Mt. St. Helens erupted on May 18, 1980. The volcanic event was the deadliest in the history of the United States.
Here are a few postcards showing the beauty and destruction of the mountain before and after.
This first postcard was produced by the Washington State Progress Commission.
Spirit Lake and Mount St. Helens…Spirit Lake splendid for camping and fishing. Mount St. Helens great for skiing and hiking. Elevation is 9,697. Sponsored by Washington State Junior Chamber of Commerce with Cooperation of Washington State Progress Commission. Washington State Invites You to the Year ‘Round Playground.
Here’s a view of Portland, Oregon with Mt. St. Helens looming over the skyline
Here we see Portland from the west with Mt. St. Helens in the background.
Here’s a view of the mountain and Spirit Lake from the 1960s.
Canoeing on lovely Spirit Lake with 9677 foot Mt. St. Helens in background. Located in the Gifford Pinchot National Forest in SW Washington. Lake is 42 miles east of Interstate Highway No. 5 at the end of State Highway No. 504.
The eruption:
Mt. St. Helens erupts with thick smoke raising high above the mountain’s summit. This view shows the newly formed single crater, caused from earthquakes and venting of ash, steam, rock and ice. Although Mt. St. Helens has been dormant for approximately 12 years, it is considered one of the most active volcanoes in the contiguous 48 states during the past 5000 years.
Mt. St. Helens in Washington rumbled to life May 18, 1980. It continues to steam and seathe with plumes of ash and ice being blown skyward twice as high as the 9,677 mountain itself.
MT. ST. HELENS, located in southeastern Washington ERUPTS with a boom heard 150 miles in all directions. Ash reaching 63,000 feet in the air blackened the sky of Eastern Washington and points east all the way to the east coast.
Before and after:
Mt. St. Helens & Yale Lake, before and during the volcanic eruptions. These scenes offer a dramatic comparison – on the left, the mountains majestic beauty is captured and on the right the awesome power of the eruption is visible. The eruption occurred on May 18, 1980, the force blowing 1,300 feet off the top, spreading ash eastward across the continent.
The damage:
This photo taken after the May 18, 1980 Volcanic eruption shows Spirit Lake and the debris that was deposited along with steam vents in the center and on the lower right you can see new water emerging to possibly recreated this lake once again. This photo shows the north side of the mountain and steam covering the 8400 foot peak.
Mount St. Helens, located in southwest Washington, began volcanic activity in Spring, 1980 after of a dormant period of 123 years. On May 18, 1980 a major eruption blew approximately 2000 feet off the top of the 9,677 ft. mountain, causing it to fall inwards and forming a crater. Pictured here is the crate that resulted from the eruption. Mt. Rainier can be seen in the background.
And finally, a view of the second eruption that took place on July 22, 1980:
Mt. St. Helens, located approximately 50 miles north northeast of Portland, Oregon, ended 6 weeks of silence with a series of 3 eruptions on July 22, 1980.Pictured here is the third eruption – the ash and steam cloud of the earlier eruptions can be seen drifting eastward. The mountain previously erupted on June 12, 1980. On May 18, 1980, it erupted and blew 1,300 feet off its top, and sent ash 63,000 feet into the air eastward across the continent.
A decade ago I purchased a box of slides from an online auction. The photos, from the 50s-80s were taken by a semi-professional photographer named C.H Ford from Seattle, Washington. There are hundreds of fantastic photos from Seattle, Canada and places continental.
For this Found (Ford) Photo Friday, I though it would be fun to share some of his photos of Seattle.
Seattle Skyline – ca. 1956
2. Alweg Monorail – Summer 1964
3. Meet the Apollo 12 Astronauts – January 3, 1970
4. Fremont Bridge ‘The Trailer’ – July, 1970
5. Smith Cove/Pier 91 – April 1970
6. View of the World’s Fair – Summer 1962
7. View from the Space Needle – Labor Day, 1969
8. View of the Space Needle – December, 1969
9. Night Scene on 4th Avenue (show the Bon Marche Christmas Lights) – 1950s
10. 3026 12th Avenue West – date unknown
11. Warshal’s Sporting Goods – Sometime in 1969
12. U.S. Science Pavilion arches with Space Needle behind – Summer 1962
For more than five decades, the Red Apple Restaurant served patrons at all hours in downtown Walla Walla, Washington. After years of semi-neglect and mismanagement, the Red Apple closed in late 1999.
In 1948 the a new restaurant was opened at #57 (E. Main St. in downtown Walla Walla). The cafe and fountain, dubbed the Red Apple w under the direct management of popular restaurant Aber Mathison; Baker and Partner Gabe Gross and Fountain Manager and Partner Sam Raguso. The Red Apple was advertised as “Walla Walla’s Ultra Modern Cafe, Catering to People Who Care. Open 7 A.M. to 1 A.M.”
1948 – Photo courtesy of Bygone Walla Walla
The restaurant thrived throughout the 1950s, but times were changing and renovations were needed. The fountain was no longer in vogue and something contemporary was needed. The idea was to add wood paneling and a fake apple tree to provide a modern, outdoor atmosphere on Main Street. This postcard, published in 1968, highlights the tree and a modern girl with a late 1960s haircut and fashion to match.
Come and Join Me At THE RED APPLE Under the same careful management for twenty years, this fine restaurant, featuring 24-hour service and a conference room, is located at 57 E. Main in downtown Walla Walla where the first business establishment in the city once stood. A real apple tree grew approximately where this lovely artificial tree now stands.
The Red Apple changed ownership numerous times and would struggle to remain open throughout the 90s. According to WW2020, “On January 17, 1991 the Tuckers sold the property to Greg and Gwen Baden for $165,000. On January 28th the Badens were granted a gambling license. In 1996 and 1999 there was city action for failure to pay gambling taxes. During these years the property on the corner was occupied by computer networking, telephone paging,mortgage and advertising businesses. On October 1, 1999 the property was sold by the Badens to Thomas and Amy Glase and Mark T. and Paulette R. Perry for $400,000.”
I ate at the Red Apple numerous times right before they closed. It will also have a soft spot in my heart.
The Red Apple right after its closure, ca. late 1999/early 2000. Courtesy of Bygone Walla Walla.
BONUS:
A little more info on the building and the history of the Red Apple from WW2020:
Beauty Art was at #59 and the Electric Supply remained at #61 until 1953. The S.E. Washington Fair Association and the Walla Walla Feed Directors Association shared space with the restaurant. In 1954 Herb Himes Hub electrical appliances (and Henry Gies vacuum cleaners) occupied #61. In 1956 DeBunce Studio (photography) occupied #59. These occupants all continued until 1962 when #59 became vacant. On March 21, 1961 Harry Winget sold this property (135.83 feet x 86.78 feet) to Herb Himes for $107,250. In 1968 Himes transferred his interest in the area behind the store to the City of Walla Walla in exchange for the city covering Mill Creek to create a parking lot.
On November 30, 1975 Herb Himes sold his property to Whitman College for $95,888.33. The Hub continued to operated under the ownership of Phil and Sharon Van Houte and Bev and Charles Balmer. Whitman College assigned their contract to Samuel Lewis Raguso for $117,770. Sam Raguso’s estate transferred title on August 26. 1980 to Alan, Rodney and Sam Raguso who sold the property to Ronnie and Terry Tucker on November 16, 1982 for $150,000. China and Things started operations as a gift shop on the balcony at The Hub in 1981. Robert Hanson was the manager of the Red Apple Restaurant and Lounge in 1983. On January 17, 1991 the Tuckers sold the property to Greg and Gwen Baden for $165,000. On January 28th the Badens were granted a gambling license. In 1996 and 1999 there was city action for failure to pay gambling taxes.
I want to start by saying that there is no way I could ever possibly do a good enough job covering the racial significance of this chain of restaurant to warrant a full post. That is definitely best left to sites such as the Jim Crow Museum, the Seattle Civil Rights & Labor Project, and everyone else far more qualified than me.
However, I will touch on a bit of the history of these locations and share some advertising and other pieces of history that might not be shared elsewhere.
According to blackpast.org:
Maxon Lester Graham and his wife Adelaide founded the Coon Chicken Inn in Salt Lake City, Utah in 1925. The early success of this location prompted the opening of two additional chains in Portland, Oregon and Seattle, Washington in the early 1930s. The patrons and employees of the Coon Chicken Inn chains were predominantly white, though African-Americans were hired to work in the kitchen of the Salt Lake City branch.
The first Coon Chicken Inn:
Cardcow.com
The second location in Seattle location opened in 1929 at 8500 Bothell Way.
Courtesy of the fabulous Restaurant-ing Through History
The Portland restaurant was the third and final location and it opened in 1931 and closed in 1949.
From my collection
The 1942 postcard order form for the Portland location from Curt Teich & Co. and the Illinois Digital Archives.
Patrons would enter the restaurant through the mouth of the caricatures
The huge, 12-foot black face was added to attract more children and families to the restaurant, the history states.
Election Night, November 8, 1932 advertising from The Salt Lake Tribune
All three sites were booming and a cabaret and orchestra were added in Seattle and Salt Lake with a larger dining room and the addition of delivery trucks for outside catering.
Maxon decided that if a gimmick were added for the children, it would help bring in the parents. He added the famous head logo to the entrances of the Inns it was a huge winking, grinning face of a black man wearing a porters cap. The words “Coon Chicken Inn” were spelled out on teeth framed by monstrous red lips. The doorway was through the middle of the mouth. At the time it proved quite popular. The logo of the Inn was on every dish, silverware item, menu and paper product.
The Salt Lake Tribune – May 3, 1934
There was a variety of food served but the specialty of the house was, of course, fried chicken. Flickr user Krystal South has uploaded the menu. The cover, the left inside, the right inside and the back cover.
The caricature was controversial from the beginning. At the 1930 Seattle location, the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in conjunction with The Northwest Enterprise, an African-American newspaper protested the opening of the restaurant. A lawsuit was filed claiming defamation of race. The restaurant agreed to remove the “Coon” name from all delivery cars and to pain the entrance face blue instead of black.
But according to the site, he eventually violated his agreement with the NAACP. The restaurants in Oregon and Washington closed in 1949, but Salt Lake City’s remained open until 1957.
In the late1950sthe Grahams got out of the restaurant business, keeping the properties and leasing them out to other restaurant operators.
The final Coon Chicken in Salt Lake City closed in 1957.
The Salt Lake City and Seattle sites have been razed. Only the Portland site remains
The Portland site became the Prime Rib years ago and it is still going.
You can see the shell of its former occupants.
Only that building and the lasting memories of the past are left of a business that thrived for more than two decades.
Where The Real Business of the Legislature Was Done
The Tyee Motor Inn in Tumwater (Olympia) first opened it doors in June 1958 and featured 39 modest rooms and few amenities. After a few years the Motor Inn expanded and become a luxury motel with a restaurant and bar. into a luxury motel and by 1961 had become a popular convention and banquet hall. It also became an unofficial home for Washington state legislators.
According to an October 4, 1999 article by Peter Callaghan in The (Olympia) News Tribune:
“Anyone who experienced Tumwater’s Tyee Motor Inn during its glory days uses the same description: It’s where the real business of the Legislature was done.”
“Committees may have have met in the capital office buildings. Representatives and senators performed official duties in the domed Legislative Building. But the deals were cut in the dining room, around the pool, in the bar – and sometimes in the bedrooms of the Tyee.”
“The sprawling motel was the winter home to about a quarter of the members of the Legislature and many of the lobbyists. Love entertainment, sometimes including national acts like Frank Sinatra and Liberace, helped pack the lounge. The Jacuzzi suites near the pool were a popular venue for rowdy parties hosted by some of the state’s most powerful special interests.”
During the 1960s the motel owners continued to expand the motel and by January 1970 the Tyee Motor Inn boasted 209 units and 11 banquet rooms.
On January 27, 1970, an accidental fire severely damaged the motel. The fire started in or near an overhead broiler in the motel’s kitchen. The 209-unit motel, valued at at least $3.4 million, sustained major damage, with only 39 units and 11 cabanas left standing after the fire. No deaths or serious injuries were reported.
Daily Chronice, January 27, 1970
The postcard on top (courtesy of SwellMap) shows what the original complex looked like before the fire. I believe the second postcard pre-dates the fire and shows the fantastic mid-century entrance . The third postcard features an elevated view of the newly rebuilt complex showcasing the new pool and manicured trees and yard.
After the fire, the Tyee was rebuilt but struggled to regain its status as the place to be and get deals done.
The Daily Chronicle – October 5, 1972
The rebuilt complex suffered anther fire in 1972. This one started in the room next to trumpeter Harry James. 11 cabana units were destroyed.
Again the Tyee was rebuilt but newer hotels brought newer amenities and nicer lounges. Newly signed reforms requiring disclosure of expenses for entertainment by lobbyists lead to a steady decline
After the fire, the Tyee was rebuilt but struggled to regain its status as the place to be and get deals done.
The rebuilt complex suffered anther fire in 1972. This one started in the room next to trumpeter Harry James. 11 cabana units were destroyed.
Again, the Tyee was rebuilt but newer hotels brought newer amenities and nicer lounges. Newly signed reforms requiring disclosure of expenses for entertainment by lobbyists lead to a very steady decline.
Peter Callaghan’s article mentions the sad end of the Tyee:
“Brad Nelson, the Tyee’s last manager, said the hotel lost out in competition with cheaper motels and the other full-service hotels that have been kept up over the years. The Tyee’s final owners – Starwood Hotels and Resorts – decided to sell rather than renovate.”
The Tyee’s days were numbered. The Inn was torn down in October, 1999. A Fred Meyer store occupies the space now.
The Top of the Ocean was once a popular “luxury liner” restaurant in Tacoma, Washington. Located at 2211 Ruston Way in Tacoma, “The Top” was built along Commencement Bay to resemble a docked ocean liner. Architect Charles Kenworthy designed the restaurant and it was constructed by an actual boat company, Tacoma Boat Mart, at a cost of over $260,000.
The Top of the Ocean opened on December 15, 1946 and quickly became a hotspot for locals. Over 700 patrons at a time could fit in the restaurant, lounge and three decks.
From the beginning, the Tacoma Athletic Commission had used the top deck of The Top of the Ocean as their headquarters. In 1948, the commission purchased the entire restaurant and opened it to the public. The commission would only own the restaurant for three years before selling it to Roger Peck.
Over the next 25 years the restaurant would see several owners but very few changes. The Top was something an old Tacoma institution. In 1977, the restaurant would be deliberately set ablaze and a fascionating trial ensued.
On the morning of April 3, 1977, an arsonist, using an accelerant, torched the the Top of the Ocean. The fire spread quickly and burned for two hours. Damage to the landmark restaurant was originally estimated at over $500,000 but would actually be more in the $1 million dollar range.
The Daily News – April 4, 1977
Fire investigators immediately determined that the blaze was intentional. The next day, a taxi driver named Richard Black would be the person to finger the assailant. Black told arson investigators that he had driven a man to the Top of the Ocean the previous day and he helped the person load and unload several gallon cans of paint thinner.
Almost immediately, 27 year old David Willard Levage was arrested on suspicion of arson. Employees of the restaurant told the police that Levage had been ejected from the restaurant for drunk and disorderly behavior on multiple occasions. In the fact, the night before the fire Levage had been kicked out for harassing customers and staff. He was released from custody after posting $10,000 bail.
After a lengthy trial where Levage told the jury that he was having trouble remembering. Levage was found guilty and sentenced to a maximum of 20 years and sent to his new home at the Washington State Correctional Center in Shelton.
The story doesn’t end then there. More than one year later, a federal grand jury in Seattle indicted Levage, Pierce County Sheriff, George Janovich, local crime boss John Carbone, and 12 others, for racketeering. It was determined that Levage was one of Carbone’s arsonists for hire. Ultimately everyone but Levage was found guilty of racketeering and other charges.
There were plans to rebuild the Top of the Ocean, but the money from the insurance settlement did not cover all the damage done by the fire. The property would be unoccupied for 20 years.
Metro Parks Tacoma would eventually acquire the property and build a plank-style walkway over the water, where the restaurant original pilings remained. Ten years later, the Tacoma Historical Society, City of Tacoma, Tacoma Athletic Commission and other sponsors, dedicated a small monument to the old Restaurant. The monument is a three-dimensional replica of the “ocean liner” in bronze. It was sculpted by Paul Michaels, and dedicated to the memories of the Top of the Ocean.
Steve’s Gay 90’s restaurant was located at 5238-40 South Tacoma Way in South Tacoma, Washington. Originally known as Steve’s Cafe, the restaurant was opened by Steve Pease and John Stanley in 1941. After a few years of operation the name was changed to better fit its atmosphere and decor.
The restaurant offered cocktails and American food served smorgasbord style for a nominal charge, with dining music and entertainment in the evening. The Gay Nineties had a smorgasbord table and booths decorated to appear like “surreys with fringe on top.” Checked table cloths and wagon wheel chandeliers complete the down home look.
In the mid-fifties, Steve’s added to their unique treasure trove an actual cable car, converted to street driving, bought at auction in San Francisco and driven to Tacoma.
A postcard showing the newly acquired cable car
Steve’s as it looked several years later.
The Cable Car Room then opened with replicas of Tacoma and San Francisco cable cars as booths in the cocktail lounge.
The crowning gem was the Opera House, opened in a mid fifties expansion, furnished with antiques from the South Tacoma mansions and featuring a twice nightly floor show with can can girls, among other performers.
Sadly, due to years of declining business, Steve’s business partner “redistributing” restaurant, and changing tastes, Steve’s Gay 90’s Restaurant closed its doors in 1977. The building has gone through numerous changes but the shell of the sign survives.
You can see 54 images of Steve’s from the Tacoma Library’s image archive here.
This is part two in a series of Seattle restaurant matchbooks.
1. Les Brainard’s New Grove Restaurant
Les Brainard welcomes you to Seattle’s New Grove Restaurant, Renowned in the West for its excellent cuisine and friendly atmosphere. Charcoal broiled foods our specialty . Luncheons – Dinners – Banquet Rooms for Private Parties – Cocktails – Music – AAA Approved – dinner reservations appreciated.
Les Brainard was born and raised in Bozeman, Montana and came to Seattle during the Great Depression. He started working in a restaurant, washing dishes and finally earned enough to purchase the restaurant in which he was working. The restaurant,now called Les Brainard’s was located at Secena Street and 2nd Avenue in Seattle. It was a fairly small place but he built it up to be something over the years.
The Grove was started in the early 1950s at 522 Wall Street and struggled to gain a foothold. Les Brainard would eventually purchase the restaurant in 1956. Brainard would sell his eponymous restaurant shortly after to focus his energy on the Grove. Renovations were done and a new decor, complete with indoor trees and waitress dressed in kimonos, brought new life and success to the restaurant. The New Grove was born.
Wikimedia Commons
For the next 25 years, the New Grove was a happening place to eat. Brainard sold the restaurant in 1977. It closed sometime after that. Les Brainard passed away in 1990 at the age of 81.
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2. Kirkpatrick’s
Kirkpatrick’s, located at 416 Union, was an Irish themed restaurant that either before or during World War II. Featuring the full-Irish theme of leprechauns, shamrocks, harps, fairies; the restaurant served Irish-style food and drinks in The Blarney Room. You can see the menu above for their complete menu ca. 1944. I can’t tell how long the restaurant stayed in business but it doesn’t appear that it made it to the 1960s.
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3. Roland’s Market Restaurant
Now this one is an absolute doozy. I cannot find anything. There is nothing on any search engine, in any newspaper archive or anything else. The location, at 8071 S. Tacoma Way, is a strip mall so that doesn’t help. I am guessing from the design and font on this 30-strike matchbook that it was around in 1980s/early 1990s. Let me know if you know anything about Roland’s.
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4. Leo’s Fountain Cafe
“Meet Me at Leo’s” was the slogan of this small fountain cafe started by a man named Leo Cruise. Located at 45th and University Way, Leo’s appears to have been a 24-hour restaurant or at least open very late.
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5. King’s Row Restaurant and Jester’s Room
The King’s Row Restaurant Jester’s Room were located at 3935 Stoneway in Seattle. I have not be able to find much of anything about this place. Looking at the map, the building has been torn down and replaced with apartments/condos. The restaurant appears to have been open from the late 50s/early 60s until the 1980s. Again, if you have any information leave a comment.
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6. Terry’s Coffee Shop
Terry’s was located at 3401 4th Ave. South in Seattle. They advertised the best hotcake in town, I wonder if that was even remotely true. I mean, sometime’s these hole-in-the-wall type places have the best food. The proprietorswere Terry and Midlred Martinez. It’s gone now
