The Sundstroms

A nice picture of the Sundstroms; John, Ernest, Josie, Al, Dave, Clyde, and Wade.

Marty Halvorsen

In honor of my dad's cousin, Martin Halvorsen, who passed away on December 20th...this is (left to right) Grant Alexander, Marty, and Marty's mother Carol. This is dated September 1951.

Swimming & The High Jump

                                    I love this little photo of these young swimmers...can you say brrrrr?

This one I think is a great high jump action shot.

Island Recipes

I know that every family has them, and here are a couple from my Grandma Marie's collection, from other island women.

Spirit Balls, by Alis Dubail...

Raisin Griddle Cookies, by Dorothy Groll...these are made on a griddle, but Dorothy said on the recipe that she would "use my electric frying pan when company drops in for the evening." Who doesn't love freshly made cookies when out visiting with friends?!

San Juan County Bank Book

Here's a fun piece of history...my Great-Grandpa Gunder's savings deposit book, from San Juan County Bank. Here's what the San Juan County bank customers recorded their bank transactions in back in the day; this one dates back to 1947! Notice the capital that the bank had back then; $35,000.

Cows & Horses

Farm animals have, and continue to be, an integral part of island life. Looking through my family's collection of photos, I notice they appear in quite a few...sometimes with people, and other times by themselves. Here's a selection of the first kind. Enjoy! 

My grandma is the little girl on the wagon

 

My grandma's brother, Eldon, in 1945

My grandma, with her brother Eldon, and father Gunder

Here's my grandma, Marie Boe, years later...milking cows on her own farm!

English Camp Blockhouse & Shed

Since I recently posted the images of English Camp from the 60s, I thought I'd add in one more, from way further back. This one is undated, but quite old...notice the shed, and how different the area around the blockhouse looks. This photograph is large and matted, just as some of my others of iconic island places are.

Doe Bay Postcard 1945

Here's a wonderful postcard of a cabin at Doe Bay, on Orcas Island. It's addressed to my great grandma, from her friend Francel. The back reads, "Wed. a.m. Dear Adah, We are having such a nice time, just the four of us. Wish you could come and spend the day with us. The men caught a nice silver this morning, so we are going to have fried salmon for Peg and Al's anniversary today. It is so pretty here, and so much activity on the water all day. We are just enjoying ourselves reading and doing a little cross stitch. Wish I had a sweater started tho. See you soon after we get home. Isn't our cabin cute? Love, Francel." The card is postmarked August 1st, 1945...67 years ago, today.

San Juan County Fair Books 1967 & 1971

Since the fair is coming right up, I thought it would be fun to show two of the fair premium books from the past; from the years 1967 and 1971. It's interesting to read about some of the things that were done during the fair back then, such as the 4-H knitting activity. Any 4-H member enrolled in a knitting project could participate, and they had 3 hours (with a 15 minute rest period) in which to make a pot holder or TV slipper. The premium book assures that "a knitting area will be set up with rocking chairs, ample working area and good lighting for each girl." The book suggests that the girls "wear a school dress or slacks that do not collect lint."

It's also fun, for me, to see how many departments and contests my grandma was a superintendent in; dairy foods, bread making, meal preparation, knitting...she was an integral part of 4-H at the fair!

One more important thing to notice is that the fair only lasted 3 days during those years. Now we get a total of 4...gives everyone plenty of time to eat elephant ears and take a look at all those amazing entries!

Cub Scouts, Early 1950s

Here are six fun shots from my dad's Cub Scout Photograph Album, from the early 50s. Hey islanders, see who you recognize!

Group shot; my dad is on the left.

When on Mars, do as the locals do!

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English Camp 1960s

Here are six photos from the 1960s, of English Camp, on San Juan Island. Notice that the Barracks and the Blockhouse were in much need of repair, which occurred in 1970.

Postcard from Dolphin

Dolphin Bay was a settlement on Orcas Island, founded by Freeman Iotte. It eventually became a community, in the early 1900s, that even had its own school and post office. Freeman Iotte was the father-in-law of my great-great-grandpa's daughter, Mary Emma. Freeman and Mary Emma are buried next to each other on Orcas Island.

The postcard was sent July 26, 1916. Mary Emma tells her father (my great-great grandpa), and sister Ada (my great grandma), that they are all well and have been picking berries and selling soap. She tells that her daughters Goldia and Myrtle are doing fine, and that it has done nothing but rain for the past two weeks.

I love these types of artifacts; little bits of history that give insight into what the lives of those who went before us were like. It's especially interesting living in the same area as they did. People often comment about the remoteness of the islands in this day and age, yet imagine what it was like in the little community of Dolphin, in 1916!

Rourke/Lettie Carter House

Here are some wonderful images of island kids, with the beautiful Rourke/Lettie Carter house, on Argyle Avenue, in the background. The pictures are undated, but the house was built in 1912, and my grandma was born in 1919. She's just a young girl, so we can estimate it as being the early 1920s. I love the expressions on their faces!

My grandma is the girl in the bottom row, middle, reaching her hand in the other girl's pocket!

My grandma is holding the racket.  The kids were often riding this pony...

Notice the sidewalks!

House Moving, Island Style

We have a certain style to the way we do things around here, and moving houses is no exception. Take a look at this great photo...the details are what amaze me! Notice that this house is being moved up Spring Street, by tractors, on logs. Wow-what a way to move a house through town!

There's no labeling on the picture, but it must be from 1963, given the license plate on the car. Notice the businesses in the image, too; Herb's Tavern on the left, and on the right there's The Journal, Scribner's Market, and the Lumber & Building Supplies storefront. 

The kids in the front seem to be enjoying the whole scene, and you can see islanders on the street watching the move. One more thing; notice the guy on the top of the house...what a ride!

A little update; I had some help figuring out where this building ended up after the move, from Dave Meiland and Sandy Strehlou (Friday Harbor's Historic Preservation Coordinator). This is now the Boy Scout building located at the San Juan County Fairgrounds! Sandy said it was originally affiliated with the Fish Cannery on Front Street. Here's what it looks like today...

One last tidbit on this great old house; it was the home of Elias Harpst, who was Friday Harbor's undertaker and watchmaker. He worked in the building right next door to the house, when it was in its original location. You can see an image of it, taken between 1907 and 1910, in Images of America-Friday Harbor by Mike and Julia Vouri and the San Juan Historical Society and Museum.

American Camp

Here are two wonderful images of islanders posing next to the monument at American Camp. The top one is undated, and the bottom one is dated March 25 1923.

Certificate of Award

One more school related item...this is what you got back in my great-grandmother's day, when you weren't absent or tardy from school! My great-grandmother had a great record; I have a stack of these that belonged to her!

Friday Harbor Class Photos 1939-1940

Sure school is out, but that doesn't mean we can't check out some old Friday Harbor class photos! Here are some from 1939-40...

First Grade 1939-40

Second Grade 1939-40

Third Grade 1939-40

Fourth Grade 1939-40

Fifth Grade 1939-40

Seventh Grade 1939-40