PRESERVING THE STORIES OF ISSAQUAH

A Memory Book Project of the

Issaquah Historical Society

Personal Bio

Name:

Kyle and Jeff Hjelm

Education—Coming of Age

What are your memories of Issaquah High School?  Which teachers were influential?

J:  Football games on a grass field.

Wrestling teams that never lost a match.

Where did you and your friends spend your free time as teenagers?  What kind of mischief did you get into?  How did your parents or teachers punish you when you got into trouble?

J: We had weekend parties at Round Lk. Everybody that had 4-wheel drives hauled us up there. Then the police got themselves an R.V. and they joined in the fun.

Local businesses

What local businesses do you remember?  What items did you purchase there?  Who owned the business?  Where was it located?  What do you remember most about it?

J: Western Auto on Sunset – sporting goods.

Coast to Coast off Gilman & QFC shopping center.

Highway 10 Lumber.

Johnny’s Grocery – Front Street

Hi-Lo Grocery

Local businesses

Did you purchase things at the Grange Mercantile Building?  What type of things did you get there?  Did your family rent a frozen food storage locker?

J: Yes. We had a food locker there.

What restaurants or soda shops did you enjoy going to?  Did you go to Rena’s Café, or XXX Root beer?  What was your favorite food?  Were there memorable waiters or waitresses?

J:

XXX Drive In

Fasano’s

Pick’s

K:

I went to XXX and my favorite food - ’58 Impala

Did you go to Boehm’s Candies?  What candies were your favorites?

K:

Yes, I went to Boehm’s Candies and my favorite candy was their fudge.

Issaquah Round-Up—Salmon Days—Labor Day Celebrations

What do you remember about Labor Day Celebrations or Salmon Days?

K:

One Salmon Day I would go with my grandpa and grandma and we would buy some of those balloon dogs.

Was there any year that these celebrations were especially memorable to you?

K:

Yes. I remember the first time I went to Salmon Days. I remember the huge salmon swimming in Issaquah river.

Outdoor Recreation

Did you spend a lot of your free time outside?  What do you remember about fishing, hunting, or hiking in the area?  What was your favorite hiking trail?

J:

Walking up to Round Lake. Lk. Tradition area. Hunting deer behind the high school and all over Squak Mt. Fishing in Issaquah Creek in the summer.

Hiking across railroad trestle at east end of town over I-90.

What type of fish did you catch?   How many trout did you catch in the Issaquah Creek and what was the biggest?  Did you fish in the kids fishing derby held in Issaquah?  Were your methods for fishing and hunting any different than they are today?

J:

Lots of trout, cutthroat, 16” long

Salmon hatchery

How has the salmon hatchery affected Issaquah?

K:

The salmon hatchery has affected Issaquah by spending all the money on the new fish hatchery instead of anything else.

Farming and Dairy

Do you have any memories of Pickering Farm?

J:

Using the horse track to work out horses.

Railroad—Transportation

What was your first car?  Did you buy it from Hepler Ford Motors, Stonebridge Chevrolet, or the Kaiser-Frazier dealership?

J:

1974 Chev Vega Wagon

Additional Memories

K:

I remember my first year of Little League and hitting 800.