HomeMy WebLinkAbout022425 Angela Laulainen Audience Comment SubmittalR HNTON HISTORICAl
S OCT ETY
marehes on ai4 despite our best efforts,rmth imjstedous.I have
a1ays been ctEous about the stories behfrnl place nairs aiil the
history they irnoke.Jntesling,too,are the stories that are atent
in ow place names aiti the stories that have been lost to history
&MUSFIUM
Continued on page 5
Summer
___________
—___________Volume 50
June2019 QUARTERLY__Number3
Have you e thought about bow aiil why the places THE ORIGINAL NAMES
amu-lus w named what they are named?XMio gels Humans narue things,so of course Renton’s jysica1
to name things lwhy?SomethT Itie names bonor an kxlscape hInanies long before White setU thowdi in ü
historic event.Sometimes they ftnorap’son.SomethTs they early 1$50s.Many current Pacific Northwest place names still
are used to aase a particular history from a place.Ard have Native roots today,affimigh because Lushootseed (the Coast
narrs dnge.A fewof the stories become elusive as time Salish language)has sounds diffictilt to pronounce by Whites,
some of those names are only aioximations of the original.
Renton,with its rivs arKi location on Lake Vshington,ws an
frrixiIant locale for the Du’.rnish (dxwdw?cib)paople.(You
can hear the iioper Lushootseed pornmciaion of “Dumish”by
Skagit Elder Vi HUbert at Historylink.org.)1
Also In This Issue...
__________
a
14U1S1O*Y
2 Hem’sFeast:finding Museum Report Board Report:Collections Report
Comm unity Throtzgh by Elizabeth P.Strategic plan and by Sarah Samson,
D&D on exhibit now!Stewart,Director.upcoming events.Curator.
to
OCTOBER
16
HIGHLANDS POST OFFICE MARGARITA PRENTICE
GETS NEW NAME (1931-2019)
On April 19 the Renton
Highlands Post Office,
4301 NE 4th Street,was
officially renamed the
James Marshall “Jirni”
Hendrix Post Office.A bill
sponsored by Rep.Adam
Smith CD-WA)enabled
Renton to take advantage
of the U.S.Postal
Service’s honorary naming
pmgram the Highlands
post office is only the
fourth in Wishington
state to take advantage
of the designation since
1967.The legendary
rock guitarist is buried
at Greenwood Memorial
Pariç 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.
State Sen.Maianta Lopez
Prentice passed away on
April 2 after a lifeth of
piblic service.A long
thue registered nurse,Sen.
Prentice was elected to
the Renton School Boaid
in 1986 and in 1988 was
appointed to fill the 11
District vacancy in the WA
House of Rep’esentailves.
She serd two teirns,
becoming the first Latina
elected to the Vshington
legislature,followed by five
terms in the State Senate
before she retired in 2013.
A Renton champion,Sen.
Prentice also fought for
women’s health,migrant
woficers’rights,LGBTQ
issues,and veterans’and
tribal affairs.In 2009,Valley
Medical Center nanFd its
tmiii center inher hon.
Did you know that the company that sells Dungeons &Dmgons is From
headquartered in Renton?The Renton History Museum invites you to MAYjointhetableandlearnmoreaboutthehistoryandimpactofDungeons&
Dmgons in Renton.Cumted by UW Museology Master’s candidate Affison Moore,
this fun exhibit features stories and artifacts from real players across the city.The
exhibit explores and celebrates the cornmunily surrounding the most popular role-
playing game in history.
2 RENTON HISTORY MUSEIJM
MUSEUM REPORT
by Elizabeth P.Stewart,Museum Director
Jn this quarterly’s feature article Curator Sarah Samson looks at
how and why Renton streets are named.Her research lmces the
oveit..urdng 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 obituaxy makes no
mention of the liffle town outside Seattle that was named for him
Elizabeth P.Stewart almost twenty years earlier.
Early settlers’naming practices were aspiraional and not
necessarily deliberative:we had a school named for industrialist
Heniy Foul-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 ethcation.When they drew the maps and
put up signs,were namers invoking a set of admirable values,or hoping to atlmct 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
1,at 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
Roofiop Dragon on Wells S1aet will get a cmwrlsourced name,announced here at the
MusauTt 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 Uibute 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 mad 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 Tulle Cole,Vväshington 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 possthfflties are limitless,once you open up the history!
QUARTERLY
Summer 2019
RENTON HISTORICAL
QUARTERLY
SamhSatrou
Graphic Dign &Layout
Karl Hurst
City of Renton Pthit &
Mail Services
RENTON HISTORICAL
SOCIETY BOARD
OF TRUSTEES
Lai.ia Clason,President
Colleen Lenahan,Vice President
Jessica Kelly,1asurer
AntothJohreon,Seutary
LWine King,2019
Betsy Prather,2021
Denise DhaI<al,2022
Doug Bmnlow,2022
Elizabeth Stert,Board Liaisou
MUSEUM STAFF
Elizabeth P.5text
Mrent Director
Sarah Sancxi
Curator of Collections &
Eflitior
Kate Dugdale
Public Engagerrertt
Coordinator
Nezy Tewlde
Office Aide
RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
235 MILL AVENUE S
REN TON,WA 98057
P (425)255-2330
F (425)255-1570
HOURS:
Tuesday -Saturday
10:00am -4:00pm
ADMISSION:
$5 (Adult)
$2 (Child)
1
CULTURE
I
‘
k I-=r ..I
Hattie Butler,Ca.1920 (RHM#1981.102.1519)Nishiwaki Lazie in Renton.
SUMMER QliARTERL’l 2019 3
UPCOMING
EVENTS
PRIDE FLAG WORKSHOP
junc $
11 00-2 00 P1
Join i as celeliate
LGBTQIA+fride Month!
Learn how to make Pride flags,
as ll as other artistic ‘ys
to ce1ehte this month.Flist
come,first served art supplies
grovided.All ages.
.‘.‘,I
FOUR-COLOR REALITY:
HOW COMIC BOOKS AND
THE REAL WORLD SHAPE
EACH OTHER
Jtin 27
600-7:00 pin
Jcii1ist and edUCator T.
Ai1rewWahl explores how
our reality shapes the wrld of
comic hoolis.Expl&e Black
Panlher VthrjerVi,brmn,
Cap ainAmeriCa anlxrnre!
UFOS AND THE PUGET
SOUND SPACE RACE
in1 11
6:00-7:00 pin
Locallstedanaruljoumalist
lCnate Berger explores the
history of Unidentified flying
Ol4ects in the Puget Sound
area Going hock to 1947,
Bergerwifi discusses UFOs and
how they imcted this area’s
industries and dewlofnnL
p hew,the first quarter of 2019 has flown by—probably
for you,too!The Board of Trustees has officially
appmved our Strategic Plan,added two new trustees,
and started planning for our annual fiuricfraiser,the History-
Making Party on Tuesday,October 8.That’s a lot of work,
even for nine haiti-working volunteers!
You’ve seen our Annual Report for 2018—enclosed
with this newsletter-and it occurred to us that if volunteers,
members,arid 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.Tows don’t
cost much more than regular admission and they’re a
great way to exira-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 hrtportantly,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 whiner
of the George arid 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!
r
—RU4TON HISTORY
MUSEUM-h,,
New iviuseum sign and pamcr.
BOARD REPORT
Executive Committee of the Board
at the 2018 Annual Meeting.
4 RENT ON HISTORY MUSEUI1
1f’’‘‘.,-‘:v..
--\‘4 S’
-N
-
The Dranüsh genally sited their homes along rivers,
mid in Renton that meant the Black and Cedar Rivers.Several
villages existed there throughout the millennia,the largest of
lüthwas sbubudid.Located on the wastbank of the Black
River’,sbcibudid had several longhouses and a long history of
human tsence.Across the river,claxwudidaw (“Little Cedar
Piv”)was an inhabited Duwamish village at the thne of White
encroachment.When Fmsrnus Smithers received his Laid
Donation Claim in late 1852,he was sldenly the “owner”of
cIaxvudidaw,in the eyes of the Anrican government.Surviving
accounts (inchx]ing an 1865 map)indicate that Smitha-s did not
evict his lards original residents.2 He likely needed aid relied
on Duwamish laborers for his fledgling farm.
Lake Washington,known as uu?(“lake”),p:ovided
water for the Black River which flowed out of the take.3
An important Duwamish place was dxw,iwJbqSvu’?(meaning
“confluence/place of swift water”).This was the location where
the Cedar River flowed into the Black River,roughly where
Rainier Ave South aid Airpoil Väy intersect.After absorbing the
Cedar River’s water,the Black flowed into the Duwamish River.
su’kilq”u?(“confluence/rivers coming together”)is the name
of the location where the to rivers met.There is a historical
marker refening to S u’?ilq’u?as “Mox la Push”at the Starfire
Sports Complex in Tukwila.
Tillicum Road (nuTling wast-east between Renton
Aerial photo of Renton,
1970.Erasmus Smithers’s
original land claim is
outlined in yellow.The
combined Tobin/Smithers
claim is outlined in blue.
(RRM#1997.098.4672)
I.
I
WHAT”’IN A NAME?
Conthned ibm page 1
186d Cadastral map.Area outlined in pink is the original Tobin Land Donation Claim.dx’udidw is next to a bend in
the Black River just south of Tobin’s land (on Smithers’s land)and is labeled “Indian Village.”
Cover photo:
S\lMEl?QiARTERL”I,2)19 5
ON THE MAP
lii 1875 three White men (Smithers,Charles Shattuck,
and Thomas Morris)produced the first plat of what was to
be “The Town of Renton.”The poposed town consisted of a
five block by five block area with the Cedar River as northern
boundary.Smithers’land claim iovided the land for this
venture;Shattuck and Morris w 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 wastem boundary
of his land was the now-dried up Black River (on the wast side
ofsent-day Rainier Avenue Fred Meyer up to the Renton
Municipal Airport mnway).His land extended as far north as
the point where the Cedar River pawed into the Black River
(sent-thy south end of the Renton Municipal Airport nmway)
and as far south as pesent-day South 7th Street.The eastern
boundary began at the Cedar River awl extended south to just
past South 10th Street along Jones Avenue on Renton Hill.
The trio chose the name “Renton”in honor of Captain
WhIlam Renton.Capt.Renton was the owner of a massive
sawmill at Port Blakely on BainlEdge Island.His sizable waalth
allowad him to be a generous investor throughout the larger
Seattle area;Renton Coal Corupanywas one of his investments.6
At one point Capt.Renton also had a street awl a Renton Hill
neigitothood named for him,both in Seattle.7
On the I $75 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.Bmiett,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 superEtendent.He wait on to supervise
mines in Newcastle,Franklin,and Issaquah.9 Wells was named
for Charles Wells.Wells is somewhat mysterious:ow only
hifonTtlon about him comes from a 1925 newspaper article that
was referenced in ow Fthiiary 1972 newsletten He apparently
was part of the gtoup who “located a coal mine where the
Deimy-Renton Clay &Coal mine”was.°His coirwnon 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 dllcth’t really end up
being Renton’s “main street”—the city’s two busiest streets
ware Third awl Walla Wella.Mill Avenue was not named for
a person;it was named because an early saw mifi 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 MIII Street loomed over
downtown.The house was torn down in the early 1990s when
the 1-405 S-curves ware straightened.
II
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Municipal Airport awl 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 awl
Whites to communicate that contined Chinook,Wakashan
(Nootka),English.awl French.Erasmus Smithers’s daughter
Ada Smithers Thome could speak Chinook Jargon.’1 Thilcum
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.
6 RENTON HISTOR MUSELM
Walla Wal]a Avenue-or Railroad Avcruie-was a bizarTe
diagonal street at odds with all the other neat,square lines on
the plat map.That diagonal street was put that solely to entice
a railroad to come through Renton.Pail arki boat ware the main
means of hulustrial transport in the late 1800s and Renton’s new
coal mine needed rail in order to efficiently move the coal to
market.1Wo short years after piblishing themap,their gamble
p3id off,and the Seattle &Walla Walla Railroad connected
Renton to Seattle.’1 In 1939 Wa1]a ‘NaDa was renamed Houser
Vty in honor of Renton City Attorney Paul W Houser.”
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 wan howaver;their names would
soon be forever enshrined on Renton streets.As the town
grew,Smithers sold off his land piece by piece,requiring nire
street names.Lath addition had a legal name and “Smithers
1’Addition”Ibough “Smithas 5’Addition”accounted for the
creation of Snüthers,Shattucic and Morris Streets.13
Whitworth Street was named for early Washington
Territory clergyman Reverend George F.Whitwortft’4 Unlike
Capt.Renton,we can confirm that Whitworth visited Renton
at least once.He iresented the invocation at the graduation
exercises for the Renton Public School Graduation Exercises in
1896.’Logan Street was jiobably named for John T.Logan.a
motoimnait 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.’7
Tobin Avenue by Renton High School is named for
Henry Tobin,Smithers’original neighbor.Tobin arrived in 1853
and claimnednist of witat today is Downtown Renton.(He
was able to claim double the arrount of land because he was
manied.)Smithers owned the strip of land just to the soulli
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 wa get most often is:wiiat
is behind the namktg of Petrovitsky Road?This is a much
researched question with only a quasi-satisfying ans.John
Petmvitsky,a butcher turned real estate man tuned fam,
appears to have been the first name on the list in 1915 requesting
that the mad be built.’9 Wa 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’sbettermthnamnes.
Sadly,itisnotnarnedforamythicalbeastwithagreatlocal
legend;the mad is named for the John C.and Anna Monster
family who owned a large fami adjacent to it in the late 1800s.
The Monsters ware ftom Derurk3rk and it is irobable that their
name was originally spelled “Monster,”which has a signfficantly
different meaning and jionunciation that our aiglish version.’0
THE HIGHLANDS
During WWII Renton was at the epicenter of a sudden,
vast in-migration.Boeing and PAC CAR needed wor1s to make
Continued on page 10
JIi o[J’i
r
1 ‘3 ‘LI f3‘;t.-i Fl’C3’:
Map showing the various Smither’s [sic]Additions to
Penton,ca 1954.(The Krol]Atlas of Seattle)
Map showing the Motor Line Addition to Renton,ca
1954.(The Kroll Atlas of Seattle)
S12R1EP Q1ARTERL’,2019 7
COLLECTIONS
REPORT
by Sarah Samson,Curator of
Collections &Exhibitions
year ago I wrote in this space
about the Sanders Collection,
collection of 844 glass
plate negatives,all taken by amateur
photographer Charles W Sanders.Sanders
awived in Washington in 1904 arxl was
ow of the early White biil owners in
Kennydale.His day job,carpentry took
Sarah Samson him all arourti the Puget Souril,to places
like Ballaid,Port Townsend,and Fort
Curator VJorden.The photos show all of these
places.The collection also inclines portraits of soldiers and
citizens from twn forts aiil Port Townsend.
Last June we had recenily received a scanner capable
of handling the collection (thank you George Ais!)and
at that point I had managed to scan 200 of the negatives,
turning them into positive images we can sftJy.Soon after
we were lucky to welcome new volunteer Nancy Nishintum
to our team.Nancy has spent the last year tackling the tedious
process of scarniing 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 fmm Port Townser:l.
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 unmwl!
The inclusion of Sergeant Alonzo “Lon”Reavis
(1879—1939)also helped date the photos from Fort Winlen.
We foiiixl a record of his service in the U.S.Amty Register
of Enlistments.After enlisting in Missouri,Reavis served at
Fort Worden in the 63th 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 thftire 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 weds 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)
1 -U-..
A
Port Townsend waterfront,Ca.1905 (RFflvf#2014.026.037)Three girls near Kennydale,Ca.1905 (RHM#2014.026.820)
$RENTON HISTORY MUSEUM
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 Carnerini
Louise George
MEMORIAL
DONATIONS OF
8100 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 Sparics
Gilda Youngquist
GENERAL
DONATIONS Of
8100 OR MORE
Dan &Laura Clawson
Naomi Mathisen
IN-KIND
DONATIONS
Felix Banel
Pritchard Design
NEW MEMBERS
Al Brandt
Doug Brownlow
Stanley Fitzpatriclc
Nancy Nishimura
Nancy Simpson
BENEFAC T OR
MEMBERS
Sally Rochelle
PATRON
MEMBERS
Jim &Charmaine Baker
Dan &Laura Clawson
Shari Fisher
Sarah Jane Hisey &Howard
Nelson
Denis &Patty Law
In 1942 the U.S.faced
labor shortages on the
home front,and the federal
govemruent initiated a
series of agreements with
Mexico to recruit guest
workers for American
fanTis and raiiroads.The
Emergerrcy Farm Labor
Program—known as the
Bracero Program-enabled
about 2M Mexicans to
enter the U.S.1egally
about 21%of those were
contracted to farmers in the
Pacific Northwest,to help
with planting and harvest.
Bittersweet Harvest:
The Bracem Pmgran
1942-1964 as organized
by the Smithsonian’s
National Museum of
American Histoiy 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 liffle
known topic!
MEMORIAL DONATIONS
OPENING SOON:BITTERSWEET I-L4RVEST
GIFT
MEMBERSHIP
DONORS
Glenn Garrett
1iI.LI ‘,flH.1IH*11J’1IiH1IIJ;CH LI [IJ;LH1;I’IflI[Jz
n a.?frttu do I.b,usm.Io fromoos frsbsfrksn us los T,oui.Denim,Wuklotic.Askawias ysoitme 51 osladsa.
do alimddo.i*tloos,ddhhovw,usjt,,05 di t’lbafr Los ‘,t,ato.do,th.fl dmd..flas pate.sammee has,.tadcpm mmia sate spdais,,mus losdo e.,olo.ho II moms Li..ampmw.,to.emisbm,en tassad.diode
lonhap y from t,Sm loloce del s’w—.a.apus..moep hs.rnmdbsme,o.Aomqao.I kg*wi
tunAido dabaft ,saflode*,lo a Ii nAo 00 lao tomometba.omt.nasnt*eapselaba,isles tOndl000teste,frospaseaza
Coo of flail...los tHat.,,,luwom .n,iadoi a Calilosta.deohfnsir sdi,o,del too aea,us,eOW 5,se.
LA COSECHA
°AIIi jtie donde conocimos ci,preciumentc ci cortito que Ic nombran a ci azadén.
V yo por derto que,alli,alli Itoré mis iàgrimas’aoSt NATIVIDAD ALVA MEDINA,EX•SflACEfiDi
°Thats where we encountered et cortilo.or what’s called the short-handled hoe.
And for sure that IS Where I shed my tears.JosE NAnY1OADALVA WOINA.Ex SnACERO
THE HARVEST
Ot Ia,,,,,brotoms wanhod caster.ONqa,,diScs.md Askaitsa.and 29 etbef stats Contracts r.0504 from
.odt boo becakIo9 stoop Iabet romps as sept bouts,a law week.I.IS months.Camp.r.nid n too from
ottose and strawbasota.Esoop In Sc.pooge.a tbsp Just,few beans,..tea thousand Aitbougis tha wink
also t,a,ntoed ra*oad ts.cI,o Otee ltn,Waca,ss wouge.eImg.tt,s,resdo,odtlwuscmtdit,qns hopogta
note miii It Calfoori..Tcxau Otepon.Wsshfngton.mobs mote mousy than thep wield ot home.
1III*11’I”‘TL*1 I11;TtI1;UJJIlF1;1I ‘I[U[Uf
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CULTURE
LloI 115111
0 Sniihwnian
SJMMLR QARTEPL’I,2019 9
Map of the Renton Highlands used by F
Arland G.Radford who was hired to
install doors on the new houses,Ca...
1940.(RHM#2009.049.001)
_____
-CC.TFIZ
B-29 bombers and Sheiman mrilcs,and newresidents streamed
inby the thousands.Renton lacked the space and housing for all
these new people and thus the Renton Highlands ware born.
Peoplebadbeenlivingththeareanowkrtownas “The
Highlands,”but it was a sparsely populated,more nual area.
Once fedl funds c secured,o1e newneighbodioods
ware quickly laid out and constmcion began immediately.
Because of the speed of the poject,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 ware given real names.
In 1969 Renton Highkds streets renamed after
oilAshthgton State places,keeping il alphabetical oixk
Abeitle Blame,Cairns,Dayton,Edrmnds,fenriale,Glenood,
Hanington,hhleç Jeffason,Kkidarr],Lwaod,Monme,
Newpci1,Olia,Piare,Qter,Rednl)ffl,Shelton,con
thiion,Vashon;aiulArncortes,BnaT1on,Chelan,Duvall,Elim,
Field,Graham,Hoqulam,ilwaco,Jedcbo,Kitsap,Lyons,Mt.Bal<r
Nile,Orras,Pasco,Qumnc Rosario,Sllow7
As always,change is uncomfoitable,and everyone
had an opinion about the street name changes.Much of the
contmwrsy revolved amuid a confusing renuritaing of houses
rather than the names of the streets themselves.Hanington.
howaver faced debate.Some residents felt Harrington was
too long airl complicated of a name;they lobbied for Holly
ENDNOTES
1 Janet Yoder,“Chief Seattle-his Li ootseed name and other hnporlmitwitls
jxoiiounced in Lushaotseed by Vi Hil1r”Essay #8156,H&oiytinlc 9 May
2007 (hups:i/wwwhistorvlinkorgfFile’81 56,accessed 28 Mar 2019).
2 1865 Cadestral snap.
3 &rke Mi.nin of Naflal Histoiy ar Culft,The Witerilne Project Map
(2014)(http://wwwburkemuseum.org/static/waterl inca/project map.html,
accessed 28 Mar 2019).
4 Nicholas Kiassen,“Can We Still Speak Chinook?”The ljiee,10 Jan2006
fhttps:/Jthetyee.ca/Life/2006!01 /10/StillSpeakChinookl,accessed 2$Mar 2019).
5 “Renton Coal Mire,”Seaitte Du/y Post,iJan 1881,up;Emily Ruiy,
“Local Historical Sketct,”Renton Chronicle,9 AW 1925,up.;Aisne
Allrnayer,“City’s Leaders Lent Names to Streets,”Record-Chronicle,18
Nov 1973,p.12;“Tho Streets in Rentoru How Did They Get Their Names?”
Greater Renton News,13 Jun 1973,p.1.
6 Junth Rochester,“Renton,Captain WJhiam (1818-1891),”Essay #1053,
Histoiytthlc 2 Dec 1998 (https://www.historylinkorg/fiIe/1 053,accessed 2$
Mar 2019).
7 “Do Not Like The Change,”Seattle Post-Intelligencer,15 Jan 1896,p.2.
8 “Renton Coal Mire,”Seattle Daiy Past,1 Jan 1881,up.hi 1928 the City
Council itoted to designate roads iuining east-west to “avemes”anti roads
running north-south to “street”
9 “Death of James Wilhiarra,”Seattle Post-Inteltigencer,19 Jan1900,p.10.
10 “How Renton Streets Were Named,”Renton Historical Society Quwtery
Newsletter,Feb1972,p.6.
11 Kurt E.Annbruster,“Pacific Coast:Seattle’s Own Railroad,”Pacfic
NoUtRathvorlArchiveNenleffer,2018,p.15.
12 Ordinance No.1087,Renton City Clerk’s Office.Paul W.Houser was
Rentons City Attamey twice,in 1908-1914 awl again in 1938-1942.He also
served sewel txra in the Washington State Horae anti Senate.
13 The KmllAtlas of Seattle (Kmil Map Corrany Seaffle,n.d.[ca 1954])
14 ‘Death of a Good Man,”Wsshirtgton Stcindarrl,11 Oct1907,rcp.Rev.
Whitwttrth arrived inWeshington Tonitory in 1854 antI odghsally seffled near
Olropia.He fotiled the First Presbyterian Chath of Seattle and was an
early jiesident of the Territorial University in Seattle.Whitwsrth College in
Tacoma,then later Spohare,ias named for hint.
15 PrOgTWIIfor the Renton Public School Graduation Exereises (RIIM#
2000.127.0924).
161900 Federal Cetisra;1909 Raritan City Directory.
17 “Neffie Bin Logan,Ahoost 98,Dies,”Renton Chronicle,23 Mar 1966,plO.
18 “A Good Woman’s Life;Story of the Career of the Late Mis.E.M.Smithers,”
Seattle Post-Intettigencer,3 Aug 1894,p.5.
19 Doug Cardle,About Those King Coruity Place Noises (N.p.:Coastal Press,
1989).Son Charles Petrovitsky (1869-1948)wes a well-respected Seattle awl
Anlawyar,aswellasaspedalagentforthe U.S.DeparttrentofJustice,
investigating possthle subversion druing ‘.iWJI.
20 Møraterth Danishrneans “ttem or design.”
21 Jack Ryan,“Change in Renton Street Names Has City in Uproar,”Seattle
Post-Intelligencer 16 Dec 1969,up.
22 “Residents Vie Over Name for Street Now Nameless Thoroughfare,”Renton
Record-Chronicle,10 Dec 1969.
Continusd from page 7 n.a.
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to replace it.Hanington managed to stick,howaver,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 directoties.°
EPILOGUE
Most of Renton’s place names ue 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 Xy).Many times,though,they
are simply choosing something that souids pleasing or trendy
rather than anything that has a parlicular 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 vtoukl like to specialy thcu*t’atbitiu (Nancy Jo Bob,
DL&VIIniSft Lunrni)and q+tbIu (Tarni Hohn,Piallrtp)for
genernusy prnviding the Lushootseed place names arid spellings
for Renton’s DuJMunish places.I would also lilce to thw*Jason
Seth,Renton City Cleric and Aaron Rqyrmnd,GIS Mayst,for
their assistance during the researchfor this article.
10 RENTON HISIOR’I MUSEUM
Invite your history-minded Mends and family to the filstory-Maldng 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 Doffie will lie on-hand providing
entertainment and laughs.Tickets are $45 and will be available on BrownPaperTickets.com
and at the Museum.
MEMBERSHIP FORM
Please select a membership level:
BASIC MEMRSHIPS
Q Individual $30
Q Student/Senior $20
Q Family $40
SUSTAINING MEb4BRSHIPS
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fl Patron $150
Q Business/Corporate $175
Q Life membership $750
Please consider making a tax-deductible
donation!Your donations help us provide
new exhibits and exciting programs.
Donation:$
OCTOBER
$
doors open a
6:00 PM
Phone 425.255.2330
Fax 425.255.1570
rentonhistory.org
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on
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Penton History Museum
235 Mill Avenue South
Renton,WA 98057
SUMMER QUARTERLY.2019 11