I remember well when our family first arrived at this very park in the summer of 1981. Gary, my husband and I with our 2 children Geoffrey and Ruthie were traveling with a group of young likeminded friends seeking adventure, camaraderie and work in the orchards. As our caravan of 4 or 5 vehicles including trailers , a converted bus , and vans pulled into the north end of the park and came upon the view we see here now, my heart felt a connection and sense of wonder at arriving at this most beautiful place.. It was likely the magic of my heart finding home. I am originally a Midwesterner but had met the love of my life , Gary Dalgas in Corvallis Oregon. We had traveled with our friends from Corvallis, using CB radios to communicate along the way. Once past the magnificent giant bluffs of the Columbia River Gorge, we continued north on I90. We stopped in Yakima finding ash still remaining from the explosion of Mt. St. Helens from the previous late spring. At the juncture of Hwy 97 and 97A we took 97 on the east side of the Columbia intending on finding orchard work in Brewster where our friends John and Lynn Bain had worked the previous summer. Somehow, we surmised , in error, that we were on the wrong side of the river, and we needed to turn around and take 97A. I have always been thankful for our fortuitous but confused sense of direction then, as it led us to fair Entiat , where the fates had meant for us to be all along.
I believe I share the curiosity many of you have about how of all places, people land here in Entiat. The question we often ask each other is “Where are you from?. There is always a story, each unique. Once here, the elements of this small community’s life and the attraction of a river valley in the eastern foothills of the Cascades are revealed and if opportunity and desire converge, home is found.
Several books, most available at the Entiat Public Library, one of thirty branches of the North Central Regional Library system, extoll the virtues of life here. First among the collection that every interested Entiatite should have access to is Under the Guard of Ol Tyee – a reflection of the early days in the Entiat Valley, by Shorty Long.
This comprehensive collection of stories, photos, and nuggets of history is where I turn when my curiosity about the history of our river valley is piqued. It is a reliable reference about some of the early individuals and settler families who arrived here in the late 1800s and early 1900s, many of whose descendants are here today and may have roads, streets and places named after them. These families are the ones who can claim to be authentically local. There is a sense that unless you were born here, regardless of how many years lived here, you are from somewhere else. As written by Beverly Woods Sage in a recently discovered text titled Roots in the Soil, “An undying affinity grows and binds together the hearts of those people who have pioneered a land. An outsider, coming at a later period, cannot comprehend this affinity. …It is at once a beautiful and terrible thing”
That Summer, when Gary and our fellow travelers were hired by Naumes Orchards to pick fruit we undoubtedly were considered questionable outsiders, living in our gypsy fashion. But I recall many very welcoming and friendly encounters. I recall visiting the small Entiat Library, then housed in the City Hall building and run by Ruth Honey as a welcoming and friendly experience. She surely took to heart the mission of all librarians to be a link to library resources for patrons of all walks of life. Amongst other books I read during that time was They Came to a River, by Allis McKay. This historical novel, rich in plot and character, was instrumental in deepening the ties I felt with life here. The main character, Chris Hallowell is the daughter of the missionary pastor and builder and captain of the ferry boat transiting the Columbia between Orondo and Entiat. She embodies the traits of one who is born here – deep internalized connection what was and still is a rough country, the sounds of the river and the rhythm of it’s seasons. From page 5, “ The sound of the river was not quite the same as at flood time; the gurgle and hiss, the eternal muffled talk of the whirlpools was in a slightly different key. Chris did not know that she heard it; it had been in her ears summer and winter since she could remember. Blindfolded, within hearing of it, she would have said instantly, “It’s July or August now,” and not have known how she knew”.
According to Wendell George, in his book , Raven Speaks, , the early Entiat people probably came from the aboriginal Ka-wa-chin who lived near the Rock Island rapids up to the early 1700’s. Wendell George is the great grandson of the last Chief of the Entiat Tribe, Chilcosahaskt, the meaning of whose name is “Standing Cloud” or more poetically “grabbing the sky” . The story is that the cloud led the original people to the Entiat Valley.. George speaks of the role stories played in Indian life. From his book, Coyote Finishes the People , he writes “ In the wintertime, they would gather around the fire after dinner for the story. They told many kinds, but Coyote stories were the highlight of entertainment during those cold winter nights. The children saw themselves in Coyote who was always in trouble but somehow got out of it. The stories not only preserved the history of the tribe but also included a moral. “. Wendell George goes on to say, “Today our science enables us to see deeper meaning in old stories. Science is coming to agree with the American Indian that we are one with nature.” The passing down of stories throughout history is vital to our understanding of our role and the meaning of life here on earth.
And this being true, perhaps the most important need for any community is a public library. According to this quote from Albert Einstein, “The only thing that you absolutely have to know, is the location of the library.” There is a rambling history of all the various places the Entiat Public Library inhabited, and the people who helped it to grow. The importance of having a community public library was evident to the Entiat Women’s Club. The formation and maintenance of a community library began very humbly. In 1935, the library shelf was in the reception area of the Ranck Beauty Shop in the 2nd town of Entiat. A diverse collection of books including personal books from everyone’s homes, were gathered. Now there’s a fun job, beautician/librarian! Actually, the first librarian was a high school girl who served from 12:30 – 3:30 in the afternoon. In 1941, new shelves were bought and put into the I.O.O.F. Hall . In 1946, the Entiat Library became a branch of the Columbia River Regional Library. Notes from a Women’s Club historical account tell that the library made several more moves in the old town, including to the City Hall building, and then to the basement of the Friends Church. Eventually, through the efforts of Mayor Will Risk and J.P. McDonald, local volunteers, and the Women’s Club, a building was dedicated to the library. It is this building that is recalled by Marilyn McCord, “It was very well used. I got introduced to Grace Livingstone Hills books. I think I read them all.” Ronda Wood replied, “ I remember that Miss Jo Pardee would come in the summer and read books to whoever wanted to go down there. Great times in that old town!” Somewhere around this time, there was also a branch of the library upriver at the old Ardenvoir school. Peggy Long Whitmore recalls, “I remember the library at the old Ardenvoir school. Mrs. Edes and Berniece Schwinkendorf were 2 librarians I remember. “ While reminiscing, Peggy was reminded that Dorothy Thompson’s mom, Dean Van De Mark, was the librarian upriver during the 50’s and into the 60’s. Dorothy also recalls Jo Pardee, who was the director of NCRL at that time. Ms Pardee would drive the bookmobile with a delivery of fresh stock of books to the branch. Going to the library was and is, a social activity as well as a place to find books. There was an active Summer Reading Program for kids. As the child of the librarian, Dorothy spent many hours at the branch, and her mom paid her for helping out. Conveniently located near to the Steliko Ranger Station, out of town Forest Service seasonal workers used the library then, just as they do now. . Phyllis Griffith mentioned that the librarian at one time would work morning hours at the library in town, and then travel upriver to the Ardenvoir school for afternoon hours. The Ardenvoir school building was used for many activities. Shelly Small, NCRL’s MOL librarian and my predecessor remembers the gleaming hardwood floors, and a beautifully decorated tree at Christmastime. What I love about libraries and what they represent is that all are welcome, and accommodated – age, status, race, creed – all are irrelevant. If that building could be entered, and if walls could talk – we would surely hear some entertaining stories, and not just from the books! Many people think of the library as a quiet, relaxing, calm haven in which to spend time pleasantly browsing and reading. But those of us who work in libraries know differently!
With the relocation of the town of Entiat , the library building in town along with most of the other buildings was demolished. In the new town, a building was constructed to house both the Chamber of Commerce and the Library. This is the building the library occupies now.. However, at some point , that building must have been sold to the North Central Credit Union , later to become Numerica Credit Union. When that happened , the library moved to the City Hall Building. That room is now the Mayor’s office. At one time, that room used to house our local jail. Entiat is nothing if not resourceful! When I first visited the Entiat Public Library, it was in this very small space with Ruth Honey at the helm. Ruth Honey was a stalwart supporter of the library in many ways. She went on to work at the Wenatchee Branch, and following retirement to become a member of the NCRL Board of Directors. Her successor at the Entiat Branch was my good friend and traveling companion Lynn Bain. While Lynn worked , I was a stay at home mom with my own 4 children, and lynn paid me half her wage to be her kids after-school babysitter . She had 5 . Following Lynn, Paula Lyons was hired as the next Entiat Librarian. I also babysat for Paula’s youngest boy Chris while she worked at the branch. Eventually, Paula also moved on to a position with the Wenatchee Public Library. Her successor in Entiat was Shelly Small. Again, I babysat Shelly’s son Mat, and eventually Shelly hired me as a Substitute Librarian. I yearned to work outside of the home, although I still believe childcare is one of the most important and challenging of occupations! I did work as a packer for about a month during harvest season at the Dovex Fruit Shed. But when Shelly told me about an opening at the Wenatchee Public Library, I applied with my fingers crossed. And when I was subsequently hired, I knew I had found my life’s work. I cannot imagine anything more rewarding to me than being a link between books and people and helping people to access all that the library offers. After 5 years in Wenatchee, and Shelly’s move up the library ladder to become a Branch Supervisor, I leaped at the chance to work for NCRL as the Entiat Librarian. For the next 23 years, I had the best job in the /world. In the year 2000, with the generous support of the Women’s Club, the Entiat Chamber of Commerce, the City of Entiat, and the Community – we were able to move the library back, and fund an addition to the building the Credit Union moved out of when they built a new building.
If there is one thing I believe, it is that all things change, and change can bring goodness to our lives. I am so thankful for the years my home away from home was the Entiat Public Library. And I am so happy to see our library continue to thrive under the care of Suzy Nieto. She is starting programs with great success that I could never have accomplished. In addition to continuing the Wednesday morning Storytime for Toddlers and Preschoolers, she has added an afternoon Bilingual Storytime for school age kids. She collaborates with the Entiat Valley Community Service Organization to provide after school snacks. This summer along with a very successful Summer Reading Program, she hosted a Library Kids Talent Show, and an Adult Cookbook Potluck event. Coming soon, in October, Suzy will be hosting movie nights for families! If you haven’t already, please stop by the library and welcome her as our most recent community librarian.
As this was written in the spring of 2018, much has happened, including the beginning of the tenure of our newest librarian Magi Clark! There is no one better to see carry the community through the doubtless growth and evolution our our town. She and her darling girls have been coming to the library and falling in love with books as long as I think she has been a part of our community. I am so thankful for the the brightness and warmth she brings to all who enter the Entiat Library. Best Wishes to you, Magi!!
Secrets from Granny 