Loading...
HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019 Issue 3 - What's In A Name, Place Names in Renton.pdfHero's Feast: Finding Community Through D&D on exhibit now! Board Report: Strategic plan and upcoming events. Collections Report by Sarah Samson, Curator. Museum Report by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Director. Have you ever thought about how and why the places around us were named what they are named? Who gets to name things and why? Sometimes the names honor an historic event. Sometimes they honor a person. Sometimes they are used to erase a particular history from a place. And sometimes, names change. A few of the stories become elusive as time marches on and, despite our best efforts, remain mysterious. I have always been curious about the stories behind place names and the history they invoke. Interesting, too, are the stories that are absent in our place names and the stories that have been lost to history. THE ORIGINAL NAMES Humans name things, so of course Renton’s physical landscape had names long before White settlers showed up in the early 1850s. Many current Pacific Northwest place names still have Native roots today, although because Lushootseed (the Coast Salish language) has sounds difficult to pronounce by Whites, some of those names are only approximations of the original. Renton, with its rivers and location on Lake Washington, was an important locale for the Duwamish (dxdewFabS) people. (You can hear the proper Lushootseed pronunciation of “Duwamish” by Skagit Elder Vi Hilbert at HistoryLink.org.)1 Also In This Issue... RENTON HISTORICALSOCIETY & MUSEUM Summer June 2019 Volume 50 Number 3 Continued on page 5 2 4 83 QUARTERLY WHAT'S IN A NAME? Place Names in Renton by Sarah Samson 2 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM D id you know that the company that sells Dungeons & Dragons is headquartered in Renton? The Renton History Museum invites you to join the table and learn more about the history and impact of Dungeons & Dragons in Renton. Curated by UW Museology Master's candidate Allison Moore, this fun exhibit features stories and artifacts from real players across the city. The exhibit explores and celebrates the community surrounding the most popular role- playing game in history. From MAY 7 to OCTOBER 16 MARGARITA PRENTICE (1931-2019) State Sen. Margarita López Prentice passed away on April 2 after a lifetime of public service. A long- time registered nurse, Sen. Prentice was elected to the Renton School Board in 1986 and in 1988 was appointed to fill the 11th District vacancy in the WA House of Representatives. She served two terms, becoming the first Latina elected to the Washington legislature, followed by five terms in the State Senate before she retired in 2013. A Renton champion, Sen. HIGHLANDS POST OFFICE GETS NEW NAME On April 19 the Renton Highlands Post Office, 4301 NE 4th Street, was officially renamed the James Marshall “Jimi” Hendrix Post Office. A bill sponsored by Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) enabled Renton to take advantage of the U.S. Postal Service’s honorary naming program; the Highlands post office is only the fourth in Washington state to take advantage of the designation since 1967. The legendary rock guitarist is buried Prentice also fought for women’s health, migrant workers’ rights, LGBTQ issues, and veterans’ and tribal affairs. In 2009, Valley Medical Center named its trauma center in her honor. at Greenwood Memorial Park, less than a mile from the post office that now bears his name. A plaque will be displayed in the lobby of the Post Office. SUMMER QUARTERLY, 2019 | 3 MUSEUM REPORT QUARTERLY Summer 2019 I n this quarterly’s feature article Curator Sarah Samson looks at how and why Renton streets are named. Her research traces the overturning of Duwamish names in favor of place names more meaningful to White ears. Renton remained Mox la Push for a few decades after Whites began to settle here, but ultimately the men who platted the town renamed it for a mine investor, Capt. William Renton, who may never have visited. His 1891 obituary makes no mention of the little town outside Seattle that was named for him almost twenty years earlier. Early settlers’ naming practices were aspirational and not necessarily deliberative: we had a school named for industrialist Henry Ford–who never visited–and another for the Sartori family, Californians who invested in Renton in the 1910s. Whitworth Street paid tribute to Rev. George Whitworth, a statewide leader in religion and education. When they drew the maps and put up signs, were namers invoking a set of admirable values, or hoping to attract the attention of powerful people who could give the city a boost? We don’t know; they did not use any kind of process, as they would today, and they did not record their thinking. Today, naming reflects the notion that residents should have some say over what things are called. New landmarks—like the new Vera Risdon Middle School— are named as the result of a procedure that consults those affected. (Even the new Rooftop Dragon on Wells Street will get a crowdsourced name, announced here at the Museum on May 7.) Henry Moses Pool (where the Skate Park is currently located) was the first Renton facility to honor the City’s Duwamish First People. Nishiwaki Lane pays tribute to Renton’s Japanese sister city, and perhaps by extension to the long history of Japanese farmers and gardeners in South King County, even in the exact location where the lane runs. It is surprising, then, to consider that Renton has yet to name a single street for any of the significant women in the city’s history. As we prepare for a 2020 exhibit commemorating the centennial of national women’s suffrage, we are identifying women of accomplishment, any of whom would be worthy of their own road or avenue. Imagine living on Shinpoch Street, named for Renton’s first woman Mayor, or Butler Avenue, named for Hattie Butler, the first female City Councilmember in Washington state! Cole Avenue could recognize Tillie Cole, Washington state senior housing innovator, and Wilson Street could memorialize Mary Wilson, the first woman to vote in Washington state in a 1910 Renton school board election. The naming possibilities are limitless, once you open up the history! by Elizabeth P. Stewart, Museum Director Hattie Butler, ca. 1920 (RHM# 1981.102.1519) Elizabeth P. Stewart Director RENTON HISTORICAL QUARTERLY Sarah Samson Graphic Design & Layout Karl Hurst City of Renton Print & Mail Services RENTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY BOARD OF TRUSTEES Laura Clawson, President Colleen Lenahan, Vice President Jessica Kelly, Treasurer Antoin Johnson, Secretary Lynne King, 2019 Betsy Prather, 2021 Denise Dhakal, 2022 Doug Brownlow, 2022 Elizabeth Stewart, Board Liaison MUSEUM STAFF Elizabeth P. Stewart Museum Director Sarah Samson Curator of Collections & Exhibitions Kate Dugdale Public Engagement Coordinator Nezy Tewolde 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) Nishiwaki Lane in Renton. 4 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM BOARD REPORT P hew, the first quarter of 2019 has flown by–probably for you, too! The Board of Trustees has officially approved our Strategic Plan, added two new trustees, and started planning for our annual fundraiser, the History- Making Party on Tuesday, October 8. That’s a lot of work, even for nine hard-working volunteers! You’ve seen our Annual Report for 2018–enclosed with this newsletter–and it occurred to us that if volunteers, members, and donors want to help us meet our mission, it might be difficult to figure out how. We get busy with our list of tasks and sometimes we forget to ask for help. So… if you’re looking for ways to be involved in preserving, documenting, and educating about Renton’s history, here are some ways: • Invite our Museum Director, Liz Stewart, to speak to your group. As we prepare for the 2020 centennial of women’s suffrage, we’re especially interested in connecting to women’s groups, but we love to bring our history message to any group. • Book a tour at the Renton History Museum. Tours don’t cost much more than regular admission and they’re a great way to extra-special insight into our permanent and changing exhibits. • This summer, we’re looking for someone who’s willing to stop by once a week and weed and water our planter box. It’s pretty small, so 30 minutes a week would probably do. • If you own a business, we’re looking for unique and creative ways to partner. We have sponsorships available for the History-Making Party, as well as other opportunities. • Attend one of our events–we’ve got many coming up– and if you have a good time, tell your friends! Most importantly, if you’re a member or prospective member, join us on Wednesday, June 5 for our Annual Members’ Meeting. We’ll be giving our Volunteer Awards, introducing our Board, and announcing the winner of the George and Annie Lewis Custer Award for Heritage Stewardship. It’s a chance to hear what we’re working on for the future and to give us your ideas. Looking forward to seeing you there! UPCOMING EVENTS New Museum sign and planter. Executive Committee of the Board at the 2018 Annual Meeting. PRIDE FLAG WORKSHOP June 8 11:00-2:00 pm Join us as we celebrate LGBTQIA+ Pride Month! Learn how to make Pride flags, as well as other artistic ways to celebrate this month. First come, first served art supplies provided. All ages. UFOS AND THE PUGET SOUND SPACE RACE July 11 6:00-7:00 pm Local historian and journalist Knute Berger explores the history of Unidentified Flying Objects in the Puget Sound area. Going back to 1947, Berger will discusses UFOs and how they impacted this area’s industries and development. FOUR-COLOR REALITY: HOW COMIC BOOKS AND THE REAL WORLD SHAPE EACH OTHER June 27 6:00-7:00 pm Journalist and educator T. Andrew Wahl explores how our reality shapes the world of comic books. Explore Black Panther, Wonder Woman, Captain America and more! SUMMER QUARTERLY, 2019 | 5 The Duwamish generally sited their homes along rivers, and in Renton that meant the Black and Cedar Rivers. Several villages existed there throughout the millennia, the largest of which was sbabadid. Located on the west bank of the Black River, sbabadid had several longhouses and a long history of human presence. Across the river, dexudidew (“Little Cedar River”) was an inhabited Duwamish village at the time of White encroachment. When Erasmus Smithers received his Land Donation Claim in late 1852, he was suddenly the “owner” of dexudidew, in the eyes of the American government. Surviving accounts (including an 1865 map) indicate that Smithers did not evict his land’s original residents.2 He likely needed and relied on Duwamish laborers for his fledgling farm. Lake Washington, known as XaVuF (“lake”), provided water for the Black River which flowed out of the lake.3 An important Duwamish place was dxHebRuF (meaning “confluence/place of swift water”). This was the location where the Cedar River flowed into the Black River, roughly where Rainier Ave South and Airport Way intersect. After absorbing the Cedar River’s water, the Black flowed into the Duwamish River. sEuFalRuF (“confluence/rivers coming together”) is the name of the location where the two rivers met. There is a historical marker referring to sEuFalRuF as “Mox la Push” at the Starfire Sports Complex in Tukwila. Tillicum Road (running west-east between Renton Continued from page 1 Cover photo: Aerial photo of Renton, 1970. Erasmus Smithers's original land claim is outlined in yellow. The combined Tobin/Smithers claim is outlined in blue. (RHM# 1997.098.4672) WHAT'S IN A NAME? 1865 Cadastral map. Area outlined in pink is the original Tobin Land Donation Claim. dexudidew is next to a bend in the Black River just south of Tobin's land (on Smithers's land) and is labeled "Indian Village." 6 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM William Renton. Capt. Renton was the owner of a massive sawmill at Port Blakely on Bainbridge Island. His sizable wealth allowed him to be a generous investor throughout the larger Seattle area; Renton Coal Company was one of his investments.6 At one point Capt. Renton also had a street and a Renton Hill neighborhood named for him, both in Seattle.7 On the 1875 plat the street names reflected Renton’s few influential White men at that point; all of them had a connection to the coal mine. What was then Burnett Street was named for Charles H. Burnett, an early superintendent of the Renton Coal Mine who was also Seattle’s first City Treasurer.8 Williams Street was named for James E. Williams, also an early Renton mine superintendent. He went on to supervise mines in Newcastle, Franklin, and Issaquah.9 Wells was named for Charles Wells. Wells is somewhat mysterious: our only information about him comes from a 1925 newspaper article that was referenced in our February 1972 newsletter. He apparently was part of the group who “located a coal mine where the Denny-Renton Clay & Coal mine” was.10 His common name and lack of other identifying details have left us unable to discover anything further. Main was named because every self-respecting town needs a Main street! Oddly though, Main didn’t really end up being Renton’s “main street”–the city’s two busiest streets were Third and Walla Walla. Mill Avenue was not named for a person; it was named because an early saw mill was located on the Cedar River near the end of that street. People often mistakenly think the street was named because the massive Elias and Annie Mills house at 400 Mill Street loomed over downtown. The house was torn down in the early 1990s when the I-405 S-curves were straightened. Municipal Airport and Renton High School) gets its name from a Chinook Jargon word meaning “friend or family.” Chinook Jargon was a trade language used by Native Americans and Whites to communicate that combined Chinook, Wakashan (Nootka), English, and French. Erasmus Smithers’s daughter Ada Smithers Thorne could speak Chinook Jargon.4 Tillicum Road is Renton’s only remaining place name that is a reminder of the thousands of Duwamish people who called this area home before Whites arrived. ON THE MAP In 1875 three White men (Smithers, Charles Shattuck, and Thomas Morris) produced the first plat of what was to be “The Town of Renton.” The proposed town consisted of a five block by five block area with the Cedar River as northern boundary. Smithers’ land claim provided the land for this venture; Shattuck and Morris were also investors in the Renton Coal Company.5 Creating the town was necessary to draw a work force for the newly established coal mine. Smithers owned all of what today covers the downtown Renton core. The land for “The City of Renton” was platted on the northeastern portion of Smithers’ land. The western boundary of his land was the now-dried up Black River (on the west side of present-day Rainier Avenue Fred Meyer up to the Renton Municipal Airport runway). His land extended as far north as the point where the Cedar River poured into the Black River (present-day south end of the Renton Municipal Airport runway) and as far south as present-day South 7th Street. The eastern boundary began at the Cedar River and extended south to just past South 10th Street along Jones Avenue on Renton Hill. The trio chose the name “Renton” in honor of Captain Erasmus Smithers's copy of the Plat of the Town of Renton, 1875. He used this copy to record to whom he sold the lots. (RHM# 1966.017.003)Erasmus Smithers, ca. 1875. (RHM# 1966.017.0287) SUMMER QUARTERLY, 2019 | 7 Walla Walla Avenue–or Railroad Avenue–was a bizarre diagonal street at odds with all the other neat, square lines on the plat map. That diagonal street was put there solely to entice a railroad to come through Renton. Rail and boat were the main means of industrial transport in the late 1800s and Renton’s new coal mine needed rail in order to efficiently move the coal to market. Two short years after publishing the map, their gamble paid off, and the Seattle & Walla Walla Railroad connected Renton to Seattle.11 In 1939 Walla Walla was renamed Houser Way in honor of Renton City Attorney Paul W. Houser.12 BIGGER CITY, MORE STREETS Smithers, Shattuck, and Morris restrained themselves and did not name streets after themselves on the original Renton plat. They didn’t have to worry, however; their names would soon be forever enshrined on Renton streets. As the town grew, Smithers sold off his land piece by piece, requiring more street names. Each addition had a legal name and “Smithers 1st Addition” though “Smithers 5th Addition” accounted for the creation of Smithers, Shattuck, and Morris Streets.13 Whitworth Street was named for early Washington Territory clergyman Reverend George F. Whitworth.14 Unlike Capt. Renton, we can confirm that Whitworth visited Renton at least once. He presented the invocation at the graduation exercises for the Renton Public School Graduation Exercises in 1896.15 Logan Street was probably named for John T. Logan, a motorman on the Rainier Valley Line. Born in Ohio, Logan lived in Renton by at least 1900 and was living on Logan Avenue in 1909.16 His wife’s obituary states that the street was named for his family; the rail line he worked for many years ran just east of Logan Avenue.17 Continued on page 10 Tobin Avenue by Renton High School is named for Henry Tobin, Smithers’ original neighbor. Tobin arrived in 1853 and claimed most of what today is Downtown Renton. (He was able to claim double the amount of land because he was married.) Smithers owned the strip of land just to the south. Tobin died in 1856, less than a year after his wife Diana arrived with their toddler son. Smithers ended up marrying the Widow Tobin seven months later, thereby scooping up her inherited double-share of land to combine with his.18 PECULIAR NAMES One of the questions we get most often is: what is behind the naming of Petrovitsky Road? This is a much researched question with only a quasi-satisfying answer. John Petrovitsky, a butcher turned real estate man turned farmer, appears to have been the first name on the list in 1915 requesting that the road be built.19 We have no evidence Petrovitsky owned land in Renton but it is possible that during his stint as a real estate man he had an interest in the area. Monster Road is one of Renton’s better road names. Sadly, it is not named for a mythical beast with a great local legend; the road is named for the John C. and Anna Monster family who owned a large farm adjacent to it in the late 1800s. The Monsters were from Denmark and it is probable that their name was originally spelled “Mønster,” which has a significantly different meaning and pronunciation that our English version.20 THE HIGHLANDS During WWII Renton was at the epicenter of a sudden, vast in-migration. Boeing and PACCAR needed workers to make Map showing the various Smither's [sic] Additions to Renton, ca. 1954. (The Kroll Atlas of Seattle) Map showing the Motor Line Addition to Renton, ca. 1954. (The Kroll Atlas of Seattle) 8 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM A year ago I wrote in this space about the Sanders Collection, a collection of 844 glass plate negatives, all taken by amateur photographer Charles W. Sanders. Sanders arrived in Washington in 1904 and was one of the early White land owners in Kennydale. His day job, carpentry, took him all around the Puget Sound, to places like Ballard, Port Townsend, and Fort Worden. The photos show all of these places. The collection also includes portraits of soldiers and citizens from two forts and Port Townsend. Last June we had recently received a scanner capable of handling the collection (thank you George Weis!) and at that point I had managed to scan 200 of the negatives, turning them into positive images we can study. Soon after we were lucky to welcome new volunteer Nancy Nishimura to our team. Nancy has spent the last year tackling the tedious process of scanning the rest of the massive collection. We are excited to report she only has 50 negatives left to scan! Some favorite discoveries are a handful of portraits of Chinese people, presumably from Port Townsend. Consultation with the Wing Luke Museum has not yet managed to tease out who these men, women, and children were, but we hold out hope that we will manage to find their names and stories. Wing Luke actually had a copy of one of our images but they have a different name associated with it. Another mystery to unravel! The inclusion of Sergeant Alonzo “Lon” Reavis (1879–1939) also helped date the photos from Fort Worden. We found a record of his service in the U.S. Army Register of Enlistments. After enlisting in Missouri, Reavis served at Fort Worden in the 63rd Coastal Artillery from 1902–1905. He left the PNW after his discharge and spent the rest of his life in Kansas. As image after image has revealed itself, our initial impression about the importance of this collection has been further cemented. In the future we hope to partner with other regional museums to research and share Sanders’s work. We’ve only scratched the surface on the research that needs to be done in order to fully realize the potential of the collection. Man (possibly Geo Lim) and child, ca. 1905 (RHM# 2014.026.243)Sgt. Lon Reavis, ca. 1904 (RHM# 2014.026.258) COLLECTIONS REPORT by Sarah Samson, Curator of Collections & Exhibitions Three girls near Kennydale, ca. 1905 (RHM# 2014.026.820)Port Townsend waterfront, ca. 1905 (RHM# 2014.026.037) Sarah Samson Curator SUMMER QUARTERLY, 2019 | 9 MEMORIAL DONATIONS February 11, 2018 - May 3, 2018 Lawrence Bernhardt Mario & Victor Tonda Barbara Ann Janisch Larry & Jeannie Crook Donna Kerr Nelson Al & Shirley Armstrong Bill Provin Mario & Victor Tonda Bill Reynolds Paul & Nancy Duke Frank Tobacco Mario & Victor Tonda Olympe“Babe”Toman Donald & Carmel Camerini Louise George MEMORIAL DONATIONS OF $100 OR MORE Linda Knowles George Verheul Donna Kerr Nelson Orville Nelson Olympe“Babe”Toman Stanley Fitzpatrick THE 101st BIRTHDAY OF LOUISE GEORGE Charles & Mary Issacson GENERAL DONATIONS Eleanor Bertagni Phyllis Davey Stanley Fitzpatrick Sibyl Gillespie Karl Hurst Roger Lewis Donovan Lynch Arline McCready Tom & Linda Morris Sharon Moats Sally Rochelle Andy Sparks Gilda Youngquist NEW MEMBERS Al Brandt Doug Brownlow Stanley Fitzpatrick Nancy Nishimura Nancy Simpson BENEFACTOR MEMBERS Sally Rochelle PATRON MEMBERS Jim & Charmaine Baker Dan & Laura Clawson Shari Fisher Sarah Jane Hisey & Howard Nelson Denis & Patty Law GIFT MEMBERSHIP DONORS Glenn Garrett GENERAL DONATIONS OF $100 OR MORE Dan & Laura Clawson Naomi Mathisen IN-KIND DONATIONS Felix Banel Pritchard Design OPENING SOON: BITTERSWEET HARVEST In 1942 the U.S. faced labor shortages on the home front, and the federal government initiated a series of agreements with Mexico to recruit guest workers for American farms and railroads. The Emergency Farm Labor Program–known as the Bracero Program–enabled about 2M Mexicans to enter the U.S. legally; about 21% of those were contracted to farmers in the Pacific Northwest, to help with planting and harvest. Bittersweet Harvest: The Bracero Program, 1942-1964 was organized by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and SITES with the assistance of the Smithsonian Latino Center. The Renton History Museum will host this exhibit this summer, with additional locally specific material. Be sure to learn about this little- known topic! 10 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM B-29 bombers and Sherman tanks, and new residents streamed in by the thousands. Renton lacked the space and housing for all these new people and thus the Renton Highlands were born. People had been living in the area now known as “The Highlands,” but it was a sparsely populated, more rural area. Once federal funds were secured, whole new neighborhoods were quickly laid out and construction began immediately. Because of the speed of the project, not much thought was put into a street naming convention; the City simply designated the streets as “A,” “B,” “C,” etc. It was over 20 years before those streets were given real names. In 1969 Renton Highlands streets were renamed after other Washington State places, keeping their alphabetical order: Aberdeen, Blaine, Camas, Dayton, Edmonds, Ferndale, Glenwood, Harrington, Index, Jefferson, Kirkland, Lynwood, Monroe, Newport, Olympia, Pierce, Queen, Redmond, Shelton, Tacoma, Union, Vashon; and Anacortes, Bremerton, Chelan, Duvall, Elma, Field, Graham, Hoquiam, Ilwaco, Jericho, Kitsap, Lyons, Mt. Baker, Nile, Orcas, Pasco, Quincy, Rosario, Shadow.21 As always, change is uncomfortable, and everyone had an opinion about the street name changes. Much of the controversy revolved around a confusing renumbering of houses rather than the names of the streets themselves. Harrington, however, faced debate. Some residents felt Harrington was too long and complicated of a name; they lobbied for Holly Continued from page 7 ENDNOTES 1 Janet Yoder, “Chief Seattle– his Lushootseed name and other important words pronounced in Lushootseed by Vi Hilbert,” Essay #8156, Historylink, 9 May 2007 (https://www.historylink.org/File/8156, accessed 28 Mar 2019). 2 1865 Cadestral map. 3 Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, The Waterline Project Map (2014) (http://www.burkemuseum.org/static/waterlines/project_map.html, accessed 28 Mar 2019). 4 Nicholas Klassen, “Can We Still Speak Chinook?” The Tyee, 10 Jan 2006 (https://thetyee.ca/Life/2006/01/10/StillSpeakChinook/, accessed 28 Mar 2019). 5 “Renton Coal Mine,” Seattle Daily Post, 1 Jan 1881, n.p; Emily Rumery, “Local Historical Sketches,” Renton Chronicle, 9 Apr 1925, n.p.; Anne Altmayer, “City’s Leaders Lent Names to Streets,” Record-Chronicle, 18 Nov 1973, p.12; “The Streets in Renton: How Did They Get Their Names?” Greater Renton News, 13 Jun 1973, p.1. 6 Juninus Rochester, “Renton, Captain William (1818-1891),” Essay #1053, Historylink, 2 Dec 1998 (https://www.historylink.org/File/1053, accessed 28 Mar 2019). 7 “Do Not Like The Change,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 15 Jan 1896, p.2. 8 “Renton Coal Mine,” Seattle Daily Post, 1 Jan 1881, n.p. In 1928 the City Council voted to designate roads running east-west to “avenues” and roads running north-south to “street.” 9 “Death of James Williams,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 19 Jan 1900, p.10. 10 “How Renton Streets Were Named,” Renton Historical Society Quarterly Newsletter, Feb 1972, p.6. 11 Kurt E. Armbruster, “Pacific Coast: Seattle’s Own Railroad,” Pacific Northwest Railroad Archive Newsletter, 2018, p.15. 12 Ordinance No. 1087, Renton City Clerk’s Office. Paul W. Houser was Renton’s City Attorney twice, in 1908-1914 and again in 1938-1942. He also served several terms in the Washington State House and Senate. 13 The Kroll Atlas of Seattle (Kroll Map Company: Seattle, n.d. [ca. 1954]) 14 "Death of a Good Man," Washington Standard, 11 Oct 1907, n.p. Rev. Whitworth arrived in Washington Territory in 1854 and originally settled near Olympia. He founded the First Presbyterian Church of Seattle and was an early president of the Territorial University in Seattle. Whitworth College in Tacoma, then later Spokane, was named for him. 15 Program for the Renton Public School Graduation Exercises (RHM# 2000.127.0924). 16 1900 Federal Census; 1909 Renton City Directory. 17 “Nellie Bird Logan, Almost 98, Dies,” Renton Chronicle, 23 Mar 1966, p.10. 18 “A Good Woman’s Life; Story of the Career of the Late Mrs. E. M. Smithers,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 3 Aug 1894, p.5. 19 Doug Cardle, About Those King County Place Names (N.p.: Coastal Press, 1989). Son Charles Petrovitsky (1869-1948) was a well-respected Seattle and Auburn lawyer, as well as a special agent for the U.S. Department of Justice, investigating possible subversion during WWI. 20 Mønster in Danish means "pattern or design." 21 Jack Ryan, “Change in Renton Street Names Has City in Uproar,” Seattle Post-Intelligencer, 16 Dec 1969, n.p. 22 “Residents Vie Over Name for Street Now Nameless Thoroughfare,” Renton Record-Chronicle, 10 Dec 1969. to replace it. Harrington managed to stick, however, mostly because some businesses had already spent considerable time and money changing their stationery and business cards, not to mention the expense of changing maps and directories.22 EPILOGUE Most of Renton’s place names were chosen a long time ago by people long since deceased, yet change is still constant. Developers are still creating new streets, areas, and neighborhoods that need names. Sometimes the names are tied to new residents (see: Seahawk Way). Many times, though, they are simply choosing something that sounds pleasing or trendy rather than anything that has a particular meaning. The next time you’re driving around Renton, take a minute and ponder the street names, neighborhood names, and other place names. What do they say about our history? What do they say about our community today? I would like to specially thank Eatelemu (Nancy Jo Bob, Duwamish, Lummi) and qeAteblu (Tami Hohn, Puyallup) for generously providing the Lushootseed place names and spellings for Renton's Duwamish places. I would also like to thank Jason Seth, Renton City Clerk, and Aaron Raymond, GIS Analyst, for their assistance during the research for this article. Map of the Renton Highlands used by Arland G. Radford who was hired to install doors on the new houses, ca. 1940. (RHM# 2009.049.001) N SUMMER QUARTERLY, 2019 | 11 I nvite your history-minded friends and family to the History-Making Party benefiting the Renton Historical Society! This fantastically fun event features a catered dinner, dessert dash, raffle prizes, and silent & live auctions featuring upcylced home furnishings by local makers! Lively and lovable local emcee Aunt Dottie will be on-hand providing entertainment and laughs. Tickets are $45 and will be available on BrownPaperTickets.com and at the Museum. On OCTOBER 8 doors open at 6:00 PM SAVE THE DATE! 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: $ ME M B E R S H I P L E V E L S Ba s i c m e m b e r s h i p s Ty p e An n u a l C o s t Be n e f i t s In d i v i d u a l $3 0 • F r e e a d m i s s i o n t o t h e M u s e u m • F r e e q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r s • F r e e a d m i s s i o n t o t h e C u l t u r a l E v e n t s & S p e a k e r P r o g r a m s • I n v i t a t i o n s t o e x h i b i t o p e n i n g s a n d t h e a n n u a l m e e t i n g • 1 5 % d i s c o u n t a t t h e M u s e u m s h o p St u d e n t / S e n i o r $2 0 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p St u d e n t s : a n y o n e w i t h a s t u d e n t I D S e n i o r s : a g e 6 2 + Fa m i l y $4 0 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p p l u s : • F r e e a d m i s s i o n f o r t w o a d u l t s & c h i l d r e n Su s t a i n i n g m e m b e r s h i p s Be n e f a c t o r $7 5 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p p l u s : • 2 f r e e v i s i t o r p a s s e s • R H M p i n • R e c o g n i t i o n i n t h e q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r Pa t r o n $1 5 0 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p p l u s : • 5 f r e e v i s i t o r p a s s e s • R H M p i n • 1 f r e e d i g i t a l i m a g e * ( a n n u a l l y ) • I n v i t a t i o n t o a “ B e h i n d t h e S c e n e s ” e v e n t • R e c o g n i t i o n i n t h e q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r • T h a n k y o u c a r d Bu s i n e s s / C o r p o r a t e $1 7 5 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p , t h e b e n e f i t s o f a Pa t r o n m e m b e r s h i p , p l u s : • O n e t i m e 2 0 % d i s c o u n t o n r o o m r e n t a l Li f e $7 5 0 Al l t h e b e n e f i t s o f a n i n d i v i d u a l m e m b e r s h i p p l u s : • 5 f r e e v i s i t o r p a s s e s • R H M p i n • 5 f r e e d i g i t a l i m a g e s * ( l i f e t i m e ) • I n v i t a t i o n t o a “ B e h i n d t h e S c e n e s ” e v e n t • O n e t i m e 2 0 % d i s c o u n t o n r o o m r e n t a l • R e c o g n i t i o n i n t h e q u a r t e r l y n e w s l e t t e r • T h a n k y o u c a r d *C o v e r s t h e $ 1 5 u s e f e e p e r i m a g e . I t d o e s n o t c o v e r t h e r i g h t s f e e w h i c h i s c h a r g e d s e p a r a t e l y . Renton History Museum 235 Mill Avenue South Renton, WA 98057 Phone: 425.255.2330 Fax: 425.255.1570 rentonhistory.org RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM 235 Mill Ave. S Renton, WA 98057 Mill Street (at Bronson Way) torn apart by flooding, 1911. Renton Hill is just visible in the background. (RHM# 1986.073.2217) IN HINDSIGHT...