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HomeMy WebLinkAbout2023 Issue 3 - How To Start A City.pdfVolunteer Training Board Report by Dan Clawson, President. How Obituaries Tell the Story of Renton Museum Report by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Director. On September 1, 1901, the people of Renton voted on the question of whether Renton would incorporate as a fourth-class city. Two parties put forward positions: the Citizens Party was for incorporation and the Peoples Party was against. Ironically, each party put forward its own slate of City Council candidates, whether they were in favor of becoming a city or not. Ultimately, the Citizens Party carried the day, and Renton was on the road to municipal status. Mayor Abijah Beach, Civil War surgeon and mine doctor, Also In This Issue... Continued on page 5 2 4 83 By Elizabeth P. Stewart HOW TO START A CITY RENTON HISTORICALSOCIETY & MUSEUM Summer June 2023 Volume 54 Number 3QUARTERLY PARTNERING WITH ESC This summer the Renton History Museum is excited to be partnering with our neighbors at the Environmental Science Center as they share Family Nature Kits on three Saturdays: June 3, July 1, and August 5. Stop by their new home in the Liberty Park building, 1101 Bronson Way N, pick up a kit and enjoy the activities, then return the kit before 3 pm the same day. At the Museum, you can learn more about the Black and Cedar Rivers and the Duwamish People. NAOMI MATHISEN (1927 – 2022) Long-time member and volunteer Naomi Mathisen passed away in November 2022 at age 95. Naomi served on the Renton Historical Society Board of Trustees on the Endowment Committee at its early beginnings. She was instrumental in putting the Museum on a path toward sustainability. Naomi was a teacher in the Renton School District for many years and she started her working years as a Public Relations Librarian for Boeing. We are so appreciative of her many years of service and of her recent bequest. Join us for an in-person Annual Members’ Meeting at the Renton History Museum on Tuesday, June 27 at 6:30 pm. The Annual Meeting is your opportunity to gather with history-minded friends to hear about the changes that are coming at the Renton Historical Society and the Renton History Museum and how you can get involved. The meeting is open to all current and prospective Renton Historical Society members. Refreshments and fun activities are planned. Please RSVP at 425-255-2330 or rentonhistorymuseum@rentonwa.gov. See you then! UPCOMING ANNUAL MEETING Naomi Mathisen 2 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 3 MUSEUM REPORT QUARTERLYSUMMER 2023 L iving as we do in a technologically advanced nation, it is easy to forget that just over 120 years ago (less than two lifetimes), the city was just setting up many of the systems—utilities, transportation, government, and social—that we continue to rely on today. A look back at Renton in 1902 reveals that life in the city could be as contentious, disruptive, inconvenient, and even dangerous as life sometimes feels today, but residents were committed to making it work. Through a democratic system of voting and public meetings, residents deputized representatives to figure out complex issues like where clean drinking water would come from and how many saloons would locate in Renton. And things did eventually get done. The system was not perfect—women could not even vote in 1902, so of course it wasn’t perfect. Law officers used a heavy hand to rid the town of people that someone deemed undesirable, whether homeless people or Native Americans. Workers did what they could to insist on a fair workplace, and they voted with their feet when they couldn’t get one. Well-meaning Councilmembers occasionally fled their duties—and town—when the heat from an engaged public got to be too much for them. Renton is an example of the millions of decisions made in cities and small towns all across the country, and in democratic countries around the world. Researching the start-up of the great city we live in has been a reminder to me that democracy is bumpy, and always has been—we make a little progress on an issue and then get distracted by liquor licenses or escaped convicts. Those who put themselves forward in the towns and cities they love are often not professional politicians, and we probably wouldn’t want them to be. They are people who care about their communities and who want to solve problems and make things better. To the extent we can remember that they are doing their best, even as we challenge them to be better, we can move forward together. As we head toward our national Semiquincentennial—the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence—in 2026, we at the Museum are thinking about how to help people share an understanding of history, enough to keep us moving together toward a more equitable, inclusive, and kind democracy. Museums have the power! by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Museum Director RENTON HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Pritchard Design Graphic Design & Layout Karl Hurst City of Renton Print & Mail Services RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Dan Clawson, President Don Hunsaker III, Treasurer Robert Wilson, Secretary David Wakukawa, trustee Elizabeth P. Stewart, Board Liaison MUSEUM STAFF Elizabeth P. Stewart Museum Director Stephanie Snyder Museum Office Aide RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 MILL AVENUE S RENTON, WA 98057 P (425) 255-2330 F (425) 255-1570 E rentonhistorymuseum rentonwa.gov HOURS: Tuesday - Friday 10:00am - 4:00pm ADMISSION: $5 (Adult) $2 (Child) Elizabeth P. Stewart Director Cover photo: Securing a source of drinking water was Renton’s stimulus for the application to incorporate as a city in 1901. Seattle had already started piping Cedar River water through Renton for its residents. (#2000.127.8484) After the vote to incorporate as a city, a Council committee “was instructed to write to manufacturers of iron cells for catalogues,” so that Renton could build its own jail. (#1981.073.0890) 4 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM RHS acknowledges RHS acknowledges we are on the we are on the unceded traditional unceded traditional land of the land of the Duwamish people. Duwamish people. A people forced to A people forced to relocate, but who relocate, but who have persevered.have persevered. The Museum views the history of Renton to include since time immemorial to today and is committed to exploring that through its partnerships, exhibits and programs. PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE The Summer of 2023 promises to be a good one for Renton Historical Society. We will be providing a booth at Renton River Days for the first time since COVID restrictions began. The dates are Friday, July 21st through Sunday, July 23rd. Also, we are planning our Fall fundraising event. If you would like to help out with either or both of these projects, or have other talents to offer, please let us know by sending an email with your contact information to rentonhistoricalsociety@gmail.com. We are very happy to welcome David Wakukawa to the RHS Board. David has experience as an attorney and mental health counselor and works in Downtown Renton. Board Member applicants, particularly those reflecting the diversity of the Renton area, are encouraged to contact us at the email address above to learn more about serving on the Board. The RHS Board of Directors connects the Renton History Museum with the community, provides financial support for the Museum, and helps guide the Museum’s direction and policies in partnership with the City of Renton. Living within the Renton city limits is not a requirement. June is the month for the RHS Annual Membership Meeting. You will be receiving notice soon if you have not already. At the meeting, members of the Board of Directors will be elected, and other business will be conducted. Your participation is welcome and encouraged. We recently received a generous bequest from the estate of Naomi Mathisen, a former volunteer at the Museum. Your financial support makes our outstanding Museum and the many learning opportunities it provides to our community possible. It’s easy to donate or renew your membership through the City of Renton website’s Museum page - search “Renton History Museum” on your browser to get there. Renton Historical Society is a 501(c) (3) nonprofit organization, and your donation may be tax deductible. You can visit the Renton Historical Society website at https://www.rentonhistoricalsociety.org/ for current information about the Renton Historical Society. by Dan Clawson, President Dan Clawson President Renton’s first Mayor, Dr. Abijah I. Beach, had been a Civil War surgeon for the 9th Kansas Cavalry, a physician for the mine, and a doctor for the Tulalip and Port Blakely reservations. (#41.0827) SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 5 who somehow managed to live in relative harmony with the white families who had disrupted their way of life. “Renton is one of Seattle’s suburban towns of which little is known by the average citizen,” the Seattle Times editorialized, “Not because it is unimportant, but because it continues to improve quietly and with little newspaper heralding.”4 Four general stores, including Tonkin Grocery and Robert Woods’ general merchandise, sprang up to meet the residents’ needs. Three saloons, a livery stable, and other small businesses catered to residents’ needs. Two railroads, the Columbia & Puget Sound and the Northern Pacific, passed through town.5 Seattle’s increasing need for water and pressure from railroad operators probably encouraged Renton to think of itself as a city. As early as 1888 Seattle city engineers identified the Cedar River as the most promising water source. In 1895, Seattle residents approved a $1.25M bond issue to build a water system. Seattle built a dam at Landsburg and a 28.57 mile pipeline diverting Cedar River water; some of the pipeline came right through Renton’s town center.6 Seattleites got their first taste of Cedar River water on January 10, 1901. As Renton grew, townspeople looked around for a source of water for their own city, but Seattle already had the water rights from the local river locked up. Identifying a reliable source of local water was among the new City Council’s first tasks in 1902. Initially, they proposed to tap the pipeline running through town and pay Seattle a reasonable amount for the metered water. The Renton Council’s Fire and Water Committee suggested that a better plan would be to build the city’s own reservoir. City Attorney Sidney J. Williams investigated the possibility of issuing bonds for the construction of a Renton waterworks, something only a city could do.7 Just before a mass meeting was to be held to convince residents that a bond was the way to go, someone pointed out that “a spring near Renton…will supply one hundred thousand gallons of water a day.”8 The search for water continued on two tracks: the City negotiated with the owners of Springbrook for a dependable water supply, once they discovered that a bond would only raise $4500 of the $9000 – 22,000 necessary for a water system.9 But the City Council did identify other ways to raise funds, although those required balancing residents’ was officially elected on Dec. 3, 1901, along with a new City Council.1 The new Councilmembers had a little trouble getting started with their duties. One month into their lives as a City Council, three of the five Councilmembers failed to show up for the regular Monday meeting at Wood’s Hall; the Mayor and two Councilmembers waited for thirty minutes and, lacking a quorum, closed the meeting. The next day, the missing Councilmen were overheard “discussing the faults and merits of the circus at Seattle.” Councilmembers forgot their meeting to go to Seattle’s circus.2 But it didn’t take long for them to understand the importance of their responsibilities in helping establish Renton. Becoming a city gave Renton the tools to control growth and provide services and amenities for its growing population. The town had begun at the juncture of the Black and Cedar Rivers where Coast Salish people including the Duwamish had lived and traded since time immemorial. White settlers arrived to exploit coal seams and timber stands, and their way of life quickly came into conflict with the Coast Salish peoples’ seasonal settlement and fishing and foraging patterns. Many Coast Salish were forced onto reservations against their will after the so-called Indian Wars, but many Duwamish refused to relocate from their ancestral lands. Nevertheless, Erasmus Smithers platted the land to create a townsite; he and others founded dairy farms, while men like Henry Tobin and his wife Diana started mills. In 1875, when Smithers filed his plat, about fifty people made the town their home; in 1901, Renton qualified as a fourth- class city of 500. Streets were dirt (or mud, depending on the season), and the Renton coal mine was the largest employer in town, with about 200 miners; a new modern brick factory was still an idea in the minds of a group of “San Francisco capitalists.”3 Duwamish people continued to live in Renton, most notably the Moses family, In June 1902 Renton’s Central School graduated its first class of nineteen students—15 completed the 8th grade and four completed 9th grade. (#1980.079.1120) 6 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM middle-class women leading the battle to strictly regulate alcohol. Councilmember John P. Adams was identified as “the spokesman of the temperance people of Renton”; he knew that higher liquor licenses would slow the proliferation of taverns, an issue that many were concerned about.17 But the Council was composed of “two saloon keepers, two miners and one business man,” so the pressure was so intense on Adams that he actually left town during the most heated part of the debate.18 “Renton is worked up to a fever pitch in the matter more so than over any other question that has come before it since its incorporation last fall,” observed the Seattle Times. “That the liquor element is well organized is noted by all,” but for their part alcohol opponents threatened to punish Councilmembers at the next election and campaign for a $1000 licensing fee.19 The public continued to show up for Council meetings and make their wishes known, and Councilmember Adams stayed away. Ultimately, a compromise was reached: the license fee was raised, but only to $400 and the vote was unanimous.20 Meanwhile, Rentonites asserted their independence in other ways. In the midst of the debate on objections. Property-owners were already none too happy about the new municipal property tax levied by City Council in November 1901.10 At their first meeting in January 1902, the Council listed the various issues they had to decide: licensing streetcars, franchise payments, issuance of construction permits, and regulating the filing of new plats, all moneymaking propositions, but also ways to regulate growth.11 Seattle Electric Company had purchased the coal mine and the company was willing to pay the City of Renton for an extension of the Seattle & Renton Electric Railway to the mines, so it could ship coal to the power plant on Post Street in Seattle. They also wanted new power lines from the coal mines to the new brickyard.12 During all this construction, Renton residents endured torn-up roads and interruptions in rail travel to Seattle and points south. Pile drivers worked along the shores of the Black and Cedar Rivers for months, as construction crews prepared the ground for tracks. Construction also made roads impassable. Seattle Electric had promised to finish their project in time for the July 4th parade, but the new line was not completed until September.13 Some property- owners lost land to these projects, and they demanded fair compensation. The Seattle Times reported that “it is expected that there will be a large number of citizens present” at the Council meeting in mid-May, “owing to the fact that the [Seattle Electric Company] asks the city to vacate certain grounds for their purposes.”14 The railway also asked for a perpetual right-of-way for their wires and railways, something that independent Rentonites were not inclined to give. Looking out for the public good, City Attorney Williams “said in the most emphatic manner that he does not believe that any public corporation should grant a perpetual franchise to any private corporation.”15 But the issue that most agitated Renton residents in the city’s first year was liquor licenses. The 1901 rate for a license to sell and serve liquor was $300 a year; some Councilmen advocated raising it as high as $500 annually.16 The proposed Renton licensing pitted saloon-owners against those who opposed the drinking of alcohol. Liquor had been a contentious issue in Washington state since the 1880s, with Councilmember Harold Evans owned Alki Bar when Council was debating raising the fee for liquor licenses in 1902. (#2006.043.033) Councilmember John P. Adams (#1 in this photo) with his large family in 1905. Adams, a member of the Rebekah Lodge, was known as a temperance man. (#1991.116.3523) While the Mayor and Council were setting up a city, Rentonites were doing important things like establishing churches, lodges, taverns, and baseball teams. The Renton Baseball Club posing in 1902. (#1967.999.0387) The ultimate temporary solution for Renton’s water problem was the Springbrook Reservoir on Talbot Hill, completed in 1910. (#1966.014.0462) SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 7 the liquor license in April 1902, the Seattle Electric Co., owner of the Renton coal mines, announced it would reduce the pay of miners on vein No. 2 from 90 cents to 75 cents per loaded coal car, because the company deemed the coal of lower quality and less profitable. Two hundred men walked off the job; the miners on vein No. 3 struck in sympathy with their brother miners.21 Mine Superintendent F. A. Hill claimed that the reduction would not impact miners’ take-home pay because the coal was “easier to work,” although he did admit that he had not given the miners the required notice of a wage change.22 Nevertheless, Hill insisted that “If we cannot get men to work for the new scale, we will stop work on this vein.”23 Hill tried to argue that the striking miners were lazy, and that the Renton mine was the best place to work. “As a rule, miners do not work over 20 days in a month, anyhow,” he said of the walk-out. “They have taken this opportunity to go fishing or to work in their gardens.”24 He promised spaces for 25 more men on the higher-paying vein No. 3 in a month and that those working on vein No. 2 would be transferred if they requested it. Half the miners returned to work after two days; a few single men drew their pay and left town.25 In a public relations gesture, Hill opened the mine all day on the Fourth of July, decorating it with electric lights and inviting visitors. “The whole town is enthusiastic over the project,” reported the Seattle Times.26 As a new city Renton was also preoccupied with law enforcement. One of the Council’s first actions was to rehire Town Marshal Jake Mazey, who had tackled the city homeless problem by forcing all the “tramps” to the edges of the city.27 City Marshal was the best-paid job in the city in 1902, at $600 a year plus a percentage of delinquent license fees collected, so Mazey had to beat out three other candidates in January to be reappointed.28 The city was fortunate to have an experienced lawman in 1902, because in early July escaped convict Harry Tracy took a detour through Renton, terrorizing the Jerrells family near Cedar Mountain. Eighteen-year-old Charles Jerrells was the hero of the day; when Tracy gave him some watches to pawn in Renton, while he held the family hostage, Charles instead went to the authorities in Renton and reported the desperado’s whereabouts. The elusive Tracy had escaped again by the time the law arrived. Tracy died by his own hand in a wheat field near Creston, WA on August 3.29 In 1902 Renton was on its way to controlling its own destiny, with a Mayor and City Council looking to the future and balancing the needs and interests of its residents. If it was an imperfect system, with the rights of workers, Native Americans, and impoverished people still underrepresented, the democratic tools were in place for a better future. In 1902 Renton’s first Marshal, Jake Mazey, handled everything from “tramps” to animal cruelty to desperado Harry Tracy. (#1991.013.3270) Doug Edlich, Joe Gottstein, and Jay Holmes (L-R) at Longacres, 1969. (#2002.019.5617) 8 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM O bituaries are potentially powerful tools: they can tell us about when and where someone lived and died, their hobbies, careers, families, and place in the community. But the search for an obituary can also end in disappointment: some are nothing more than a name and funeral date. Sometimes there is no obituary at all. This is sadly often the case for members of historically underrepresented groups, such as women, Black and Indigenous people, and other people of color. As part of our mission to preserve, document, interpret, and educate about the history of greater Renton in ways that are accessible to diverse people of all ages, we endeavor to preserve as many Renton obituaries as we can. Fortunately, two fantastic volunteers are helping us with this task. Nancy Nishimura and Marcia Heath have been hard at work transcribing obituaries to be stored digitally in our catalog. This makes obituaries easily searchable and accessible to researchers. What makes a standout obituary? There are a few gems in our collection written in vivid detail, How Obituaries Tell the Story of Renton By Stephanie Snyder Irene Grayson, 1993. (#2019.007.060) Jennie Moses, 1920. (#41.0120) SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 9 ENDNOTES How Obituaries Tell the Story of Renton 1 “Jennie Moses Mourned,” Seattle Times, 15 February 1937, p. 19. 2 Ibid. How to Start a City 1 “Renton Election,” Seattle Times, 27 August 1901, p.4; “Renton,” Seattle Star, 30 August 1901, p.2. Unfortunately, the two parties’ pro and con arguments are lost to history. RCW 35.02 lays out the process for municipal incorporation, which includes a petition to the state, a boundary review, and an election. 2 “They Saw Elephant [sic],” Seattle Star, 4 October 1901, p.3; “The Circus Was All Right,” Seattle Star, 1 October 1901, p.4. 3 “Brick Plant for Renton,” Seattle Star, 1 January 1902, p.3. 4 “Renton Mines Busy,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 22 July 1900, p.24. 5 “Renton Mines Busy,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 22 July 1900, p.24. 6 Kit Oldham, “Seattle residents receive Cedar River water for the first time on January 10, 1901,” Historylink Essay 10945, 17 October 2014, accessed at https://historylink.org/File/10945 on 17 May 2023. 7 “Paving Way for Purchase,” Seattle Times, 4 March 1902, p.7; “Renton’s Request for Water,” Seattle Times, 7 March 1902, p.7; “Renton,” Seattle Times, 10 April 1902, p.3; “Renton City Council,” Seattle Times, 10 April 1902, p.11. 8 “Renton Town Council,” Seattle Times, 17 April 1902, p.11. 9 “Providing a Water System,” Seattle Times, 5 June 1902, p.8. 10 “Renton Folk Have a Kick,” Seattle Star, 13 February 1902, p.1. Landowners were angry about the rate, set at 10 mils, and the fact that they thought the tax would be deferred for one year after it was passed. “Councilmember Evans is censured for having led in the passage of an ordinance which was not understood,” the Times reported. 11 “Renton Council Talks Business,” Seattle Star, 10 January 1902, p.1. 12 “Road Builders at Work,” Seattle Times, 6 June 1902, p.12; “Southern Suburbs,” Seattle Times, 25 July 1902, p.4. 13 “New Electric Line to Renton,” Seattle Times, 8 September 1902, p.2. 14 “Renton,” Seattle Times, 13 May 1902, p.5. 15 “Perpetual Franchise,” Seattle Times, 29 April 1902, p.2. 16 “Notes from Renton,” Seattle Times, 16 February 1902, p.9. Cook Inman and Benjamin Atkinson quickly got their application to run Melrose Tavern approved before the license discussion even started. “Renton City Council,” Seattle Times, 20 February 1902, p.2. 17 “Renton Is Aroused,” Seattle Times, 21 April 1902, p.8. Liquor licensing was even an issue during the run-up to the 1901 election of City 3 “Mother Grayson Dies One Day After 107th Birthday Celebration,” Valley Daily News, 12 May 12, n.p.; Cheryl Reid, “Family, Friends Mourn Renton's 'Mother' Grayson,” Valley Daily News, 12 May 1995, n.p. 4 “Death Takes Joe Gottstein of Longacres,” Seattle Times, 2 January 1971, p.24. Councilmembers. Knowing that the issue would be coming before Council, each side tried to ensure that their position was well-represented, so the Citizens and the Peoples Party each ran a slate of candidates. “Renton Candidates; Parties Will Split on High and Low Licenses,” Seattle Times, 28 November 1901, p.2; “Additional Nominations,” Seattle Times, 30 November 1901, p.5. 18 “Renton Is Aroused,” Seattle Times, 21 April 1902, p.8. Harold Evans was a saloon-keeper and a livery stable-owner (after retiring from coal mining), John Adams and Thomas Dobson were coal miners, Josiah Tonkin operated a general merchandise store, and the least well-known Councilmember was Roger D. Jenkins Sr., who was also a coal miner. It is unclear who the newspaper was identifying as the second saloon operator. 19 “Renton Is Aroused,” Seattle Times, 21 April 1902, p.8. 20 “Renton Town Council,” Seattle Times, 23 April 1902, p.2; “Renton Town Council,” Seattle Times, 8 May 1902, p.6. 21 “Coal Miners Quit Work,” Seattle Times, 3 April 1902, p.4; “Renton Miners Strike,” Seattle Star, 3 April 1902, p.1. Renton Co-Operative Coal Co. had only recently sold its operations to Seattle Electric Co. and the former miner-owners chafed under new corporate restrictions that measured profit for shareholders. “Would Not Sell the Mine,” Seattle P-I, 7 July 1899, p.12; “Will Retain Their Mine,” Seattle P-I, 28 July 1899, p.6. 22 “Renton Miners Strike,” Seattle Star, 3 April 1902, p.1. 23 “Renton Miners Strike,” Seattle Star, 3 April 1902, p.1. 24 “Miners Go to Work,” Seattle Star, 4 April 1902, p.4. 25 “Miners Go to Work,” Seattle Star, 4 April 1902, p.4. 26 “Renton Will Celebrate,” Seattle Times, 15 June 1902, p.11. 27 “Renton,” Seattle Times, 30 October 1901, p.4. 28 “They Want to be Marshal,” Seattle Times, 24 January 1902, p.8. In 2023 dollars, the Marshal earned $21,162. By contrast, City Councilmembers earned $2 for each Council meeting, $3 for each day of registration duty, and 10 cents per folio for keeping City records. The City Treasurer earned $10 a year and the City Attorney $100. “Salaries At Renton,” Seattle Star, 30 October 1901, p.3. 29 “Outlaw Tracy Imprisons the Gerald [sic] Family,” Seattle Star, 8 July 1902, p.1; Louie B. Sefrit, “At Jerrells’ House,” Seattle Times, 9 July 1902, p.1; “One Lone Shot Ringing Out from a Wheat Field Sounds the Death Knell of Harry Tracy,” Seattle Times, 6 August 1902, p.1. conveying a sense of community that persists across time— like those written to memorialize Jennie Moses (ca. 1861 – 1937), Irene Grayson (1889 – 1995), and Joe Gottstein (1891-1971). Jennie Moses was characterized in her obituary as a welcoming hostess who entertained children at the local swimming hole with “tasty tidbits of food and grand stories of the old days,” who “knew every knoll, every rippling brook and every hidden glen in the region.”1 But the obituary also speaks of the hardships Moses endured during her lifetime: the destruction of nature and the pain wrought on the Duwamish by white settlers.2 Irene Grayson’s obituary recalls her resourcefulness and pluck as she relocated her family from Utah to Seattle during the Depression and built a church, becoming a pillar of the Hilltop community in the Highlands.3 And Joe Gottstein— the founder of Longacres Racetrack—was remembered by his colleagues for his business acumen and strong personality: “People were in awe of him, loved him, hated him, feared him--possibly all of those and more.”4 Not everyone can rely on their neighbors and descendants to get the details of an obituary right, though. Our advice to you: start writing your own! It may be unpleasant to think about our mortality, but every Rentonite’s story deserves to be told with the same level of care and detail. 10 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM MEMORIAL DONATIONS November 30, 2022 – February 28, 2023 Pat Auten Marlene Akesson Jim & Char Baker Lynn Bohart Na ncy Berry Wendi Dragin Ila Hemm Lewis & Sally Jones Bill Garrison Donovan Lynch MEMORIAL DONATIONS OF $100 OR MORE Pat Auten L ori Butler Terry & Dennis Higashiyama Bill Bauder Richard L. Major Janet Christiansen L aurie S. McKenna GENERAL DONATIONS OF $500 OR MORE Janice Tanner GENERAL DONATIONS OF $200 OR MORE Melrose Grill GENERAL DONATIONS OF $100 OR MORE Robert L. Evans Shari Fisher Kurt Hanson Service Linen Supply Basil Simpson NEW MEMBERS Tessa Floreano GENERAL DONATIONS Carolyn Boatsman Carmel Camerini Jill Devenport Diana Durman Robert Evans Dorothy Finley Carol Frey Claudia Gillispie Elizabeth Greggs Benita Horn Charles & Karen Jones Matilda V. Jones Denis & Patty Law Scott & Gaye McClellan Sandra Meyer Michael & Valerie O'Halloran Ken Taylor Terry & Dennis Higashiyama Victor “Vic” Tonda Bill and Carol Collins and family COMMEMORATIVE DONATIONS Class of ‘58 Mike Dire Kevin Poole & Bryce Miller Mark & Katherine Petrich Ada Rosa Laureen Ross David Schmitt Karen Uitting Nick Vacca Linda Venishnick Moore IN-KIND DONATIONS PritchardDesign McCorkle & Associates SPRING QUARTERLY, 2023 | 11 O ne of the earliest names considered for the town of Renton was “Black River Bridge.” The wooden bridge over the Black River was built in 1860, to improve the postal route between Seattle and points east and south; it was also used by ranchers driving their herds to Seattle slaughterhouses. At that point it would have been the most widely known landmark near what would become Renton. This 1919 map shows its location roughly where today’s Sunset Highway meets Hardie Avenue, behind the Fred Meyer Shopping Center. FUN WITH MAPS RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 Mill Ave. S Renton, WA 98057 The grand home of Renton’s first Mayor, Abijah I. Beach, in 1901. The Beach home was located at the northwest corner of Wells and 4th. It was demolished sometime between 1938 and 1951. (#1967.022.0826)