It's October! Leaf Peeping Time!

I love the changing colors of fall; I think everybody does. Do you think your ancestor "loved" it too or felt gloomy at the obviously approach of cold weather??

As a third grader, I read this in my folks' Readers Digest:  "Nature blushes before she disrobes." Or more recently, "In the fall, Mother Nature puts on her party colors." Or this: "Anyone who thinks fallen leaves are dead has never watched them dancing on a windy day."  (Shira Tamir)

I snapped this photo at our MAC museum. Go down to Browne's Addition and walk about for yourself to see our glorious colors.

A tweezer cream..... from the Crescent?

Jeanne Coe and I are working on Fridays at the MAC to index the obituaries in the 22 file drawers of biographies. We hope to finish before we die. :-)  Anyway. I do the typing on my laptop as Jeanne pulls the envelope contents out. Many times there are just folded newspaper sheets containing true biographical data on a person. BUT those old newspapers are so much fun to see! This was from the Spokesman in 1973:

He Discovered The Fire Of '89

Jeanne Coe and I are indexing the obituaries found in the 24 drawers of biographies down at the MAC. This particular one was too interesting not to share. From the Spokesman Review, the date was 22 April 1937.

Harry B. Arnold, the man who is credited with discovering the historic fire of 1889 which destroyed Spokane, then Spokane Falls, is dead.

Mr. Arnold died Tuesday night in his home, W. 713 Dalton, aged 75. Christian Science funeral will be read Friday at 1:30 ......

It was a history-making ride that Mr. Arnold and his young wife, the former Ellis L. Barzee of Turner, Oregon, took that Sunday afternoon of August 4, 1889. Noticing the smoke and flame pouring from the roof of a restaurant, Mr. Arnold stopped his carriage to give the alarm, pointing his whip at the blazing roof. The alarm was spread by another resident whose Sunday afternoon nap on the front porch of his nearby home was interrupted by the newlyweds' cry. 

After the town was destroyed, Mr. and Mrs. Arnold moved to Farmington, where he entered the grain business and became widely known in the Palouse. In 1908 they returned to Spokane, where Mr. Arnold entered the real estate and investment business.

Mr. Arnold was born in the Umpquah Valley, Oregon, on May 17, 1861, and went to Idaho with his grandparents in 1872. When 17 he joined the Second Idaho Volunteers under Captain Franklin McCarrie and served during the Nez Perce Indian uprising. Later he homesteaded near Farmington where he farmed and operated a livery stable several years before he and his wife moved to Spokane Falls in 1889. 

Preservation DIY

Name:	Preservation DIY!
Date(s):	10/17
Time:	5:30p - 7:30p
Ages Allowed:	16 - 99

Instructors, Museum Collections Staff: Brooke Wagner, Tisa Matheson, Freya Liggett, Valerie Wahl, and Anna Harbine

Cost: $20, members/$25, non-members 

Limit: 25

Location: Museum Archives and Library

Ever wonder how to store that “family archive” hiding in under your bed or stored in your attic or basement? Want to know the best way to scan photos or store your grandmother’s wedding dress? Join these museum collections staff for a do it yourself deep dive into the world of preservation, where you will learn some helpful tricks to preserving the treasures passed down in your own family. Topics include ideal home storage locations, techniques to store a variety of materials, and suggestions on preserving family stories for future generations. Questions are welcome, but to ensure the safety and preservation of your family heirlooms, please leave your treasures at home. Supplies and sample heirlooms will be provided for demonstration.

Local History: Fun & Important

Did you realize that the Douglas Fir, that we all admire, was named for an early explorer who tromped around the Pacific Northwest from 1825-1833? Our MAC museum (Museum of Arts & Culture) currently has an exhibit all about Douglas and his time in the area. If you're at all interested in the history of the area, this would be a delightful visit. The MAC is open Wed-Sat, 10-5, and is located at 2316 W. First in Browne's Addition.	My parents came to the area in 1954 but I know many whose ancestors came barely 20-30 years after David Douglas had been here. I recommend this as a Thing To Do.
Douglas-fir, Pseudotsuga menziesii Lambert, The Genus Pinus, Volume 2, 1830 The tree named for David Douglas was greatly admired by the collector for its great size, its variable habitats, and its potential as a timber resource. Taxidermist Igor Carogodin The condor, a “beautiful buzzard of the Columbia”, fascinated David Douglas. Unique specimens of a recently preserved California condor and an albatross with a 9-foot wingspan will be included in this exhibit.	David Douglas: A Naturalist at Work Through August 24, 2013 Naturalist David Douglas traveled the Columbia River and interior Northwest (1825-1833), identifying and collecting over two hundred species of plants, animals, and birds previously unknown to science. Learn of his interactions with native tribes and fur traders of the Columbia country. Explore a unique scientific legacy, including his namesake, the Douglas fir. Enjoy a multi-disciplinary experience that links geography, science, art, and cultural history. Lead sponsors: The Pendleton and Elisabeth Carey Miller Charitable Foundation and the Joel E. Ferris Foundation

Leonardo DaVinci at the MAC

One whole huge wall at Spokane's MAC museum has been turned into the Last Supper by Leonardo DaVinci. If you'll never afford to travel to Italy to see the original (which is crumbling fast) you can come see it here and now!  And what does this have to do with genealogy, you're perhaps saying?

The Leonardo DaVinci exhibit currently at our MAC (Museum of Arts and Culture) is a wonder...... to see the drawings DaVinci made, and then to see the wooden models of that whatever-it-was........... Leonardo DaVinci, 1452-1519,  was a man, an inventor and a true genius and his inventions show the vast imagination of man. You will be enthralled as you walk through this display of his creations.

And if you want to make Egg Tempera Paint and slather a wall with a creation of your own, you can pick up a flyer that will tell you just how to make that paint. (The exhibit is only there until September 5th, so hop to it.)

Historic Campbell House to Close

It's a shame to see that the Campbell House will be closing due to lack of funds. Just over a year ago, a group of Eastern Washington Genealogical Society members took on a fun and exciting project researching the family history of the servants of the Campbell House. Here's hoping that restoration of funding will be swift.

From the November 7, 2008 issue of the Spokesman-Review:

The Northwest Museum of Arts and Culture will close the historic Campbell House on Jan. 2 and lay off the mansion’s three part-time tour guides due to state budget cuts.

Museum-goers will no longer be able to tour the historic Kirtland Cutter-designed mansion, although Dennis Hession, the MAC’s chief executive officer, said he hopes that school-group tours can continue. The Campbell House’s numerous holiday events in 2008 will continue on schedule.

Read more here.