The Redmond Recorder

REDMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY NEWSLETTER

April 2016 VOL. 18 NO. 4

Every town has a history. Discover ours.

UpcomingSaturday Speaker Series

Saturday, April 9, 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center
16600 NE 80th St., Redmond, WA

The Olympic: The Story of

Seattles Landmark Hotel, 19242004

The Olympic Hotel in its heyday. Source: HistoryLink

Every town has a history. Discover ours. April 2016

Story on page 4.

2016

Society News

EXECUTIVE BOARD

Joe Townsend President

Mary I. Hanson Senior Vice President
Ed Dint OBrien Vice President Finance
Crystal Rojas Mora Vice President
Collections
Deborah Harvard Secretary

BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Judith Simpson
Steve Johnson
Sharon Brocker
Indira Krishnaswami

COLLECTIONS MANAGER Jlean

McDonald

ADMINISTRATIVE MANAGER

Laura Lee Bennett

ATTORNEY Charles Diesen
Our finances are public record and may
be viewed at the office.

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THE REDMOND RECORDER

is published nine times annually.
Laura Lee Bennett Editor
Jeanne Gustafson Layout
redmondhistoricalsociety.org

Please join us in honoring

Evelyn Grace Gilbert, who
celebrates her 100th birthday at
the Redmond Historical Society
Saturday Speaker Series program
on April 9th, 10:30 a.m.12:00 p.m.
at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse
Community Center. See story on
p. 8.
Welcome new Business Member
VALA Eastside, (Venues for Local
Artists in the Area, Eastside).
Please welcome Society
member Richard Morris, who will
take the reins of Society webmaster
starting this month.
Welcome new Society
Volunteers: Michelle McBeath,
Arunita Dutta, Kara Simon, and
Aarthi John.
Reminder: The Annual Society
Picnic will be held on Saturday,
June 11. in Perrigo Park. Address:
9011 196 Ave. NE, Redmond, WA.
Time: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. More park
info: http://redmond.gov/cms/one.
aspx?portalId=169&pageId=4038

PHONE

425.885.2919

EMAIL

info@redmondhistoricalsociety.org
Monday, Wednesday and Friday: 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and by appointment

WEB SITE redmondhistoricalsociety.org

HOURS

Members, member families, friends, if you have

questions about buying or selling a home, contact
Bliss Ong at Coldwell Banker Bain: 425.881.3200.
Redmond Historical Society has entered into a
community partnership with Bliss Ong.

April 2016 Every town has a history. Discover ours.

Become a Society
Business Member

Presidents
Notebook

Redmond Historical Society serves the community through

stewardship: collecting, preserving and sharing Redmonds unique
heritage. The support of individual and family members is important in
achieving this mission. We also recognize the vital role that business has
played in shaping Redmonds heritage and the importance of partnering
with business as we further develop the stories behind this dynamic
community.

Moreover, achieving our Vision calls for enhanced staff resources
and facilities. As with any prosperous organization, growth and change
management at Redmond Historical Society keeps us vibrant. Business
memberships provide additional funding and potential expertise for
the Society, while also telling a story about that members ties to the
community.
Business/Corporate Members receive public recognition of their
support of and involvement with the Society, providing an opportunity to
increase their visibility within the community, and to link their business with
an important cultural presence in Redmond. Business Members are listed
on our website, in the opening presentation at our well-attended Saturday
Speaker Series, written up in our newsletter (circulation 1,300), and receive
mention in news releases. Corporate Members also receive a framed
certificate for display in public areas.
Business owners and managers in or near Redmond, increase your
presence in the community by becoming a Redmond Historical Society
Business Member. Realize opportunities for your business by partnering
with the Society in stewardship of Redmonds unique heritage. Membership
is open to all businessessmall and large retail companies, professional
services, and corporations.
Join today and help the Society deliver on our Mission and Vision. For
more information, please contact Laura Lee Bennett at 425.885.2919 or
email: info@redmondhistoricalsociety.org. Redmond Historical Society is
designated as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization by the IRS.
Todays Business Members:
Nintendo of America
The Bellevue Collection
Happy Valley Grange, #322
Coldwell Banker Bain
VALA Eastside

~Joe Townsend, Redmond Historical Society President

Every town has a history. Discover ours. April 2016

Saturday
Speaker
Series

The Olympic:
The Story of Seattles
Landmark Hotel, 19242004

Landmarks dot Seattles landscape but

only one sheltered presidents, celebrities and
well-to-do travelers during most of the 1900s,
becoming the citys social hub and the Grand
Dame of its hotels.
That landmark is The Olympic, known
today as the Fairmont Olympic. Built in 1924,
it has a history that parallels Seattles own
travel through time, a fact that attracted Alan
J. Stein when he was asked by her owners to
write a book celebrating her 80th anniversary
in 2004.

Alan J. Stein
Staff Historian,
HistoryLink

In researching the hotels history, I discovered that the Olympic is a

great lens in which to view Seattle history, says Stein, a staff historian
with HistoryLink.org, the free online encyclopedia of Washington states
history.
So many of the citys big events have had some connection to the
hotel, that a timeline of Seattle matches up quite well of a timeline of the
Olympic.
Stein will share The Olympics story at the Redmond Historical
Society Saturday Speaker Series on April 9th, from 10.30 a.m. to noon.
Located where the University of Washington first stood at University
St. between 4th and 5th avenues, the hotel was built with the purpose of
giving Seattle a world-class refuge for travelers.
Starting with Herbert Hoover, virtually every U.S. president and
presidential candidate have occupied the Presidential Suite, according
to HistoryLink.org. Overnighters have included Charles Lindbergh, Bob
Hope, John Glenn, Jimmy Hoffa, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan and more
recent celebrities like Eminem and Norah Jones.
The Olympic is a well-loved landmark that has played a part in so
many peoples lives, Stein says.
People really enjoy hearing stories about some of the famous

April 2016 Every town has a history. Discover ours.

Saturday
Speaker
Series

The Olympic Hotel today. Source: HistoryLink

people who have stayed in the hotel. Also, so many local people have
stories to share about events theyve attended thereconventions,
parties, [and] dinners.
Relax over a cup of coffee at the Redmond Historical Society
Saturday Speaker Series, a monthly program from September to May
that features eight speakers addressing topics of local, state and Pacific
Northwest historical interest. (No program in December).
The series is held 10:30 a.m.noon at the Old Redmond
Schoolhouse Community Center, 16600 NE 80th St., Redmond, WA.
Doors open at 10:00 am. $5 suggested donation for non-members.
Speakers subject to change. For details: www.redmondhistoricalsociety.
org.
The Redmond Historical Society is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit
organization that receives support from the City of Redmond, 4 Culture,
Nintendo, the Bellevue Collection, Happy Valley Grange, and VALA
Eastside, as well as from other donors and members. See
www.redmondhistoricalsociety.org for more information.

Every town has a history. Discover ours. April 2016

Local
History

John Perry:
Early Pioneer of Redmond

By Tom Hitzroth

John Perry was born in

England, June 12, 1842. On
March 28, 1863, he married
Caroline Charlotte Baker (b.
February, 1845). John arrived
in New York April 17, 1871, on
the Steamer City of Brussels.
Caroline Charlotte Perry arrived
in New York the following year,
September 30, 1872, aboard
the same steamer. After her
arrival Caroline Charlotte
would be known only as
Charlotte. They came to King
County, Washington Territory
in 1876, and on November 4
of that year John declared his
intention to become a citizen
of the United States. This
declaration would allow him to
claim land.

Section 12, T25N R5E From a Sept. 21,

1871, cadastral map in the records of
the Department of the Interior, Bureau of
Land Management

On July 26, 1878, John purchased 80 acres of land east of Warren

Perrigo for $325.00. This land had first been claimed March 4, 1874, by
Henry L. Denny, a member of the Seattle Denny family. The land John
purchased included a house, barn, chicken house, and 25 fruit trees.
The 1880 Territorial Census and a map made in 1883 by Luke
McRedmond for his post office application shows John Perry on this
land and apparently occupying the Denny house. An 1874 road survey
map showed Dennys house, and with some GIS help, it was determined
the Henry Denny/John Perry house was located about where Rite Aid in
Bear Creek Village is today.
On August 21, 1882, John purchased 80 acres of land immediately
east of his property for $200.00. John now owned 160 acres or 25
percent of Section 12 (see insert), which today would be roughly between
172nd Ave NE and 180th Ave NE. He built a new house, barn, wood

April 2016 Every town has a history. Discover ours.

Society
News

shed, chicken house, cultivated vegetables, fenced

eight acres, and planted 70 fruit trees. This makes
John Perry one of the more prosperous land owners in Redmond.

On January 21, 1902, John sold the land to Julia Hartough for
$5,000.00. An article in The Seattle Times from March 9, 1902, stated
that John Perry, one of the oldest and best known residents has sold his
land and moved to Redmond.
While that may seem a strange statement, it must be remembered
that in 1902, the area between172nd Ave NE and 180th Ave NE was not
considered Redmond.
When Redmond was incorporated in 1912, the eastern limit of the
city was where 172nd Ave NE would be today. John and Charlotte Perry
both died in 1914. Charlotte is buried at the Lake View Cemetery in
Seattle; John is believed to be buried in Munhall, Pennsylvania.

Walking Tours Start in April

Redmond Historical Society announces the 2016 Walking Tour

Schedule, led by local historian Tom Hitzroth. There is a suggested
donation of $10 for each person.
Note that the tour may be cancelled in the event of rain, so be sure to
call the Society office (425.885.2919) by 10 a.m. the morning of the tour
for any cancellation notices.
2016 Walking Tour Schedule
Sunday, April 10, 2016
Sunday, May 8, 2016
Sunday, June 12, 2016
Sunday, September 11, 2016
For more information, and to register, visit our website:
redmondhistoricalsociety.org. On the Events menu, select Walking Tours.

Every town has a history. Discover ours. April 2016

Society
News

Evelyn Gilbert
100th Birthday

By Judy Gilbert Turner

Evelyn Grace Gilbert was born in

Kamloops, BC on March 30, 1916. After their
crops failed in 1919, Evelyn, her dad, mother
and dog Bruce packed up all their belongings
in an open wagon drawn by a team of horses
they called Buster & Babe. They travelled for
three days to Penticton, BC, camping in a
tent along the way. The family settled above
West Lake Sammamish Road junction of
what is now Bel-Red Road. Her family had
10 acres with a wonderful view of the lake
and mountains. The swimming hole she and friends enjoyed as kids was
where the dog run is now located at Marymoor Park. It was their private
spot years ago. They would cross the bridge at Cooks Barn. The old family
home has long been torn down. They were neighbors and friends with Dr.
Davis and the Cotterill families, both longtime Redmond residents.
Evelyn started school in 1922 in the two-story brick building which
opened that year with 12 classrooms to Redmond students from grade
school to high school. Redmonds population was approximately 300.* She
loved going to school as she experienced electric lights and running water
for the first time. They had neither at home on the hill above Marymoor. The
auditorium, which is dedicated to Robert Cotterill, a dear friend and school
janitor, was originally the school gym where she played basketball, had
school proms, and high school graduation.
Evelyn met her future husband, Dale Gilbert, at the beginning of their
senior year at Redmond High School. They graduated in 1935 and were
married in 1936. They found a cottage on West Lake Sammamish just south
of what is now Idylwood Park. They raised their children, Jean, Judy, Dale,
and Lynn here, about a mile and a half from where she grew up.
In the late 1980s, Lynn and her family bought the family home and
built an apartment above and attached to the original home. Evelyn still
resides here and enjoys the beautiful lake view she has loved for 79 years.
Her husband Dale passed in 1999 after 63 years of marriage. She has
enjoyed watching her family grow with nine grandchildren and 16 greatgrandchildren. On March 30, 2016, she celebrated her 100th birthday (95 of
those years in Redmond, Washington).
* [Editors Note: Historical record shows there were 438 people in
Redmond proper in 1920. However, where Mrs. Gilbert lived was not within
the city limits in those days.]

April 2016 Every town has a history. Discover ours.

Order
Now

Redmond
Reflections

$10

(INCLUDES TAX)*

SHIPPING & HANDLING: Please add $5.00 shipping & handling

surchage

for any order that you would like mailed.

ORDERING INFO*:
NAME____________________________________________________ PHONE NUMBER_____________________
# OF BOOKS ORDERED_______ AMOUNT ENCLOSED (CHECK PLEASE) _$_____________________________

SHIPPING INFO:
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NOTE:

REDMOND REFLECTIONS is also available at the RHS OFFICE at the Old

Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center. (Hours of operation on page 12.)

Great Gift Ideas for History Lovers

Need something special for someone
who appreciates our history? These
are available at our Society office:

GREETING CARDS, MAGNETS

& NOTE CARDS
featuring artwork by local artists:
PATTI SIMPSON WARD
DORISJEAN COLVIN
PAT DUGAN
OUR TOWN
History of Redmond by Nancy Way

VIEW OF HISTORY DVD

This painting of Marymoor Park, Flying Kites at the Clise

Mansion, is the work of fine artist Patti Simpson Ward.
Visit her website to see more images of Eastside settings
pattisimpsonward.com.

Every town has a history. Discover ours. April 2016

Society
News

Saturday Speaker Series

Volunteers
Many thanks to our Saturday Speaker Series Volunteers for their
generous donation of their time and effort to ensure a smooth program day.
Press ReleaseMiguel Llanos
Audio VisualDavid Rossiter
CoffeeBeryl Standley
SnacksBliss Ong
Door GreetersMarge Hanson and Kris Swanson
MembershipBill McKenzie and Linda McCrystal
Set up CoordinatorTom Hansen
Set up/Clean upStephan Nickel, student
Redmond High School Key Club: Allen Mui and Tessa Fujisaki

Our Society Lifetime Members

Ray Adams
Eric Anderson
John Anderson
Barbara Neal Beeson
Brad Best
Pierre Bruneau
Marjorie Stensland
Costello
John Couch
Liz Carlson Coward
Tony Emmanuel
Frank Garbarino
Edward L. Hagen
Tom Hall
Lucille B. HansenBellings
Wayne Hansen
Jerry Hardy
Naomi Hardy
Chris Himes
Rosemarie Ives
Cory de Jong
Madeleine Roberts Hagen
Mary Hanson

10

Patricia Weiss Jovag

Barbara Weiss Joyce
Glenn Lampaert
Roy Lampaert
Allen Lang
Judy Aries Lang
Miguel Llanos
Jon Magnussen
Clare Amo Marr
Daryl Martin
Allison Reed Morris
John Phillips
Roxie Phillips
Dale Potter
Jo Ann Potter
Charles Reed
Frances Spray Reed
Bobbie Graep Rettig
Vivian Robinson
Laurie Rockenbeck

Vivian Robinson
Margy Rockenbeck
William Rockenbeck
Richard Shinstrom
Beryl Standley
John Stilin
Sherry Stilin
Fred Springsteel
Fred Stray
Doris Bauer Schaible
Herb Swanson
Doris Townsend
Joe Townsend
Roger Trepanier
Arlyn Vallene
Patti Simpson Ward
Don Watts
Rose Weiss
Joanne Westlund
Margaret Evers Wiese
James Windle

April 2016 Every town has a history. Discover ours.

Membership
Join
RedmondHistorical Society
Every town has a history. Discover ours.
CONSIDER A GIFT MEMBERSHIP FOR A FAVORITE HISTORY BUFF.

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Redmond, WA 98052

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Every town has a history. Discover ours. April 2016

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Redmond Historical Society

16600 NE 80th Street, Room 106
Redmond, WA 98052

Major Sponsors

Happy Valley
Grange #322

April 2016 Every town has a history. Discover ours.