Upcoming EWGS Planning Retreat

These wonderful folks, elected as the EWGS board in 2019, are having their annual Planning Retreat on Monday, August 31st. Usually meeting in person, this will be a ZOOM meeting. Nonetheless, what does this mean for YOU, faithful EWGS member?  All business and problems, past and present, will be discussed. With help from the Program Committee (not pictured) the programs for 2021 will be planned (ZOOM or in person???).  Do you have input for this meeting? Contact our president, Dolly Webb, at dol872@comcast.net, to share your thoughts. 

 

Oldest Apple Tree in Washington Dies

I've been blessed to have visited this ancient of trees and was humble in its presence. I could barely imagine the Washington history it is witnessed! Did you ever visit this tree? 

Here is a komonews.com article that you might like. komonews.com/news/local/oldest-apple-tree-in-wash-state-dies-at-194-but-legacy-lives-on

Oldest apple tree in Wash. state dies at 194, but legacy lives on

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by Callie Craighead | SeattlePI.com

Wednesday, August 19th 2020

Washington state's oldest apple tree is seen in better days. (Photo: City of Vancouver, Wash., Parks & Recreation Dept.)

VANCOUVER, Wash. - Washington's oldest apple tree, a symbol of the state's industry, has succumbed to a crack in its trunk and died at the ripe old age of 194.

The Old Apple Tree in Vancouver, Washington, whose death was first reported by KUOW, was found to be in poor health in the early summer months after arborists noted shriveling leaves. An examination revealed that a growing crack in the trunk had cut off water and nutrient flow to the rest of the tree.

But sprouts from the roots of the old tree that have grown into small saplings will ensure that the legacy of the century-old tree will live on for years to come.

Is Find-A-Grave only for people???

 

Quite apparently not.  Have you found any other listings for other-than-people??????

"The rest of the story..." Walter Maydahl's joyride on July 14, 1920

 

Referring to Jim Kershner’s bit on July 14^th, and as an enthusiastic genealogist, I had to know the rest of the story about young Walter Maydahl who was sentenced to 24 hours in jail for “driving the car 47 miles an hour….with a young woman on his lap.”  Walter was 17 on that July day, the son of Sivert Maydahl (1867-1927) who had immigrated from Norway and was a “motorman on the street railway” according to the 1910 census for Spokane.  On the 1920 census, Walter was single, living at home, and was a “night clerk in telegraph office.” Albin Walter Maydahl married Joy Acoam in 1922 in Vancouver, Washington; was she the lady on his lap?  In the 1930 census, Walter and Joy were living in Wallace (with son Richard) where Walter was a “railroad car inspector.” By 1940, they were living in Salt Lake City (with two more children, James and Maria) where Walter was a “car foreman.” Joy died at age 89 in King County. Walter died in September 1964, according to the Railroad Retirement Pension Index. Have you enjoyed reading what Paul Harvey called “the rest of the story?” Hope so.

Sievert Maydahl rests in Greenwood Memorial Terrace in Spokane. There was no Find-A-Grave listing for either Joy or Walter. 

Big, Sad, Anniversary in Two Days.... Know Who? Know What?

 August 16, 1977, was the day Elvis died. He was only 42 when he passed at Graceland, his Memphis mansion. 

And did that affect you? Not your ancestors this time, but YOU?

We must not always be thinking in terms of the events of our ancestors' lives but of our own.

I remember the night Elvis premiered on the Ed Sullivan Show. We were living in what is now the Nellie Garry house on Fort Wright (Air Force housing then) and was in 8th grade. I'd walked down to the little chapel for a youth group something but had to leave early to be home by 8:00 when the show came on. 

And remember how they only showed him from the waist up because of his "obscene" hip movements?

Have you written your "Elvis moment" into your personal history? Think about it. 

What Our Members Are Up To During COVID

Many of us are continuing to work on our family history AND enjoy other hobbies, now that we have all that extra time. EWGS member Debbie Golding, who lives in Rathdrum, Idaho, says she's taken a larger interest in her gardening AND her hobby of photography. This photo, she explained, is of a Carrot Top Flower.... she planted the cut-off top of a carrot and it grew and made this beautiful flower. Even the Yellow Jacket agrees! 

Railroad Maps Of Yesterday........ such fun to see.

Don't know exactly what year this was, but this map was on the wall of the Inland Northwest Railway Museum (which I posted about a few days ago). I thought it so interesting and fun to see place-names on here that I never heard of: Galena, Paradise, Highland, Morse, Buckeye. And these were, apparently, all railroad stops. For those with early Eastern Washington ancestors, the railroads were a true lifeline. Go visit the museum and learn more about this fascinating history!

Inland Northwest Railroad Museum....... gotta go visit!

If you drive west on Hwy 2, just past Reardan, you'll come to the Inland Northwest Railway Museum. This is the biggest, best-kept secret destination place in the area, to my thinking. This old Northern Pacific boxcar welcomes you at the turnoff and then you see this:

After paying a very modest entry fee, you enter the museum which today consists of a 2-story building and half a dozen restored rail cars outside sitting on tracks. And enough memorabilia to keep you reading for hours! 

Railroads..... rail transportation and travel... were vitally important to our ancestors. Yet I'd guess that most of us today have never been inside a rail car nor know much about railroads. A visit to this museum will change all that for you. 

Click to www.inlandnwrailmuseum.com for more information. They are only open Thursday through Sunday. AND A REALLY BIG EVENT IS GOING TO HAPPEN THERE ON SATURDAY, AUGUST 22!!!