History Column: ‘History Lives Here’ Month Returns to San Juan Islands

Contributed Photo/San Juan Historical Society and Museum. 1892 Odd Fellows Banner, Mt. Dallas Lodge.

Attend eight local historical events through May

From the San Juan Historical Society and Museum

The American experience is composed of many local histories, common or unique.

When we say “History Lives Here,” it is to bring attention to our island community’s often somewhat hidden, or at least not broadly remembered, rich local history.

It is an effort to bring our history out of archives and personal collections to share with our present-day community.

May is the month when local historians, in observance of “History Lives Here Month,” fill the calendar with free events like these. The Town of Friday Harbor has led the charge to coordinate an event calendar and provide descriptions of experiences coming up later this month, showing how you can participate virtually or on the two guided walking tours.

Saturday, May 15, 10:30 a.m.: Walk the Old Military Road
Join historian and author Mike Vouri and members of the Old Military Road Trail committee as they explore the Military Road that once ran between American and English Camps.

Discover the history of the road and how it served as a vital conduit for settlement and commerce, and eventually lead to the county roads we use today. Meet at the new visitor center at American Camp. Please wear a mask. No pre-registration required. For information, contact Mike Vouri at [email protected].

Tuesday, May 18, 10:30 a.m.: History Lives in Us: Orcas Island “Back in the Day”
Join the Orcas Island Genealogy Club for a fun morning of memorable stories of days past on Orcas Island. The focus will be on what the island was like back in the 1970s through the 1990s. How is Eastsound different now?

The event is online and pre-registration is required. To register, contact Vicki Leimback, [email protected], or Kathi Ciskowski, [email protected], for the Zoom invitation.

Tuesday, May 18, 7 p.m.: From Odd Fellows to Orcas
The former Odd Fellows Hall, now known as The Whale Museum, is home to stories both historical and supernatural. Its uses in Friday Harbor from 1892 through today include the infamous 1895 murder trial of teacher Richard Straub, the prohibitionist preaching fervor of Billy Sunday in 1910, decades as the social hub for island festivities, and later as Lee Bave’s Island Gallery and her quirky San Juan Saga theatrical production. But it all began with the Mt. Dallas Lodge of the International Order of Odd Fellows.

Join Robin Jacobson from the San Juan Historical Museum to travel in time from the building’s beginnings to today’s Salish Sea focus as The Whale Museum. This is a San Juan Island Library online event and pre-registration is required. To register, contact Genevieve Iverson, San Juan Island Library, [email protected], for the Zoom invitation.

Thursday, May 20, 5 p.m.: Architecture of the Recent Past: What Park Street Tells Us
Recent Past architecture (1940-1980) is typically under-appreciated. From modest FHA cottages and iconic Ranch Ramblers, to Mid-Century Modern split-level houses, buildings from this period reflect the history of America as it struggled with war and shortages, and later, when the prosperity of the 50s and 60s introduced backyard living, automobile culture, and eventually a modern space-age take on everything from architectural design to interior decor.

The Town of Friday Harbor’s Historic Preservation Review Board is surveying the recent past architecture of Park Street as a study in residential development and character. Learn what Park Street is teaching us. This is an online Go to Meeting event. Pre-registration is required. To register, contact Sandy Strehlou, Town of Friday Harbor, [email protected], for the event link invitation.

Wednesday, May 26, 7 p.m.: The Kanakas of San Juan Island
During the mid-19th century, Kanakas–Hawaiian Islanders–in the employ of the Hudson’s Bay Company worked and settled on San Juan Island. Come hear Boyd Pratt talk about these folks dear to his heart (and birthplace). Boyd will share why they came, how they dwelt here, and what legacies they left.

This is a San Juan Island Library online event and pre-registration is required. To register, contact Genevieve Iverson, San Juan Island Library, [email protected], for the Zoom invitation.

Thursday, May 27, 10:30 a.m.: A Kepi in the Tide: Writing Historical Fiction
Author and genealogist John Ickes is a distant relative of early San Juan Island artist Marjorie Walker (1906-1992). John’s historical research contributed to the understanding of Marjorie’s life and also uncovered the heroic and tragic story of his great uncle Hobart M. Walker (1842-1865), who fought and died for the Union Army during the Civil War.

John will share Hobart’s story and the process he used to research and write the historically based, fictionalized story of Hobart’s life titled A Kepi in the Tide. This is an online Go to Meeting event and pre-registration is required. To register, contact Sandy Strehlou, Town of Friday Harbor, [email protected], for the event link invitation.

Friday, May 28, 11 a.m.: Flying into History: Roy Franklin, Island Aviation and Ernie’s Café
In 1995, The Smithsonian identified Roy Franklin of Friday Harbor as one of 22 most important pioneers in commuter aviation in the United States. His legacy, and that of others like Dr. Malcolm Heath, Ernie and Dodie Gann, and the Flying Eagles pilots, to name just a few, is remembered through the efforts of current-day island aviators who share their passion for flying, and the small but thriving airport they call home base. The airport and

Ernie’s Café, named after author Ernest (Ernie) Gann, are important local landmarks. Although the cafe has been closed since early December, it will reopen in May with a new look. Ernie’s Cafe in the Ernest Gann Pilot Center will be operated by Jim Crossley and his wife, Kristine. The Roy Franklin Museum will exhibit his legacy and the history of aviation in the San Juan Islands.

Join us as we explore the colorful history of island aviation and the importance of these historical and cultural landmarks. This is an online Go to Meeting event and pre-registration is required. To register, contact Sandy Strehlou, Town of Friday Harbor, [email protected], for the event link invitation.

Sunday, May 30, 9 a.m.: A Pioneer Homestead Walk: The Sandwith Homestead and Orchard
Among the earliest settler families are the Sandwiths, who left a beautiful orchard and remnants of their homestead near English Camp. This 1.5-mile round trip walk will introduce you to the Sandwiths, their orchard, and the life of pioneers on the islands in the 19th century.

Walk from the English Camp parking lot to the Sandwith Homestead site and back. Please wear a mask. No pre-registration required. For Information: Jeffery Hodge, San Juan Island National Historical Park, [email protected].

There is so much interesting history of island life in the San Juan Islands. We hope you can enjoy these events and more this month. For more information, check out the Town of Friday Harbor’s website at www.fridayharbor.org.

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