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Honoring the origins of Veterans Day and the legacy of local heroes who shaped Seattle's history. Today’s Veterans Day had its beginnings in the United States when in November of 1919, President Woodrow Wilson signed a proclamation to honor the end of World War I. It stated, in part, “… the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country’s service and with gratitude for the victory….” It had been one year since hostilities had ceased and an armistice had been called to end The Great War. In earlier times, local war veterans were honored with a Memorial Day parade in downtown Seattle. Parade grand marshal Colonel Charles Lawton Thompson, pictured above in white rider’s gloves, escorted Colonel William Frederick aka “Buffalo Bill” Cody, a veteran of the Union Army Cavalry and the Indian Wars. Riding to the left is David Clinton, “D.C.”, Brown, of Columbia City (previously councilman, town marshal, and acting mayor). The Seattle Star reported, “Flowers were showered on the heroes of the civil war who marched to the strains of their old battle hymns….” (6/1/1914) The dignitaries also attended services held later that afternoon at the Grand Army of the Republic cemetery in Capitol Hill, established in 1895 for American Civil War soldiers; i.e., the Union Army, Union Navy, and the Marines. The GAR was a national fraternal membership based organization. Both Colonel Thompson and Private Brown would later be buried at the GAR cemetery. D.C. Brown was commander of the John F. Miller Post, No. 31, of the GAR in 1907 and in 1914 was on the committee in charge of the parade program. His wife Arlettie volunteered with the Miller Post Women’s Relief Corps and her simple gravestone lies next to her husband’s in the cemetery. D.C. Brown had served three years in the Civil War and was wounded in 1864 per his obituary. As an aside, American activist “Mother Jones” attended the labor parade held that afternoon in May as well. Not known for fancy hats herself, in her address to the crowd she proclaimed, “If women would decorate the outside of their skulls less and put something inside, there would be no militia.” (The Seattle Star, 6/1/1914) Three years later, on April 6, 1917, the United States officially entered World War I against Germany. Eighteen-year-old Enumclaw native Roy Keeley enlisted on April 20, and was headed for the western shores of France aboard the transport ship President Lincoln in December of that year. In June of 1919, The Seattle PostIntelligencer published an American Roll of Honor reporting for Northwest soldiers, and Roy Keeley’s name appears in the Slightly Wounded category. Military records indicate Private Keeley had been at U.S. Army Base Hospital 64, in France, prior to his transport home in June 1919. This hospital was designated for gas and infected surgical cases. He then spent time at Fort Bayard Hospital, in New Mexico, according to the U.S. Census until his discharge in February 1920. This hospital is known for its treatment of soldiers with tuberculosis. In June of that year, Roy and Mary were wed at Mary’s childhood home on Ferdinand Street in Columbia City. The ceremony was officiated by Reverend Raymond Espy, founder of Findlay Street Christian Church in Hillman City. Mary’s Womach grandparents had brought the family to Southeast Seattle in about 1890 and her parents built their family home where Columbia School now sits, in about 1901. Roy had been raised in a farming community and returned to Enumclaw with his new wife to farm and raise their family, though Mary returned to her parents’ home for the birth of their first child, Dorothy. In June 1954, the United States Congress, with the support of President Dwight Eisenhower, changed the name of Armistice Day to Veterans Day and November 11th became the federal holiday to honor all servicemen and women of American wars. While Washelli Cemetery in north Seattle extended an invitation to their Veterans Day program “May Peace come to all” that year, a Rainier Valley newspaper ran the headline, “Local Men Off to Korea” as the Cold War had taken hold.

Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova’s life is a remarkable story of resilience, leadership, and dedication to Filipino American heritage. Born in Seattle in 1932 to Filipino immigrant parents, Dorothy’s early life was marked by hardship and determination. Her father passed away when she was just four years old, leaving her mother to support the family through a small café and grocery store in Seattle’s International District. Growing up, Dorothy faced the challenges of being both Filipino and American at a time when cultural identities were often marginalized. These experiences fueled her lifelong commitment to celebrating and preserving Filipino American heritage. Dorothy’s journey into activism and cultural preservation began during her college years at Seattle University, where she studied Sociology and met her future husband, the late Fred Cordova. Together, they became trailblazers for Filipino American identity. In 1957, they co-founded the Filipino Youth Activities (FYA) in Seattle, creating a space where Filipino American youth could connect with their culture. Through programs in soccer, folk dancing, and the iconic drill team, the FYA empowered young Filipino Americans to take pride in their heritage. In the 1960s and 70s, FYA was also instrumental in civil rights advocacy, pressing for bilingual teachers in Seattle Public Schools and for Filipino-trained doctors to be permitted to practice in the United States. Dorothy’s impact extended far beyond Seattle. In the 1970s, she served as Director for the Demonstration Project for Asian Americans (DPAA), conducting pioneering research on the challenges Asian American communities faced. Through the DPAA, Dorothy led efforts to document Filipino American experiences, collecting oral histories and archiving materials that would later form the foundation of an even larger legacy. In 1982, Dorothy and Fred established the Filipino American National Historical Society (FANHS), a nonprofit dedicated to preserving and sharing Filipino American history. FANHS was born out of frustration with the lack of accurate representation of Filipino Americans in mainstream history and has since grown to over 40 chapters across the United States. Dorothy has served as the Executive Director of FANHS for more than 40 years, volunteering her time to build one of the most extensive collections of Filipino American history in the world. Housed in Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Seattle, FANHS’s National Pinoy Archives includes thousands of photographs, oral histories, and artifacts that document Filipino American life across the nation. The FANHS National Museum is located in Fred Cordova’s hometown of Stockton, California. FANHS’s work under Dorothy’s leadership has been transformative. The society spearheaded the nationwide observance of Filipino American History Month every October, celebrating Filipino Americans’ contributions to the United States. FANHS also holds biennial national conferences, drawing scholars, students, and community members from across the country to learn about and celebrate Filipino American history. At 92 years old, Dr. Cordova, affectionately known as “Auntie Dorothy,” continues to be a vibrant force at FANHS’s National Office. Despite announcing her intention to step back from her executive role, she remains a “Resident Researcher,” spending her days answering inquiries, guiding visitors, and sharing the wealth of knowledge she has gathered over decades. She is a mother to eight, grandmother to 17, and great-grandmother to 22, passing on her legacy of cultural pride to new generations. The Rainier Valley Historical Society proudly honors Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova as our 2024 History Maker this year. Her lifelong dedication to cultural preservation and her pioneering efforts to uplift Filipino American heritage resonates deeply with our mission. Through her work, Dorothy has not only preserved Filipino American history but has also fostered a broader understanding of the rich, diverse fabric of American society. Her impact reaches far beyond Rainier Valley, reminding us of the power of history to unite, inspire, and strengthen communities. Dr. Cordova’s story is a testament to the strength of immigrant communities and the importance of preserving diverse histories. We are deeply grateful for her contributions and thrilled to celebrate her as a History Maker, recognizing her incredible legacy and the lasting impact of her work on future generations. Dr. Dorothy Laigo Cordova Gallery

Cleo’s Apparel (4824 Rainier Ave S), a beloved women’s clothing store in Columbia City for 36 years, is remembered fondly by the community it served. Founded by Cleo Lott in 1955 and operated by Gerry Johnson since 1963, Cleo’s became a landmark business known for friendly service, quality merchandise, and reasonable prices. Sadly, Cleo's closed in 1991 after a rent increase made it unsustainable to keep the business going, despite Johnson’s daughter and granddaughters’ eagerness to continue the family legacy. For those who shopped there for generations, it felt like saying goodbye to an old friend. A key fixture in Columbia City’s retail landscape, Cleo’s closure reflected broader challenges facing local businesses at the time. We are grateful to Jill Shaw and her sisters for donating Cleo’s clock and family photos, preserving this vital piece of Rainier Valley’s history for future generations.

Have you seen Columbia City's newest mural "Riding the Number 7," located on the Columbia City Gallery building? This vibrant work of art serves as a powerful tribute to the iconic Number 7 bus route, a lifeline through the heart of Rainier Valley. The mural, created by local artists Tina Albro and Jayashree Krishnan, is more than just a depiction of a bus - it’s a moving canvas that honors the diverse and remarkable individuals who have shaped the community. Each window on the bus carries a portrait of a notable Rainier Valley resident, making this piece a visual celebration of the area's rich history and vibrant culture. Tina Albro, a lifelong Rainier Valley resident, drew inspiration from her own experiences riding the Number 7 bus from Rainier Beach to Columbia City and beyond. Albro’s connection to the community runs deep, and her design captures the spirit of those who have dedicated themselves to making Rainier Valley a better place. Albro collaborated with fellow Gallery artist Jayashree Krishnan, who painted the portraits of the notable residents featured in the mural. Each face on the mural tells a story: Bus Driver Leah McElroy:  The driver of the Number 7 bus in the mural, Leah describes herself as firm, kind, and dependable. A lifelong Seattleite and Garfield High School alumna, Leah has worked as a bus driver for over 25 years, including eight years on the Number 7 route. Known for her punctuality and connection to her passengers, she has received numerous thank-you notes and gifts from grateful riders over the years. Leah wears a ku kui nut necklace in the mural, symbolizing her connection to Polynesian culture. Suzy, Lou, and Mondo Banchero:  The Banchero family represents four generations of Rainier Valley residents, business owners, and activists for equity and inclusion. They were instrumental in founding SEED (Southeast Effective Development), a nonprofit dedicated to improving the quality of life in Southeast Seattle. Their efforts have supported affordable housing, healthcare access, and the revitalization of the historic Columbia City district. They also founded Support a Child, advocating for education and accessibility for people with disabilities. Katherine Garrick:  A quiet yet powerful figure, Katherine was a "Career Girl" who broke barriers in banking, eventually retiring as a branch manager. Known for her resourcefulness and determination, she provided financial and emotional support to her family and was a talented musician and seamstress. Katherine’s portrait captures her elegance and strength, reflecting her contributions to Rainier Valley. Fujitaro Kubota:  A pioneering gardener, Fujitaro founded the Kubota Gardening Company in 1923 and transformed a swampy area in Rainier Beach into the beautiful Kubota Gardens, which expanded to 20 acres. His Japanese-influenced landscaping became a hallmark of Seattle, even surviving the hardships of his family’s incarceration during World War II. Fujitaro’s legacy lives on through the gardens, a testament to his dedication and vision. Robert "Bob" Santos:  Known as "Uncle Bob," Santos was a civil rights leader and mentor to a generation of Asian activists in Seattle. Born to Filipino and Native American parents, Bob’s work in the 1960s and 70s helped shape Seattle’s International District and fostered a multiracial civil rights movement. His legacy is one of inclusion and social justice, earning him a place as one of Seattle’s most beloved community leaders. Ruth Woo:  A behind-the-scenes political powerhouse, Ruth Woo was one of the most influential figures in state politics despite never holding office herself. She played a key role in shaping the careers of many notable leaders, including former Governor Gary Locke and King County Executive Ron Sims. Ruth’s commitment to bringing people together and creating inclusive communities made her a driving force for social change. Claude Forward:  Known as "The Mayor of Genesee Street," Claude was a community leader who opened one of the first TV and repair shops in the city. He was a founding partner in SEED and was deeply involved in many community organizations. Claude’s activism played a crucial role in developing the Columbia Health Center and other projects that improved access and opportunity in Rainier Valley. Fred Hutchinson:  A true hometown hero, Fred was Seattle’s first professional athlete to gain national fame. Born in Rainier Beach, he became a standout baseball player and later a successful MLB manager. His courage in battling cancer inspired the creation of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, a world-renowned facility that continues his legacy of compassion and excellence. Aki Kurose:  A Seattle teacher and peace activist, Aki dedicated her life to social justice, housing desegregation, and anti-war efforts. Her empathy and commitment to her students and community made her a beloved figure, influencing many to work for peaceful solutions to end injustice. John L. O’Brien:  A civic leader born and raised in Rainier Valley, John served 26 terms in the Washington State Legislature, including four terms as Speaker of the House. He was deeply involved in his community, chairing the Rainier Valley Seafair Festival for 52 years and sponsoring legislation to meet the needs of the district’s diverse population. Jean Veldwyk:  Jean was the first woman Real Estate Broker in Washington State and a community leader who cared deeply for Rainier Valley. She founded Jean VelDyke Realty Inc. and was active in the Rainier Chamber of Commerce. Known for her intelligence, generosity, and strong will, Jean was a mentor to many and a driving force in the community. Tom Garrick:  A lifelong Rainier Beach resident, Tom was known for his kindness, dry humor, and quick wit. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and returned to his neighborhood, where he was always ready to help those in need. Tom’s portrait captures his spirit of service and the deep connections he maintained with his community throughout his life. This mural is more than a piece of public art; it is a visual history that honors the extraordinary individuals who have contributed to the fabric of Rainier Valley. Funded through an Arts Revitalization Grant from the Columbia/Hillman Arts & Cultural District and the City of Seattle, "Riding the Number 7" stands as a testament to the enduring legacy of community, resilience, and dedication that defines Rainier Valley. The mural invites all who pass by to reflect on the rich history and vibrant culture that continue to shape this unique neighborhood.

Join us at the Hillman City Block Party  for the official unveiling of the Hillman City Heritage Bell - Hillman City’s new landmark! When: Saturday, August 10th Bell Unveiling at 2 pm Where: The bell will be installed on the corner of Findlay St. and Rainier Ave. S . (The corner of the Flour Box parking lot). The Block Party will stretch across Hillman City Business District (Rainier Ave S between Juneau & 42nd). Details: The Hillman City Heritage Bell project has been nearly five years in the making! In 2019, the Dayspring and Fitch Funeral Home donated a cast iron bell, originally from the 1904 Hillman Methodist Episcopal Church, to the Rainier Valley Historical Society (RVHS). This historic bell, created around 1907 by The C.S. Bell Company in Ohio, was restored by Flamespray NW in 2020. RVHS saw an opportunity to transform this piece of history into a new landmark. In 2021, they initiated a Call for Artists and selected Cathy Fields, a local mural artist and 50-year Hillman City resident. Cathy transformed the 115-year-old bell into a captivating visual narrative that celebrates Rainier Valley's rich cultural diversity. The mural highlights indigenous peoples, early pioneers, and notable community members, showcasing Hillman’s history as a welcoming home for immigrant populations. Cathy completed the mural in 2023. Celebrate with us as the Hillman City Heritage Bell finds its forever home! The event will feature an official unveiling, an indigenous blessing, and a program highlighting the bell's and Hillman City's history. Meet the artist Cathy Fields, enjoy kids' crafts, and explore Hillman City's historic images and artifacts. Event & Block Party Highlights: Dedication of the Hillman City Heritage Bell - 2 PM Meet the artist - Cathy Fields Live music and kids' play area Open houses, tours, and events with local businesses Craft and food vendors, 21+ Beer Garden Don’t miss this chance to be part of Hillman City's history and celebrate our vibrant community! Block Party Schedule:

By Cassandra Tate - Posted 8/13/2012 on HistoryLink.org Essay 10164 It's been said that the 98118 ZIP code in Southeast Seattle is the most diverse in the United States. The claim is not quantifiably true, although it's easy enough to believe. Successive waves of newcomers from around the world have found a place for themselves here, beginning with Italians and other people of European heritage in the late nineteenth century; followed by Japanese, Filipinos, and African Americans, among others. The closure of the U.S. naval base in American Samoa led to an influx of Samoans in the 1950s. Thousands of Southeast Asians came in the aftermath of the Vietnam War in the 1970s, joined by Latinos and, more recently, refugees from war and famine in East Africa. The result is what local boosters call a "neighborhood of nations," where Somali children study the Koran a few blocks from the largest Orthodox synagogue in Seattle; fourth-generation Italians and newly arrived South Asians shop at stores owned by second-generation Vietnamese; and Ethiopian wat and Filipino halo-halo are as easy to find as pizza and sushi. Birth of an Urban Legend The 98118 ZIP code covers about six square miles, from Genesee and Beacon Hill in the north to Rainier Beach in the south, between Lake Washington on the east and Martin Luther King Boulevard and Interstate 5 on the west. About 45,000 people live within its boundaries, in neighborhoods that range from upscale (Lakewood, Seward Park) to grittier (Hillman City, Rainier Beach). The idea that this is the most racially and ethnically diverse of all the 43,000 or so ZIP Codes in the country first surfaced about a decade ago. It gained traction in March 2010, when the AOL News website published an article by G. Willow Wilson titled "America’s Most Diverse ZIP Code Shows the Way." Local electronic and print media followed up with their own versions of the story. All reported that the Census Bureau had identified 98118 as the nation’s most diverse. Several later added the qualifier "one of the most," after finding out that the Census Bureau had made no judgment about the comparative diversity of ZIP Codes. The Census Bureau collects raw data; it does not interpret it. Furthermore, the geographical boundaries that it uses to collect data do not align neatly with those used by the Postal Service to deliver mail. ZIP Codes can cross state, county, census tract, and census block boundaries. They also change frequently, through mergers, splits, and other adjustments. The total number can fluctuate by several thousand every year. "There is no correlation between U.S. Postal Service ZIP Codes and U.S. Census Bureau geography," the bureau points out on its website. The closest approximation is what the bureau calls ZIP Code Tabulation Areas (ZCTAs), which are based on the most frequently occurring five-digit codes in a given area; but these are "generalized representations" and only roughly correspond to actual ZIP Codes. "We don’t measure whether one zip code is more diverse than another," a Census Bureau media specialist told Seattle writer John Hoole. "People responded to the story because it was so positive. Around here we think of it almost as an urban myth" ("Rainier Valley’s Diversity Myth"). Among those who have accepted it as fact is Washington Senator Maria Cantwell (b. 1958), who welcomed new citizens to "the most diverse ZIP code in the United States" during naturalization ceremonies at the Seattle Center on the Fourth of July 2012 -- repeating remarks she made at the same event in 2011 and at a Seattle University forum on global development in 2010. Quantifying Diversity The 2010 census showed that Seattle as a whole is nearly 70 percent white. In contrast, no race or ethnicity can claim a majority in Southeast Seattle. The largest single group in the 98118 ZCTA is Asian (32 percent), followed by non-Hispanic whites (28 percent), and non-Hispanic blacks (25 percent). The numbers vary slightly but the overall picture is the same in a database used by the city of Seattle: 37 percent Asian, 26 percent white, and 24 percent black in five "Community Reporting Areas" for Southeast Seattle (consisting of 12 census tracts and covering a somewhat larger area than the 98118 ZCTA). Both databases show that about 8 percent of the population is Hispanic and about 6 percent is multi-racial. The census for 2010 included five standard categories of race: white, black, Asian, Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native, plus "some other race." It also collected data on Hispanic or Latino ethnicity; cross-tabulated it with data on race; and offered respondents the option (first introduced in 2000) of identifying themselves as multi-racial. There were 57 possible combinations of two or more racial groups. Respondents also were able to write in their own definition of their race, and one in 14 did so, using such terms as "Arab," "Haitian," and "Mexican." The range of options complicates efforts to decide what particular elements might make one area more "diverse" than another. "There are so many different ways to define diversity," says Diana Canzoneri, demographer and senior policy analyst for the Seattle Planning Commission. "You can pick a formula but when you do, you’re making all sorts of decisions about what counts as diversity" (Canzoneri interview, July 24, 2012). Canzoneri analyzed ZCTAs in Washington state and nationwide, for HistoryLink, by using the Gini-Simpson Index (also known as the Diversity Index), a mathematical formula which calculates the likelihood that any two people chosen at random in a given geographical area will be of different races or ethnicities. By this measurement, the 98118 ZCTA is the third most diverse in Washington state, after 98178 (covering the Bryn Mawr and Skyway neighborhoods) and 98188 (SeaTac and Tukwila). Out of 17,000 ZCTAs for metropolitan areas nationwide, it’s number 64. However, there’s more to a story than just statistics. "The numbers just scratch the surface," Canzoneri says. "What people are feeling from their experience, living in an area or visiting an area, can capture so much more than an equation can. It says a ton that people feel it’s such an affirming thing, to live in a diverse neighborhood" (Canzoneri interview, August 3, 2012). Early Arrivals The area now within the boundaries of 98118 was originally divided between the Duwamish, who had a settlement at the foot of Beacon Hill; and the Xachua'bsh ("Lake People"), who maintained several long houses along the southern end of Lake Washington (then called Duwamish Lake). A few white settlers moved in during the 1850s, but there was very little other development until 1889, when J. K. Edmiston began building an electric railway from downtown Seattle into the Rainier Valley. Edmiston and his partners bought 40 acres of land near the railway’s first planned station, logged it, cleared it, and laid out streets for what they called Columbia -- today’s Columbia City. The federal census of 1900 shows that nearly all the 709 people then living in the "Columbia Precinct" were Caucasian. About 20 percent had been born in Washington state or Washington territory; 60 percent had been born elsewhere in the United States; the rest were foreign-born, predominately from Canada, England, Ireland, and Italy. Place names given to newly sprouted neighborhoods reflect the origins of some of the early settlers: Brighton, named after a resort town in England; Beacon Hill, after Boston’s Beacon Hill; Genesee, after Genesee, New York. Part of the Rainier Valley became known as Garlic Gulch because of the large number of Italians who settled there. Some were "pick and shovel men" -- unskilled laborers -- hired to clear forests and build roads, railroads, and other infrastructure. Others were farmers. Land was cheap, and they found ready markets for their produce in the rapidly growing city of Seattle. Several of these farmers were instrumental in establishing the Pike Place Market in Seattle in 1907. By 1910, according to that year’s census, 3,454 people of Italian heritage were living in Seattle, most in the Rainier Valley. The largest cluster was along Rainier Avenue between Atlantic and McClellan streets but other enclaves developed farther south, especially on Beacon Hill and around Columbia City. The community was served by two Italian language newspapers, Il Tempo, founded in 1908, and Grazzetta Italiana, 1910. (Il Tempo folded in 1913, but the Grazzetta continued to publish until 1961.) There was an Italian Language School, where children of immigrants could learn their parents’ native language; a social hall, operated by the Sons of Italy in America; and a weekly "Italian Radio Hour" on a local station. Neighbors made wine together and played bocce (an ancient Italian bowling game) in backyard courts. The community lost some of its cohesiveness during World War II. Residents who had been born in Italy were designated "enemy aliens" and subject to curfews and other controls, including restrictions on travel and employment. The social hall shut down; the radio hour went off the air; and the language school was closed. The Italians’ Japanese neighbors, of course, suffered more severe restrictions: they were forced to leave their homes and go to internment camps during the war. Japanese Community There was little Japanese immigration to Seattle until the 1890s, when railroads, fish canneries, sawmills, and other labor-intensive industries began recruiting workers to fill a void created by the Chinese Exclusion Act of 1882, which had cut off immigration from China. By the turn of the century, Japanese constituted the largest and the fastest growing non-white community in Seattle. Most of the early immigrants were male and lived in apartments and hotels in "Japantown" (now the International District). In 1907 the U.S. and Japan came to a "Gentlemen’s Agreement" which curtailed the number of single men who were allowed to enter the U.S. but did not restrict immigration by women. One consequence was an increase in the number of young Japanese women who came to Seattle as "picture brides" (to marry men who had selected their photos from catalogs supplied by a broker). The Japanese population remained centered in the International District but an increasing number of young families established homes, farms, and businesses to the south. Washington’s 1889 Constitution had banned the sale of land to "aliens ineligible in citizenship" (only Asians were not able to become citizens). The Alien Land Law of 1921 specifically made it illegal for Asians to rent, lease, or buy land. Japanese entrepreneurs got around the law by making arrangements with supportive Caucasians, who obtained land for them and technically employed the Japanese as "managers." For example, when Fujitaro Kubota (1879-1973) bought five acres of logged-off swampland near Rainier Beach in 1927 and began turning it into a commercial nursery, he did so in the name of a white friend. Like their Italian counterparts, Japanese immigrants made efforts to pass their language and traditions on to their American-born offspring. The Japanese Language School (Nihongo Gakko), founded in 1902, provided instruction not only in language but also in the history and culture of Japan. The school began sponsoring annual picnics in Jefferson Park on Beacon Hill in 1919 to showcase folk dances and traditional music. The last picnic was held in May 1941, seven months before the bombing of Pearl Harbor and the subsequent forced removal and incarceration of Japanese and Japanese Americans on the West Coast. Many of the internees never returned to Seattle, but Kubota was among those who did. After the war, he and his family restored and continued expanding and developing the Kubota Garden, now a 20-acre Seattle public park. Shifting Demographics The demographics of Southeast Seattle began to shift during World War II. The city’s overall Japanese population dropped, from about 7,000 in 1940 to 5,800 in 1950, but the percentage living in the southeast district, particularly on Beacon Hill, increased. Thousands of African Americans moved to Seattle for defense jobs, boosting the black population from 3,800 in 1940 to 15,700 10 years later. Discriminatory housing practices confined most blacks to the Central Area but some found homes in the Rainier Valley, particularly in a government housing project at Holly Park. Meanwhile, Jewish families began to move from the Central Area into the Seward Park neighborhood. Formerly white neighborhoods in Southeast Seattle gradually became more multiethnic, while the Central Area -- once multiethnic -- became predominantly African American. What writer John Hoole calls "the decisive period in Southeast Seattle’s demographic history" came during the 1960s -- coincidentally the period when the Postal Service implemented the Zone Improvement Plan (replacing two-digit postal zones with five-digit ZIP Codes). A postwar building boom in the Rainier Valley, a decrease in the supply of affordable housing in the Central Area, and the adoption of an open housing ordinance in 1968 all contributed to a dramatic increase in the number of minorities living in Southeast Seattle. By 1970 African Americans accounted for 14 percent of the district’s population; Asians, 17 percent. The newcomers included several hundred Samoans. Although the U.S. had had possession of six of the 15 Samoan Islands (in the South Pacific) since 1900, there is no record of any Samoans migrating to the Northwest until 1951, when the U.S. Navy closed its base at Pago Pago and relocated Samoan servicemen and administrators and their families to Tacoma’s Fort Lewis. When their tours of duty ended, many of these people moved to Seattle. By the early 1950s, 15 extended Samoan families were living in Southeast Seattle, primarily in Brighton and Columbia City. The community continued to grow as new arrivals from American Samoa joined established family members. Hoole points out that the increasing diversity in Southeast Seattle was not just the result of new residents moving in, but of others moving out. Between 1960 and 1970, the white population decreased by 20 percent. It continued declining until 2000, when fewer than one-fourth of the people living in the census tracts that make up Southeast Seattle were non-Hispanic whites. Influx of Filipinos The passage of the Immigration and Nationality Act of 1965 and the end of the Vietnam War 10 years later led to dramatic changes in the composition of the Asian community in Southeast Seattle. The law repealed earlier measures that had favored immigration from northern Europe and severely restricted that from Asia and Africa. One immediate effect was an increase in the number of immigrants coming to Seattle from the Philippine Islands. Filipinos soon surpassed Japanese and Chinese as the largest group of Asian Americans in Seattle. After 2000, however, they were surpassed in turn by Vietnamese and other Southeast Asians, who now constitute almost half of the Asian population in the 98118 ZCTA. The first Filipinos to settle in Seattle were workers who had been hired to lay cable in the Pacific in 1906. Because the Philippines was a territory of the U.S. (acquired from Spain in 1899), Filipinos were classified as "nationals" rather than "aliens," giving them a favored immigration status at a time when other Asians were subject to increasing restrictions. They were allowed to enter the U.S. freely, without passports, and were unaffected by the passage of the Asian Exclusion Act of 1924, which virtually ended immigration from China and Japan. Filipinos were the fastest growing Asian population in Washington state in the 1920s. Like other minority groups, they often encountered discrimination and resentment. Many were relegated to work as "houseboys" in hotels and residences, as fieldhands on farms, and as "Alaskeros" (cannery workers), doing menial labor. Anti-Filipino sentiment in Congress resulted in the passage of a 1934 law that reclassified Filipinos as "aliens" and limited the number who could be admitted to 50 per year. The Filipino Repatriation Act of 1935 pressured Filipinos to leave the U.S. by offering them free passage back to the Philippines. By the time the act was declared unconstitutional, in 1940, the Filipino population statewide had dropped to 2,222, from 3,480 10 years earlier. The immigration reforms of 1965 allowed for the entry of up to 20,000 Filipinos to the U.S. annually, compared to the quota of 50 imposed in 1934. The 1960 census counted only about 7,000 Filipinos in the entire state of Washington. By the end of the 1990s, there were an estimated 30,000 in Seattle alone, including about 7,500 in the neighborhoods of Southeast Seattle. Indeed, a part of Lake Washington’s Seward Park became known as "Pinoy Hill" (after an informal name for Filipinos) because of the number of family gatherings, church picnics, and community celebrations held there. Filipinos accounted for 28 percent of the Asian population in the 98118 ZCTA in 2010 (down slightly from 30 percent in 2000). Only 4 percent of that population was Japanese, historically the predominant group among Asians in Seattle. Southeast Asians Immigrants from Southeast Asia came to the Seattle area in three waves. The first, arriving after North Vietnamese communists took control of Saigon (the capital of South Vietnam) in 1975, included many South Vietnamese military officers, government employees, and professionals who had supported the Americans during the war. For the most part, they were urbane, well educated, and adapted easily to life in the U.S. The second, much larger wave included the "boat people" -- so named because many had escaped from Vietnam on small boats, often under harrowing circumstances, making their way to refugee camps in Thailand and from there to the U.S. They entered the country under the sponsorship of American families, often associated with churches. Refugees from Cambodia and Laos also became part of this second wave. The first groups arrived in Seattle in 1978. Most had been farmers in small villages; they had little or no formal education or knowledge of Western culture, and they faced more challenges in adapting to life in urban Seattle than their predecessors. The third wave included those who came via the Orderly Departure Program, launched by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees in 1979 and operated until 1994. More than half a million Vietnamese were resettled in the U.S. through this program, which focused on family reunification. Others gained entry through the 1987 Amerasian Homecoming Act, which applied to the children of Vietnamese mothers and American servicemen who had been abandoned by their fathers; and through a 1989 agreement that permitted former political prisoners and their families to come to America. The influx of Southeast Asians added new layers to multiculturalism in Southeast Seattle. Families pooled their resources to open grocery stores, markets, nail salons, restaurants, and other businesses. Many of these enterprises sprang up along what would become Little Saigon, on South Jackson Street, as well as in Southeast Seattle, along Rainier Avenue and Martin Luther King Jr. Way. The immigrants themselves were culturally diverse. The Laotians, for example, came from three distinct ethnic groups: the Lao people, from the lowlands; the Hmong and Mien, from the lush mountainous regions; and the Khmu, from northern Laos. They became part of a melange that included Indonesians, Malaysians, and Bengalis -- people of different cultures, religions, and languages, all facing the challenges of adapting to life in a new world. Recent Arrivals In recent decades new waves of refugees have found their way to Southeast Seattle. The largest groups have come from the East African nations of Ethiopia, Eritrea, and Somalia -- the "Horn of Africa." A few Ethiopians came to Seattle as university students in the late 1960s and the early 1970s. Most intended to complete their education and then return to work and live in their homeland. But in 1974, a communist military junta called the Derg (sometimes spelled Dergue) overthrew Emperor Haile Selassie (1892-1975), ushering in a period of political chaos, violence, and famine. About 2.5 million Ethiopians left the country between 1974 and 2009. Thousands ended up in Seattle. The tangled political history of that part of the world includes a war between Ethiopia and Eritrea that was initiated in 1962, when Selassie annexed the smaller but strategically placed coastal country. Hundreds of thousands of Eritreans fled to refugee camps in Sudan and other African nations, seeking escape from war and drought. A few came to Seattle as students in the late 1960s and early 1970s. A few others jumped ship when their employers’ boats docked in Seattle shipyards. But it was not until the 1980s that significant numbers of Eritrean refugees arrived in Seattle. The Somali community in Seattle also began as a small group of college students and engineers in the 1970s. It has grown exponentially since 1991, when a coalition of clans ousted the nation's long-standing military government and set off a civil war. The upheaval led to the exodus of thousands of refugees to neighboring Ethiopia and Kenya. These camps remain in place today as successive waves of refugees flee the violence and chaos that have resulted from the absence of an effective central government in Somalia. East African Community Services, an advocacy group established in Seattle in 2000, estimates that nearly 30,000 East Africans are now living in King County. The exact number is not known. The Census Bureau does not identify people of African heritage by their nationality, and immigration statistics don’t track immigrants who are admitted to one state but then move elsewhere. Still, it’s revealing that Somali students are the second largest bilingual group in the Seattle Public Schools (after Hispanics). Mini-United Nations In 98118 the demographic churn over the last half century has created what sometimes feels like a mini-United Nations. According to Miguel Castro, data analyst for the Seattle public school district, 56 percent of the students enrolled in schools in that ZIP code come from homes where a language other than English is spoken -- compared to only 23 percent of students district-wide. Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese are the most common languages, but 56 others are spoken, ranging from Amharic (Ethiopian) to Tagalog (Filipino). Among the religious institutions with 98118 addresses are three Orthodox synagogues, two Catholic churches, two Buddhist temples, and a mosque. The Baptists have three churches, while Ethiopians, Samoans, and Latinos have two each. The website www.represent98118.org sums it up this way: "Within a few blocks of one another, worshipers may be engaged in an African American Bible fellowship, an evangelical Ethiopian students union, a Filipino-American Catholic Mass, a Haida sacred dance circle, a Mexican Pentecostal revival, an Orthodox Jewish Sabbath observance, a Society of Friends meeting, a Samoan gospel choir, a Somali Muslim prayer service, or a Vietnamese Buddhist evening chant." The diversity also extends to economics. Lakefront mansions, Craftsman-style bungalows, and dilapidated apartment complexes sit within blocks of each other. Prices for single-family homes listed for sale in the 98118 ZIP code in August 2012 ranged from $3.5 million for a five-bedroom house with 100 feet of Lake Washington waterfront in the Seward Park neighborhood to $115,000 for a one-bedroom house in Rainier Beach. "Southeast Seattle is a multi-layered place, full of contrasts and incongruities -- but also unexpected connections and hidden continuities," writes historian Mikala Woodward. She captures the scene with this paragraph:"A second-generation Italian restaurateur rents an old mill’s company store from a group of Filipino developers and turns it into a pizzeria. Chinese and Japanese families that have lived on Beacon Hill for generations shop at Viet Wah Super Foods, alongside Samoan matriarchs and the children of Vietnamese refugees. At the Columbia City Farmers Market, East African women in headscarves and white hipster dads with babies in slings buy vegetables from smiling Hmong ladies, with a mural honoring four African American victims of gang violence in the background." Coming Together, Moving Apart Living in proximity with people of other ethnic and racial backgrounds does not necessarily mean living in harmony. Political scientist Robert Putnam, author of Bowling Alone, has found that the more diverse the neighborhood, the greater the tendency for people to "hunker down, to pull in" and clump together along racial, political, social, and spiritual lines ("Talk of the Nation"). What writer Claire Thompson calls "crunchy ideals of diversity" don’t always play out in the real world. At its most extreme, this has manifested itself in violent interethnic conflict among gang members in Southeast Seattle. John Hoole has suggested that increased diversity can weaken support for the common good. "Where do the interests of Vietnamese refugees, middle-class white homeowners, the well-to-do by the water, new-to-the-neighborhood renters, and African American families who have been in the Valley for generations converge?" he wondered, in a column for the Rainier Valley Post. "There always lurks the depressing possibility that they don’t, that compared with all the other things that make us who we are and bind us to others, geography is circumstantial." Geography is also stable, whereas demography is not. In recent years, more whites have been moving into 98118 while more people of color have been moving farther south, sometimes out of Seattle altogether. For example, the Samoan population in the 98118 ZCTA dropped from 450 to 240 between 2000 and 2010, with many Samoans decamping for White Center. SeaTac and Tukwila have attracted large numbers of Hispanics (now 20 percent of the population in SeaTac, 18 percent in Tukwila), as well as Somalis, Sudanese, and other African immigrants. The non-white population as a whole in South King County has increased by 66 percent in the past decade. In contrast, the percentage of non-white residents in 98118 has decreased slightly and that of whites has gone up by nearly 15 percent. The change has been driven in part by rising property values in 98118. Since 1990, the city has replaced the area's two public housing projects (originally built to house defense workers during World War II) with mixed-income developments and built a light rail line along Martin Luther King Jr. Way. Some families couldn’t afford the consequently higher rents or property taxes and joined newly arrived immigrants in relocating to less expensive areas. As a result, "celebrations of the neighborhood’s renewal walk hand-in-hand with fears that it will lose its unique character if lower-income residents are pushed out" (Thompson). But for the moment, at least, 98118 remains a model of what the Census Bureau says America will look like by 2042: a nation in which "minorities" are the majority. This essay made possible by: 4Culture King County Lodging Tax The Seattle Times Newspapers in Education Sources: Cassandra Tate interviews with Diana Canzoneri, July 24 and August 3, and with Miguel Castro, August 10, 2012, Seattle; Brian Cantwell, "Columbia City: Colorful 'Neighborhood of Nations' Retains the Feel of a Village," The Seattle Times, March 4, 2004, p. G-12; G. Willow Wilson, "America’s Most Diverse ZIP Code Shows the Way," AOL News, March 25, 2010 (www.aolnews.com); Sabra Gertsch, "Census Bureau: 98118 the Most Diverse Zip Code in US," KOMO TV, broadcast April 5, 2010 (www.komonews.com); Tiffany Ran, "98118: One of the Most Diverse Zip Codes in the Country," Northwest Asian Weekly, June 10, 2010 (www.nwasianweekly.com); Neal Peirce, syndicated columnist, "Seattle’s Rainier Valley: One of America’s ‘Dynamic Neighborhoods,’ " The Seattle Times, June 20, 2010, p. A-11; Anthony B. Robinson, "Southeast Seattle, 98118: Yes, My Diverse Zip Code Is Cool," Crosscut, June 25, 2010 (www.crosscut.com); John Sharify, "Seattle’s 98118 Zip Code the Most Diverse in the Country," KING5 News, August 2, 2010 (www.king5.com); "Census Geography: ZIP Code Information," Census Bureau website accessed July 2010 (http://www.census.gov/geo/www/tiger/tigermap.html#ZIP); Tan Vinh, "525 Sworn In As New U.S. Citizens," The Seattle Times, July 5, 2012, p. B-1; John Hoole, "The Rainier Valley’s Diversity Myth," and Mikala Woodward, "Decade by Decade Summary of SE Seattle History," Southeast Seattle Community History Project, Seattle Department of Neighborhoods website accessed August 2012 (www.seattle.gov/neighborhoods/preservation/southeastseattle); HistoryLink.org Online Encyclopedia of Washington State History, "Samoan Community (Seattle)" (by Kathleen Kemezis); "Filipino Americans in Seattle" (by Cynthia Mejia-Giudici); "Southeast Asian Americans" (by David A. Takami), and "Somali Community in Seattle (by Jennifer Ott), http://www.historylink.org/ (accessed August 2012); Robert Putnam interviewed on "Talk of the Nation," National Public Radio, February 1, 2012 (www.npr.org); Claire Thompson, "Zip Decoding: Can One Seattle Area Serve as Model of Diversity," Grist, August 31, 2011 (www.grist.org); Hoole, "The Wrong Side of MLK: A Dispatch from the Nation’s Most Diverse Zip Code," Rainier Valley Post, February 1, 2009 (www.rainiervalleypost.com).

Meet Cathy Fields and read her artist statement for Hillman City's newest landmark, the Hillman City Heritage Bell. Cathy Fields, a mural artist and lifelong resident of Seattle's Hillman City, masterfully blends the real and the imagined in her visual storytelling. Selected by the Rainier Valley Historical Society during their 2020 “Call for Artists,” Cathy’s work intertwines echoes of the past with the blur of contemporary times, resonating deeply with the community she has called home for 50 years. Artist’s Narrative for “Looking Back” Hillman City Heritage Bell Cathy Fields - April 2023 The following is a narrative that goes with the stories circling the bell. Moving left to right around the bell and beginning with the vignette of native people gathering food and moving to the right around the bell: As the ice age ended, humankind arrived along the Pacific coast. The indigenous people who inhabited what was to become the Seattle area were here for over 10,000 years before the Euro-Americans arrived. The Coast Salish people were made up of various tribes that shared a common language. The scene depicted is of summer time when local tribes come to Lake Washington’s coastlines to harvest food to preserve for the winter. The men would fish and hunt, and women would gather various herbs, berries, fresh water mussels, or, as in this picture, dig camas roots, and much more. Moving right around the bell, the depicted one-room cabin became a neighborhood store in 1901 when Rhineholt and Louise Hausler moved to the area and purchased the property from Clarence D. Hillman. They quickly opened for business on Rainier Avenue at Graham Street. The Hausler store supplied Hillman City residents with a variety of household necessities and kitchen staples. The electric railway stopped a few feet from their porch delivering much of the goods that stocked their store. The Hauslers eventually build a bigger store further south on Rainier Ave. and moved there in 1921. The woman to the right of the store is Mrs. Fumiko M. Noji who, with her husband and family, ran the enterprising Columbia Greenhouse and Nursery between South Orcas and Juneau Streets and what is now Martin Luther King Jr. Way from 1918-1996. They had a reputation for their wonderful tomatoes. Her father-in-law, Isao Noji, was one of the Japanese Chamber of Commerce men who brought the cherry trees from Japan to Seward Park. When the family was interned during World War ll, a good friend who managed the grounds of Sick’s Stadium moved into their home and cared for the property until their return. Eventually a fourth generation family member moved the greenhouses to Kent and the award winning Noji Gardens affordable housing community was planned and built on the property by HomeSight. Also shown in this vignette is the Seattle Renton & Southern Railway that enabled valley farmers to transport their produce into town, make trips to visit friends and family, and encouraged development and new businesses. Sadly funding, safety, and reliability were problematic leading to a loss of licensing. The rails were torn up in 1937 to make way for more buses, trucks and cars. The church building in the distance hosted a number of different faiths over the years. Before it was torn down, the bell was donated to the Rainier Valley Historical Society and is now the “canvas” for this painting. The original Fire Station 28 was built in 1910, three years after Hillman City was annexed into Seattle. It was located at 4525 S. Orcas Street, just east of Rainier Ave. They used horses to pull the hose wagons until they became motorized in 1924. In 1955 the old station was closed and moved to a newly built station at its current location on Rainier Avenue. Rainier Valley wouldn’t be complete without Mt. Rainier. On a clear day it may loom large and appear deceptively near from Seward Park or when driving south on Rainier Ave. Here it is a backdrop for the title section, Looking Back. This Vignette speaks to the valley’s history as a destination for many different immigrant populations over the decades, enriching the area with cultural diversity, perhaps one of our greatest assets.

Fireworks in Columbia City Thomas Gabriel Hitt, known as T.G. Hitt, was born in London in 1874. He studied chemistry at Westminster College, and in 1898 he began manufacturing fireworks. Within the year, he and his brothers moved to Victoria, B.C., and started the Hitt Brothers Fireworks Company. His wife, Annie, had met T.G. in England just 10 days before he sailed for Canada. They wrote letters for three years before she finally joined him. In 1905, the Hitts moved to Seattle and settled in Columbia City. T.G. started the Hitt’s Fireworks Company on a wooded knoll just south of town; as the business grew, the site became known as Hitt’s Hill. They built a house near the factory and raised four children: Raymond, Dorothy, Wilmot and Marion. Ray Hitt shared his father’s inventive and business talents and took over the business when his father died. “The Best Fireworks Obtainable Anywhere” Hitt’s Fireworks became an internationally known company, developing new explosive products every year at their factory on Hitt’s Hill. The operation consisted of a series of sheds rather than one large building, so that accidental explosions and fires could be contained more easily. Hitt fireworks whirled, whistled, fizzed, and flashed. Their best-selling product, the “Flashcracka,” was advertised as “the best fireworks obtainable anywhere, at any time or at any price.” In addition to individual fireworks, they produced spectacular shows all over the country. Hitt fireworks extravaganzas opened the Alaska Yukon Pacific Exposition in Seattle and the San Francisco and New York World’s Fairs. They also produced the show that welcomed the King and Queen of England to Victoria, B.C. in 1939. Closer to home, they presented shows at Sick’s Stadium and at Playland in north Seattle. They created the 4th of July show for Ivar’s until 1974. Their fireworks shows were large-scale productions: for every major celebration, the Hitts built elaborate sets up to 400 feet long, which served as platforms for the fireworks show. The sets carried themes such as “Mt. Fuji,” “Fires of Freedom,” and the “Birth of America,” often with lines of chorus girls and military drill teams performing between the explosions. The Hitt signature grand finale was to blow the set up in a ball of fire, igniting the skies with explosions of color and showers of rockets. Various Ads and packaging from Hitt's fireworks: The Burning of Atlanta Their skill at building, burning, and blowing up sets made the Hitts pioneers in movie special effects. The company produced fire scenes for, among other films, “What Price Glory” and “Gone with the Wind.” The burning of Atlanta in “Gone with the Wind” involved a 40 acre set constructed from used sets (including the gate from “King Kong”) and then set on fire. Flames shot 500 feet in the air and it took three 5,000 gallon tank trucks of water to extinguish the flames after the shoot. All seven Technicolor cameras available in Hollywood at the time were used to film the sequence, capturing 113 minutes of footage at a cost of $25,000. The film was nominated for a special effects Oscar. A Smokescreen for the Shipyard During WWII, the company manufactured flares and safety supplies for the military. Their most notable contribution to the war effort was the smokescreen over the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard in Bremerton. Throughout the war, the shipyard at Bremerton built ships for the navy and repaired battle ships and aircraft carriers serving in the Pacific. To protect this essential operation from a sneak attack like the one at Pearl Harbor, the Hitt’s Fireworks Company used their knowledge of chemicals and explosive powders to create a smoke screen for the shipyard, hiding it from potential enemy planes flying overhead. Flashcrackas The best-selling retail item was the Flashcracka, which T. G. Hitt developed in 1916. Hitt substituted photographic flash powder, a mix of powdered magnesium or aluminum and an oxidizer. His “flashlight crackers” exploded with a much louder noise than their black powder predecessors. Flashcrackas were a key ingredient in Spokane's annual Firecracker Golf Tournament, held at the Indian Canyon Golf Course from 1936 through the 1960s. In this event, described as "the most tumultuous ear-splitting golf tournament in the world," competitors teed off and played amid a cacophony of exploding Flashcrackas, sirens, bells, and horns. "For golfers it was like playing through a firefight in the streets of Beirut," they wrote. "The booms, bangs, and blasts startled players out of their strikes, shattered their nerves, and helped send their scores soaring as high as a Roman candle" Hitt’s took a certain pride in its role in staging the event, and used footage from one of the tournaments in a promotional film. “They’ve taken the independence out of Independence Day” There were a few explosions at the Hitt factory over the years, with one tragic fatality in 1921. In 1961 the Safe and Sound Fireworks Restrictions made it illegal to manufacture many types of fireworks in Seattle. These regulations hurt the Hitts’ business. Ray Hitt commented, “They’ve taken the independence out of Independence Day.” With fireworks production moved to China, Hitt’s continued to produce lavish fireworks shows until the cost of permits and liability insurance made the shows unprofitable. The last fireworks show the Hitts put on was for Ivar’s in 1974. Hitt’s Hill Today Members of the Hitt family spent years negotiating with property owners, developers and Seattle mayors advocating to preserve the hilltop. These efforts finally paid off after the formation of the Friends of Hitt’s Hill, when the group worked with the Cascade Land Conservancy and the Seattle Parks Department to transform the site of the old Hitt's Fireworks Company into a park. The nearly four-acre property now provides quiet, natural, open space and trails for Rainier Valley residents and a home for birds and other wildlife.

Juneteenth celebrates the ending of slavery in the United States. President Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation on January 1, 1863, in the middle of the Civil War. But word of the Proclamation didn’t reach many slaves until much later. It wasn’t until June 19, 1865, two months after the Civil War ended, that slaves in Texas learned that they were free. On that day in Galveston, Texas, General Granger of the Union Army stood on the steps of Ashton Villa and read General Order #3, announcing that “all slaves are free.” The crowd of ex-slaves immediately began “leaping, swaying, and whirling in unrehearsed glee.” People sang, laughed, cried, and jumped up and down with joy. A former slave recalled, “We was all walking on golden clouds, Hallelujah!” One mother, upon learning the news, lifted her baby high and told her “Tamar, you’se free! You’se free, Tamar!” “Afterward, she checked her free baby’s face, hands, and feet as though she had just given birth to her.” Official HEADQUARTERS DISTRICT OF TEXAS GALVESTON, TEXAS, June 19, 1865 General Order #3 The people are informed that in accordance with a proclamation from the Executive of the United States, all slaves are free. This involves an absolute equality of personal rights and rights of property, between former masters and slaves, and the connection heretofore existing between them, become that between employer and hired labor. The freed are advised to remain at their present homes, and work for wages. They are informed that they will not be allowed to collect at military posts; and that they will not be supported in idleness either there or elsewhere. By order of Major-General Granger F.W. Emery, Maj. & A.A.G. Former slaves and their descendants continued to celebrate the anniversary of their freedom every year on June 19th, which came to be known as “Juneteenth.” As African Americans migrated to other parts of the country, they took the holiday with them. The first documented Juneteenth celebration in Seattle took place in 1890. (Read more about this initial celebration here) Today Juneteenth is celebrated all over America. Traditions vary from place to place but may include parades, all-day baseball games, prayers, songs, dances, and barbecue picnics. Red cake and red pop are served, symbolizing the blood that was shed during the Civil War. The heart of the celebration is the reading of General Order #3 by a community elder. As the words are read, everyone listening can imagine how they sounded on June 19th, 1865 to the black people of Galveston, Texas, who learned that day that they were free. Rainier Valley Celebrates Dora Abney, Director of Twinks Early Childhood Education Center and Preschool in Columbia City, is originally from Marshall, Texas, where her family celebrated Juneteenth. She moved to Seattle in the early 1960s. Here she shares her memories of Juneteenth and explains the importance of the holiday for African Americans — and others — today. This excerpt is from the Rainier Valley Food Stories Cookbook. Dora Abney: “I says “Juneteenth,” and then to me, everybody blossomed.” What I can remember about Juneteenth is mostly my dad, my dad died when I was about eleven. We used to celebrate it every summer, and to me it was a joyful thing. It was hot. I just remember how my dad used to say, you know, “Juneteenth, that’s a big thing for us,” and by being born in the South, I kinda understood what he was saying. [I saw] what was going on, but didn’t really understand why. I got the idea that it was for freedom, but the history behind it was really really not told, because it’s a sad situation, what had really happened. As I got older it was more explained to me. But he would always go out and shop like it was Christmas, and he would buy food, picnic stuff, and we’d be out — whether it fell on a Sunday or Monday, it was a holiday to us. And everybody in the neighborhood, everybody in the city took off. The whole city was shut down. And we would picnic away. My father, he would always sing, and he would play ball, and he was just excited. All the mens that I could recognize, they played ball. I don’t know how you explain it. Some people say like the Fourth of July, but the Fourth of July was like, it was okay, but I think this was more better. This particular day, it was more exciting for my father, that’s what I‘m saying. But now I recognize why, because from reading, and observing some of the past, [I learned] that was the day they considered [they got their] freedom. I guess it was his dad’s dad’s dad — it was passed down. They understood what it meant, and why that day was so meaningful to them. When we came to Washington State it kind of faded out of the family, people didn’t celebrate it. They said, “What do you mean, Juneteenth, what that’s about?” I was explaining to them that we used to take off, and they said “We don’t celebrate that,” so I figured I’d let it slide. Then about four years ago, when I started at the daycare center, I brought it up again. I said, “We need to celebrate Juneteenth. The kids don’t know what it’s about.” So in 2000 we had a Juneteenth celebration at Twinks, where we blocked off the street, we sold barbecue, and the kids played, and it was exciting. I says “Juneteenth,” and then to me, everybody blossomed. And all of a sudden everybody did know about it. You know, you don’t hear about it and then all of a sudden, “Yeah, I heard about that, what is it about?” So we started digging up information so we could put it out, so people understand what it is. But again, like I said, it’s a thing that my dad did. All I can remember is that we packed up and we went to the baseball field – every year it would be somewhere different. And we would just celebrate. The men and the women would just dance. The kids would look, ‘cause you know, we didn’t know. They explained the basics, but we didn’t know. To them, ‘cause they lived the life, they understood it. So now, I’m trying to feed that little knowledge that I know to the other children — not only just black, everyone — to understand that. It’s freedom. I was explaining to some of my staff members about the Ethiopians and the Somalis, and over in Jerusalem — I’ve been to Jerusalem and Cairo and all those places, and they are fighting. And I said, sooner or later when they say, “The fighting is over with,” you’ll celebrate freedom. Theirs may be called August Tenth, or April Fifth or something like that. But I assume that once people get them wars over with, people celebrates that. All these dates that we do celebrate right now is from the results of something. So Juneteenth is one of the ones that as blacks, we celebrate. And it’s pretty, Juneteenth. Which is June Nineteenth. What kind of foods did you eat at the Juneteenth celebrations? Red represented the blood that was shed during slavery. [We had red pop], red velvet cake, ice cream. Watermelon. And chicken barbecue, barbecued ribs. The blood was really flowing! Everything was fresh because in June it’s at the end of the harvest for the South. So we would have corn on the cob, fresh everything — fresh chicken out of the yard. They got a pig in the ground, cook it all night. They’d put on a fire and the ribs be on bars hanging over the fire, not like what they do now, with a grill. They just hang it. It would cook, they’d roll it over. What the women made was cake and pie. And the rest of it the mens did. We don’t see that now. The Hawaiians does it. The Samoans, they celebrate as a family, mens take over and do, but you don’t see a group of mens, family people, get together a whole community, and cook. You don’t hardly see it any more. The men would do the whole work! JUNETEENTH RECIPE A Juneteenth picnic often includes red cake and red pop, symbolizing the bloodshed during slavery and the Civil War. RED VELVET CAKE, with Cream Cheese Frosting Cake: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 1/2 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 eggs 1 tsp. vanilla 1 tsp. butter flavoring 1 1/2 oz bottle of red color 3 Tbs. cocoa 2 1/2 cups sifted cake flour 1 cup buttermilk 1 tsp. salt 1 Tbs. vinegar 1 tsp. baking soda Cream shortening and sugar. Beat in eggs, vanilla, and butter flavor. Make a paste of cocoa and food coloring and add it to the first mixture. Alternately add flour and buttermilk. Mix baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl; add to batter. Bake in three 9” or 10” pans for 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees. Let cool completely before frosting. Frosting: 6 oz. cream cheese, softened 6 Tbs. butter, softened 1 tsp. vanilla 2 cups sifted powdered sugar Blend all ingredients until smooth. For more information about Juneteenth: Juneteenth: A Celebration of Freedom, by Charles A. Taylor Juneteenth: Freedom Day, by Muriel Miller Branch Juneteenth website

Rainier Valley’s Connection to the 1936 Olympic Gold Medal Reading the captivating and best selling book Boys in the Boat, inspired us to piece together the Rainier Valley connection to the story. Al Ulbrickson, Johnny White, Johnny Merrill and Royal Brougham, all former Franklin High School students, had a role in the 1936 WA Crew year. With the release of the movie, Boys in the Boat, new fans across the globe share in the enthusiasm for the “against all odds” Olympic Gold Medal win. The following biographical information was compiled from Boys in the Boat, our RVHS collections, Seattle Public School archives, Ancestry.com, Historylink, and the UW Crew archives. ALVIN ULBRICKSON - (1903-1976) UW Coach Franklin High School Class of 1921 Al Ulbrickson, the UW coach who navigated the 1936 charge to the Olympic Games, was born in 1903, in the Latona neighborhood. In the 1910 U.S. Census, the Ulbrickson family was renting a house in Rainier Valley at 4438 39th Ave S, near Rainier Playfield. Al was 7 years old at the time, with 4 siblings, his father 31 years old, listed as a City Park worker and his mother, a homemaker, aged 29. Ten years later, the census showed the Ulbricksons living in the Lakeview District, owning their home on wooded and considered affordable Mercer Island. Al’s dad’s occupation changing from park employee to a farmer. Al was enrolled at Franklin High School in 1917, so it is unclear when exactly they moved to Mercer Island from the valley. The story goes, that Al rowed across Lake Washington from the southeast corner of the island to Rainier Beach to catch the streetcar to Franklin. The rowing distance, approximately 2 miles each way, no doubt paid off by the time he got to the University of Washington. Ulbrickson, a star oarsman for the UW, rowed in the Varsity-8 to the national championships twice and was ranked by the national press, as popular as Babe Ruth. He also excelled in his studies, earning a Phi Beta Kappa key at the UW College of Business. Here’s a segment from our oral history collection between Dr. William Hutchinson and RVHS Founder Buzz Anderson, in 1996, where they talked about the ferry that transported people from Mercer Island, and Kennydale, to Rainier Beach. Bill discusses his dad’s physician practice and how Al rowed to Rainier Beach from Mercer Island. (Dr. Hutchinson was 87 at the time of this interview). Bill: Well you see all those towns had to depend upon either my father or a doctor from Renton and he could get there actually easier than they could because they had to come over land. (My father) would come by Harry Patterson’s boat which was a launch which operated between Mercer Island and Kennydale and Rainier Beach. Buzz: We have a picture of that boat, with him, with the skipper, and -- Bill: It was a famous boat. Now the way they’d get along Mercer Island would be to put up on the dock, where they had the flags, and put up a flag and of course they’d know that they wanted them to stop, which they’d do and pick up whoever was coming into Seattle. Now interestingly enough, a great oarsman at Washington was Al Ulbrickson, as you know - Bill: - and he was not only a great oarsman, but he was a great coach. And he would row across to pick up the street car, the Renton Express, at Rainier Beach, and then would stop there, and so every morning and every night he’d have to row home or row to get somewhere on the train. And so he was a great oarsman before he ever hit University of Washington. But they just couldn’t compete with him. Buzz: I knew of him as a coach, but I didn’t know, I had never thought much about whether he was a good oarsman, but he probably was, that’s why he stayed with it then, as a coach. Bill: And he had two brothers, both of whom made the varsity squad at the University, because they, too, would row a lot. What was interesting, while researching Al’s early life, his student enrollment card at Seattle Public Schools showed his home address not on Mercer Island, but on the corner of Rainier Avenue and 57th, at 9246 57th Ave S in Rainier Beach (today where Jude’s restaurant is). There was a pharmacy and apartments on this corner, just in front of the streetcar stop. Whether Al’s father rented an apartment in Rainier Beach or used a PO Box there to show a Seattle residence for his children to attend FHS, is unknown. Al Ulbrickson was inducted into the Franklin Hall of Fame in 2001. He was just 24 years old when he took over the UW Crew program, transforming it to match the class of back east programs, and led the University of Washington teams to great heights over 31 years. He coached his team to six national titles with his two biggest wins, the 1936 Olympic Gold Medal in Berlin, and defeating the Soviet Union in Moscow in 1958. “He was Seattle’s Man of the Year in 1936, was inducted into the Husky Hall of Fame in 1979, and was named by the Seattle Times as one of Seattle’s top twenty-five coaches of the century” (Franklin Hall of Fame). JOHN (“JOHNNY”) WHITE - (1916-1997) Member of UW Gold Medal 1936 Crew Team Franklin High School Class of 1932 Johnny White grew up in a house above Lake Washington at Pritchard Beach. He attended Dunlap Elementary, then graduated at the young age of 16 from Franklin High School. Johnny and his dad decided if he were to take a couple of years off to save enough money to enroll at the University of Washington, he would also have enough time to physically catch up in size. He found physically demanding jobs at a shipyard on the waterfront wrestling steel and a construction job for the new Grand Coulee Dam, improving his chances at making the UW Crew team. Johnny’s father was a first rate sculler from Pennsylvania before moving out to Seattle. John Sr. spent long hours rowing on Lake Washington and most likely taught his son how to row. When we met the current owner of where the White family lived, we were told that Johnny’s sister sold him the house, and she had shared some of Johnny’s diary with him, the writings that helped shape the book, Boys in the Boat. The home owner also found an old rowboat in the brush... Johnny’s Olympic gold medal is at an auction house with a starting bid of $10,000. He was inducted into the Franklin Hall of Fame in 2001. ROYAL BROUGHAM - (1894-1978) Sportswriter for the Seattle P-I, Franklin HS Hall of Fame Royal Brougham attended Franklin High School from the Dunlap neighborhood until his Junior year, when he took a copy boy job in the sports department for the Seattle P-I. Royal’s passion for covering sporting events for Franklin continued, the 1912-13 Tolos show his articles and title as Editor for Athletics. Despite lacking a formal education, Royal rapidly ascended from an errand boy to a part-time writer, eventually establishing himself as a full-time sports journalist as the P-I’s Managing Editor. As a senior sportswriter, Royal had the honor of covering numerous major sporting events including the 1936 Olympic Games. With Brougham’s support in leading the newspapers’ drive to send the team to Berlin, the UW successfully raised $5,000 to secure their attendance. Unfortunately, none of Royal’s Olympic Games’ reporting was published locally due to a strike at the P-I. Undeterred, Brougham famously attempted an impromptu interview with Hitler, although he was turned away after a brief encounter. Later he described the team, “All were merged into one smoothly working machine, they were in fact a poem in motion, a symphony of swinging blades.” Royal’s impact extended beyond journalism. He befriended many athletes, coaches and managers as he actively engaged in community service, advocating for recreational amenities and fairness in sports. His legacy is underscored by honors such as the “First Citizen,” founder of the Royal Brougham Sports Hall of Fame and Museum; he served on the board of directors of the SeattleKing County American Red Cross; was Washington director for the National Commission of Living War Memorials; and was twice a member of the Olympic Games Press Committee. South Royal Brougham Way, near the stadiums, was named after him in 1979. JOHN MERRILL - (1914-1984) Franklin High School Grad - Rainier Beach resident - UW Crew John Merrill, also known as “Johnny”, graduated from Franklin HS the same year as Johnny White. John didn’t share much about his early years with his family, they knew he lettered in Washington Crew, but not much else until they discovered his scrapbook. John had memorabilia from the ‘36 National Championship sweep on the Hudson in Poughkeepsie, NY. John was a coxswain for the team, perhaps a substitute, and possibly a student manager. Though his name does not show in the program he saved from Poughkeepsie with the coaches, team and George Pocock signatures, he was there. John is mentioned in Boys in the Boat on page 106 as the coxswain navigating the ‘34 freshmen boat, when they nearly collided with a tugboat in Lake Washington. It is likely the other mention in the book was about John as well, in Poughkeepsie the night the Varsity-8 asked coach Ulbrickson if they could journey up river to find the President’s house. Instead of meeting FDR, his son Franklin Roosevelt Jr. answered the door and invited the team in. On page 261, “the boys recruited one of the crew’s student managers as pilot and navigator, and piled into the launch...when they found the cove, they left the manager in charge of the boat.” Merrill’s keepsake in his scrapbook, the Western Union social message from Franklin Roosevelt, Jr., to the team saying “Good luck to you” and an apology for not making it to see them the night before the race. Following the Poughkeepsie National Championship, the UW team traveled to Princeton for the Olympic trials, from there they were off to Berlin to represent the United States in the ‘36 Olympic Games. John did not make it to Berlin, not everyone on the team did due to the budget. 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I was born on March 30, 1947 in Rochester New, York. I came to live in my grandmother’s house, where my dad and uncle grew up. The house was on Whiteford Road and my grandmother, “Nana” lived across the street. There were aunts, uncles, and cousins who also lived on this road. My Nana was born on March 30, 1886, and since we shared a birthday and the fact I was her first grandchild, we loved each other very much. I always felt safe and cared for on this street. My Nana was a widow and for many years she worked as head of nursing in the Rochester State mental hospital. She was a force of nature at 4’11” tall. They called her “Tiny” but I have been told that she was tough and and some of the older folks told me they still shook at the thought of disappointing her. For me, Nana was perfect. At approximately 6 years of age, my family moved to a larger house in Brighton, New York, a suburb of Rochester. I still saw my Nana every week and I learned how to call her on the telephone. Nana was a convert to Catholicism and took great interest in my upcoming Holy Communion. In fact she sat next to me during the ceremony. We shared many whispering words to each other during my first communion. It seemed I was talking too much and she put her finger to her lips to quiet me. The only problem, she had died several months before my big event and I continued to see her for many years to come... I moved to Washington state in the 70s, by the 80s I had a full family of five children. Like my Nana, I had a husband, Tom Neville, who passed away very early. By the late 2000s most of my family was away to work and in college. My house in the Lakewood/Seward Park neighborhood felt too large for me. I considered a condo but realized I didn’t really like sharing very much, so I changed my home into a duplex and had created a small cottage house in the lower part of my historic home. I lived very close to work and I often went home for lunch. (I was still wearing high heels at the time.) In the little house, I had a lovely claw foot tub with a large shelf next to it. I always had flowers and art near the tub. But sometimes I would leave my purse on the shelf. I did forget my purse one day and ran back to the house to get it. I was in quite a rush. I stepped into the tub with my heels on, grabbed my purse and went to get out and fell flat on my face onto the concrete floor... I couldn’t move and still do not know if I was conscious or not. While laying face down on the floor, I heard two people talking and recognized their voices. “What is she doing now?,” Nana said. A low male voice replied, “she is something of a klutz.” That was Tom. I was getting very annoyed with them talking about me, and they said together, “Joan! You need to get up now!” I did get up and saw Nana them clear as day. Tom was sitting up on the ceiling on the left part of the tub and Nana was on the right side. It was like a Mary Poppins tea in the ceiling story but there was no tea. They kept on laughing at me. I got up, called the medics, and ended up in the hospital. My head looked like a pumpkin and my face bruised. The worst part of it for me was they kept laughing. I did know that both of them loved me and I loved each of them very much, but really, their laughing was troublesome. So ends my ghosts in the ceiling story!

Rowing is the oldest intercollegiate sport in the U.S. that began with a race between Yale and Harvard Universities in 1852. Years later, in 1903, Washington’s crew program started and reached World Championship ranks by 1936. At the end of WWII, the GI bill drew record enrollment to colleges, so did the enthusiasm and tryouts for crew. Al Ulbrickson, UW Coach with an Olympic gold medal under his belt, was raring to get back at the National Championship stage after a lull in competition during the war. Washington State leaders, alongside the UW Sports Program, rallied for a national Regatta on the new Lake Washington course on the south side of the I-90 Bridge. $50,000 was the price tag. Thanks to the Lake Washington Regatta committee, the reps of the Seattle men and women who put up the money, the event came to fruition on June 28, 1947. The sprint course, 2000m (1.2 miles), started just north of Lakewood Marina heading toward Andrews Bay, finishing at the swim beach in Seward Park. The top 12 teams, Yale and Harvard, Cornell, California, Penn, Syracuse, Princeton, M.I.T., Washington, Wisconsin, Columbia, and U.C.L.A, boarded the new Great Northern Railroad’s Olympian Hiawatha train, following the IRA National Championship in Poughkeepsie, New York. For many of them, it was their first time to the Pacific Northwest. Royal Brougham writes the day before the race, ”Doc, examine my silly head and see what makes me do things like this... through force of habit or the demands of an exacting public, a writer must attempt to tell in advance who will win a race of America’s greatest boats. Ten out of the dozen have a chance. So closely are these crews matched, the width of a baby’s hand may separate the winner.” (Seattle P-I, June 28, 1947). Brougham’s picks were Harvard 1st, Cornell, California, and Washington, 4th. The Seattle P-I reported over 150,000 spectators showed up that day, the largest crowd and greatest sports spectacle in Seattle’s history. The newsreel claimed 200,000 people flooded the shores of Lake Washington. The crowds were there from the start, to see a swimming competition, a log-rolling exhibition, a speedboat race, a Native American canoe race, a water-skiing exhibition, a quad rowing race, and a Seaplane show. All took place before the sprint. Two thousand boats of every kind lined the log boom, “hordes of policemen, patient, cheerful and briefed to the hilt on the special traffic arrangements.” Homes along the boulevard held open houses, lawns crowded with friends, spectators filled windows and porches and every inch of the hills, wherever a view of Andrews Bay could be found. The race was over in less than six minutes. So close was the finish that Royal Brougham’s live KOMO broadcast, from overhead in the blimp, brought the news to the jam-packed shore. Harvard first, followed by Yale and Washington 3rd. Brougham reported the following day in the P-I, “It was a lightning fast race, as the time proved, Harvard did it in 5:49, a new world’s record for the 2000m. Settling a blistering pace down the beautiful Lake Washington course, Coach Tom Bolles’ Varsity-8 carved itself another chunk of glory with its crimson blades winning the championship of America from the finest field in crew history. The perfectly coordinated, expertly trained boat from Cambridge led its ancient rival, Yale, over the finish line by nearly a length. And driving furiously into the roaring maelstrom at the finish came the Cinderella crew from Washington, the glamour boat load of freshmen which only a week ago found itself in the Husky varsity. A fine Washington showing, brought to a close a highly successful year so capably coached by Al Ulbrickson. All in all, it was a day that made American rowing history and more than that, it proved that Seattle has the water, the climate, and the brains with which to stage a regatta unmatched by any rowing event ever held.” (Brougham, Seattle P-I, July 29, 1947). Visiting coaches from all over America were unanimous in their praises for the highly successful regatta and its perfect location. The last intercollegiate regatta on the Lake Washington course was in 1969. It was University of Washington coach Dick Erickson who revamped the crew program in the 1970s, bringing back crew for female students after a 50-year hiatus. He connected the Seattle Yacht Club and Seafirst Bank in combining and sponsoring Opening Day with a regatta. For the past 38 years, Windermere has hosted the annual Windermere Cup/ Opening Day Regatta at the Montlake Cut. This year (2024) was special with invitations to Italy’s and Wisconsin’s crew teams and special guests from the Boys in the Boat acting crew. They celebrated the history-making Varsity-8 from 1936 in the hometown of Conibear Shell House.