A Home-Grown Feast From Yesteryear

Commercial Club meeting – Home Products Night – SJ Historical Society photo

This month’s history column was inspired by a somewhat rare interior photograph, taken at an event by the name of “Home Products Night.” When the photo, as seen above, was donated to the San Juan Historical Society and Museum many years ago, it came with a description which offered the following information, but alas, no date.

“Commercial Club meeting – Home Products Night. Every item of food had been grown on San Juan Island – except tea and coffee. J.K. McKenzie, President. Frank Mullis, Secretary.”

Several questions came to mind. When and where was this photo taken? Knowing the names of two officers of the club did help somewhat in dating the photo, but when a relative of Raymond Madden (seated third chair from left of the post) identified him in the scene, it narrowed it down much more. Raymond died in early 1931, so we started looking in issues of the Friday Harbor Journal prior to that.

What kind of “Commercial Club” were we to find described in the old newspapers? Friday Harbor’s formal incorporation as a town in 1909 marked the beginning of a new era in many ways, including the establishment of business associations known at various times as the Friday Harbor Commercial Club, the Friday Harbor Improvement Club, and the San Juan Island Commercial Club. Eventually, a countywide organization named the San Juan County Commercial Club was established to act as an umbrella organization for commercial clubs on the three main islands. Their common goals were to support local businesses and industry, contribute to civic improvement projects (such as the creation of new roads and a water supply system), network with neighboring civic organizations on the mainland and in British Columbia, and promote community pride. They also exerted influence on local politics, as well as the economy. And they paved the way for the establishment of the San Juan Island Chamber of Commerce, which came on the scene in the late 1940s.

But getting back to discovering the story behind this photograph, it appears to have been taken at an event put on by the San Juan Island Commercial Club, held at the San Juan Hotel on November 27, 1922 and described on the front page in the next issue of the Friday Harbor Journal.

Home Grown Banquet Largely Attended

Local Commercial Club Show Island Self-Sustaining

Practically everything served at the banquet was raised and made on the island. The wheat from which the flour was made was raised by Alfred Douglas, milled by Gillman Brothers, and was made into delicious bread by Mrs. P.A. Jensen.

So in this month of October, during a year when annual autumn harvest events such as those during “Savor the San Juans” month are virtual experiences (www.visitsanjuans.com), we remember a festive food event from 1922 when an evening with island-grown products made front page news. If you can identify people in this photograph, please leave a comment and let us know.

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