A member and long-time resident of the area, Russ Smedley, remembers seeing it on his rambles through the area in the late 1930s or early 1940s – and admits to being one of many youngsters who used the bus for target practice with his 22.

But how the heck did the bus get there? Recall that many of the trails in this system are actually old logging roads, and that will give you a clue. Eric Erickson and John Blincoe both contributed information about the bus’s use. John Blincoe remember hearing that it was used “by one of the logging outfits that worked timber in that area” to haul the work crews higher on the mountain. Eric Erickson reports that it was later used as a logging camp (circa 1950). It was abandoned by 1954 and over time was turned over on its side and lost the motor and tires to salvagers.

David Bangs was kind enough to contribute a photo of the bus as it currently appears, and Eric Erickson sent a picture of a Kenworth split level bus of that era.

In 1900, Thomas and Elizabeth White were living in the Gilman Precinct. By 1910 they had moved to Cedar River where they lived on the Old Newcastle Road. While living in the Cedar River area, his Thomas' brother Charles White lived nearby. Charles was a tin smith; it is possible that he actually made the wheel now in our possession. As noted in all the censuses between 1900 and 1930, Thomas worked as a carpenter. Elizabeth died sometime between 1920 and 1930. By the 1930 census, Thomas Jefferson White was living alone in Edmonds in Snohomish County.  

Monita Horn found a mention of Erickson in an October 1949 copy of the Issaquah Press. Richard W. Erickson was to marry the former Mrs. Chance. The new Mrs. Erickson and Richard Erickson ran the Chinaberry Shop from at least January 1951 on.

Joan Massett Glenn remembers: I believe he was a member of St. Michaels Episcopal Church in the 50's.  He may even have been the choir director or organist.  I was a member at that time and I know he was very active. He was born May 21st, 1906 and died on June 15th, 1955. The music at the funeral, which was held at Flintofts, was provided by Wm. Klein and Mrs. Wm Hess. Rev. Clarence Lody officiated.

Phyllis Krumbah remembers that Erickson was a friend of her parents, Mel and Alice Krumbah. Phyllis writes, “Dick would put together skits, or plays. He was very creative.  He died of heart failure, and I don't think he was related to anyone else in town.  That is, he was not a long time residence in Issaquah.” She also recalls that he and his wife were members of the Couples Club, a local dance club, and the Erickson was active in the Kiwanis. Leo Isotalo recalls that the Ericksons may have lived in the Preston area.

A. It looks like there have been three restaurants by this name, all operated by different people in different locations.

One was located on Front Street, and there is some disagreement on where and when it was. Initially I reported that it later became Athens Pizza and was torn down to make way for the library. It appears that the building was north of that Athens Pizza (originally Cooper’s Roost) lot. We have a picture that features the Café taken in 1924. It apparently operated as a Café into the 1950s; the building later burned down.

Another cafe at the intersection of Front and Gilman, next to today’s Chevron Station, is remembered by some folks as the Issaquah Cafe also. Linda Hjelm remembers, “At the intersection of Front and Gilman, SW corner behind where the Chevron gas station sits today but north of Bank America, there was a little house.  That was also the Issaquah Cafe.  Lonnie and a friend used to go there all the time.  That little house… was disassembled for the Chevron to enlarge.” But Marilyn Batura recollects that the cafe was called the Crossroads: "The café located at Front/Gilman wasn’t the Issaquah Café – it was the Crossroads Café.  A favorite breakfast stop for truck drivers – as was then located at the only traffic light on I-90!  My sister Nora worked there weekends (peeling all the potatoes for the hash browns)!"

The third and current café is located by the QFC on Gilman and opened no earlier than 1976, according to Linda & Lonnie Hjelm. This Issaquah Café is part of a chain owned by the same person who operates the Redmond Café.

In 1951, the Maggard's purchased Parr's Park. Barbara Maggard writes:

"Parr's Park became Maggard's Resort and had 13 cabins, 13 boats, 13 picnic tables and 13 outhouses. My brother Jim took care of the boats and took care of the outhouses. We collected $.50 for all day at the park including picnic, swimming, fishing and games. The little house on the dock served many fisherman who paid $.50 to fish off the dock in the winter and we all caught silver salmon. We all learned to surf board, water ski and how to run and fix a boat. We all learned to take care of the customer at the store in the middle of the park, serving ice cream from Dairgold, candy and hot dogs. In the winter I would have slumber parties in Cabin One. We all learned to drive in the park as each one of us had the garbage duty around the park. We all learned to work hard."

Marilyn Batura writes:

It was a 'dude ranch' for the city kids and was located at the base of Tiger Mountain. They would ride horses and experience the country lifestyle for a couple of weeks as a summer camp. It's now a mobile home park (called the V-B, i think). It was owned by the Paul Wainright family and my oldest sister, Nancy [Dodge] worked there in the summers. It was next door to Irving Petite's property about 4 miles south of town just off the Hobart Rd. One of the principals in my office, from a weathy Seattle family, spent summers there and remembers it fondly.

Eric Erickson provides the following location notes: "V-B is now the mobile home park on the left just as you start up the north branch of SE Tiger Mountain Road as it leaves the Issaquah Hobart Road (approximately 240th Ave SE & SE Tiger Mountain road)."

Michael Wainwright expands:

Well your information is mostly correct. The camp was for anyone who wanted to come and local kids did show up.

The summer camp didn't turn into a trailer park though. In fact, the remnants of the camp are still there if you know where to look.

First, my grandfather William M. Wainwright Sr. started the camp. Grandpa Wainwright Moved to Tiger Mountain and built the White House found at the intersection of Tiger Mountain Road and the Hobart road, after purchasing the 60 Acres just down from Irving's place. After living there a while he decided to build the Lodge and V-B summer camp. My grandparents, Dad, and Aunts ran it for some years. I guess there was an earthquake that damaged the pool in back and they closed the camp about that time.

After that, my grandfather decided to build the trailer park. My grandfather and dad (William M. Wainwright Jr.) laid all the footing for the trailers by hand in one summer. It was then named the V-B trailer Park. I use to visit my grandparents when they lived in the lodge in the 60's.

In the late 60's, my grandfather sold the lodge and built a 2 story house one place up the road from the trailer park. By that time he had started a water well drilling business which drilled many of the wells on Tiger Mountain. I think the Company was called J. & M. drilling. An extremely nice black gentleman (TJ I think was his name) worked for my Grandpa and purchased the company when Grandpa was tired of that business. I ran into TJ in the early 80's and he still ran the business.

My Grandpa had a habit of starting business ventures, getting them running and profitable, and moving onto something else. He ended up being a gold and silver smith and making custom jewelry. My grandma (Vicky Wainwright) was the sweetest woman you could possibly imagine. They had 3 children, William M. Wainwright Jr. (My dad), Deloris, and Patricia.

The V-B name derived from Vicki & Bill (grandma and grandpa).

I think my mom still has pictures of the summer camp in action and I still have a V-B ranch T-shirt.

Many have expressed fond memories about the Ranch. Trudy Kain-Talbott remembers her brother and cousin Jacque Hobbs working there under the direction of Cal Baze. Cal had set up an arena across the highway from the ranch,  and held a 'rodeo' a few years in a row.

Trudy recalls Cal as a large, extroverted personality and his wife calm and generous. “One year Mrs. Baze bought 12 boxes of Campfire Cookies from me,” writes Trudy, “I sold more than anyone in my troup and got a special patch for it. Nice lady!”

Trudy remembers Cal’s family and the horses her family had purchased from the V-Bar-B. Trudy writes that the Baze's of Racing fame, Gary, Tyler, and Russell, are all distantly related to Cal Baze.  Trudy had attended high school with Gary Baze, who referred to Cal as a 'great Uncle'.”

“We bought our first horse, a grade gelding named Ranger, from Cal Baze. Ranger had been a rental horse at the ranch.  I rode quite often at the ranch, since my parents were friendly with the Baze's.”

Trudy continues “My cousin Jaque Hobbs bought her first horse, a QH mare named Honey, from Cal.  A very lovely show horse she was too, had a couple of nice foals.  Since Jaque and her folks lived in Minnasota, they actually had Honey shipped back there for them....I recall being VERY impressed by that!”

As early as the '8Os there were a few settlers in Squak Valley who desired the rites of the Roman Catholic Church. Peter McCloskey bought some land from Jacob Jones in 1879. In the early '8Os other Catholic families came, among them those of Martin Gleason, Michael Donlan, and Martin and John Heinz. The author was unable to obtain the date of the first mass, but it was held at the home of Michael Donlan by Father Emmanuel Demanez, later chaplain of Providence Hospital in Seattle. Priests came occasionally to the valley and held services in the farmhouses.

Please let me know if you have any leads or ideas about Father Demanez that I can pass along.

Every week the museum receives telephone and e-mail inquiries about the history of Issaquah and surrounding communities. Simple answers can usually be found in text references. More often, the most detailed (and interesting!) answers can be found by asking members of the HIS. Here are some recently solved mysteries…

Where is the Castro Cabin? And is it Castro or Casto? Both “Casto and “Castro” have been used when telling the story of these early Squak Valley settlers. The original survey refers to the Casto cabin, as does Charles Bagley, author of History of King County, published in 1929), so perhaps local historians can agree on “Casto.” The Casto cabin, whose inhabitants were killed in 1864 during a conflict with area Native Americans, stood just east of Pickering Barn. (For more information, refer to Bagley, 663-665, or search for “Casto” on our web site, www.issaquahhistory.org).

Where was Renton Junction? Renton Junction was a Seattle Interurban Trolley stop. One source told us the stop was ten miles south of Seattle on the line; another was reported that it was located near what is now Southcenter, by the present-day Carco theater. Another member sent us a scanned picture of the station, which we placed in our research files.

What the heck is this thing?  This item (object ID number 94.17.6, on exhibit in the kitchen of the Gilman Town Hall Museum) has perplexed many a museum visitor and volunteer. Constructed of wood with a sturdy hinge, it looks like it could be a lemon juicer. However, if you placed a lemon half over the rounded side, the juicing holes would press against the outer peel of the lemon.

What else could it be? Nut cracker? Garlic press? None of these answers seemed right either. Finally someone solved the mystery – it is indeed a lemon press. Instead of pressing a lemon half, users of this press squeezed a lemon slice in the press.

Join the History List! If you have an e-mail address and an interest in the history of Issaquah, join History List! You can post, read, or answer other history mysteries. Send e-mail to asking to be placed on the History List.