “They really were evangelic in
their own way to promote skiing.” Beyond extensively covering the sport on their pages, Lundin said some newspapers took their passion to higher levels in directly supporting skiing events. In one example, Lundin said the Seattle Post-Intelligencer sponsored a ski event on Mount Rainier, while the Seattle Times provided free ski lessons to Seattle high school students upon the 1938 opening of the Milwaukee Ski Bowl. “They were so passionate about promoting the sport, they not only gave huge coverage in their newspaper, they actually got involved in activities that promoted it,” he said. “In those days, the papers assigned really sophisticated and knowledgeable ski reporters who would go to each and every match. The perception of their ability to write about ski jumping, for example, how they mastered the technical aspect of it and were able to convey that to the general readership is really remarkable.” Along with the vast trove of newspaper archives used in his books, Lundin said the research done by fellow Washington State Ski and Snowboard Museum board member Lowell Skoog was instrumental in filling research gaps within the topic. Skoog’s website www.alpenglow.org hosts extensive interviews and historical resources with a focus on mountaineering and backcountry skiing. “He’s located and summarized a lot of the magazine articles that came out in the 1930s and ‘40s,” Lundin said of Skoog’s body of work. “I found his website particularly important in filling out the view of history from beyond just the newspapers.” BEYOND BOOKS Upon the release of his book on ski jumping, Lundin said the National Nordic Museum hosted a four-month exhibition in conjunction with the book’s release. Along with hosting a presentation at that exhibition, he has hosted various local television programs focused on the history of the Wood River Valley in
Idaho. Locally, he has also presented at the Kittitas Valley Historical Museum on the topics he has researched over the last decade. He is currently working on creating an exhibition for his local library in Idaho focused on the history of ski jumping in that area. “That’s just part of my passion to bring the history of ski jumping into the public arena, because it was so important to our ski history and it’s almost forgotten now,” he said. “People get information from so many sources these days. If you’re evangelical like I am about getting out the sense of history, the more media forms and outlets you can get to, the greater the audience you will reach.” Along with his books published on Idaho history, all proceeds from the sales of Lundin’s two books on Washington State ski history are donated to the National Nordic Museum and the Washington State Ski and Snowboard Museum. “This really is a hobby and a passion for me,” he said. “I’ve worked with a lot of museums and libraries, and the work they do is terrific, but all of them are underfunded and really depend on voluntary support from people who share their vision. This is just one way I can support their efforts.” Both of Lundin’s books on Washington state ski history can be purchased from both online retailers and local booksellers, as well as at the Washington State Ski and Snowboard Museum and the Kittitas County Historical Museum. In addition, “Early skiing on Snoqualmie Pass” is available to check out at the Roslyn Public Library and the Carpenter Memorial Library in Cle Elum. The full text of the essay featured in this story can be found at digitalcommons.cwu.edu/local_ authors/16/ Lundin’s essay on the history of the Cle Elum Ski Club can be found at digitalcommons.cwu.edu/local_authors/7/ K V LIVING
19
An unidentified small child stands on a snow-covered sidewalk while holding onto a sled in this Mary Mires photo. Exact location and date unknown; estimated at circa 1900-1919. It is possible this kid was heading to sled on Craig’s Hill.
A hill with a history
Craig’s Hill has been a sledding destination for generations By JACK BELCHER staff writer here is no better place to go sledding in Ellensburg than Craig’s Hill by the water tower. Not an official sledding spot, the hill is known across the town through word of mouth, passed down between family and friends. Ellensburg resident Leslie Cruz grew up in Ellensburg, and went sledding
T 20
K V LIVING
at Craig’s Hill as a kid. Over the Jan. 7 weekend, she brought her own kids to the hill for their first time, Yari, 14, Emilia, 4, and Juan, 2. “It’s kinda nice. It’s the first for my hubby, a first for the kids,” Cruz said. “It was the first year in a while where there has been a lot of snow.” Jesse Holloway grew up in Cle Elum, but has known about Craig’s Hill being the sledding spot for a while. Now he
lives in Ellensburg and has brought his kids, Macey and Wyatt Anderson. Macey has been coming out to the hill since she was a 3-year-old, she is now 14. While the massive amount of snow is not giving her as much distance and speed as previous years, she is enjoying the soft landing. “Last year was way more gnarly, we went all the way down to the fence on the other side, but this year is pretty sweet there is a lot more snow,” Macey said.
Yari Cruz rides down headfirst while her family watches in the background.
“Last year there was a lot of just dirt.” For some kids, the more dangerous the better. Four sophomores at Ellensburg High School (Mac Steele, Ronan Goheen, Henry Joyce and Ean Bedsaul) were at the hill over the weekend with three goals: have fun, break a bone and look cool doing it. “I’ve been sledding for about 10 years,” Bedsaul said. “My mom told me not to go up here so I came up here. Broke my leg pretty bad.” Goheen said he had also been injured on the hill. He said he fractured his elbow when he was about 6. Despite the injuries, they keep coming to the hill, although the extra foot of snow was actually not what they wanted. “It’s not the fastest it’s been, but it doesn’t hurt when you crash at all,” Goheen said. “If we had better sleds, we might have
been lucky enough to break something,” Bedsaul said. Others like Maddy Reynolds and Sarahlyn Gatley were there to have fun just sledding down the hill together. They had been out the day before with a larger group of friends, but came up early on Friday, Jan. 7. “It was excellent, couldn’t have been better,” Reynolds said. The tradition of sledding the hill is older than many people may think. According to Sadie Thayer, director at the Kittitas County Historical Museum, the pastime has been around for easily over a hundred years. The museum has a sled in position belonging to Marian Faust, whose family lived at the top of the hill in the early 1900s. Foust herself was born in 1905, and it’s not out of the question the sled was used on the very same hill family’s sled a century later. u
J e r r y W. G r e b b, C PA R i c h a r d A . Wa c h s m i t h , C PA M a r i e L . R i e g e l , C PA J a c q u e l i n e M . O ’C o n n o r, C PA F e l i c i a M . Pe r s s o n , C PA M e l a n i e R . R o s e c r a n s , C PA K e l s e y M . R o s e b e r r y, C PA M a d e l i n e J . d e M A I N T E N O N , C PA S a r a h H o o k h a m , C PA
509.925.9876 Toll Free 855.925.9876 209 E. 5th Ave. | PO Box 460 Ellensburg, WA 98926 www.GJRW.com K V LIVING
191322-1
Henry Joyce (tan coat, upside down) takes a spill on the way down.
• Estate & Business Planning • Tax Planning & Preparation • Financial Statement Preparation • Accounting & Payroll Services
21
Looking Back: Questions of past linger today
The Ask Me column was a regular feature in the early 1920s in the Daily Record (then called the Evening Record). In the winter of 1922 the hot topic was those wild and crazy young people and their obsession with jazz dancing. The Ask Me column tackled this topic head-on.
Dear Ask Me: I saw some time ago gossip in your column about our younger generation and the high school dances. Now I think that high school dances are the only things for our young people. I have heard high school students say that if it were not for entertainments, they would not be interested in school. These dances and parties teach the children many things they have to know to get along socially in life. They take the awkwardness from the students and show them nicer things in life. No harm is done when our principal and teachers go as chaperons. The children are, of course, home at an early hour. They go with the full consent of their parents. They don’t have to wait until their fathers and mothers are asleep and then crawl out of the side door or window to a public dance out in the country or some other place. I know this by experience for I have children going to college and high school. And another thing, one sees more children going to Sunday school now than any other time. And what is it that draws them? Why the sociability, of course. I go to lodge and see a lot of old timers that can’t do a thing but be wall flowers and it is all because they didn’t have the opportunity to learn to be agreeable and social when they were young. I have been in Ellensburg in business for 17 years and once a Yakima girl, beautiful and charming, came to my place of business with a young man she had run away with and he made this remark, “What would your mother say if she saw you know?” She answered, “What do I care for Mother. She always wanted to keep me on her apron string but not now. I have left for good.” Shortly after the police were looking for her. Now this all comes from keeping the younger generation away from sociability. Please give me 22
K V LIVING
your opinion. — A Reader A Reader: I agree with much that you have said although I rather take issue with you when you say that students say they wouldn’t be interested in school if it wasn’t for the social life they get there. I think social life should play a part in school but too much is as disastrous as it is good. Many a college has been ruined by going dancing mad, and its intellectual standard lowered for years by a few months of riotous pleasure on the part of the students. It is true that school students need recreation and entertainments but their subjects and their studies should always come first. It is well to have children learn social poise at school, as many seldom get other chances to acquire it. This is more or less a question of opinion and I would be glad to print any letters on the trend. Certainly there must be many of the readers of this column who will be glad to contribute their ideas. — Evening Record, Jan. 23, 1922 Dear Ask Me: In regard to a Reader A’s opinion about our young generation and the high school dances, I think your answer was right. Perhaps, if the reader could see some of the results that are already developing out of so much high school and other public dancing. I believe he or she, as the case might be, would change opinions. If there is anything more disgusting and demoralizing than jazz dancing — with its deplorable wriggling and romping — I do not wish to see it. All that I see or hear talked of or done by the young girls of today is the fox trot or jazz. Mothers complain constantly of their boys and girls saying they do not care to do anything else or think anything else than jazz. If Reader was not so engrossed in his over her social or business interests he or she might see that quite a number of the younger boys and girls do not go home directly after a dance as we might imagine.
To advocate such things in the school is insanity to my way of thinking and I believe that there are laws to stop it. If not, there should be. —Tax Payer Tay Payer: I think you totally misunderstood my answer. I did not say dancing was bad for students. I think if you will read that section of the paper again you will see that I said that studies should always come first in school with the student and after these are thought of, of course, comes the recreation. Dancing when properly chaperoned in the schools is beneficial because if there were no forms of amusement here, the students would go elsewhere seeking pleasure, and perhaps to some place where they shouldn’t go. If you would not have the boys and girls dance, what recreation would you give them? You are indefinite about your plans. Is there anyone else who wishes to answer Reader’s letter? The question of dancing in the schools is being discussed in many places at this time. — Evening Record, Jan. 27, 1922 Dear Ask Me: I am a student at Ellensburg High School and want to say a word about the article in Tuesday’s paper. If the students at the high school do not have dances and parties they would not like school half so well. Most students like to dance and are glad when there is a dance. Dances make them more interested in school. It is true that if there were no dances in the high school the students would go to the public dances for their fun. At the school dances the students have a lot more fun than they would at public dances and most of them go home early. — Student Dear Ask Me: There is a private dance to be given soon and I would very much like to go with a certain boy friend and haven’t the slightest idea if he will ask me. What can I do in a case like this? Thanking you in advance. — Bobby Bobby: I should think if this is a private dance the hostess would be the once to decide who was coming with who and perhaps you could suggest to her your choice. At any rate you can take a gambling chance on him. There might be the possibility, too, that he has his choice and might prefer unshorn locks. — Evening Record, Jan. 27, 1922
the Daily Record IS Ellensburg’s
best source for local news and community events
EVERY PRINT SUbSCRIPTION RECEIVES FREE DIGITAL ACCESS
ONLY $15.17 Per Month
509.925-1414 dailyrecordnews.com
K V LIVING
23
BODY SENSING TECHNOLOGY King Koil has developed a sleep system that adjusts to your unique body size and continuously adapts to the way you move. SmartLife features patented body sensing technology that adjusts to your body while you sleep, giving you support and comfort where you need it. Over 80 individual Smart Cells in eighty independently controlled zones using thousands of algorithms give your body the comfort it needs.
Visit our store today and ask for a demonstration to feel the difference for yourself.
24
K V LIVING
4th & Main • Ellensburg, WA 509-925-9828 • FitterersFurniture.com Open 6 Days a Week Free Delivery in the Heart of WA State