Ripples across Time and Land

On a sunny day last week. we took a walk through our town's park by the river, the place my heart first fell in love with Entiat in the summer of 1981. We traveled with a group of earnest young families, looking for a place to park our vans and trailers and find work in the famed orchards of North Central Washington. Nature's beauty, honest labor, and friendly people still bring meaning to our lives four and a half decades later. The opportunity to make Entiat our home has defined "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness" for us. It is a freedom we cannot take for granted, and a freedom for which all Americans should have an equal chance at. Those rights are precious, but only fair if they apply to all. Our great good fortune should motivate us to want that better life for others, and to help those in need when we have opportunity.

As we approach its semi quincentennial, we would like for you to consider and comment on which of the following items best illustrates and reflects Entiat's experience of the Declaration of Independence 250 years ago. How can we preserve those freedoms for people who live to celebrate that declaration long into the future?

Wendell George writes in his book Last Chief Standing, "The story spans several generations of my family as they moved from a nomadic existence into the modern world and resisted extinction. Their challenges included only physical survival but identity survival. The clash of cultures was more than just who could occupy the land. It was about freedom and what it means. The Indian form of democracy is far different than the dominant society. The question now is where the future will take both of them."

Does Last Chief Standing reflect the Entiat experience of the Declaration of Independence?

In 1776, a Douglas Fir grew in a beautiful forest in the Entiat Valley. By that year it was over 100 years old and may have reached a height of 80 to 100 feet. It grew strong, dense with a dark center of heartwood. In 1970, the three-hundred-year-old Doug Fir was cut and brought to the Harris Mill in Ardenvoir to become lumber. Laddie McQuarrie and Wayne Dwyer spent many weeks counting the growth rings and noting what events happened during this tree's lifetime.

A forest is an ecosystem that thrives with diverse life forms above, within and below earth. Each element - all the myriad life forms are part of the whole. None is greater than the other. Because of this, forests have thrived through all of the vagaries of human culture, though like the Indians, their numbers have been decimated due to our actions. Humanity's future depends on many things, most importantly on the health of planet Earth. Perhaps the writers of the Declaration of Independence considered Nature's example when they wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness."

Does this slice of a tree represent the Entiat experience of the Declaration of Independence?

This portrait of our first president, George Washington, hung in the old Entiat School and was donated by Rich Baldwin to Entiat's museum. Washington's image serves as a constant visual reminder of the nation's origins. His leadership during the Revolution, and his honorable presidency and peaceful transfer of power to his successor inspired people to place trust in free and fair elections and the balance of power between the three branches of government. "The power under the Constitution will always be in the people." ~ George Washington.

Does his portrait best reflect the meaning and import of the Declaration of Independence?

In the late 1940's, Milton Harry Hussey came to the Entiat Valley and worked for Fred Galbraith harvesting apples. When he left, he left his Purple Heart in the orchard housing that he stayed in. The Purple Heart was originally established by George Washington on August 7, 1782, as the "Badge of Military Merit". It was created during the Revolutionary War to recognize the "bravery and fidelity" of common soldiers. The medal features a bust of George Washington, the man who led the Continental Army to defend the principles laid out in the 1775 Declaration.

Does the service of common men and women who give their all reflect the costs and rewards of the Declaration of Independence and the defense of Democracy?

Two pamphlets, found in the collections of the Albert Long Museum, were distributed during two different eras.

My Land of Liberty, published in 1941, came at a moment when the United States was watching the rise of fascist governments overseas and trying to understand what that meant for its own future. It stresses that democracy depends on informed citizens who participate, question, and think for themselves, while fascism relies on obedience, fear, and the concentration of power. The pamphlet uses the Declaration of Independence as both a reminder and a warning — a reminder of the ideals the nation was built on, and a warning about how easily those ideals can be lost if people stop paying attention.

The Book of Freedom, printed in 1968, reflects a very different kind of uncertainty. Instead of looking outward toward threats abroad, it looks inward at the country’s own struggles. The pamphlet draws on the Declaration to encourage readers to think about freedom as something that must be continually expanded and renewed. It speaks to civil rights, equal opportunity, and the responsibilities that come with citizenship. Where the 1941 pamphlet emphasizes unity in the face of external danger, the 1968 one emphasizes participation and the ongoing work of making the nation’s founding promises real for everyone.

Do these pamphlets tell the story of the ongoing need to refresh what the Declaration of Independence means through the changes in our country and understanding of Democracy?

Thank you for reading and sharing your thoughts. The Entiat Historical Society needs and welcomes new members and interested folks to our monthly meetings on the fourth Monday of every month, currently being held in the council chambers room at the Entiat Library at 1:00 PM. We will be having a meeting on this Monday, February 23rd and we are so very much in need of your voice, and appreciative of your volunteer time and spirit. History is alive and we are the authors of it. Let us tell the stories together that bring meaning and connection to our community. Please contact us for how you would like to be involved!