HomeMy WebLinkAbout2019 Issue 5 - Here For The Duration Pt. 2, The Peopling of the Renton Highlands.pdfSparkle: new
temporary exhibit
on display at RHM.
Board Report on
the History-Making
Party fundraiser.
Exhibits Report
by Sarah Samson,
Curator.
Museum Report
by Elizabeth P.
Stewart, Director.
In October 1942, after many war-related delays, the first
homes in the Renton Highlands were finally opened for
occupancy. The Renton Housing Authority required would-
be renters to demonstrate that they were employed in a defense
industry; The Boeing Aircraft Co., Pacific Car & Foundry, and
Kenworth Motor Co. were the three largest local employers,
and the homes in the Highlands were advertised as being
within walking distance of any of these.
Lyle and Dolores Grace and their family—six-year-
old Ann, four-year-old Barbara, two-year-old Walter, and baby
Carol—were the Renton Highlands’ first official residents.
Lyle was a welder at the Pacific Car & Foundry Co., but like
many in-demand laborers, he had already held two other jobs
in 1942, at Lake Washington Shipyards and Todd Dry Docks
in Seattle. “The house is just dandy,” Lyle said of the family’s
new home, “and everybody connected with the Housing
Authority in Renton has been so fine and helpful.”1
Rents ranged from $33.50 to $50 a month, including
electricity, water, trash collection, and six tons of coal for
the coal-burning heaters. Homes backed onto shared yards
and faced out onto lettered streets. Construction and finishes
Also In This Issue...
RENTON HISTORICALSOCIETY & MUSEUM
Winter
December 2019
Volume 50
Number 5
Continued on page 5
2 4 83
QUARTERLY
HERE FOR THE DURATION: PART 2
The Peopling of the Renton Highlands
by Elizabeth P. Stewart
2 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
LINDA PETERSEN (1941-2019)
Linda Petersen passed
away this summer after
a career of promoting
and advocating for arts
and heritage in South
King County. Linda
was the driving force
behind the founding of
the South King County
Cultural Coalition
(SoCoCulture) in 2004,
when she and King
County Councilmember
Julia Patterson put
their heads together on
ways to promote the
south’s cultural vitality.
Linda was also an
active volunteer in arts
WELCOME STEPHANIE!
Stephanie Snyder joined
us in September as our
new Museum Office Aide.
Stephanie came to us with
lots of Renton knowledge,
having just completed a
term as an AmeriCorps
VISTA member with
the City of Renton and
Neighborhood House,
working on the Sunset
Revitalization Project in
the Renton Highlands.
She also has museum
experience, having
worked at the Museum
of American History in
Deptford, NJ. Stephanie
is relatively new to the
area, having driven across
country to move to the
Seattle area in the spring
of 2018. She will be
working with volunteers
and members, and sharing
her grant-writing skills
with us. Please help her
feel welcome!
W hy do humans feel the need to decorate and embellish what they wear? Our
upcoming exhibit Sparkle explores the different ways how and reasons why
Rentonites have worn embellished clothing. Come see 1920s flapper dresses
alongside the more sedate fashions of wartime. Think about who wore these clothes
and what message they were trying to project. Sparkle draws on our own rarely-
exhibited textile collection. Come be dazzled by Renton's history!
From
OCTOBER
22
to
APRIL
8
education and the KCTS9
Advisory Board, as well
as an aspiring fiddler.
She and her husband
Clark lived over 40 years
in the Fairwood area.
Linda’s energy and vision
changed the face of
culture in King County.
WINTER QUARTERLY, 2019 | 3
MUSEUM REPORT
QUARTERLY
Winter 2019
Elizabeth P. Stewart
Director
In November the City of Renton Human Resources
Department asked me to help with new employee orientation
by offering a presentation on Renton’s history. It was a tall
order in 25 minutes! Part of my presentation was an outline
of distinguished Renton Mayors. The city’s first Mayor was
Dr. Abijah Beach, a Civil War surgeon who took office when
Renton incorporated as a fourth-class city in 1901. Seventy-
nine years later, Renton elected its first female Mayor, Barbara
Shinpoch, after she had served on Renton City Council.
Our current Mayor, Denis Law, is also distinguished,
for his unprecedented three terms in office; no other Mayor
has served Renton for twelve years. Every Mayor responds
to those problems forced upon them, from the county, state,
and federal levels. Mayors George W. Beanblossom (1939
– 1943) and Edwin E. Burrows (1944 – 1947) struggled to
tame the city’s extraordinary growth during WWII, as the
national war effort brought thousands of people into Renton
for jobs at Boeing and Pacific Car & Foundry. Mayor Law
has also seen remarkable population growth during his three
terms—from 56,000 in 2006 to 104,000 currently—and the
infrastructure required for that growth was his challenge to
meet. Homelessness and the need for affordable housing also
tested this Mayor.
But mayors also implement their own ideas. Mayor
Shinpoch oversaw the expansion of Gene Coulon Beach Park
and the acquisition of Maplewood Golf Course. Like his
predecessors, Mayor Law has put his own vision into action.
He helped launch the Landing at Renton, the Family First
Community Center, and the Sunset Revitalization Project, a
Governor’s Award-winning initiative.
At a time when Renton is growing more diverse,
with the other-than-white population surging 223% and over
80 languages spoken in the Renton School District, cultural
change was also Mayor Law’s blessing and challenge. He
tasked city government with creating an inclusive city where
all feel welcomed to work, live, play, and learn. A July 2019
article in Seattle’s online magazine, Crosscut, called Renton
“a model city for a nonwhite future,” citing the Mayor’s Task
Force on Inclusion, an equity consultant on staff, and the
Renton Police Department’s efforts to avoid racial incidents
suffered by other cities.
Mayors accomplish what they need to do with the
help of Councilmembers, City staff, and, of course, residents.
As Mayor Denis Law closes out his term, we thank him for
his service and look forward to the future we’ve all helped
create together.
by Elizabeth P. Stewart,
Museum Director
Renton mayors at the dedication
of Coulon Park, 1982. L-R: Don
Custer, Charles Delaurenti,
Barbara Shinpoch, and Avery
Garrett. (RHM# 2007.035.075)
RENTON HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
Sarah Samson
Graphic Design & Layout
Karl Hurst
City of Renton Print &
Mail Services
RENTON HISTORICAL
SOCIETY BOARD
OF TRUSTEES
Colleen Lenahan, President
Laura Clawson, Vice President
Jessica Kelly, Treasurer
Doug Brownlow, Secretary
Betsy Prather, 2021
Denise Dhakal, 2021
Lynne King, 2022
Rhea Kimble, 2022
Mike Lennox, 2022
Elizabeth Stewart, Board Liaison
MUSEUM STAFF
Elizabeth P. Stewart
Museum Director
Sarah Samson
Curator of Collections &
Exhibitions
Kate Dugdale
Public Engagement
Coordinator
Stephanie Snyder
Office Aide
RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
235 MILL AVENUE S
RENTON, WA 98057
P (425) 255-2330
HOURS:
Tuesday - Saturday
10:00am - 4:00pm
ADMISSION:
$5 (Adult)
$2 (Child)
Denis Law campaign sign, 2003.
(RHM# 2003.081.002)
4 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
UPCOMING
EVENTS
BLACK FASHIONISTA!
March 5
6:00 - 7:00 pm
Celebrate the history of Black
women fashion designers,
their fashion sense, and the
celebrities they have styled
during the 21st century.
COFFEE WITH THE
CURATOR
March 21
11:00 am - 12:00 pm
Join us for coffee and a
behind-the-scenes look at our
new exhibit, Sparkle! Curator
Sarah Samson will show
arifacts from the collection
that did not make it into the
exhibit while offering insights
into the her exhibit process.
VIRTUAL TOUR OF
RENTON'S AFRICAN
AMERICAN HISTORICAL
SITES
February 6
6:00 - 7:00 pm
Join John Houston and
Benita Horn as they share the
remarkable history of Renton’s
African American residents.
BOARD REPORT
R enton Historical Society hosted our 11th annual
fundraiser in October and we are happy to report
that we bested last year’s numbers! This year’s
successful History-Making Party was made possible by our
crack events team headed up by Fundraising and Event Co-
Chairs Lynne King and Jessica Kelly. This event wouldn’t
have happened without their tireless efforts and those of the
rest of the Board, as well as our sponsors: Service Linen
Supply, Rain City Catering, AssetLab Marketing, King
and Bunny’s, Old Soul Candle Co., and Four Generals
Brewing. We also want to thank Renton Youth Council and
the Lindbergh High School Future Business Leaders of
America for volunteering during the event. Thanks also to
Evelyn Reingold and Neil Sheesley of Renton Municipal
Arts Commission, along with the City’s Jessie Kotarski and
Facilities Division, for help with set-up. Thank you to the
Renton Senior Activity Center for the use of their beautiful
banquet room. And of course “Aunt Dottie” Michele
Bettinger and her nephew Aaron Buckner make the evening
even more fun. Everyone’s efforts came together seamlessly
to provide an exciting and successful evening!
The History-Making Party is the museum’s major
fundraiser of the year and its success is vital to sustain the
Museum’s mission. The funds raised at the event directly
support the Museum’s efforts in collections care, exhibits,
programming, and outreach; all of these add up to make
a major difference in Renton. At the event Director Liz
Stewart shared three stories from the past year about the
Museum’s impact in the community. She highlighted the
fantastic interactions visitors had with Hero’s Feast: Finding
Community in Dungeons & Dragons (for more on this, see
page 8); she told about Harry Rudolph Williams’ delight at
watching the story of his grandfather, Peter Prins, brought
to life during our Renton History Live! performances during
Renton River Days; and she spoke about how RenTeen
Emma Austin used her research on the Renton Rodeo to
help her find a connection to her new community.
Liz ended her speech with these words: “These
three stories exemplify the ways in which the Renton
History Museum is a vital community institution. Maybe
you noticed some of the words I used in describing the
Museum’s impact: ‘creativity,’ ’imagination,’ ’pride,’ and
’sharing.’ These words capture the sense of discovery and
connection that the Renton History Museum strives to
stimulate in the people we serve. By bringing history to life
and opening minds to Renton’s past, present, and future,
we help make our community stronger, one visitor, one
volunteer, one student, one member at a time.”
This is what it is about. The connection with and
impact on the Renton community is why we do what we do.
Staff, Board members, volunteers, and you, our members
and supporters: you make it happen. We thank you again for
your support!
Emcees Aunt Dottie and Nephew
Aaron with helper Molly McIrvin.
A full house enjoyed themselves!
Tempting treats from the Dessert
Dash table.
Renton Historical Society Board
of Trustees.
WINTER QUARTERLY, 2019 | 5
differed for the permanent and “demountable,” or temporary,
homes. The 500 permanent homes had coal heaters, plastered
walls, and electric ranges, hot water heaters, and refrigerators.
The 1500 temporary houses had plywood interiors, coal ranges
and space heaters, and, surprisingly, refrigerators that required
ice for cooling.2 Boeing recruiters had apparently promised
families all the modern conveniences, so newcomers were
surprised to find homes heated by wood stoves and ranges
fueled by coal. Cedar River Park manager Frank Conklin
remembered that “when they found they had to cut kindling
and light a fire… why, we had all kinds of upset!”3
Not all the new residents were disappointed with
their Highlands homes, however. Young Pearl Espetveit and
her family came from North Dakota so her father could find a
defense job; he was quickly hired by Boeing. The Espetveits
were one of the first families to move into a duplex in the
Renton Highlands. She remembered that her mother thought
having electric appliances was “just fine.” They had never had
electricity in North Dakota, and her mother said, “all her life
she had been laying towels in the windows to keep the dust
from coming in the house.” Now she had a vacuum cleaner and
an electric refrigerator.4
Continued from page 1
Cover photo:
Espetveit family home in the
Renton Highlands, November
1943. (RHM# 2008.085.001)
HERE FOR THE DURATION
Fourplexes in the Renton Highlands, 1958. Four families shared one building; the neighbors all used a common
yard. (RHM# 1998.046.9790)
6 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
The Housing Authority predicted that all of the first
2000 units would be turned over to the rental department
by early 1943, but shortages continued to slow completion.
Construction on smaller units in Cedar River Park began before
the Renton Highlands homes were fully occupied. On the site
of today’s Renton Community Center complex, 580 apartment
homes were planned for smaller families and couples without
children. Separate dormitory-style housing for single men and
women was also planned closer to the war plants.5
Forming a community was challenging in the Renton
Highlands in those first few months, when the neighborhood
consisted of muddy streets and no sidewalks, no phones, no
grassy yards, and no landscaping. One resident recalled that
“the houses went up and people came to fill them as fast as
they were finished until by Christmas there was a sizeable
community.”6 Sources disagree about the earliest Renton
Highlands “settlers”—names mentioned include the families
of Willie Sparrow, Harold Caldwell, Richard Greenfield, and
James Clarke (none of whom were new to the city), as well
as the E. C. Hibbert, William Arnold, Guy Cotton, William D.
Mikkonen, and James H. Thompson families (all from outside
the city). But the sources do agree that these were a special
kind of pioneer, “making comfortable homes under adverse
conditions and wartime shortages.”7
War housing threw strangers together in stressful
times, and locals did not always welcome the newcomers;
in spite of efforts to get everyone to pull together in the war
effort, the result was often confrontation. Frank Conklin
Sisters Pearl and Arlene Espetveit standing in the
yard of their new family home, November 1943. The
Espetveits moved to their new home in the Highlands
from Adams, ND. (RHM# 2008.023.002)
The postwar generation: twelve-year-old Herb Postlewait,
with his siblings Evelyn, Tom, and Bill in their Highlands
backyard in 1952. Their father Everett was a pipefitter at
Pacific Car & Foundry. (RHM# 1998.050.4809)
The Lyle P. and Dolores Grace family was the
first to move into the new war housing. Lyle was a
welder at Pacific Car & Foundry, and Dolores was a
homemaker. (Renton Chronicle ad, 7 Nov 1942, p.7.)
WINTER QUARTERLY, 2019 | 7
remembered that even Boeing recruiters had a tendency to
refer to new employees as “Okies,” a term that conjured up
Depression-era associations of poverty and backwardness.
“There was an antagonism between the [new] people and the
community, basically,” he recalled. “You had to weed out the
people…working for you, who were antagonistic, and you had
to reach and bend and pull the [new] people into you.”8
Fear of the newcomers contributed to an early
controversy in the Renton Highlands, one stoked by very vocal
law enforcement officials. Like many war boom cities, Renton
struggled with the sheer number of new kids. Renton’s school-
age population doubled between 1941 and 1945, and the new
students overwhelmed Renton schools.9 Many schools used a
split-shift system, or even three shifts, decreasing the number
of hours that teachers supervised youth. In many households,
both parents held down defense jobs, sometimes on opposite
shifts. The result was a juvenile delinquency problem, or at least
the perception of one. King County Sheriff Harlan S. Callahan
and Renton Police Chief Vince Stewart insisted that “war-
work was luring hundreds of criminals” to Renton and King
County.10 Sheriff Callahan believed that New Deal agencies
“shipped hundreds of [teens] out here to the Pacific Northwest,
unaccompanied by relatives… and dumped them in the housing
projects here, at Renton, Port Townsend and elsewhere.”11
Sheriff Callahan insisted that Schools Superintendent
Perry Mitchell and his teachers had identified restlessness and
even “incorrigibility” among students from out-of-state, and
came to him to launch a multi-pronged investigation into youth
crime. Callahan cited the testimony of teens who supposedly
told of “wolf gangs” of older teen-aged boys who lured girls
into wild parties, fueled by illegally obtained alcohol.12 “Police
Chief Stewart’s records disclose very plainly that the seat of
the juvenile delinquency problem is in the housing projects,”
Sheriff Callahan contended. “The victims are the boys and girls
who live in those projects.”13
Sheriff Callahan’s and Chief Stewart’s tendency to
blame “migrants” from the “Middle West” outraged Highlands
residents. Residents vehemently defended themselves and their
community. Fred W. Hunt’s letter to the Chronicle underscored
this: “I am from South Dakota, born and raised on the farm. I
am doing my best to raise my children to be decent, law-abiding
citizens…. We are all here for a purpose, and that is to help in
the war effort.”14 “In the Renton housing projects live people
as fine as any that can be found anywhere in the nation,” wrote
Chronicle editor Dan McGovern. “Many of them came out to the
district actuated by nothing but pure patriotism—because they
though[t] their efforts were needed in the war work.”15
Ultimately, it was Highlands residents themselves—
with the help of the city—who mounted a campaign to
correct the record. In a public meeting parents “berated”
Sheriff Callahan for his “unnecessarily crude” handling of
the problem.16 When questioned by King County Deputy
Prosecutor John J. Quine, teens provided no evidence of “wolf
pack” immorality.17 He concluded that “the community itself
and the good boys and girls who live in it have been given a
Continued on page 10
Portable classrooms behind Renton High School, 1945. To accommodate all the extra students, the school district purchased
six U.S. Army barracks to repurpose as classrooms. (RHM# 1980.096.1409)
8 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
As the only museum and heritage
organization in Renton, we’ve
taken care to broaden our
programs and exhibits so we may better
serve our diverse community. Often that
means saying yes to projects that you
wouldn’t think a local history museum
would do. Our most recent exhibit, Hero’s
Feast: Finding Community in Dungeons
& Dragons, was one of these projects.
University of Washington
Museology student Allison Moore pitched the idea of
developing and installing Hero’s Feast for her Master’s
thesis, and I’ve never been happier we said “yes.” Why
would a local history museum display a Dungeons &
Dragons exhibit, you ask? Although Wizards of the Coast
(producer of the game) is located in Renton, the exhibit is
really about the community of players D&D has in Renton.
It was a history exhibit—telling the story of D&D players
in Renton during the 1980s—but it also brought the story
up to present day, sharing the experiences and insights
players have right now.
We only had a few photos in the collection that
Allison could use in this exhibit. Everything else—content,
artifacts, and photos—was all at the mercy of Allison’s
ability to find members of Renton’s D&D community and
convince them to talk to her. Beginning with two people,
her contact list quickly grew until it became a spider web of
over 35 people. What she found was an incredibly close-
knit and excited community who helped her tell Renton’s
D&D story.
EXHIBITS
REPORT
by Sarah Samson, Curator
of Collections & Exhibitions
This community generated buzz and attendance
that we’ve not seen for a temporary exhibit before. News
of the exhibit spread like wildfire on social media and
before long, news outlets in Seattle were sniffing around
wondering what the big deal was with Hero’s Feast. (Let
me pause here. I’ve been working at the museum for 13
years and this has never happened. Ever. We were surprised
and also so excited to have this story reach a larger
audience.) The secret was simply that the community was
engaged. They came together to help create this exhibit, and
their stories, quotes, photographs, and artifacts were on the
walls in the exhibit. They visited the museum, their family
and friends visited the museum, they shared it on social
media, and they told everyone they knew to come. Word of
mouth is the least expensive form of marketing, but also the
hardest to come by and the most compelling.
Hero’s Feast is a perfect example of why
community-based exhibits are so important. Museums
are of and for the community, and exhibits are one of the
last areas where the “ivory tower” mystique remains. We
first began experimenting with community-based exhibits
for the Renton High School Centennial in 2010. It was so
cutting-edge back then that we were denied a grant because
they were sure we would fail. It’s funny to look back at that
now because not only did that exhibit succeed, it cemented
our dedication to involving the community in exhibit
development and brought us to the point where saying yes
to Hero’s Feast became a reality.
Allison Moore graduated with her Master’s in
Museology in June 2019 and is now the Curator at Heritage
Sandy Springs Museum and Park north of Atlanta, Georgia.
Sarah Samson
Curator
d20 Dames recorded a museum-inspired episode of their podcast at RHM.
Allison Moore at the opening of Hero's Feast in May 2019.
WINTER QUARTERLY, 2019 | 9
MEMORIAL DONATIONS
August 16, 2019 - November 15, 2019
Wayne E. & Beulah
Armstrong
Al & Shirley Armstrong
Chuck Gearhart
(RHS Class of '51)
Al & Shirley Armstrong
Doug Kyes
Kathryn McKnight
Steve Lee
Kathryn McKnight
Peter Newing
Deborah Newing
Linda Petersen
Elizabeth Stewart
MEMORIAL
DONATIONS OF
$100 OR MORE
Donna Kerr Nelson
Orville Nelson
GENERAL
DONATIONS OF
$1000 OR MORE
Janet Christiansen
GENERAL
DONATIONS OF
$500 OR MORE
Kenneth Rogers
Harry & Janet Blencoe
GENERAL
DONATIONS OF
$100 OR MORE
Jim & Char Baker
Laurie & Brent Beden
Kelly & Jim Beymer
Lynn Bohart
Karen Boswell
Carolyn & Will Calhoun
Dan & Laura Clawson
Stanley Greene
John D. Hansen
Linda McLendon Holmes
Cailin & Don Hunsaker
Pearl & Donald Jacobson
Naomi Mathisen
Basil & Eleanor Simpson
St. Charles Place Antiques
GENERAL
DONATIONS
Marjorie & Joseph Avolio
Mary Lou & Thomas Burdulis
Doug Brownlow
Loraine Custer
Donna Chevallier
Phyllis Davey
Jennifer Davis Hayes
Linda Della Rosa
Maryann DiPasquale
Joy Garner
Dan & Liz Hemenway
Derric & Irma Iles
Don & Judy Gunderson
Ama Hoffman
Charles & Karen Jones
Jessica & Jeffrey Kelly
Hazel Newing
Toni Nelson
Marilyn Monaghan Ragle
Kristen Robinson
Janet Stredicke
Elizabeth Stewart
Marian Sutton
Marshall & Connie Jo Trover
IN-KIND
DONATIONS
MUSEUM SPONSORS
GENERAL DONATIONS
NEW MEMBERS
Donna Chevallier
Maryann DiPasquale
Jennifer Grant
Jeffrey Norcross
Barbara Snyder-Rigney
BENEFACTOR
MEMBERSHIPS
Michael & Valerie O'Halloran
MEMBERSHIPS
PATRON
MEMBERSHIPS
Nick & Irene Tonkin
Dan & Liz Hemenway
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10 | RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
stigma which they do not deserve.”18
However painful, the controversy represented a turning
point for the Renton Highlands, as residents and the city worked
together to cultivate a healthy community. Chief Stewart himself
pitched in. Clarence S. Williams was a sheriff's deputy detailed
to the Renton Police Department during the war. "There was a
genuine need for some police work to be done" in the Highlands,
Williams recalled in 1986. Williams remembered that Chief
Stewart "spent a lot of time in what is now known as...social
work insofar as counseling people, talking to them and trying
to iron out a lot of things that today there are specialists for that
purpose."19 Residents formed their own community organizations,
like the Highlands Community Council, which organized dances,
picnics, movies for kids, and community events. They recruited
existing clubs like the Boys and Girls Clubs and the Girl Scouts.20
The Housing Authority established a curfew for residents, single
men were relocated to dormitories, and the Liquor Control
Board cracked down on taverns known to serve minors. The
Housing Authority also reinforced its policy of requiring proof
of employment for housing eligibility to “eliminate the shiftless,
undesirable elements from these communities.”21
Even as the community strengthened ties among
neighbors, the war effort wound down. Germany signed an
unconditional surrender in May 1945, and in August the Allies
also defeated Japan. During the war the Seattle and Renton
Boeing plants had produced 8200 planes with a payroll of
$410M. But with the war’s end thousands of Boeing employees
Continued from page 7 were suddenly laid off at the beginning of September 1945 and
all subcontracts were canceled, including those with Pacific
Car & Foundry and the Kenworth Motor Truck Co.22
Even after the shutdown of Renton’s major employer,
three out of four war workers still planned to remain in the
Renton or Seattle area.22 Renton’s population had grown three
and a half times in the four years of war, from 4488 in 1941
to 16,039 in 1945; most of the growth was in the Highlands.
Effective April 30, 1946, Renton City Council acknowledged
that the Renton Highlands were an integral part of the city by
annexing the neighborhood. The Highlands’ 420 acres, 2420
housing units, and 7500 residents made the community eligible
for ranking as a second-class city, jumping suddenly from a
fourth-class city. Mayor Edmund E. Burrows described it as “one
of the best [federal housing projects] on the Pacific Coast.”24
In 1946 the Highlands began its new life as one
of Renton’s best communities. Many questions remained
to be worked out, however: What would happen to those
“demountables” that had never been intended to last for the
future? What was the role of the Renton Housing Authority
with the end of Renton’s national defense status? Most
importantly, how could the federally funded housing become
an asset for the whole community? In the process of working
out the answers to these questions over the next 70 years, the
Renton Highlands would become the community for people
new to the city or new to the country, for first time-home-
buyers and renters, for people looking to make a difference in
the world.
ENDNOTES
1 “Renton Highlands Gets Its First Family,” advertisement, Renton Chronicle,
7 Nov 1942, p.7. The Renton Chronicle reported that four Japanese families
quietly moved into the Highlands in August 1942, but we have not yet
found any other information on them. “15 Japanese Move Into Highlands,”
Chronicle, 30 Aug 1942, p.1.
2 “Victory House Draws Crowd,” Chronicle, 22 Oct 1942, p.1; “First Families
in Renton Units,” Seattle Times, 2 Nov 1942, p. 6.
3 Frank Conklin Oral History, 4 Nov 1984 (RHM# 1984.101.001), p.11.
4 Pearl Espetveit Jacobson Oral History, 13 Jul 2011 (RHM# 2011.002.004),
p. 3-4.
5 “WPB to Blame for Delays in Local Housing,” Chronicle, 17 Dec 1942,
p.1; “Accept Bids for 580 Unit Housing Here,” Chronicle, 31 Dec 1942, p.1;
“U.S. Sets Curfew on Projects To Curb Renton Delinquents,” Seattle Times,
28 Apr 1944, p.1. In the end the Renton Highlands cost $9.7M to build, with
an additional $1.2M spent on the Cedar River housing project. “Projects
Lose 1000 Residents,” Chronicle, 13 Sep 1945, p.1.
6 “Pioneer Days Were the Rugged Ones, Recall Early Settlers in Highlands,”
Chronicle, 1 Jan 1948, sect. 2, p.1.
7 Lee Pederson, “Highlands Arose Over Night [sic] From Field of Tress, Gullies
and Ponds,” News-Record, 31 Jul 1952; “Pioneer Days Were the Rugged Ones,
Recall Early Settlers in Highlands,” Chronicle, 1 Jan 1948, sect. 2, p.1.
8 Conklin Oral History, p.11.
9 “Renton See Doubling of School Rolls,” Seattle Times, 10 Aug 1946, p.3.
10 “Renton Housing Residents Unprotected, Chief Asserts,” Seattle Times, 11
Feb 1943, p.3.
11 John J. Reddin, “Callahan Blames New Deal for Juvenile Delinquency,”
Seattle Times, 1 May 1944, p.1. Sheriff Callahan released a statement in
May 1944 that blamed the New Deal for both the moral decline of teens
and the release of criminals into the communities he policed. Chronicle
editor Dan McGovern answered by pointing out the many ways that the
Sheriff’s Department had benefited from New Deal programs. Dan B.
McGovern, “After Thinking It Over,” editorial, Chronicle, 4 May 1944, p.1;
“Comment,” 11 May 1944, p.1.
12 Reddin, “Callahan Blames New Deal,” p.1+; “7 Renton Youths Jailed as
Girls Tell of Gang Parties,” Seattle Times, 26 Apr 1944, p.1. The problem
of juvenile delinquency dominated the Seattle Times reporting on Renton
in this period, probably exaggerating it. Numerous Renton city officials,
including Schools Superintendent Perry Mitchell, insisted that this
reporting did not reflect “the true picture.” “U.S. Sets Curfew on Project
to Curb Renton Delinquents,” Seattle PI, 28 Apr 1944, p.1. Perry Mitchell
resigned not long after this controversy, took over publication of the Renton
Chronicle and ran successfully for Renton Mayor.
13 Reddin, “Callahan Blames New Deal,” p.8.
14 Fred W. Hunt, “Plain Sabotage,” Letter to the Editor, Chronicle, 18 May 1944, p. 5.
15 “Vile Charges Against Renton Youth Raises Furious Storm of Protest,”
Chronicle, 4 May 1944, p.1. The Chronicle editor was among many who
called upon the city to discipline Chief Stewart and Sheriff Callahan in some
way; their professionalism and dedication to duty was repeatedly called into
question. Dan B. McGovern, “After Thinking It Over,” editorial, Chronicle,
4 May 1944, p.1; “Comment,” 11 May 1944, p.1. Chief Stewart refused to
provide crime statistics, saying that the truth would result in “an inevitable
exodus among workers.” “Renton Chief Defends Stand on Crime News,”
Seattle Times, 29 Aug 1944, p.8.
16 “‘Charges False,’ Say Speakers at Highlands,” Chronicle, 4 May 1944, p.1;
“Women Threaten to Quit War Work as Delinquency Protest,” Seattle Times
4 May 1944, p.1; “‘Wolf Gang’ Phrase Blamed for Unfair Renton Publicity,”
Seattle Times, 7 May 1944, p.3.
17 Lucille Cohen, “Renton ‘Wolf Pack’ Proved Nonexistent,” Seattle PI,
reprinted in Chronicle, 11 May 1944, p.1.
18 Cohen, “Renton ‘Wolf Pack’ Proved Nonexistent,” p.1. Police Chief Stewart
retired in 1950 after a thirty-year career with the Renton P.D. Sheriff Callahan retired
in 1955; the following year he was convicted of tax evasion. He served 22 months
in federal prison before being paroled. He was later granted a presidential pardon.
"H.S. Callahan, Former Sherriff, Dies at 74," Seattle Times, 11 Aug 1972, p.55.
19 Clarence S. Williams Oral History (RHM#1986.085.001), p.6, 9.
20 “Teen Agers at Highlands Will Have Canteen,” Chronicle, 1 Jun 1944, p.1;
“Park Clubhouse Now Open Daily,” Chronicle, 1 Jun 1944, p.1; “An Open
Letter to the Residents of Renton Highlands,” Chronicle, 20 July 1944, p.6.
21 “U.S. Sets Curfew on Project to Curb Renton Delinquents,” Seattle PI, 28 Apr
1944, p.1; “Action Looms on Housing Shortage Here,” Chronicle, 1 Mar 1945, p.5.
22 “Boeing Renton Plant, 8 Branches in State May Be Closed Soon,” Seattle
Times, 16 Aug 1945, p.1; 8,200 Planes Boeing Record During War,” Seattle
Times, 6 Sep 1945, p.2; “Shutdown Affects Thousands; Outlook for Most
Not Black,” Seattle Times, 6 Sep 1945, p.1.
23 “Shutdown Affects Thousands; Outlook for Most Not Black,” Seattle Times,
6 Sep 1945, p.1.
24 “Renton Council O.K. Annexation,” Seattle Times, 17 Apr 1946, p.10.
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Renton History Museum
235 Mill Avenue South
Renton, WA 98057
Phone: 425.255.2330
Fax: 425.255.1570
rentonhistory.org
CVV code:
Total: $
H ometown Teams examines the many roles that sports play in American society.
Hometown sports are more than just games–they shape our lives. They unite us and
celebrate who we are as Americans. We play on ball fields and sandlots, on courts and
on ice, in parks and playgrounds, even in the street. From pick-up games to organized leagues,
millions of Americans of all ages play sports. And, if we're not playing sports, we're watching
them! Made possible by Humanities Washington and Museums on Main Street.
COMING SOON: SMITHSONIAN'S
HOMETOWN TEAMS From
APRIL
18
to
MAY
23
RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
235 Mill Ave. S
Renton, WA 98057
Bill Kane, 1926. (RHM# 2000.122.6031)
IN HINDSIGHT...