WE HAVE A GREAT LINE UP FOR THIS YEAR. JOIN US FOR THE KICK OFF
Whatcom County Historical Society – 2011-2012 Program Season
Second Thursdays at 7:30 p.m.
Whatcom Museum, 121 Prospect St.
Free and open to all
2011
October 13: “The Darius and Tabitha Kinsey Collection: A Well-preserved Legacy,” by local photographer Gary Meader. Meader has studied and has great respect for the work of the couple best known for documenting life in local logging camps. He provides a look at their accomplishments from a photographer’s perspective. He works with some of the same types of cameras used by the Kinseys and has had the opportunity to make prints directly from the original glass plates and negatives,
November 10: “Bays to Bells,” the history of baseball in Whatcom County by Wes Gannaway and Kent Hoelsather, authors of a book on the topic. The program will over the entire span of county ball from the first recorded game in 1875 through the semi-pro team, the Bellingham Bells to today. Includes material not found in the book. Gannaway and Hoelsather are co-authors of two volumes on “Whatcom Then and Now.”
December 8: “Annual History Holiday,” a fun evening of open-mike sharing of local history projects, stories, research, holiday refreshments and mingling. A very brief election of board members kicks off the evening.
2012
January 12: “Dreams of Gold: History of the Mount Baker Mining District” Local author Mike Impero will discuss his new book Dreams of Gold, a history of twelve early gold mines in the Mt. Baker region. The history includes many photos, old and new (many taken by helicopter), newspaper articles, legal papers, court records, maps (old and new) and personal interviews. Impero is a life-long resident of Whatcom County. He was raised near Maple Falls and has a memory of some of the characters and events of the later days of the Mt. Baker Mining District. He has been to all the named mines in the book except for two of them. His first book was The Lone Jack.
February 9: “Good Time Girls Present: Bellingham’s Historical Identity”Join Marissa McGrath & Sara Holodnick– The Good Time Girls– for an exploration of Bellingham’s civic and historical identity. Marissa & Sara will discuss how they make history accessible to tour-goers, the importance of highlighting our city’s well-rounded past, and the value of “edutainment”– informative entertainment– when discussing underrepresented and marginalized groups.
March 8: “Traffic Jam on Bellingham Bay, Summer 1858” 1858 was a critical year for Washington Territory, but in particular, for the little settlements on Bellingham Bay. While researching the bark Ann Parry historian Janet Oakley uncovered new details about Whatcom & Sehome in the Gold Rush summer from the ads, reporters and shipping news and stories in the Daily Alta (California) newspaper. The number of ships and steamers coming to the bay is mind boggling and the dramatic story of one steamer that nearly ended in one of the greatest loss of life at sea.
April 12: “ Lost Communities of Whatcom County,” by Lynden Pioneer Director Troy Luginbill. While wandering about any Western region you will sometimes come across an old lonely gas station, church or store that was seemingly built in the middle of no where. At one time however, that lonely building was somewhere. Here in Whatcom County Troy Luginbill has been finding these little lonely places that once had hopes and dreams of becoming a thriving metropolis. Many early settlers started little communities that no longer exist. Places such as Forest Grove, Roeder, and Buffalo Corners. In this presentation you will be introduced to the over 2 dozen little communities that have sprung up in central Whatcom County, and then disappeared to be remembered only as names on a map, or an abandoned building by the side of the road.
seemingly built in the middle of nowhere. At one time however, that lonely building was somewhere. 
