Bellingham Centennial
Oral History Project Records
Dates:
2003-2005 ( inclusive )
Quantity:
2 linear ft.
Collection Number:
XOE0044bcohp
Summary:
The Bellingham Centennial Oral History
Project Records documents the personal responses to significant experiences and
events by long-time residents of Bellingham as a part of the city's centennial
celebration. Both the audio and video interviews of Bellingham residents
represent an economic, ethnic, and physical cross section of the Bellingham
community and covers a broad range of topics including local environmental
issues, healthcare, entertainment, Native American issues and other ethnic and
race relations, industry and businesses, transportation, and
education.
Repository:
Western Washington University Center for Pacific Northwest Studies
Funding for preparing this
finding aid was provided through a grant awarded by the National Historical
Publications and Records Commission. Funding for encoding the finding aid was
awarded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Historical Note
The Bellingham Centennial Oral History Project began in 2003 as a part
of the Bellingham Centennial celebration from September 2003 to December 2004.
In 2001, the Centennial Committee met and an oral history was proposed to both
preserve and promote awareness of Bellingham’s past. This city-funded project
sought to document long-time residents of Bellingham and their experiences of
the past 100 years in Bellingham. As Bellingham was celebrating the
amalgamation of the communities of Sehome, Fairhaven, and Whatcom, the
project’s goal was to reflect the diverse nature of the area. Center staff and
volunteers conducted interviews with residents from a wide range of
geographical, economic, and ethnic backgrounds. Suggestions from the community
helped locate these individuals: George Davenport, Lois and George Garlick,
Pauline Hillaire, Lenny Hovde, Jim Roberts, Betty Russell, John and Nina
Sternhagen, Myrtle Molly “Jule” Thompson, Dr. Arthur Watts, Margaret Watts,
Jane Hovde, Gordy Tweit, and Tut Asmundson. James V. Hillegas, a Western
Washington University history student, conducted all the audio interviews, the
video interviews of George Davenport, Betty Russell, Pauline Hillaire, and
Gordon Tweit as well as the research that accompanied the project as part of an
independent study project, under the supervision of the Center for Pacific
Northwest Studies archivist, Elizabeth Joffrion, eventually completing 14
interviews with 11 individuals.
The Center for Pacific Northwest Studies also
collaborated with the City of Bellingham and Black Dog Productions of
Bellingham to produce a documentary film,
Centennial Stories, using portions of the
video interviews. Along with the film, the Center also created a local history
curriculum project for Bellingham schools. The explicit purpose of the audio
interviews was for their retention at the Center adding to Bellingham’s
documentary heritage, while the video interviews were created both to be
archived and for use in the documentary film. These materials have been
arranged and are now housed at the Center in order to foster research in local
Bellingham history for the years to come.
Content Description
The Bellingham Centennial Oral History Project Records includes a
series of interviews conducted with long-time Bellingham residents and sought
to document Bellingham from its beginnings to the present day getting citizens
to reflect on their personal experiences and observations of significant local
events.
The records span 1 linear foot and contains 3 series: Audio Oral
History Interviews, Video Oral History Interviews, and Documentary Film. The
material spans from roughly November 2003 to April 2005 with the bulk of it
spanning from November 2003 to September 15, 2004. There are 13 total
interviewees and 16 total interviews (10 audio and 6 video). George Davenport,
Pauline Hillaire, and Betty Russell did both an audio interview and a separate
video interview. Gordy Tweit, Jane Hovde, and Tut Asmundson did only video
interviews. The sound quality of the interviews is good, except the audio
interviews with Arthur Watts and George Garlick, which are hard to understand
at times. There is also textual material in the form of transcripts,
correspondence between the Mayor’s office and Elizabeth Joffrion, and consent
forms of the interviewees. There are 7 transcripts of audio interviews with the
exception of Gordon Tweit’s video interview transcript. The Center for Pacific
Northwest Studies actively created this collection. The audio, video, as well
as the textual materials, were incorporated into the collection at the Center
as they were completed during the 2003-2004 period. The documentary film series
contains the 47 minute documentary film, Centennial Stories. It utilized
portions of the video interviews and was added to the collection later upon its
completion on April 5, 2005. There is also the chance of incorporating more
interview transcripts as they are completed.
These oral history interviews represent a cross section of the
Bellingham community coming from different geographic, ethnic, and econmonic
backgrounds. All the residents were born between 1910-1929 and not all were
specifically born in Bellingham. Among those interviewed are Pauline Hillaire,
a Lummi elder; Lois Garlick, a local environmental activist; Betty Russell, one
of the first women machinists at Boeing; and Gordon Tweit, the pharmacist of
the Fairhaven Pharmacy. The topics covered in these interviews are just as
diverse dealing with local environmental issues, healthcare, entertainment,
Native American issues and other ethnic and race relations, industry and
businesses, transportation, and education. While the focus is on Bellingham,
local responses to national events such as the Great Depression, Japanese
internment, and World War II are also represented in the interviews. While the
focus leans heavily towards early Bellingham history, there is however,
information concerning more current Bellingham issues with mention of the some
recent environmental issues and Interstate 5 construction.
Through the interviews, a researcher can gain an understanding of
early Bellingham life and also provide insight into the changes that Bellingham
has undergone over the years. Although not providing material on the area’s
settlement, it does provide strong material covering Bellingham’s early days as
a city in the 1920-1950s.
Use of the Collection
Restrictions on Access :
Access restrictions apply to interviews with Pauline Hillaire and
George Davenport.
Restrictions on Use :
Publication restrictions apply to interviews with George Davenport.
Preferred Citation :
Bellingham Centennial Oral History Project Records, Center for Pacific
Northwest Studies, Western Washington University, Bellingham, WA 98225-9123
Administrative Information
Arrangement :
The Bellingham Centennial Oral History Project Records are arranged in
accordance with the following series arrangement
Series 1. Audio Oral History Interviews, 2003-2004
Series 2. Video Oral History Interviews, 2003-2004
Series 3. Documentary Film, 2005
Detailed Description of the Collection
The following section contains a detailed listing of the materials in
the collection.
Series 1: Audio Oral History
Interviews, 2003-2004
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box/Folder
1/1
Davenport, Georgeinterviewed by James
Hillagas
3 audiocassettes (60 minutes each)
Transcript of interview available.
The archives must receive written permission from the
interviewee before providing access to recording or transcript.
The researcher must receive written permission from the
interviewee before publication, quotation, or reproduction of all or part of
the interview.
George relates stories from childhood and early adulthood in
the late 1910s through the 1940s and growing up in South Bellingham. He
describes the origins of the name “Happy Valley” as well as stories relating to
the Happy Valley Terminal on the Bellingham Bay & British Columbia Railway.
George recounts the many houses that he has lived in including one on Lummi
Island. He also includes information on his father and mother and their
backgrounds and birthplaces. His mother was English, who came by way of Canada.
His father was born in Iowa and was part Pawnee. He briefly discusses Jewish
and Slovenian acquaintances and relations between his German neighbors. He
discusses the many jobs he has held including newspaper delivery boy for the
Bellingham Herald, meat deliverer for Star Market, and an ambulance driver. He
reminisces about positions held at Brown and Cole’s Market and the Bellingham
Shipyard. Mr. Davenport discusses labor and the jobs that he held during World
War II including a truck driver. He was also a bus driver for Don Satterlee,
who was the mayor of Bellingham at the time.
2003 November 18
1/2
Garlick, Lois and Georgeinterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
2 audiocassettes (60 minutes each)
Transcript of interview available.
Lois (b. 1920) and George (1911-2005) discuss how they met at
Western Washington University, employed as science technicians, Lois in Science
Education and George in Biology. In addition to discussing their respective
parents, George also relates his experience of being drafted and stationed
first in England and then in France and Germany during World War II. Lois
recounts how she got involved as an activist in local environmental issues and
politics in the Bellingham area and throughout Whatcom County. She has been a
member of numerous organizations including the Audubon Society of the North
Cascades, Clean Water Alliance, People for Lake Whatcom, Lake Whatcom Watershed
Forestry Forum, Watershed Defense Club as well as the League of Women Voters.
She has also been a member of several local boards and committees including
ones on the Shoreline, Ten-Mile Creek, Silver Creek, Connelly Creek, and the
Columbia Neighborhood. She was involved in county government serving on the
planning commission, only to have the County Executive later dismiss her. She
also mentions events pertaining to the Bellingham waterfront and Georgia
Pacific as well as other companies such as Intalco.
2004 February 20
1/3
Hillaire, Paulineinterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
2 audiocassettes (60 minutes each)
Transcript of interview available.
The archives must receive written permission from the
interviewee before providing access to recording or transcript.
Pauline, a Lummi tribal elder, recalls her childhood and
growing up on Hillaire Road [now Lake Terrell Road] on the Lummi Indian
Reservation. Pauline points out that she has two different birthdates: the
tribal archives census rolls recording the year 1929 and her birth certificate
recording the year 1931. She reminisces about moving to La Conner in 1939 and
living on a farm there. She discusses attending the Lummi Day School then
Ferndale High School. Pauline and her siblings were some of the first Native
Americans to attend that high school and she describes the experiences that
accompany it. She recounts her parents serving as missionaries to Native
Americans throughout Washington State as well as the various missionaries that
would visit the reservation. Pauline’s mother attended the Tulalip School and
she recalls some of her mother’s experiences. She went to the Haskell
Institute, an Indian Boarding School, in Lawrence Kansas. She received the
Governor’s Heritage Award for her efforts in preserving the Lummi language and
song.
2003 November 21
1/4
Hovde, Lennyinterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
2 audiocassettes (60 minutes each)
Transcript of interview available.
Lenny (b. 1927) discusses many aspects of Bellingham life
including her childhood growing up on Victor Avenue. Her parents were both
English and came first to Discovery Bay. After spending years apart due to war,
they eventually settled in Bellingham. She briefly mentions her parents before
moving on to school activities that she participated in at the Roeder School,
Whatcom Middle School, and Bellingham High School. She was in school during
both the Great Depression and during the start of World War II and shares some
personal experiences about those periods. She also mentions recreational sports
such as downhill skiing on Mount Baker and water skiing on Lake Padden and Lake
Whatcom. Lenny further mentions other water destinations such as Squalicum
Beach, Birch Bay, Chuckanut Bay, Larrabee State Park, Citizen’s Dock, and Agate
Bay. She remembers working at Mrs. Hunt’s Grocery when she was 9 years old.
When she was 16 years old, she worked in the kitchen at the Madrona Inn on
Orcas Island during the summer. Another focus of Lenny’s is entertainment in
Bellingham. She mentions the various theaters including the Mount Baker
Theater, the American Theater, the Grand Theater, and the People’s Theater. She
also discusses some activities at the YMCA as well as the Red Wing Social Club.
Recollecting changes in Bellingham, she talks about aspects that deal with
building of Interstate 5, the destruction of old buildings, and overall changes
in the Silver Beach Neighborhood.
2004 March 11
1/5
Roberts, Jiminterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
3 audiocassettes (60 minutes each)
Jim (b. 1927) discusses life in Bellingham growing up on the
waterfront on C. Street. He also recounts his father, who worked as a section
foreman on the Great Northern Railroad, and growing up in a section house
provided by the company. He discusses many topics including the Great
Depression, transportation, a labor strike, businesses and restaurants of
downtown Bellingham, the pollution of Bellingham Bay and Whatcom Creek,
prostitution and brothels, ethnic relations including the Ku Klux Klan presence
and Japanese internment Jim, who served in the Navy during World War II, also
mentions life at home as well as overseas during the war. He further speaks
about education ranging from his undergraduate and graduate years at Western
Washington College to his experiences teaching science in public schools and
later serving as the school district superintendent. He finally relates
projects benefiting healthcare that he undertook while working with the St.
Luke’s Foundation after retiring.
2004 February 27
1/6
Russell, Bettyinterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
2 audiocassettes (60 minutes each)
Transcript of interview available.
Betty (b. 1924) discusses her childhood in Bellingham living in
both Park Street and Smith Road houses. She focuses mainly on traditions
particular to her immediate family such as Christmas, religion, and weekend
activities. One of her occasional getaways was going with the family to a beach
on the Lummi Indian Reservation. She mentions her relationship and experiences
with her father who was a logger and later a longshoreman. In addressing the
Longshore Labor Strike in the 1930s, she illustrates the reaction of the
community and its direct effect on her family. Betty reminisces about first
being an independent seamstress at 14 years old, volunteering as a receptionist
at Graham Airport, and attending the old Sehome School to learn to be a sheet
metal mechanic. Later she worked at Boeing in Seattle becoming one of the first
women workers on the floor of the Boeing plant as a mechanic mostly building
B-17’s. She also recounts both her family’s and the community’s reaction to the
bombing of Pearl Harbor and further discusses serving in the hydrographic
office of the Navy in Washington D. C. Here, she remarks about differences
between the east coast and west coast.
2003 November 20
2/1
Sternhagen, Nina and Johninterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
3 audiocassettes (60 minutes each)
John (b. 1917) came to Bellingham from Montana when he was 3
years old. His family was of Austrian and Bohemian descent. He discusses
growing up on Yew Street as well as moving to a farm 4 miles out of town on the
Mount Baker Highway. He recalls his family’s grocery store, Sternhagen’s
Grocery, on Orleans Street as well as others throughout Bellingham. He also
relates his experiences serving in the Coast Guard Reserve during World War II
on a tug boat in Alaska and Washington as well as a patrol boat in Bellingham
Bay. Nina (b. 1914) was born in Italy and came to Bellingham when she was 5
years old. She discusses growing in Bellingham and her family’s adaptation to
American life and schools. She mentions the various church organizations that
she was a member of including the Catholic Daughters. Nina also briefly
recounts the jobs that she has held in the past. The both explore various
aspects of Bellingham life including industry, downtown businesses, markets,
the circus, transportation, education, working at Western Washington College,
the Bellingham Herald, Interstate 5 construction, and overall changes in the
Bellingham area.
2004 March 9
2/2
Thompson, Myrtle Mollyinterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
3 audiocassettes (60 minutes each)
Transcript of interview available.
Myrtle (b. 1920) discusses her childhood on Baker Street in the
North Side of Bellingham and has a predominantly family and home life focus.
She reminisces about prayer meetings among fellow Scandinavian families and the
many traditions that accompany these meetings including food, table settings,
and manners. Her father was Danish and came to Bellingham via Iowa, while her
mother came via Minnesota and descended from a Swedish family. Her father
worked at Bellingham Sash & Door Company, but she remarks of his fondness
for botany, for which he had a degree in. She recalls the apple orchards that
he planted in their yard and his willingness to share his knowledge of plants
and trees as well as his harvest with others. Mrs. Thompson discusses her
family life during the Great Depression as well as many other aspects of her
home life including numerous chores, activities, games, clothing, trips, and
neighbor relations. She also mentions her school experiences from the Columbia
School, Roeder School, and finally Whatcom High School.
2004 November 10
2/3
Watts, Dr. Artherintervied by James V.
Hillagas
2 audiocassettes (60 minutes each)
Arthur (b. 1916) was born in Bellingham, but both his parents
were originally from Iowa. He discusses many aspects of his childhood growing
up on Cornwall Avenue and of the changes that have occurred in Bellingham over
the years. His father owned his own real estate business where Arthur worked
for a year after graduating from high school. He became a medical practitioner
after serving in World War II so his focus is largely on community health care
and he highlights the emergence of specialists and the lack of competition
among hospitals today. He relates changes that have taken place in Bellingham
parks as well as yards in the Happy Valley and Birchwood neighborhoods. He also
discusses forms of transportation like streetcars, bicycles, trains, boats, and
horses as well as the condition of roads such as Guide Meridian and Holly
Street throughout the years. He briefly mentions stories of bootleggers in
Bellingham before and after prohibition, his family’s relationship to Ella
Higginson, entertainment such as orchestras and operas, door-to-door food
salesmen, and Western Washington College’s relationship to the larger
Bellingham community.
2004 February 5
2/4
Watts, Margaretinterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
2 audiocassettes (60 minutes each)
Margaret was born in Bellingham and grew up on North Garden
Street. Her grandfather was Robert Morse, one of the first settlers of
Bellingham. He owned a hardware store that her father Cecil inherited. Margaret
remarks about going there as a child and eventually worked there for 3 summers
as her father’s secretary. She discusses the physical as well as attitude
changes that have occurred in Bellingham. She also compares the role that
hardware stores play today with when she was growing up. She reminisces about
family vacations to Orcas Island where they had a summerhouse and would stay
from July to the end of August. She started at Western Washington College
before transferring to Stanford University and went on to complete her
undergraduate, masters, and her teaching credentials there. Upon returning to
Bellingham, she taught at the Whatcom Junior High School and at Bellingham High
School for a total of eight years. She recalls teaching during World War II and
acting as a counselor to many students whose parents were contributing to the
war effort. She also reflects on the attack on Pearl Harbor and the other
effects that the war had on Bellingham like blackouts and the National Guard
presence. She recalls downtown entertainment including theatres like the
Egyptian Theatre, the American Theatre, the Grand Theatre, and the People’s
Theatre as well as special events like the circus and evangelical tent
revivals. She also recalls downtown businesses and business owners.
Series 2: Video Oral History Interviews, 2003-2004
Container(s)
Description
Dates
Box/Folder
2/5
Tut
Asmundsoninterviewed by Susan Blais
3 digital videocassettes
VHS tape duplicate also available.
Tut was born in Mitchell, North Dakota and came from an
Icelandic family. He attended law school at the University of North Dakota at
Grand Forks. He relates stories from his early years in North Dakota during the
Dust Bowl and Great Depression before and after the rest of his family had
moved to the state of Washington. He joined his family in Washington in 1931
arriving first in Blaine and then eventually settling in Bellingham. He
discusses his position he held at the Washington State Social Security
Department for 8 years traveling throughout the state handling claims. After
failing the Washington state bar exam numerous times, he passed. His focus is
on the Port Commission, which he served for numerous years. He discusses
various aspects of the shipping industry including interactions with Georgia
Pacific, Bellingham Cold Storage, the Bellingham Airport, and Intalco. He
expresses the changes that he and his fellow commissioners enacted to existing
local industry and the promotion of Bellingham helping to foster the interest
of outside industries. Tut also relates how he got his nickname, how he met his
wife Esther, population changes, prostitution, and race relations.
2004 June 10
3/1
Davenport, Georgeinterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
2 digital videocassettes
VHS tape duplicate also available.
The archives must receive written permission from the
interviewee before providing access to recording or transcript.
The researcher must receive written permission from the
interviewee before publication, quotation, or reproduction of all or part of
the interview.
George expands on his audio interview by discussing various
modes of transportation including horse and carriage, cars, streetcars, boats,
trains, and buses. He also expands on remarks about the waterfront discussing
the changes that have occurred with new plants moving in and out. He remarks on
some of the previous uses of Lake Padden as well as Lake Whatcom. He also
relates some of the same anecdotes that he told in the earlier audio
interview.
2003 November
3/2
Hillaire, Paulineinterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
1 digital videocassette
VHS tape duplicate also available.
The archives must receive written permission from the
interviewee before providing access to recording or transcript.
In her video interview, Pauline focuses on treatment of Native
Americans by the Bureau of Indian Affairs. She expands on previous remarks
about government-issued clothes and how they compared to homemade clothes,
government clinics, and government-issued food. She contrasts this with the
types of food that her parents cooked and grew as well as some of the medicinal
herbs. She also discusses traditional Indian education including lessons in
songs, legends, fishing, longhouse building, tanning, and medicine from experts
in each field. Pauline contrasts this to the education she received at the
Lummi Day School.
2003 November
3/3
Hovde, Janeinterviewed by Elizabeth
Joffrion
3 digital videocassettes
VHS tape duplicate also available.
Jane (b. 1921) reflects on her unusual birth on a tugboat and
growing up in the San Juan Islands Her focus in this interview is her career as
an artist, and the art scene in Bellingham and the Northwest in general. She
reflects on her long career as an artist that began during childhood and spans
to the present. Jane expresses different aspects of her art including
inspiration, style, and influences. She also discusses artists of the Northwest
School including Mark Tobey, Morris Graves, Kenneth Callahan, and Guy Anderson.
She also mentions past and present members of the Bellingham art community such
as Suzy Barrow, Harold Wahl, and Louis Meyer as well as art professors from the
Western Washington College of Education. She discusses the changes that have
occurred in art in Bellingham as well as art in general. She also discusses
other changes in the Bellingham community in general and hits on topics such as
travel, downtown businesses, Bellingham’s relationship to Western and ethnic
and race relations. Her husband, A. J. Hovde, served in the service during
World War II for 3 years and she reflects on her time spent while he was away.
A. J. was an English professor at Western and Fairhaven college and Jane notes
some of her experiences as a member of the Faculty Wives.
2004 September 15
3/4
Russell, Bettyinterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
2 digital videocassettes
VHS tape duplicate also available.
Betty expands on her audio interview by discussing the
waterfront and her father’s role as a longshoreman. She also expands on being
the first woman sheet metal worker for Boeing as well as serving in the Navy
during World War II. She discusses prostitution in Bellingham and relates a
story of coming into contact with prostitutes first hand at the doctor’s office
where she worked. Betty also reminisces about details of her home life from
meals and clothing to spending time on Squalicum Beach with her father.
2004 April 5
4/1
Tweit, Gordyinterviewed by James V.
Hillagas
2 digital videocassettes
Transcript and VHS tape duplicate also available.
Gordy (b. 1926) discusses growing up in Happy Valley and his
family’s extensive involvement in the Pacific American Fishery. His mother was
their bookkeeper, his father a warehouseman, his great-grandfather worked in
the shipyard, his great-aunt was a secretary. He relates his family’s Norwegian
and Swedish ethnic background and their traditions including lutefisk dinners.
He briefly mentions other local ethnicities including Chinese, Japanese,
English, and Scottish families living in Fairhaven and Bellingham. His focus is
primarily on Fairhaven and he speaks of Fairhaven businesses, the Yugoslavian
and Croatian fishermen living in the south side, and festivals including Indian
Day, Well Blossom Time, and the Tulip Festival. He recalls his education at
Larrabee Grade School, Fairhaven Junior High School, and Bellingham High
School. Gordon started out as a delivery boy for the Fairhaven Pharmacy in 1941
and entered the Navy in 1944 serving on a tanker in the Aleutians Islands. He
returned two years later and decided to become a pharmacist. He also discusses
the atmosphere and changes in Bellingham during and after World War II. As a
pharmacist, he further explores the changes in community health care and
services provided by the pharmacy. He relates the overall changes that took
place in Bellingham, Happy Valley, and Fairhaven, as well.
These records are indexed under the following headings in the online
catalog. Researchers desiring materials about related topics, persons, or
places should search the catalog using these headings.
Personal Names :
Asmundson, Tut
(
creator)
Davenport, George
(
creator)
Garlick, George
(
creator)
Garlick, Lois
(
creator)
Hillaire, Pauline
(
creator)
Hovde, Jane
(
creator)
Hovde, Lenny
(
creator)
Roberts, Jim
(
creator)
Russell, Betty
(
creator)
Sternhagen, John
(
creator)
Sternhagen, Nina
(
creator)
Thompson, Myrtle Molly
(
creator)
Tweit, Gordy
(
creator)
Watts, Dr. Arthur
(
creator)
Watts, Margaret
(
creator)
Corporate Names :
Bellingham Centennial Committee
Bellingham
Centennial Oral History Project
Black Dog Productions
Georgia Pacific Corporation
Intalco Aluminium Corporation
Pacific American Fisheries, Inc.
Port of Bellingham (Wash).
Geographical Names :
Bellingham (Wash).
Bellingham (Wash). -- Centennials, celebrations,
etc.
Bellingham (Wash). -- Ethnic Relations
Bellingham (Wash). -- History -- Sources
Bellingham (Wash). -- History -- Sources --
Interviews
Bellingham (Wash). -- Industries
Bellingham (Wash). -- Race Relations
Subject Terms :
Depressions --
1929 -- Washington (State) -- Bellingham
Environmental
Policy -- Washington (State) -- Bellingham
Japanese
Americans -- Evacuation and relocation -- 1942-1945
Lummi Indians
-- History -- Sources
Oral
History
Recreation --
Washington (State) -- Whatcom County -- History
Transportation
-- Washington (State) -- Whatcom Country -- History
Waterfronts --
Washington (State) -- Bellingham Bay Region -- Planning
