Stories from the Entiat Valley

We are at a crossroads in the growth of our community and in the future of our country. When so much is changing, the stakes are high with each choice and risk we take. The best we can do sometimes is to steer a course around obstacles and find a clear path to our destination. The question is, "Where do we see ourselves in the future looking back on this age?" What are the hallmarks of our community? What will we be known for?

The Entiat Community Historical Society is looking for volunteers. We are a small group of dedicated volunteers with a lot of ideas. We want to share the history of the things we know now and make a place for the stories that haven't been told yet. We want to make the building more accessible and more beautiful. We want to build a stage area where musicians and performers can comfortably share a space in the shade on a sultry summer day. We want to have a place for storage and a place for delicate archival material. We want to welcome people from all walks of life to introduce them to the community. We want all of our programs to be free and interesting to people of all ages. We want to archive and digitize photos and documents to be accessible online.

We are on the cusp of all of these projects becoming reality, and together with you, they will happen. I want to thank you all personally for the many generous gifts of time, talent, and funds. We had over 500 visitors over the course of the season. Many hours of hosting and volunteering were accrued, and new and diverse programming and exhibits were brought to the community. Our challenges lie in being able to manage all of the many tasks that go into the various roles our organization requires. We truly welcome familiar and fresh faces, stories from the old days, and from not so long ago, and all who would like to grow with us.

On Saturday, November 7, at 11:00 AM, you are invited to Stories from the Entiat Valley, in the Council Chambers room of the Entiat Library Building. This program is being co-hosted by the ECHS and the Entiat Library. We will be traveling back in time to the era when some of the earliest settlers arrived in the valley. Magi Clark, our Entiat Librarian, will read excerpts from the diary of Emma Mead, wife of Doctor Eugene Mead, who arrived in the Entiat Valley in 1889, homesteaded on a claim about 2 1/2 miles up the Entiat Valley, and lived there for 10 years. "Emma Mead's journal tells of the people who lived around their home; both the settlers and the Indians were their friends. She tells of the problems of living in the wilderness, of the animals, of the improvements in the neighborhood, of accidents, of growing children, of wildfires, and describes the world around her." - from Nuggets of Entiat Past, by Phyllis Griffith.

Esther Dalgas will read from the memoir written by May Osborn titled "Crum Canyon." The Osborns lived on a ranch up Crum Canyon for 9 years between 1914 and 1923. She wrote of her life here, "We enjoyed life as it was, asked little, and received much. Our home was poor and humble, but it gave shelter and comfort to many during the years we spent on the place."

Folks who attend are encouraged to listen and to share their own related experiences of life in the Entiat Valley. If you have an interesting artifact with a story to go with it, even better! The day will be a chance to get together and share memories, and to ask questions about the interesting history of the Entiat Valley.

We will offer coffee and light refreshments.

We welcome you to our monthly meetings held on the 4th Monday of each month at 1:00 PM. This month, our meeting is being held on Monday, October 26, in the Council Chambers of the Entiat Library.