Steamers "Simpson" & "Multnomah" are docked side by side. ~Courtesy of Naismith Family, private postcard collection published by C.U. Williams.

Members of the press and geoduck ladies ride into Carlyon Beach for the filming of the first Geoduck Derby in July 1946. ~Vibert Jeffers photo; Susan Parish collection.

Visitors stand on the porch of the "Dogwood" summer home, circa 1908. It was known by some as having the best fishing spot in South Sound. ~Courtesy of Joan M. Johnson private collection.

Women look toward the gazebo in Sylvester Park on July 4, 1905. ~The Olympian

Mary Ellen Francis wrestles with a geoduck. ~Vibert Jeffers photo; Susan Parish collection.

Our Memories

Reflections of the Past...

Thanks for memories

Reflections ripple across the pages in splendor and pain.

We were overwhelmed with reader response to our request for memories to share in this celebration piece. Items selected were done so in a sincere and thoughtful manner. Decisions to save others for possible future use were difficult. If your memory does not appear here, share it with a neighbor, your grandchildren, or a local historical association, in the spirit of celebrating our heritage.

Dogwood

"Memories" of Dogwood was adapted from a story written by Laura Rowena Baird Hilling for Christmas 1981 when she was 87 years old. Her niece, Joan Johnson, submitted the following:

It was a beautiful -- a glorious -- morning in the spring of 1906 when I first saw what we know as Dogwood. It was spring; my memories of dogwood in a mass bloom just above the shoreline. I exclaimed, 'Let's name it Dogwood!' I can see the four of us standing on the beach, backs to the bay, looking over the pigweed where the house now sits to the right of the ravine. Access was by water only.

The house was built in 1907. My father engaged two carpenters. It was a big undertaking. Since the two had to live on the property for the duration of the job, they brought their wives. Separate living quarters were built side by side on the high "spit." It took a little over a year before we could spend our first summer at Dogwood. We had running water piped from barrels installed high up the ravine as reservoirs for the wonderful spring water. This allowed for indoor bathing in a huge galvanized wash tub, which was set on the kitchen floor and filled with hot water from kettles.

For the next several years, we made the trip from Seattle by steamer. The trip by steam was on the "Flyer" to Tacoma, with a transfer there to the "Greyhound," then to Johnson Point. But when there was freight, the trip was straight through from Seattle to Johnson Point on the "Multnomah." If there was a passenger or freight for the Point, the captain signaled by whistling in such a way that it was known whether a scow or only a boat was needed. The Johnson Point people had to meet our summer "expedition" with a scow: for us, our baggage, a huge load of freight (staples for the entire summer), two dogs and even one summer -- chickens!

"We got a dory and with the advent of the dory, we didn't have to haul such a load on the steamer. For we could chug into Olympia or to Longbranch (around Devil's Head) for our supplies. Mail days were eventful. Three times a week, we went to Puget for mail -- first in the big rowboat, later in the dory.

"These trips were our opportunity to get fresh fruit and vegetables from the farmers. On Saturdays Dad would arrive to join us for the weekend. My Uncle Joe would ease the Dory into a position parallel with the steamer (which barely stopped) and off would step Dad with his huge haversack full of magazines, papers, bread, butter, meat and goodies. Just like Santa in summer!

"In 1912 Dad bought our first auto, a Packard, which led to a radical change for him in transportation to and from Dogwood. Then came years when circumstances prevented summers at Dogwood. During World War I to 1922 Dad made arrangements for Perry Larsen to keep an eye on things. During this year, an orchard was planted. Apple, pear and cherry trees created our orchard. We eventually built a road to the orchard.

"Reinforcements were hauled in our car nicknamed 'Believe It or Not' because it was so loaded down there was barely room for the passengers. We sat on our goods and chattels. We even made use of the running boards and lashed bedrolls and sacks to them.

"Getting the items there was only half the battle. Although Dad had cut a trail from the road to the house, it was a difficult ascent to the house. What a pleasure it was to stay at Dogwood. Our dory took us to many other beaches for picnics. A trip to be remembered was to Nisqually Flats for geoducks. It was quite thrilling because a digger had to be on the alert as to the tide, for he could suddenly be on an island of sand with water swirling around him. How well I remember the summers at Dogwood.

Johnson Point

According to Pat Rambo McBride, Seattle businessman Gamma Poncin purchased the 230 acres of South Sound waterfront now known as Johnson Point, which is home to nearly 80 South Sound families. Poncin built a grand home with a veranda that looked out to the bay, Mount Rainier and the Olympic Mountains. There were 29 buildings on the property, including barns, guest cottages, a boathouse, an art gallery and a caretaker's cottage. Caretaker Kaemon Kurose, a Japanese immigrant who kept the lawns and gardens, occupied the cottage. Poncin collected rare and exotic birds and even built a private court for his peacocks.

In 1947, Harold and Ramona Rambo purchased 65 acres, which included the caretaker's home, boathouse, barn and greenhouses. Two of their children remain at the point: McBride and Carole Rambo Holt. "Once you've lived here, you don't want to live anywhere else," McBride said.

Geoduck Grabbers

We first heard from Betty (Burkhard) Shoblom after she discovered herself on the cover of The Olympian's "Images of South Sound" pictorial history book. She provided articles, photos and insights to the famous Geoduck Derby held in July 1946. We appreciate permission to share a few of the photos from the Susan Parish Collection.

Gilbert L. Bunce of Tumwater was crowned top clam gunner of the world's first Geoduck Derby, sponsored by Olympia Chamber of Commerce to promote Olympia products. Olympia waters were at -3.0 feet low (an excellent tide for clammin'), the time was about 11 a.m., and the rules were simple -- bring your heftiest clam to Sylvester Park for judging no later than 3 p.m. on Sunday.

At the weigh-in site, adorned in costumes made of oyster shells, were six local ladies: Dee Dee Fry, Betty Burkhard, Mary Ellen Frances, Dorothy Mathias and Juanita Berkseth. Pressmen and photographers accompanied the group of bathing beauties to Carlyon Beach to film the duck diggers in action. Although the beauties tried, the clams were elusive. It took master clammer Henry Jackson to apprehend the long-necked chowder heads and get them ready for the perfect poses.

Olympian Jim Reilly turned in the duck with the longest siphon, measuring just under 37 inches! Sixteen prizes were given to contestants at Sylvester Park.

The winners were Gilbert Bunce, Roy McKee, Ted McDonald, Leo Steer, Earl Brenner, Lillian Bradford, Al Hayes, James Money, D. A. Cushion, F. DeFord, H. L. Jackson, Jesse Jackson, M. M. Crow, John Hayes, Mrs. Eick and Joe Stone. Booby prize of the day went to A.L. Sprengel, who turned in a geoduck weighing 12 ounces.

Goeduck Girls update: Betty lives in San Diego; Mary Ellen resides in Edmonds; Dee Dee, a resident of Olympia for 65 years, died of cancer in December 1998; Dorothy died in 1999; and Juanita's whereabouts is unknown.

Pagan Frolic

A special thanks to Chester Davis who found the Pagan Frolic tie tack shown on this page at Priest Point Park by the side of a trail where it had been for more than 65 years. The following information was gleaned from the documentation found during his subsequent research about the event in newspaper archives.

According to an article in The Daily Olympian, "Tom O'Leary, 17 year-old Olympia high school senior and son of attorney Thomas L O'Leary, came up with the winning submission for The Daily Olympian's contest to name the late summer gala festival. Not only did the teen select a winning name 'Pagan Frolic,' he outlined the whole event in a letter recounted below."

A Coronation Ball began the event with crowning of Queen Juno, Gertrude "Toddy" Cowgill by Gov. Clarence D. Martin. Archie Loveland's 12-piece dance band provided the music that rounded off the first day.

Blasts of all the locomotives, factory and fire department sirens and automobile horns began the second day at 9 a.m. Even the military participated with bomb salutes, harbor displays and airplane formations, and of course the unforgettable military band performances. Other events included the Fordyce Brothers Motorcycle Smash Act, the vaudeville tumbling Arabs, blues singers, tap dancers and other happenings at hotels and halls in downtown Olympia. It was a jumping time.

Saturday began with an aerial circus, band concert in Sylvester Park, sporting events throughout the day and performances into the night. Sunday was by far the most celebrated. More than 2,000 celebrants gathered at Priest Point Park for an old-time barbecue picnic. A whole ox was barbecued to perfection while old-time fiddlers and callers participated in a calling contest. Fiddlers got the crowd so fired up, they danced and whooped it up well into the afternoon. Other events included a barnyard golf championship, horseshoe pitching finals, a double-header ballgame at Stevens Field and an evening concert by Mitchell Male Quintet.

An editorial in The Daily Olympian, stated that Olympia's first Pagan Frolic has come to an end with "success" stamped on the entire enterprise. For years Olympia has hosted celebrations in the summer, but under the chair of George Draham and backed by the Chamber of Commerce and other civic groups, Pagan Frolic became a really big show. The editor added -- "Let us have more frolics in years to come. They give an impetus to business, assure days of fun, and build up the morale of the city.

The Olympian Copyright 2000

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