HomeMy WebLinkAbout2016 Issue 4 - Namesake, The Sartori Family.pdfTime Machine
currently on exhibit
at RHM.
President’s Report
by Alexis Madison,
Board President.
Collections Report
by Sarah Samson,
Collection Manager.
Museum Report
by Elizabeth P.
Stewart, Director.
I n the city’s early years, Rentonites’ dreams were
often bigger than their capital. Schools, libraries, new
businesses, all needed financing from outside the city to
succeed. Ignazio Sartori and his brother Rafael were Marin
County cattle and land barons who also invested considerable
wealth in early Renton. The Sartori brothers’ influence in
Renton demonstrates how business got done here, when
sometimes plans were bigger than resources.
The Sartori family originated in Valle Maggia
in Canton Ticino, Switzerland. The migration of Italian-
speaking Swiss, or “Ticinese,” to California began with the
1849 Gold Rush, as young men sought American wealth.
In winter these men worked in sawmills or factories, and
in summer they worked on dairy farms, until they saved
enough to purchase their own small farms. In 1886 the Marin
Journal estimated there were 800 Ticinese in California, with
close to 300 in Marin County. These 300 owned 32,000 acres
of land, with property valued at over $1 million.1
Also In This Issue...
RENTON HISTORICALSOCIETY & MUSEUM
Winter
December 2016
Volume 47
Number 4
Continued on page 5
2 4 83
NAMESAKES: THE SARTORI FAMILY
QUARTERLY
by Elizabeth P. Stewart
2 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
WELCOME KIM!
Our new Public
Engagement Coordinator,
Kim Owens, already
has a history with the
Renton History Museum,
having worked as an
intern on our Sustaining
A City exhibit and as a
collections volunteer
working with our hats and
shoes. After working at
the Burke Museum, the
Gene Autry Museum of
the American West, and
University of California
Davis, she comes to
us with a wealth of
experience working with
volunteers and diverse
CONGRATULATIONS,
WOOLWORTH'S BUILDING!
Late last year, the F.
W. Woolworth’s in
downtown Renton—now
known as the Cortona
Building—earned a
listing on the National
Register of Historic
Places, with the help
of research and photos
provided by the Renton
History Museum.
On October 13, 2016
owners Monica and
David Brethauer won a
Spellman Award from
King County Executive
Dow Constantine and the
King County Historic
Preservation Program
for rehabilitating the
former Woolworth’s
building. The Cortona
Building hosted the
awards ceremony, with
the support of the Renton
Historical Society.
TIME MACHINECome travel through time... With the help of the Renton Municipal Arts
Commission, Guest Curator Amy Elizabeth Gorton from the Museology
Graduate Program at the University of Washington designed a collaborative
exhibit focused on the concept of time. Her exhibit, Time Machine, pairs artifacts
from Renton History Museum’s collection with pieces from the City of Renton's art
collection to explore the idea and perception of time.
From
NOVEMBER
8
to
MARCH
25
communities. Among the
fascinating initiatives
she has worked on is the
repatriation of Native
American artifacts in
California. Kim is also a
talented jewelry-maker
and has her own shop on
etsy.com. Stop in and say
hello to Kim!
WINTER QUARTERLY, 2016 | 3
MUSEUM REPORT
QUARTERLY
Winter 2016
Elizabeth P. Stewart
Director
In June 2015 Mayor Denis Law formed the City’s first
Inclusion Task Force, a committee of representatives of
Renton’s diverse communities, whose mission is facilitating
dialogue and enhancing trust and communication between local
government and residents. Representatives come from ethnic
groups, such as the Latino, Filipino, Vietnamese, Sikh, Somali,
and African American communities, as well as communities
of common interest, like seniors, LGBT, and people with
disabilities. The Task Force has worked on improving
emergency preparedness, promoting neighborhood safety, and
organizing events like this fall’s Multicultural Festival at the
Piazza Events Center.
What does this have to do with history? From its
very founding, Renton has always been a city of immigrants,
with many languages, cultures, and traditions to share and
understand with more or less difficulty. When they arrived
here in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, new arrivals from
Wales and England confronted the Duwamish people. Later
Italians, Eastern Europeans, African Americans, Chinese,
and Japanese came to live and work here. Depending on
local fears and national conditions, some, like the Chinese,
Japanese, and African Americans, were unfairly temporarily
barred from staying; others were able to settle and prosper.
The history of the U.S. is the story of the tension
between our identities as people with distinct ethnicities,
races, religions, and languages of which we are proud, and
our common identities as Americans. The Renton History
Museum has already explored this tension in our Sustaining
A City exhibit and collaborative exhibits with students from
Renton High School and Renton Technical College’s ESL
Program. Visitors have told us they appreciate the chance to
see the world from new perspectives.
Coming in 2017, we’ll be taking a deeper dive into
what makes us different, by hosting Sorting Out Race:
Examining Racial Identity & Stereotypes in Thrift Store
Donations, a traveling exhibition from the Kauffmann
Museum in Kansas. It uses thrift store donations with racial
and ethnic imagery to open a conversation about identity. Are
these items harmless reminder of past attitudes, or do they
perpetuate harmful stereotypes? Should they be “sorted out”
of American life?
We are now organizing a community advisory group of
Rentonites interested in helping make this an opportunity for
positive discussion and education. The committee will meet
three or four times before the exhibit arrives on March 27. If
you are interested in participating, please contact Kim Owens at
kowens@rentonwa.gov or myself at estewart@rentonwa.gov.
by Elizabeth P. Stewart,
Museum Director
RTC ESL students with their
exhibit Across Cultures in 2010.
RENTON HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
Sarah Samson
Graphic Design & Layout
Karl Hurst
City of Renton Print &
Mail Services
RENTON HISTORICAL
SOCIETY BOARD
OF TRUSTEES
Alexis Madison, President
Betsy Prather, Vice President
Laura Clawson, Treasurer
Antoin Johnson, Secretary
Jordann McKay, 2018
Don Hunsaker III, 2019
Lynne King, 2019
Elizabeth Stewart, Board Liaison
MUSEUM STAFF
Elizabeth P. Stewart
Museum Director
Sarah Samson
Collection Manager
Kim Owens
Public Engagement Coordinator
Nichole Jones
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:
$5 (Adult)
$2 (Child)
RHS sophomores pose with their
work in the exhibit I Am Here
in 2012.
4 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
PRESIDENT’S
MESSAGE
Greetings from the Renton Historical Society
Board of Directors! We’ve had a fun few months
working on the 10th Annual RHS Dinner Auction.
In September we held our annual fundraiser at the Renton
Senior Activity Center. We had 98 people in attendance,
including some Renton City Council members: Carol Ann
Witschi, Ryan McIrvin, and Ruth Perez. This extraordinary
turnout led to our highest grossing fundraiser to date.
Our Annual Dinner and Silent Auction is an
important part of the fundraising that furthers the Historical
Society’s mission to document, preserve, and educate about
Renton’s heritage in ways that engage diverse people of all
ages. These funds make it possible for the Museum to offer
changing exhibits, organize educational programs, bring
history into classrooms, and care for the city’s collection of
historic objects and photos. The event is also a fun way to
introduce ourselves to new people.
Our theme this year was “Renton Makers and
Doers,” showcasing the city’s history of innovation,
craftsmanship, and manufacture. Local artists, designers,
and furniture makers took existing items and refurbished
them to create upcycled gifts and furnishing. Two of our
biggest upcycled auction items were created by Board Vice
President Betsy Prather and volunteer Dennis Conte. Betsy
took a youth bed she found at a local antique shop and
created a bench for two people to sit on. Dennis Conte, a
local artist, designed a bar out of a vintage bicycle. Other
upcycled items were contributed by Theresa and Stephen
Clymer, Lynne King, and Sarah and Wil Samson.
Local Renton entertainer Aunt Dottie and her
nephew Aaron provided our entertainment for the evening.
Aunt Dottie did a stellar job emceeing the party and
helping with the silent auction, and Aaron conducted our
most successful live auctions ever. These two helped make
the evening a fun, entertaining, and carefree event.
All of these accomplishments couldn’t have been
done without the Renton Historical Society Board of Trustees
who worked tirelessly on the event. Renton-area businesses
pitched in to donate tens of wonderful auction items. And
Renton History Museum staff worked behind the scenes to
keep everything moving smoothly before, during, and after
the event. I am so honored and proud to work with this team
who made this auction so successful.
by Alexis Madison, President
UPCOMING
EVENTS
WITHIN THE SILENCE
April 8
11:00 am-12:00 pm
In 1942 Roosevelt's
Executive order 9066
imprisoned thousands of
loyal American families.
Share one Japanese American
family's fight to sustain faith
in the country they love.
NATIVE VISION
May 13
11:00 am-12:00 pm
Join us for “Native Vision,”
the story of a young Navajo
girl who is taken from
her home and placed in a
government-run boarding
school during the 1930s.
Guests Stefanie McIrvin, Carol
Ann Witschi, Meegan Prince,
and Angie Benedetti enjoy the
History-Making Party.
Alexis Madison
President
THE RIGHT TO DREAM
February 18
11:00 am-12:00 pm
The Right to Dream recreates
a student's coming of age
as an African American in
Mississippi during the 1950's
and 1960's. This program
illuminates the issues of
civil rights and how the fight
against prejudice has shaped
our history.
1965 Schwinn bicycle bar
upcycled by Museum volunteer
Dennis Conte for auction at the
History-Making Party.
WINTER QUARTERLY, 2016 | 5
When Ignazio and Rafael Sartori arrived in San
Francisco in the 1860s, they were two of four brothers who
ended up there; cousin Victor also settled nearby.2 Seventeen-
year old Rafael arrived in San Francisco in 1866, and his
younger brother Ignazio followed in 1869, aged 15.3 By the
time they arrived, a strong network of kin and friends had
already paved the way for their success. Little is known about
the brothers’ first ten years in the U.S., but by 1878 the two had
teamed up with cousin Victor to start their own dairy farm.
In 1889 the two brothers separated for good,
although their business interests remained intertwined. Rafael
headed to Seattle, and Ignazio and Victor began building a
dairy and real estate empire, with 4000 acres under operation
in locations around Marin County. They launched the
first creamery in California, a state-of-the-art producer of
cream, butter, and cheese.4 The cousins continued to expand
operations, leasing a Lakeville ranch from James Graham
Fair, founder of the Pacific Coast Railroad.5
Rafael arrived in Seattle on June 12, 1889, six days
after the fire that wiped out the business district. Finding
“the city in ashes,” Rafael began to build his own empire
outside the city.6 He started with what he knew best: dairy
Continued from page 1
Cover photo:
Ignazio Sartori and his family
settled in San Rafael in the
1890s as the base of their
Marin County dairy and real
estate operations.
Among the North Renton land purchased by the Sartori brothers was the farm of impoverished sea captain
Robert Wilcox Brown, who had settled in Renton in 1871. (RHM# 1969.002.0065)
NAMESAKES: THE SARTORI FAMILY
6 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
farming. His brother Ignazio staked his business by giving
Rafael power-of-attorney to purchase about 240 acres east
of Renton in 1891. Once Rafael had set it up, the “Sartori
Ranch” housed 60 – 80 Jersey and Durham cows, and
shipped about 230 gallons of milk a day to Seattle.7
As part of their East Renton purchases, the
brothers secured the future of the Mt. Olivet Cemetery, the
first of their public service projects in Renton. The grounds
had been used for burials as early as the 1870s; the first
headstone was that of Franklin Parker, the fourteen-year
old son of millwright David Parker, who died in 1875. The
Sartoris’ plat “dedicate[s] to the use of the public forever
all the Walks and the Alleys laid out thereon.”8
The farsighted Sartori brothers also purchased
almost 50 home sites in North Renton, stretching along
Garden Avenue from the County Road (now Bronson Way)
to Fifth Street.9 This little strip of neighborhood would
become known as “Sartorisville” among city planners,
but not widely among its residents. Mostly farmland,
North Renton had its own separate identity in 1890, but
the Sartoris had every reason to envision it as the next
up-and-coming industrial area, with easy access to Lake
Washington, Cedar River, and railroads.
Rafael Sartori operated his small-scale Renton
dairy in the 1890s and early 1900s, while he developed
his real estate and mortgage business in Seattle. He
maintained a low profile; his business associates found
him “reliable, progressive and trustworthy.”10 But in Metzger map showing Sartori's land and Sartorisville, 1926.
Ignazio Sartori, ca. 1890s. (RHM# 41.0283)Rafael Sartori, ca. 1890s. (History of Seattle From the Earliest
Settlement to the Present Time, 1916.)
WINTER QUARTERLY, 2016 | 7
1904 State Veterinarian S. B. Nelson suspected Sartori’s
cows of tuberculosis, and his were the first cows in the
state to be tested with the new tuberculin test. Seventeen of
the sixty had to be slaughtered, setting off concern among
dairymen across Washington state. “Mr. Sartori’s herd… is
one of the finest in Western Washington, and therefore the
announcement of the veterinarian’s findings caused a great
scare,” reported one newspaper.11
The tuberculosis scare probably helped shift
Rafael’s interests more firmly toward real estate. He opened
an office in Seattle, later known as the Sartori Building,
“where he could direct the management of properties, handle
investments in the city and country and look after his own
buildings.”12 He invested in and sold commercial property,
underwrote mortgages for others, and briefly co-owned a
Renton mortuary with Thomas F. O’Brien.13
The Sartori brothers’ Renton landholdings were in a
perfect spot when William Pigott went looking for a new site
for his Seattle Car Manufacturing Co. By October 1906 Pigott
and the Sartoris had reached an agreement and engineers
were laying out the new car works.14 The Seattle Car Co.
(later PACCAR) was the only railcar production company on
the West Coast, and the new plant promised tens of new jobs
for Renton men.15 Neither brother lived in Renton, however,
and their years of real estate deals meant that they knew how
to drive a hard bargain. At the same time, now a wealthy
man in his 50s Ignazio Sartori began to think as much about
cementing his legacy as protecting his interests.
Ignazio’s Renton trouble began with a critical note
in the Renton News Weekly, in which an editor observed
that “there has been considerable ill feeling engendered
among Renton people” by Sartori’s refusal to grant a right-
of-way between the Newcastle Road and the new factory.
He had made a verbal promise to Pigott and King County
Commissioners, but in the event he “positively refused to sign
the deed.” The newspaper noted that Pigott called a “council
of war” and stopped work on the factory, despite the fact that
$10,000 had already been spent on iron and wood and spurs
and sidings. Many local construction workers were laid off,
and “the whole matter has come to a standstill over the action
of I. Sartori regarding the vacation of a strip of land.”16
Meanwhile, growth in North Renton persuaded the
Renton School Board that a new school was needed. School
commissioners Tom Harries, Anthony Maddison, and Jack
Marlowe reconnoitered with Superintendent George Conklin,
and a deal was struck on a few lots in Satorisville for the
new school. When the School Board discovered that more
space was needed for agricultural training and play space,
the Board asked “Dr.” Sartori for a gift of a little more land.
Sympathetic to the school’s aims—and perhaps recognizing
that his reputation could use a lift—Ignazio agreed to give
the extra land, in exchange for naming rights. The deal was
done, and the two-story wooden “Sartori School” was quickly
erected in 1907.17
Continued on page 10
Ignazio Sartori was not present at the
dedication of the North Renton school
named for him, but later a photo was
sent to him showing the name“Sartori
School”over the entrance.
(RHM# 1980.083.1227)
8 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
During my 10 years here at the
Museum I have had the pleasure
of mentoring 35 interns. I kept
in touch with many of these interns after
they graduated and spread throughout
the country. I will be using the space to
periodically update about the paths some of
these interns have taken once they finished
their internship with us.
I would like to highlight two interns
who worked on the Custer-Lewis Collection
(CLC): Andrea Arenas and Maria Robinson.
Andrea interned in 2010-11, working on both the CLC and
scanning our oversized photographs. Maria worked with us from
January-May 2016 and was responsible for finishing the sorting
and processing of the CLC.
What path did you take after leaving RHM?
Andrea: After interning at the RHM, I worked for the UW
Museology Graduate Program as their Program Assistant for four
years. During this time I realized that my passion was not only
artifacts, but seeing how objects and museums positively affect
the lives of people. With this realization, I pursued a fundraising
career so I can better help museums obtain the resources needed
to achieve their mission.
Maria: I interned at Renton up until I graduated in June 2016.
After graduation I moved back to my home state of Minnesota,
specifically the Twin Cities.
What are you doing now?
Andrea: I'm currently the Development Coordinator at The
Museum of Flight. I've been in this position for 1.5 years.
Maria: I am three months into a one-year project with Minnesota
Public Radio and American Public Media (MPR/APM). I am lucky
enough to be archiving objects and documents associated with
COLLECTION
REPORT
by Sarah Samson,
Collection Manager
Garrison Keillor's "A Prairie Home Companion Radio Show." As the
archivist I am going through the collection, cleaning up the objects,
photographing and rehousing them. The goal for the project is at the
end I will be able to identify the objects that may be donated to the
Minnesota Historical Society and/or The Smithsonian.
Describe your experience at RHM & how it impacted your career.
Andrea: My experience interning at RHM was excellent! Not
only was I able to learn about the care of artifacts, but I had a
chance to learn about Renton's history while seeing the RHM
staff in action. The RHM was unlike any museum I had ever
worked in due to its small size. It was a great opportunity to
see how the staff handled so many diverse tasks. Seeing the
staffs' hard work made me want to challenge myself. Although
I'm no longer working directly with artifacts, I think having a
background in collections management has benefited me because
I know the best practices in caring for objects. This knowledge
helps me better communicate the mission and needs of museums
to prospective donors and community stakeholders.
Maria: I can honestly say that without my experience at Renton
and having Sarah as a mentor and teacher, I would not have
this position. My experience at RHM allowed me to explore
the world of collections through hands-on learning, trial-and-
error and other practical training. As an intern at RHM I worked
with the CLC, I went through many boxes of personal objects
from the family, ranging from silverware to uniforms to games
and toys. I was hired at MPR/APM because I had experience
working with a large collection and was familiar with proper
care and management of a museum collection. I am the first
archivist they hired, so I have the opportunity and responsibility
to teach them about the value of objects and how to care for
them for the future. I am able to bring what I learned at RHM to
this organization, and if I ever have a question or concern I am
able to ask Sarah for advice!
Intern Andrea Arenas working
with Custer-Lewis artifacts.
Sarah Samson
Collection Manager
Intern Maria Robsinson with the
Custer-Lewis Collection.
Maria Robinson with artifacts from her job with Minnesota Public Radio.
Andrea Arenas at the Museum of
Flight in Seattle.
WINTER QUARTERLY, 2016 | 9
MEMORIAL DONATIONS
August 1, 2016 - November 15, 2016
Jim Ableman
Larry & Jeannie Crook
John Bertagni
Mina and Gary Shelly
Rachel Thomas
John Burton
Darlene Bjornstad & Bill Anardi
Virginia Busato
Jim & Fran Bourasa
Alex Cugini Jr.
Rachel Thomas
Attilio Franceschina
Rachel Thomas
Vivian Gibson
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Christine Grubesic
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Don Gustine
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Forrest L. Johnson
Wendell & Cleo Forgaard
Wilma Jean Kuna
Wendell & Cleo Forgaard
Al Latten
Mary M. Sutter
John“Jack”H. Morrison
Don and Carmel Camerini
Hazelle DuBois
Wendell & Cleo Forgaard
Sarah & Wil Samson
George & Frances Subic
Mario Tonda
Peter Newing
Deborah Newing
Donald L. Sargent
Wendell & Cleo Forgaard
Laura Shook
Jim & Fran Bourasa
Marilyn Elaine Wooton
Carrie & Greg Bergquist
Robert Youngquist
Don and Carmel Camerini
Marilyn & Jim Cantrell
Ron & Sharon Clymer
Larry & Jeannie Crook
Joy Curry
Angelina Della Rossa
Jean Franceschina
Cecilia Major
Richard & Louise Major
Scott & Gaye McClellan
Carole & Gordon Meek
MEMORIAL
DONATIONS OF
$100 OR MORE
Donald Ward Custer
Anonymous
John“Jack”H. Morrison
Elizabeth P. Stewart
MEMORIAL
DONATIONS OF
$500 OR MORE
John“Jack”H. Morrison
Shirley Phinney
GENERAL
DONATIONS OF
$500 OR MORE
Alexis Madison
GENERAL
DONATIONS OF
$100 OR MORE
Jim & Char Baker
Kelley Beymer
Stephen & Theresa Clymer
Dennis Conte
Barbara Dengel
Jennifer Davis Hayes
Dorothy M. Finley
Dan & Elizabeth Hemenway
Terry Higashiyama
Robert & Phyllis Hunt
Don & Pearl Jacobson
Karen Q. Jones
Naomi Mathisen
JoAnne Matsumura
Kevin & Norma McQuiller
King Parker
Rentonites, Inc.
Andy Sparks
Michael & Pamela Teal
Pam Unti
West Hill Community
Association
Marlene Winter
GENERAL
DONATIONS
William & Janet Belmondo
Eleanor Bertagni
James & Mary Lou Burdulis
Jeff Conner
Phyllis L. Davey
Carren Donati
Nancy Fairman
Merrie Hamlin
Ila Hemm
Derric & Irma Iles
Lynne King
Roger Lewis
Mary Holder-Marsh &
Gerald Marsh
Stefanie & Ryan McIrvin
Hazel Newing
Mary Noland
Nancy Osborne
David & Julia Pickett
Herb & Diana Postlewait
Meegan Prince
Sally Rochelle
Fred & Sue Samson
Mark & Barbara Santos-Johnson
Janene Sestak
Lynnett Stevenson
Mary Sutter
NEW MEMBERS
Randy G. Barthelman
Edward Corker
Doris Hulse
James & Lorelie Martin
IN-KIND
DONATIONS
MATCHING GIFT
DONATIONS
GRANT FUNDERS
10 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
By 1912 – 1913, Ignazio Sartori was again embroiled
in a local controversy. The Sartori brothers’ land along the
Cedar River had become a constant headache for them; with
semi-annual devastating floods, their land along the river
had less and less investment value. Sometime after the 1911
flood Ignazio sued the Denny-Renton Clay & Coal Co. to
re-establish the river as a boundary line between his property
and that of the brick plant. In January 1913 the state Superior
Court entered a judgment in Sartori’s favor. The Court ruled
that the company had in fact dumped so much earth and stone
into the Cedar that the river’s course had changed, eating
away Sartori’s usable property. Judges directed Denny-
Renton to pay Sartori $1200 in damages and return the river
to its 1906 course by removing the waste products. Both
parties appealed this decision, and the case dragged on.18
As the case proceeded, in late 1912 Patrick Padden,
Secretary of the Seattle Car Co., again approached Ignazio
Sartori on the city’s behalf. A group of local residents sought
Continued from page 7
ENDNOTES
1 “Swiss in Marin County,” Marin Journal, 14 January 1886, p.3.
2 Other brothers were Giovanni Pietro (or Peter) (1839 - 1910) and Benedetto
(or “Benedict”) (1845 – 1877). Cousin Mauricio (or “Morris”) also settled in
Marin County. When Benedetto died in 1877, Ignazio married his brother’s
widow, Giovanna (or “Jennie”), making his four nieces and nephews his step-
children. “California Immigrants from Valle Maggia,” Troy’s Genealogue,
www.genealgoue.net/vallemaggia-california.html; “Superior Court—T. J.
Bowers, Judge,” Marin Journal, 12 April 1883, n.p.
3 “Death of Ignazio Sartori,” Marin County Tocsin, 13 February 1915, p.3;
“Rafael Sartori,” History of Seattle from the Earliest Settlement to the Present
Time, III: 655.
4 “Sartori Ranches,” Marin Journal, 30 July 1885, n.p.; “Rafael Sartori,” ibid,
655; “Victor Sartori,” Sutter-Yuba County Biographies, California Genealogy &
History Archives, www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/̰̰cagha/biographies/s/sartori-victor.txt.
5 “Rafael Sartori,” ibid., 655; “Local Intelligence,” Marin Journal, 20 December
1883, p.2; “Through the Upper Country: Sartori Ranches,” Marin Journal, 30
July 1885, n.p.; Crocker-Langley San Francisco Directory (San Francisco: H.
S. Crocker Co, 1899), 1517; Marin Journal, 24 November 1904, n.p.
6 “Sartori Enters Race for Council,” Seattle Times, 25 January 1920, p.9.
7 Ranche and Range (North Yakima, WA), 20 September 1897, p.8; “Tuberculin
Test Will Be Made,” Evening Statesman (Walla Walla, WA), 5 September 1904, p.2.
8 “Plat of Mt. Olivet Cemetery. King County Wash.,” Washington State Digital
Archives. http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/DigitalObject/View/03B3E8DC8
DEFCF552F7EF46D5B0D22D1.
9 “Plat of Sartorisville, King County, Wash.,” Washington State Digital
Archives, http://www.digitalarchives.wa.gov/DigitalObject/View/9A028D1D7
1F7D3A57E58DAC13C8D04C6.
10 “Rafael Sartori,” 655.
11 The Ranch, 15 October 1904, p.3; “Sartori Cows Are Inoculated,” Seattle
Times, 18 September 1904, p.21.
12 “Sartori Enters Race,” p.9. By 1921, the Sartori family either sold or leased
their farm east of Renton. “Wm. Oskam Established Dairy on Sartori Farm,”
Renton Bulletin, 12 August 1921, p. 1.
13 “Rafael Sartori,” 655.
14 Seattle Times, 10 October 1906, p. 25.
15 Barry Porvorse, “PACCAR, Inc, 75 Years of Washington History,” Portage 3
(Winter 1981), 10.
16 Renton News Weekly, 1 December 1906, p.3. In August 1907 the Seattle
factory burned to the ground making the Renton factory even more critical to
continuing operations. While Ignazio was arranging the land donation, he was
also dealing with the very public abandonment case of his stepson Horace—also
the accountant for his business—who left his wife and young son for a nurse
in San Francisco and then settled down with her in Seattle. “Sartori Affinity
Episode Revealed,” San Francisco Call, 18 June 1908, p.8. The publicity
finally settled down in 1913, when Horace’s ex-wife accepted a settlement and
he married Clarice McKoy. Renton Herald, 17 January 1913, p. 6.
17 “A History of the Sartori School,” Program for the Open House, 4 November
1939 (Vertical file: “Schools—Sartori”).
18 Renton Herald, 10 January 1913, p.1; Sartori v. Denny-Renton Clay & Coal,
77 Wash. 166, 137 Pac. 494 (1913). The lawsuit dragged on into 1917
after Ignazio Sartori’s death. When Waterway Commission No. 2 sought
to condemn numerous property-owners’ land for the straightening of the
Cedar River in 1912, Sartori was also one of the landowners to contest his
condemnation. “Renton Will Celebrate,” Renton Herald, 30 May 1912, p.2;
Renton Bulletin, 26 December 1917, p.3.
19 “Donates Three Lots Comprising Choice Plat for Carnegie Library,” Renton
Herald, 29 November 1912, p.5; “Deed for Library Ready”; Renton Herald,
14 February 1913, p.1. The Carnegie Library opened in 1914.
20 “Death of Ignazio Sartori,” Marin County Tocsin, 18 February 1915, p.3;
“Sartori Fortune Left to Widow,” Marin Journal, 4 March 1915, n.p. The
Sartori Ranch in Tomales was listed in the Marin Agricultural Trust in 1994,
having been continuously operated by the family since the early 1900s.
“MALT Map & List of Protected Properties,” Marin Agricultural Land Trust,
www.malt.org/MALT-map.
21 Renton Bulletin, 26 September 1919, p.3; “Local Citizens Have Purchased
Mt. Olivet Cemetery,” Renton Bulletin, 13 August 1920, p.1.
22 “Sartori Funeral Monday,” Seattle Times, 10 December 1921, p.2;
“Nieces Get Estate,” Seattle Times, 15 December 1921, p.8. Rafael Sartori
ran unsuccessfully for Seattle City Council the year before his death. “Sartori
Enters Race for Council,” Seattle Times, 25 January 1920, p.9.
to build Renton’s first public library, and Padden used his
connection to Sartori to convince the Californian to donate three
North Renton lots for a library. Residents had only to apply for
Carnegie Foundation funds and raise matching money. “If the
people of Renton really desire a $10,000 Carnegie library,” the
local paper cheered, “the time to act is NOW.”19
Now with a cemetery, a school, and a library to his
credit, Ignazio could focus on interests closer to home. He
furnished a fine house in San Rafael, participated in the Swiss
Society, and tended to his dairy and real estate interests. He
died on February 10, 1915, aged 61, leaving his wife and
six children $110,000.20 Rafael Sartori continued to oversee
the family interests in Seattle and Renton; one of his last
acts was improving the Mt. Olivet cemetery with new gravel
walks and paved roads in 1919, prior to its sale to a group of
Rentonites in 1920.21 With much of the family’s Renton land
sold off by 1920, the Sartori connection passed out of living
memory. Rafael died in 1921, leaving $10,000 to his wife’s
two nieces.22
The Flood of 1911 destroyed
the County Bridge (Bronson
Way Bridge) across to
the Sartoris’North
Renton properties. (RHM#
2000.054.5374)
WINTER QUARTERLY, 2016 | 11
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Renton History Museum
235 Mill Avenue South
Renton, WA 98057
Phone: 425.255.2330
Fax: 425.255.1570
rentonhistory.org
In March 2017 the Renton History Museum will begin hosting the traveling exhibit Sorting
Out Race: examining racial identity & stereotypes in thrift store donations. We are excited
to host Sorting Out Race and provide an array of programs that will encourage Rentonites
to come together, share experiences, and learn about more about our diverse community. As
described on the website, “Sorting Out Race arose out of a desire to divert artifacts with racial
content from thrift stores to an exhibit that would generate a healthy community conversation
about racial stereotypes past and present in order to heighten awareness of our continuing
struggles with race.”
From
MARCH
28
to
MAY
20
2017
SORTING OUT RACE
RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
235 Mill Ave. S
Renton, WA 98057
Christmas ornaments made by Hazel O'Harra, ca. 1930s. (RHM# 2002.068)
IN HINDSIGHT...