PRESERVING THE STORIES OF ISSAQUAH

A Memory Book Project of the

Issaquah Historical Society

Personal Bio

Name:

Loretta Lewis

Education—Coming of Age

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

I did not attend Issaquah High School.  I took the train from Grand Ridge to the 7^th and 8^th grade in Issaquah.

What memories do you have of Minnie Schomber, or another favorite teacher?

She was not my teacher – But Minnie and her mother signed for me to get a drivers license at age of 14, to drive from Grand ridge to Issaquah for groceries – with my grandfather – I could not take the car by myself – (a model T ford.)

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?

I lived out of town so my activities were limited.

Local businesses

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?

My husband owned the Ice Cream Parlor. It was a popular place.

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

Yes.  Chocolates.

What saloons or local bars did you and your friends frequent?

None

What do you remember about Grange Supply?

My husband was a member of the board for several years.  Cliff bought a lot of gardening supplies there.

What do you recall about Lawill’s drug store?

We patronized them.  Mrs. Lawill had me sew for her young daughter.

The Great Depression

What are your memories of the Great Depression?  Did you have a job at this time?  What ways did you try to save money?  What did you eat?

Cliff took any job available.  Working in the hayfields for $1.50 a day.  He also piloted a tug boat that towed a raft of logs from the Monahan Mill to the Sammamish Slew.

We didn’t buy anything except staples, flour, sugar etc.

World War II

How did World War II affect the town of Issaquah?  Did you know men or women who went to fight in the war?  Did you leave Issaquah to join the war efforts?

It took a lot of the Issaquah boys for the service.  Cliff received many letters from them.

What kinds of jobs did the War bring to the area?  Where did you work at this time?

Many men and women worked at Boeings and the shipyards.

Outdoor Recreation

What are your memories of Vasa Park?  What did you do while there?

I roller-skated at Vasa.

Logging and Sawmills

Do you remember the Monohon Mill, the Red Hall sawmill by the fish hatchery, the High Point Mill, the Preston Mill, or the Issaquah Lumber Company Mill on Front Street South?

Remember all of them.

Do you remember when there was a fire at the mill?  Did you help fight it?  Did you see the fire?

Cliff was a volunteer fire fighter and he fought the fire all day.  This was in June of 1925.

Salmon hatchery

How has the salmon hatchery affected Issaquah?

It has been a source of information for a lot of people.

Railroad—Transportation

Did you travel frequently into Seattle?  How did you get there?  What did you do while in Seattle?

We went by bus to Seattle via Renton or drive to Medina and took the ferry to Leschi..

How did the construction of I-90 change life in Issaquah?

The highway divided our property.  Issaquah started to develop after that.

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

My first car was a model T Ford that was used only for getting grocerirs and my Grandfather had to ride with me.  I was fourteen at that time.

Fraternal Organizations—Local Halls

What are your memories of the fraternal organizations?  Did you belong to the Elks Lodge, or Lions Club, etc?

I am a Past Noble Grand of Gilman Rebekah Lodge #59.  I am a seventy year member.

I am also a past Master of Issaquah Valley Grange.  I have been a member for 45 years.

What types of events did you attend at the Volunteer Fire Department (VFD) Hall?  Did you use the shooting range located in the basement?

Did you attend dinners, dances, banquets, or other events in the upstairs Grange Meeting Hall?

Entertainment

What movies did you go to see at the Issaquah Theatre (the Old Movie House) to see?  How much did movies cost?  Did you ever go to the back upper corner of the theatre to kiss?

Many movies and the cost was 10c.

Churches

What church did you attend?  What memories do you have of this church?  Were there any pastors, reverends, or church leaders that stand out in your memory?

The Community Church.