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.

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!

Cascade Falls Postcard

Here's an interesting postcard, addressed to my great-grandma, in 1914. It reads, "Dear Ada, Your class is going down to Newhall's Lagoon this (Wednesday afternoon). Be at O.H. Culvers with your lunch at 4 P.M. F. Mullis." I darkened the back of the postcard so that it would be easier to read. It's interesting to think about the days before email, cell phones, and other quick means of communication, and how sending a postcard might be the fastest way of getting news to someone...even in your own town!

Some additional things of interest; O.H. Culvers established the port at Friday Harbor, and F. Mullis is presumably Frank Mullis, renowned island builder and contractor. 

Eastsound Postcard

I love this postcard, which was sent in 1915, to my great-great grandfather on San Juan Island, from his daughter on Orcas Island. It reads, "Fishing is always good here at East Sound." Looks like it!

Orcas Island Salvation Army Band

A different kind of gathering...this is a picture of the Salvation Army Band, on Orcas Island, from 1939. I worked with a genealogist I know on this, and we believe that there are members of the Bull, Iotte, and LaPlante families in this picture. My great-great-grandfather's oldest daughter, Mary Emma Chambers Conkle, married into the Iotte family, so it would make sense that this photo ended up with my great-great-grandfather, after she died. The picture itself is not in very good shape, so I digitally cleaned it up a bit, to make the faces more visible.

Ferry Landings

A ferry's gotta land, right? Whenever we leave or arrive at a landing, I love thinking about how they have changed over the years. At my age, and with how I am used to seeing the docks, it's hard for me to imagine it being like this; how close the cars are to the landing, and the casual attitudes of those walking, and visiting, on the ramp. I don't think the WSDOT ferry employees would be too thrilled about someone sitting on the ramp, like the man in the image below!