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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2015 Issue 1 - From Horses To CarsFurry Friends currently on Exhibit at RHM. President’s Report by Stefanie McIrvin, Board President. Real-Life History, story from Mike Stenhouse. Museum Report by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Director. As technology changes, our landscape and lives are transformed with it. If the rise of the internet has upended our work and personal lives, imagine the shift from horse power to gas power! To coincide with our Furry Friends exhibit, this article traces the changes brought about when automobiles replaced horses in Renton. Before 1900, Renton was mainly an agricultural center. In 1880, 15% of Renton’s working population (mostly male) was engaged in farming; it wasn’t until 1900 that the percentage of miners began to rival that of farmers, as miners grew from 8.81% of the population in 1880 to almost 10% in 1900. Because of the constantly flooding Cedar and Black Rivers, dairy farming was the predominant form of husbandry in Renton; farmers like Erasmus Smithers, Claus and Christian Jorgensen, and Fred Nelsen could move their livestock around as weather conditions demanded. Large animals—cattle, horses, and mules— were ever-present in early Renton, and the businesses that tended to their needs sprang up as the population grew. Just before the railroad and the automobile took over American transport and hauling, blacksmiths, livery stables, and harness-makers were a necessary part of Renton life. Also In This Issue... RENTON HISTORICALSOCIETY & MUSEUM Spring March 2015 Volume 46 Number 1 Continued on page 5 2 4 83 FROM HORSES TO CARS QUARTERLY by Elizabeth P. Stewart 2 | R E NTON H ISTORY MUSEUM CURRENT EXHIBIT TITLE GOES HERE FURRY FRIENDS: FROM FADS TO FAMILY Long before YouTube and Instagram made pet images an inescapable part of today’s pop culture, Renton’s inhabitants were posing with pets of their own, sometimes in hilarious fashion. This lighthearted exhibit celebrates the familial connections between people and their furry best friends and explores the human fascination with capturing our pets’ antics on camera. The exhibit features a large selection of photographs from the Museum’s collection along with several opportunities for visitor participation. Write a poem about your beloved pet or bring your well-behaved (and leashed) Fido or Fluffy and snap your own “historic” pet photo in our Victorian mock-photo studio setting! From F EBRUARY 17 To AUGUST 29 BILL AND TERRI BRIERE FUND The Renton History Museum lost two of our most dedicated supporters in Bill and Terri Briere in 2014. Councilmember Terri Briere served as Renton City Council liaison to our Board of Trustees, and she was a strong advocate for heritage preservation inside the City and in the community. In his capacity as the principal of Briere & Associates, Bill Briere lent his construction and contracting talents to the renovation of our offsite collection storage building, V I RAL V IDEO STAR COMING TO RHM In honor of our Furry Friends pet exhibit, the Museum will host Internet cat video superstar Will Braden, creator of Henri, le Chat Noir and winner of the coveted Internet Cat Video Festival Golden Kitty Award. Braden uses clips of historic cat videos to show us that while the Internet may be relatively new, our fascination with filming our pets certainly is not. Don’t miss your chance to meet Will and learn all about Henri behind-the-scenes! as well as the planning for our upcoming lobby renovation. The Renton Historical Society has opened a fund in Bill and Terri’s honor which will be used to complete the lobby project about which they were so excited. Please direct your donations to the Bill and Terri Briere Fund, and make our lobby project come to life! Thursday M A RCH 19 at 5:30 S PRING Q U ARTERLY , 2015 | 3 MUSEUM REPORT QUARTERLY Spring 2015 Elizabeth P. Stewart Director The other day we gathered together our volunteers for our annual Valentine’s Luncheon to show appreciation for all their hard work. We had every generation represented—from baby Elizabeth Rose Kelly, volunteer Jessica Kelly’s new daughter, to RenTeen Elizabeth Galván, to our longtime supporters who comprise the Volunteer Committee (Nancy Fairman, Shirley Phinney, Ila Hemm, Sarah Jane Hisey, Janet Christensen, and Margaret Feaster). We all had such a good time getting reacquainted, playing “Getting to Know You” bingo, and generally sharing our passion for museums. What a lovely afternoon! It’s a well-kept secret that working in a museum can be one of the most fun professions: we learn new things every day, we get to see (and sometimes handle) local treasures, and, most importantly, we work with such congenial people. Many museum people don’t make much money, but our compensation comes in daily discoveries, lifelong learning, and cherished relationships. It’s a good career that allows you to be entertained while making other people happy, more curious, and (occasionally) smarter. We do many serious things, of course, but every once in a while we get to work on subjects that are just by their nature enjoyable. Colleen Lenahan, the curator of our new exhibit, Furry Friends: From Fads to Family, will tell you that this project was truly a labor of love. As the caretaker of two cats, Colleen is endlessly fascinated by why they do what they do and why we love our pets so much. Furry Friends uses our collection of engaging and improbable pets-and-their-humans photos to explore how and why our animal companions loom so large in our lives. It’s an exhibit you won’t forget. Not long ago a grandfather came in with his five- year-old granddaughter. He had been to the Museum ahead of time to plan out what he wanted to point out to her, and he had memorized the stories he wanted to tell her to enhance the objects and photos in our exhibits. But when he left, he told me that she had spent much most of her time here building with TinkerToys in our Kids’ Room instead of looking at exhibits with him. And that’s OK. The good news for us is that she had FUN in the Renton History Museum. I hope that what she remembers about her first museum experience is a pleasurable time with her granddad, and I hope that that memory will compel her to come back again and again. by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Museum Director This 1970s dog-themed photo album is one of the more silly objects in our collection. (RHM# 2011.030.022) RENTON HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Sarah Samson Graphic Design & Layout Karl Hurst City of Renton Print & Mail Services RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Stefanie McIrvin, President Meris Mullaley, Vice President Laura Clawson, Treasurer Elizabeth P. Stewart, Secretary Susie Bressan, 2015 Sandra Meyer, 2015 Alice Stenstrom, 2016 Lisa Wivag, 2016 Theresa Clymer, 2017 Kim Sweet, 2017 Vicki Jo Utterstrom, 2017 MUSEUM STAFF Elizabeth P. Stewart Museum Director Sarah Samson Collection Manager Colleen Lenahan Public Engagement Coordinator Laurie Lent Office Aide RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 MILL AVENUE S RENTON, WA 98057 P (425) 255-2330 F (425) 255-1570 HOURS: Tuesday - Saturday 10:00am - 4:00pm ADMISSION: $3 (Adult) $1 (Child) Renton Historical Society trustee Sandra Meyer poses with her dog Pepper in our Victorian setting in Furry Friends. 4 | R ENTON H I STORY MU SEUM PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE J ust as winter is transitioning into spring, the Renton Historical Society is developing fresh ideas and many new, exciting opportunities. I’d like to share with you what we have been working on recently and what we have planned for the coming months. When I first wrote to you, I stated that one of my main goals as President was to expand the Board’s fundraising. As Trustees, it is our duty to not only shape and guide policy for the Museum, but to help raise funds to support it. I still believe passionately that we need to expand our horizons and try different fundraising methods. Our annual fall dinner auction will certainly continue, but I am excited to announce that we are implementing a new spring event. The details are still being finalized, but I can tell you that Trustees and Museum staff will be getting out into the community to raise awareness about what we do and to reach new, potential members. The funds from this event will go towards the Museum lobby renovation – a much-needed and much-anticipated upgrade to the building. Along those same lines, we will also be holding a Board retreat to learn about fundraising of various forms, and it will likely include a knowledgeable facilitator/ instructor who can train us in best practices. The goal is to make everyone – Trustees, staff, and ultimately members – more comfortable with fundraising. We will also work on the Museum strategic plan to examine what we have accomplished thus far and determine our goals for moving forward. In order to make all of this happen, we also need to fill empty Trustee seats. Each current Trustee has dedicated themselves to providing contact information of friends and colleagues for recruitment purposes. We hope to have all vacancies filled by June so that we can continue our good work with a full and knowledgeable board. If you or anyone you know may be interested in joining our board, please let us know. by Stefanie McIrvin, President UPCOMING EVENTS EXPLORING THE RICH HISTORIC TRADITION OF CAT VIDEOS WITH THE CREATOR OF HENRI, LE CHAT NOIR March 19 5:30-7:30 pm Come see Internet cat video superstar Will Braden, creator of Henri, le Chat Noir! 27 FLAGS: THE EVOLUTION OF OUR STAR-SPANGLED BANNER June 13 1:00-2:00 pm In honor of Flag Day, join RHM volunteer and retired Army 1st Sgt. Judy Leu as she presents all 27 flags that have flown over the United States since its inception. Trustees Lisa Wivag, Theresa Clymer and Stefanie McIrvin. Trustee Kim Sweet representing the Museum at the Chamber Business Expo. FIRST SCULPTOR OF SEATTLE: THE LIFE & ART OF JAMES A. WEHN March 5 7:00-8:00 pm Author and art historian Fred Poyner IV discusses his recent biography about Seattle sculptor James A. Wehn, the creator of the Chief Seattle fountain. Stefanie McIrvin President SPRING Q U ARTERLY , 2015 | 5 THE VILLAGE SMITHY Early Renton supported numerous blacksmiths, but most did not stay very long. Between 1880 and 1900, Andrew Wheal, Ira Carpenter, Thomas James, Lewis Hipkin, J. E. Davis, Matthew Ellery, and Augustine Treviere all set up shop and then quickly moved on to greener pastures. Hermann Priebe, however, launched a Renton blacksmithing dynasty that lasted into the 1940s. Hermann arrived in the United States from Germany at age 32 with his bride of two years, Henrietta. By 1885 he had settled in Renton with his three sons—Herman, Oscar, and Theodore—and his two daughters—Ida and Bertha. When Hermann died in 1902, twenty-five-year old Oscar and nineteen-year old Herman were ready to step into their father’s horseshoeing business. Hermann Priebe, and later his sons Oscar and Herman, did all kinds of wagon repair work “Promptly and Skillfully,” but horseshoeing was a specialty.1 Oscar’s son Jack, who was born in 1920, later recalled life at the old blacksmith shop: “I remember [my father] shoeing the horses in the back part of the blacksmith shop there. [And] he had… a gas-fire ring that… he’d heat those [rims] all red-hot and then he’d put it over… the wooden part of the wagon wheels and then he’d put it in water and it’d shrink.”2 The blacksmith’s shop looked like a junkyard, Continued from page 1 Cover photo: Jack and Hugh Samson in a Renton blacksmith shop, ca. 1911. Both had quit blacksmithing by 1920; Jack was a pressman at the briquette plant and Hugh was a Los Angeles astrologer. (RHM# 2007.008.002) FROM HORSES TO CARS Priebe Bros. Blacksmith Shop, on Third St. near Williams Ave., 1909. (RHM# 1977.039.0853) 6 | RE NTON H ISTORY M USEUM because the Priebes kept so much metal on hand for carriage and buggy repairs. “People would come in there and ask him for a certain piece of iron, he’d go digging in that pile and he’d always come up with it,” Jack recalled.3 Located on Third Street near Williams Avenue, on the site of today’s former Renton Western Wear building, Priebe Bros. was at the very center of the services catering to Renton’s horses. Next door was Storey Livery, another longstanding business. Around the corner on Williams, between Third and Walla Walla, were Vandervoort & Neill Blacksmiths, owned by Charles A. Vandervoort and William Neill, and Renton Harness Shop, operated by John R. MacLeod.4 A little further east on Third was Leonard Dow Davis’s harness shop. A few blocks away were N. P. Livery and OK Livery. “1ST CLASS RIGS AT REASONABLE PRICES” As vital sources of horse-powered transport, livery stables rented out the taxis, rental cars, and U-Hauls of the early 1900s. Livery stable operators were jacks of all trades: they maintained rigs, kept teams of horses in good health, boarded horses, provided equipment for hauling and moving goods, and, as experts in the animal and mechanical dimensions of transportation, they occasionally had to provide inexperienced drivers with a crash course in handling a rig. The city had several livery stables at any given time: Storey Livery, OK Livery, Renton Wagon Works (also a blacksmith and wheelwright shop), and N. P. Livery, but it was Myles Storey’s and Charles Campbell’s stables that persisted.5 The Kassner Brothers’ Renton Wagon Works, at the corner of South Main and Third, was right around the corner from OK Livery. Bernard, Gotthard, and Reinhold Kassner are standing in and around the cart waiting for repair. (RHM# 1991.125.3323) L. D. Davis Harness Making & Repairing, Third St. near Wells, 1910. L-R: OK Livery’s Charles Campbell, blacksmith C. F. Hearl, unknown, Leonard D. Davis and his dog. (RHM# 1989.049.2750) S P RING QUARTERLY, 2015 | 7 Myles Storey left coal mining to establish his livery stable at Third and Burnett a few years after Hermann Priebe set up shop. Storey’s Livery offered carriages, carts, and teams of horses for rent. Charles R. Campbell also launched OK Livery & Transfer in the early 1900s, on the east side of Main Street between Second and Third Avenues. With five brand-new buggies, in 1909 Campbell’s barn was reportedly “one of the finest and largest in the valley.”6 “Three of the buggies have rubber tires and open headsprings, right from the factory,” the Renton Journal reported. “One is a two-seated surrey.”7 Charles Campbell and his brother Hugh also rented out carts for moving furniture and pianos. But those who rented horses and carriages did not necessarily know how to manage them, and as cities like Renton became more densely settled, horse-drawn transportation could have disastrous results. In 1909 out-of-town visitor James Harrison needed a cart to get him from Renton’s Superior Hotel to Kennydale, and he leased one from OK Livery. When Harrison forgot to hitch the horses on his arrival in Kennydale, “the animals took a notion to come home, which they did at break-neck speed, turning the buggy upside down [and] completely demolishing the whole layout.”8 By the late nineteenth century horse-drawn transportation had reached its peak as the way to move people and goods from farm to city and from railroad to residence; the number of teamsters (drivers of horse-drawn transport) in the U.S. rose 328% between 1870 and 1900, while the urban population grew by 105%. Manufacture of carriages shifted to the Midwest after the Civil War, and mail-order catalogs and railroads made them readily available to Westerners; the purchase price of horse-drawn buggies also dropped low enough—$20 in some cases—to be affordable for the average family.9 Like many cities, Renton found itself inundated with inexperienced drivers, horse manure, and the problems of caring for live horses and disposing of dead ones.10 THE HORSELESS CARRIAGE A new solution was gradually presenting itself, however: the horseless carriage. Renton’s doctors were among the first to purchase automobiles. Dr. Adolph Bronson and Dr. Charles Dixon both registered autos in the spring of 1910, but probably owned cars earlier.11 Former Mayor Joseph Henderson Wood was the first automobile dealer in Renton. He handled Fords and later Buicks, too. Local newspapers published regular notices touting Wood’s skill as an auto salesman, with customers from Renton to Snoqualmie, and they published the news as local notables purchased their first autos.12 Lou Cross, for example, purchased his first car, a Maxwell, in February 1917; he had started his career as a teamster and end up part-owner of Cross & Williams service station.13 After 1910, cars and horses shared Renton’s streets, as Rentonites slowly got used to the notion that autos were here to stay. In this time of incredible technological change, blacksmiths, harness-makers, and teamsters had to shift to stay relevant and stay in business. Happily, many found that their skills were Continued on page 10 In 1916 horses and cars shared Renton’s streets. McPherson’s Hardware’s delivery wagon sits across the street from Renton Tire Shop and a few doors down from a garage. (RHM# 1994.068.3904) 8 | R E NTON H ISTORY MUSEUM REAL-LIFE HISTORY Muster roll for Henry C. Williamson, 1864. Mysterious headstone discovered by Renton’s Public Works Dept. Every once in a while something really unusual turns up in the course of the City of Renton’s Public Works projects; last fall it was a headstone! While screening soil recovered from one of Public Works’ pipeline excavations, one of the workers uncovered a complete—and somehow undamaged—cemetery headstone. Maintenance Services Director Mike Stenhouse took on the job of trying to return the marker to its rightful place. Mike had plenty of information to work with: the name on the stone was “H. C. Williamson, 1845 – 1920,” and it was marked with an anchor with the letters A.O.U.W. and G.A.R. “Using the census system I located an 1889 census in Whitman County, WA with an H. C. Williamson name on it,” Mike recalled. Checking Williamson’s age in 1889 against the birthdate on the stone, Mike determined that he had the correct man. “But why did I have his gravestone in Renton?” he wondered. Thanks to the internet, Mike discovered that G.A.R. stands for “Grand Army of the Republic,” making Williamson a Civil War veteran; the “A.O.U.W.” connoted the Ancient Order of United Workers, an early veterans’ benefit organization. Research in a list of the Washington chapter of the A.O.U.W. led him to Henry Chandler Williamson, a veteran buried in Mount Pleasant Cemetery in Seattle. Williamson had enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1864 as an eighteen-year-old prisoner of war in the camp at Point Lookout, MD; he mustered out at Fort Leavenworth, KS eighteen months later, married Sarah Breaner in 1876, had a family, and made his way to Seattle. He worked as a barber, a janitor, and a house carpenter before his death in 1920. When Mike called the cemetery, they checked Williamson’s plot and his stone was indeed missing. They sent a caretaker to the City shops to reclaim the gravestone, and it was restored to its home. The mystery of the stone’s disappearance remains, as well as the mystery of Williamson’s enlistment as a P.O.W. But thanks to Mike Stenhouse’s sharp research skills, Henry Williamson’s grave and its marker are reunited. Do you have a story about using history on the job? Share it with us and we’ll publish it in our newsletter. CORRECTION On page 5 in the December 2014 quarterly, we printed a photo of several young Renton men standing in a group outside of a downtown Renton business (RHM# 1967.007.0659). Member Donald Burrows recognized the photo and called us with a correction and more information. The man we identified as Reese Williams is actually Edwin E. Burrows, the owner of the barbershop the group is standing next to. Burrows opened the shop in 1911 which changes the ca. 1908 date we had for the photo. The barbershop featured pool tables, bathing facilities, and other male amenities (but no alcohol). The photo have been taken from the day the barbershop opened. Thank you Don! S P RING QUARTERLY, 2015 | 9 MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS November 16, 2014 - February 15, 2015 Lee Anderson Florence Murray Kenneth Baker Connie J. Baker Terri Briere Don & Loraine Custer Wendell & Cleo Forgaard Lucy Miller Barbara Nilson Virginia Busato Jim & Fran Bourasa Melvin “Mike” Cernich Wendell & Cleo Forgaard Robert (Bob) Ciotta Janet & Bill Belmondo Mario & Victor Tonda Robert & Gilda Youngquist Dominic “Dick ” Colasurdo Wendell & Cleo Forgaard Bob & Olive Corey Janet Henkle Don “Buzz” Dana George & Julie Verheul Angeline (Girias) Delaurenti Louise George Diane Ford Florence Murray Ila Green Wendell & Cleo Forgaard Leila (Riel) Green-Willgress Wendell & Cleo Forgaard Myron “Mike” Hackman Larry Crook & Jeannie Greene-Crook George & Julie Verheul Ann Hamlin Florence Murray Louise & George Hannah Florence Murray Tom & LoRayne Kerr Connie J. Baker Keith Lankester Larry Crook & Jeannie Greene-Crook George & Julie Verheul K. Guy Lent III Laurie Lent Robert “Bob” Logue Al, Shirley & Wayne Armstrong John & Eleanor Bertagni Don & Carmel Camerini Larry Crook & Jeannie Greene-Crook Wendell & Cleo Forgaard Elaine Maas George & Julie Verheul Pat McLendon Dick Lucotch Gloria Longville Mehrens Wendell & Cleo Forgaard James Murray Florence Murray Shirley Newing Peter & Hazel Newing Shirley Booth Patterson Richard & Judith Lucotch Betty Sipila Robert & Gilda Youngquist Barney Poli Florence Murray Dan Poli Florence Murray Esterina Poli Florence Murray Joseph “Joe” Puhich John & Eleanor Bertagni Larry Crook & Jeannie Greene-Crook Gloria Duffy & Louise George Wendell & Cleo Forgaard Laura Shook Jim & Fran Bourasa Ernest Lowell Vaughn John & Eleanor Bertagni Wendell & Cleo Forgaard MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF $100 OR MORE Terri Briere Marcy & Tom Adelman Cynthia Buster-Burns Terry Higashiyama Esther Kooiman & Family Beatrice Mathewson Renton Police Officers Guild William (Bill) Briere Marcy & Tom Adelman James Bennett Beatrice Mathewson Wm. Riley & Company GENERAL CONTRIBUTIONS Norm & Carol Abrahamson Joseph & Marjorie Avolio Barbara Aya Laurie & Brent Beden Gerry & Janet Bertagni Gail Bisiack & John Tonkin-Pavone Karen Boswell Mary Burns-Haley Gene & Judy Craig Shirley Custer Phyllis Davey Mary E. Dunphy Diana Durman Dorothy Finley Joan Frank Louise George Donovan Lynch Gerry & Mary Marsh Bea Mathewson Judy Matson Melrose Grill Sharon Moats Ralph & Peggy Owen Herb & Diana Postlewait Ed & Meegan Prince Marsh & Frances Remillard Sally Rochelle Janet Stredicke George & Frances Subic Carmela Tobacco Marlene Winter GENERAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF $100 OR MORE Olga Azzola Theresa & Stephen Clymer Ila Hemm Eda & Teresa Pozzobon Elizabeth Stewart Edward Torkelson GENERAL CONTRIBUTIONS OF $500 OR MORE Nancy Fairman MATCHING GIFT CONTRIBUTION Ralph Owen (Boeing Matching Gift Program) NEW MEMBERS Bill Arnadi Peter Eberle Diane Gaylord Beth Greggs Beverly Sitzes Edward Smith GIFT MEMBERSHIP DONORS James & Mary Lou Burdulis Ron & Sharon Clymer Derric & Irma Iles Bea Mathewson Elizabeth Menzel Gary Morrison BENEFACTOR MEMBERS Sarah Jane Hisey & Howard Nelson Naomi Mathisen Peter & Hazel Newing Fred & Sue Samson Marlene Winter PATRON MEMBERS Jim & Char Baker Dennis & Terry Higashiyama Janice & Jesse Tanner George & Julie Verheul CORRECTIONS (from December 2014 quarterly) Incorrectly listed Mario & Victor Tonda as deceased, with Robert & Gilda Youngquist recognizing them. They should have all been recognizing Robert (Bob) Ciotta. Incorrectly listed Bettly Sipila as deceased, with Robert & Gilda Youngquist recognizing them. They should have all been recognizing Shirley Brooks Patterson. 10 | R ENTON H I STORY M U SEUM transferable, and they diversified into new areas of business. Ivor Williams is an example of that transitional generation. In 1909 and 1910, seventeen-year old Ivor was an apprentice in the Priebe Bros. blacksmith shop; by 1911 he was no longer an apprentice, having earned the title “blacksmith.” By 1917, however, now a married man, Williams had taken a position as an automobile mechanic with the Ford Motor Co. showroom in Seattle. He returned to Renton after World War I to open his own service station on Tobin Avenue.14 THE CHANGING TIMES Priebe Bros. Blacksmith Shop remained in the heart of the city, but as times changed it seemed “as primitive as when the town was young,” despite “rubbing elbows with modern banks, stores and garages.”15 In spite of the growing dominance of the automobile, after his brother Herman’s death in 1927, Oscar found ways to adapt and continued the business into the 1940s. When the Renton Volunteer Fire Department decided they needed a motorized fire truck in 1923, for example, it was Priebe Bros. that converted a used Model T by adding a 40-gallon water tank, ladders, extinguishers, and a hose.16 Myles Storey also seemed to be moving with the times when he added “Auto Livery” to his services and divested himself of eight horses in 1914. But when a devastating fire destroyed his building three years later, he could not recover. The fire took the building, a horse, several buggies, and three automobiles, worth about $3000.00, and he had no insurance. Continued from page 7 Although Myles gamely tried to carry on for a few months, by the end of the year he was out of business. His son Richard, however, embarked on a new path, becoming one of the General Motors School’s early graduates in Detroit and opening Storey Motors at 700 Third Avenue.17 The transformation of Charles and Hugh Campbell’s OK Livery signaled the future. In 1913 Charles was not only the owner-operator of OK Livery, he was also awarded the contract for grading streets in North Renton. In 1914 OK Livery was still renting “first-class rigs” and employed harness-maker Leonard Dow Davis’s sons, Sylvanus and William, as teamsters, but OK Livery was also the agent for Hudson Automobiles. By 1919 OK Livery had become OK Garage, complete with auto repairs, acetylene welding, parts and accessories, and oil and gas, of course.18 On May 16, 1916 the Renton City Council passed an ordinance effectively banning horses from the streets of downtown Renton, since the ordinance made it “unlawful to stake or tie any animal in such manner… so that such animal can go upon or across any sidewalk, parking strip, public street or way.”19 By 1929 Renton was home to twelve auto dealers or garages, fifteen service stations, four tire shops, two auto painting services, and one parts store.20 Renton’s car culture had arrived, with “joy rides” and “auto parties,” drive-in movies, downtown car dealerships, and cruising the Renton Loop still in the future. A lone blacksmith shop, Priebe’s, remained. While “it was a rare sight to see a horse being shod… the sound of the anvil and the forge never ceased” until 1942.21 ENDNOTES 1 Advertisement, King County Weekly, 1 July 1910, p.3. 2 Jack Priebe Oral History, 1989, (RHM# 1989.086.006), p.2. 3 Jack Priebe Oral History, 1989, (RHM# 1989.086.006), p.2. Jack would ultimately follow the family’s interest in horses by becoming a veterinarian. Obituary, South County Journal, 20 December 1998. 4 Polk’s Tacoma-Seattle Interurban Directory, 1909, vol. II: Puyallup, Auburn, Kent, Renton (Seattle: R. L. Polk & Co., Inc., 1909). 5 Renton Wagon Works was owned and operated in the mid-1910s by another team of brothers, Gotthard and Bernard Kassner from Tukwila. N. P. Livery— named for its proximity to the Northern Pacific Railroad—was operated in 1913-14 by Arch Beerman, and specialized in coal and wood hauling. Charles Hayes and George King are also listed as operating liveries in the 1900 census. Advertisement, Renton Bulletin, 8 August 1913, p.3. 6 “Around Town,” Renton Journal, 22 January 1909, p.5. 7 Renton Journal, 25 January 1909, p.5. 8 “Around Town,” Renton Herald, 29 January 1909, p.3. 9 “Conspicuous Consumption and the Growth of the Leisure Class” and “Fast Facts,” Educational Programming Guide for ‘Going Places’ (N.p.: ExhibitsUSA, a national division of Mid-America Arts Alliance, 2007). 10 In 1898 international delegates met in New York City for the first international urban planning conference, and the topic of horse manure dominated the discussion. The conference broke up without a solution after three days instead of the scheduled ten. Eric Morris, “From Horse Power to Horsepower,” Access 20 (2007). 11 Although his obituary noted that plumber Ernest A. Shearer was the third Renton man to buy an automobile, he was the first in Renton to register his vehicle, a Reo, in January 1910. King County Automobile License Fee Books, 1909 – 1913, Office of the Secretary of State, Washington State Archives, Digital Archives, http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/ [accessed 12 February 2015]; Renton Record Chronicle, 18 November 1968. 12 “Joe Wood Sells Another Auto,” Renton Herald, 30 May 1912, p.4. Richard and Max Clarke purchased the dealership from Wood in 1921, and operated it until 1960. Richard K. Clarke Oral History, 1985 (RHM# 1985.094.004), p.6. 13 “Local News,” Renton Bulletin, 9 February 1917, p.3; “Lou Cross Dies at Breakfast Table,” Renton Chronicle, 31 August 1939, p. 1. 14 By 1946 Ivor Williams was employed by the City of Renton’s Department of Public Utilities. Polk’s Directory, 1909; 1910 Federal Census for Renton; Polk’s Directory, 1911; 1917 WWI Draft Card; “Interment Held,” Renton Record- Chronicle, 16 April 1969, p.3. 15 “Priebe Taken By Death,” Renton Chronicle, 2 July 1942. 16 Morda C. Slauson, Renton, From Coal to Jets (2nd ed., Renton: Olympic Reprographics for the Renton Historical Society, 2006), 85. 17 Advertisement, Renton Bulletin, 31 July 1914, p.6; R. L. Polk & Co’s King County Directory, 1914 – 1915, vol II (Seattle: R. L. Polk & Co., Inc, 1915); “Fire Destroys Storey Livery,” Renton Bulletin, 2 February 1917, p.1; “Notice,” Bulletin, 9 February 1917, p.1; “Richard Clark Storey; Enjoyed Horses,” Valley Daily News, 13 March 1995. After the fire, Richard Storey retained the property at Third and Burnett, and would later rent it to Hayden Williams and John H. Swanson for their service station (later Hub City Chevrolet). Richard K. Clarke Oral History, 1985 (RHM# 1985.094.004), p. 3-4. 18 In 1930 Campbell left the livery business to focus on road building and other construction. “Council Proceedings,” Renton Bulletin, 8 August 1913, p.1; “Improvements,” Renton Bulletin, 8 August 1913, p.1; “Local News,” Renton Bulletin, 6 April 1917, p.3; Polk Directory, 1914-1915. 19 “An ordinance for the protection of sidewalks, parking strips, public streets and way in the City of Renton,” Ordinance No. 422, 16 May 1916 (Renton City Archives). Owners were also prohibited from allowing live stock to “urinate upon or in any manner soil any sidewalk.” Thanks to Jason Seth, City Clerk, and Cindy Moya, Records Management Specialist, for their help with this article. 20 Official Renton City Directory, 1929-30 (Renton: King Printing Co., 1930), 46–51. 21 “Death Calls O. H. Priebe,” Renton News Record, 2 July 1942, p.1. Dr. Charles and Eliza Dixon in their Mitchell, 1916. In car dealer Richard Clarke’s experience, women were never the purchasers of cars, but they did drive. (RHM# 41.0235) SPRING Q U ARTERLY , 2015 | 11 Join us for the Annual Meeting of the Renton Historical Society and enjoy dinner with us! The meeting is open to Society members, prospective members, and museum volunteers. Introduction of new Renton Historical Society trustees, an update on the Museum Master Plan, awarding of the George and Annie Lewis Custer Award for Heritage Citizenship, volunteer awards, and raffle drawing will all be a part of this exciting event. Reservations required. Please RSVP by May 29 (email Laurie at llent@rentonwa.gov or call 425.255.2330). No regrets, please. On J U NE 3 at 6:00 PM Renton Historical Society 235 Mill Avenue South Renton, WA 98057 Phone: 425.255.2330 Fax: 425.255.1570 Email: estewart@rentonwa.gov rentonwa.gov/rentonhistorymuseum Renton Historical Society 235 Mill Avenue South Renton, WA 98057 Phone: 425.255.2330 Fax: 425.255.1570 Email: estewart@rentonwa.gov rentonwa.gov/rentonhistorymuseum MEMBERSHIP FORM Please select a membership level: Individual $30 Student/Senior $20 Family $40 Benefactor $75 Patron $150 Business/Corporate $175 Life membership $750 Basic memberships Sustaining memberships Name: Address: Phone: Payment information Visa or MC #: Exp. date: Signature: Please make checks payable to the Renton Historical Society. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation! Your donations help us provide new exhibits and exciting programs. Donation: $ S AVE T HE DATE: R E NTON H I STORICAL S O CIETY A N NUAL M E ETING RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 Mill Ave. S Renton, WA 98057 IN HINDSIGHT... Wood and string Pluto Pop-Up Kritter, ca. 1931. This toy depicting Disney character Pluto was the most popular of the 16 Pop-Up Kritters made by Fisher-Price starting in 1931. (Donated by Charles L. Custer; RHM# 2000.127.0021)