Entiat is just that way

On Saturday, September 13, Entiat's Albert Long Museum will be open from 10 - 3 as Art in the Park, sponsored by the Entiat Arts Collective, is happening nearby. We will be dedicating a plaque that was designed by the Entiat Memorial Board and funded by donors who wish to honor and recognize the important work that Wayne Long and Peggy (Long) Whitmore accomplished to keep the stories of Entiat alive and the Albert Long Museum a welcoming home to that history. You are invited to join us in the celebration and sharing of our precious memories, of our friendship and shared experiences.

Tonight, as I look out my window and see smoky skies, vanishing hills behind heavy cover of airborne particulates, I remember other years when it looked, smelled, and felt just like this. I am thinking tonight of the firefighters who are on the line, and whose safety is the most important factor in the equation of how to fight this fire. May calm prevail, and may the families of the firefighters know how greatly we appreciate the dangerous work that they do to protect our homes and lives. I decided today to look through some of the binders in the museum for stories of fires past. I found several newspaper articles that brought the remembrance of the Tyee fire of 1994 right back and memory of how the challenges the Entiat community faced together strengthened our bonds more deeply.

In late July of 1994, the outsize headline of the Wenatchee World shouted, "Out of Control!" as the Tyee fire consumed an eventual 135,000 acres and destroyed many homes including that of Albert "Shorty" Long. He was interviewed by World staff writer Michael McCluskey on July 27, 1994. The story below is quoted from that article.

Entiat - Albert " Shorty" Long sat at the picnic table at the Entiat City Park, sipping a beer and trying to be philosophical. "You can't be afraid of fire. It's just a fact of life, " Long shrugged, gazing out at the placid waters of Lake Entiat on the warm summer evening.

... The Tyee Creek fire was caused by a lightning strike Sunday night. Monday morning Long could see fire along Tyee Ridge. That afternoon somebody stopped by his house to look at the fire. "There the fire was in front of me," Long said, "We could see it real plain across the face of Tyee Mountain."

Long and his daughter, Peggy Whitmore, knew later on Monday that the fire was trouble. Whitmore, who lives about three miles downstream from her father was forces to evacuate, too. " We packed our car Monday night with all the important papers," said Long, an expert in Entiat Valley history and curator of the city museum. "We brought pictures and photos, but a lot of sentimental stuff we didn't get."

By 1 p.m. Tuesday, Long had left his home for good. less than two hours later it was nothing but rubble, as fire raged through its Potato Creek neighborhood devouring at least six other homes as well as several barns and other structures.

Long also had a front-row seat for the devastating 1970 fire which devoured 52,700 acres in the valley.

"This fire had a lot of reminders to the 1970 fire," he said. "The way it jumped so fast and moved so fast . Tuesday morning you could see it crown and jump, crown and jump."

Another article in that same issue titled, "Volunteers provide food, comfort" tells of how the Red Cross, led by Dianne Gamel, disaster services representative and longtime Entiat resident, helped people who had been evacuated with provisions for shelter and food. The Entiat Federated Church (now named Entiat Valley Church) helped about 128 people, in one way or another. The Entiat Food Center served as a social service center, meeting center, and place to get supplies. Store owners Mike and Marilyn Swearingen fielded phone calls from people wondering about friends and relatives and passed on the latest news about the fire damage. Dianne Gamel is quoted, "Tonight, Entiat has come together and is holding itself up... Entiat is just that way - we look out for each other."