New collection: North Pend Oreille Heritage

January 12, 2011

Washington Rural Heritage is excited to introduce North Pend Oreille Heritage, coinciding with the town of Metaline Falls' centennial. This brand new collection from the Metalines Community Library contains stunning images of one of the most picturesque parts of the state and tells the story of the adventurous settlers that made this rugged land their home.

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The library houses several albums that were collected and organized decades ago in order to preserve the community's history. The albums contain over a thousand early images of the area's waterfalls, canyons and river views - many scenes have eroded or dammed and are no longer there - and photos depicting daily activities of everyone from the town barber to the founder of the town's cement plant.

Meet Brownie, an amateur photographer and bartender at Pend Oreille Tavern, and his buddy Black Beauty, a bag-punching dog that slept in a human bed. Fall in love with George Marr and Marie Beach, a couple whose romance on the back of a motorcycle would one day lead to their marriage. And tag along with Art and Gertrude Baker, proprietors of Baker's Saloon. They picnic at Sullivan Lake, go on hiking expeditions, and use canyon walls for target practice.

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When locals weren't playing, they were working hard. Many came to the area for jobs in the mining industry, a huge part of this mineral and metal-rich area's economy. The Pend Oreille Mines and Metals album contains 81 images, dating from the 1920s up to the 1970s, depicting the company's longstanding presence in the area. It also holds a few photos of Diamond Match employees - during the 1920s, eighty percent of the county's timber was used in match production.

Congratulations and many thanks to Lynn Barnes and staff at the Metalines Community Library. Their enthusiasm and passion for preserving local history sparked this project, and their dedication made it a reality - many hours of hard work were needed to make this massive project (958 items!) a success. This collection is such a treasure, and we're very proud to introduce it to you!

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