Arlington celebrates ‘Pioneer Days’

ARLINGTON — The laborious chores of yesteryear might not seem especially entertaining to youngsters, but kids of all ages were excited to grind wheat, churn butter and practice milking cows at the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum's "Pioneer Days" Sept. 20.

By Kirk Boxleitner • September 25, 2014 4:42 pm
Londyn and Marcus Camp's efforts on an old-fashioned washboard and clothes-wringer are supervised by Joann Gray during the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum's 'Pioneer Days' Sept. 20.
Londyn and Marcus Camp's efforts on an old-fashioned washboard and clothes-wringer are supervised by Joann Gray during the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum's 'Pioneer Days' Sept. 20.

ARLINGTON — The laborious chores of yesteryear might not seem especially entertaining to youngsters, but kids of all ages were excited to grind wheat, churn butter and practice milking cows at the Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Museum’s “Pioneer Days” Sept. 20.

While Joann Gray supervised siblings Londyn and Marcus Camp’s efforts on an old-fashioned washboard and clothes-wringer, Randy Farrell stepped in for an absent Dick Prouty to help even some of the smallest attendees split their own shakes.

“We’re all about connecting folks with outdoor recreational opportunities,” said Farrell, co-owner of AbouttheWOW, a local outdoor tourism business.

Pioneer Association President Myrtle Rausch credited the 30 visiting students from the Evangel Classical School with boosting the day’s attendance to more than 100.

“That’s definitely more than we had last year,” Rausch said. “And Dick is fine. He just wasn’t able to be here to split shakes this year.”

Indoors, ECS students such as Autumn Marlatt attempted their best penmanship with an antique ink pen, while Christie Christianson and her granddaughter, Madelyn Bennett, knitted a rug and a hat.

Outdoors, Abbie Sarr and Abigail Van Der Breken grabbed the steering wheel and gear shift of a 1906 Mack seat-over-engine truck, while Mike Pray demonstrated the operations of a half-scale model 1918 Huber steam tractor.

“Huber made steam tractors up until World War II,” Pray said. “After the war, they shifted into making road-grading equipment.”

Rausch sees the annual “Pioneer Days” as complementing the museum’s mission of keeping the region’s history alive.

“They learn how hard it used to be for the early homesteaders to do even just simple household jobs,” Rausch said.

Renee Miller, who guided children through grinding wheat and churning butter for the fourth year in a row, added: “All the kids are really surprised at everything kids had to do in the old days, and glad they don’t have to do it themselves. They’re amazed that they put grain in and flour comes out, and that it doesn’t just come from the grocery store.”

Rausch would welcome more volunteers to help her pass on such knowledge, by working at the museum. The Stillaguamish Valley Pioneer Hall and Museum are located at 20722 67th Ave. NE in Arlington. For more information, call 360-435-7289 or log onto www.stillymuseum.org.