Hello Friends! Garden Home is busy! This update includes a Fanno Creek Trail History Walk, School Days exhibit in the library, researching a history walk for downtown Garden Home, road closure for roundabout development at SW 92nd Ave. and SW Allen Blvd., and remembering Andy Dignan.

Thank you for your generous donations, your nice comments, and hopefully, your good intentions to write us a story about your family! If you wish to receive the printed Gazette (3x a year) in addition to your email Gazette, reply with your mailing address.

Fanno Creek Trail History Walk

Saturday, September 24, 10AM to noon. History WALK on the Fanno Creek Trail. All spaces are filled for this date; register for a future walk on the Garden Home Library’s website. You’ll hear about:

Olympic swimmers practiced in Garden Home. Ride the train out to Firlock Station to play golf. Catch the mail bag thrown from the postal train, 30 trains or more a day through Garden Home. Ride your horse on the Bridle Path to the horse Academies. See the Onion King bragging about his huge onions. Play with the frogs and lizards in the ponds along the rail bed. Pick up the latest newsletters and other news.

We have done two WALKS sharing the history of the path and the adjoining properties. Our webmaster Tom Shreve does the first half of the trail (and a few comments from Elaine!). Then Heather Waisanen from the Garden Home Library shares the rest of the trail. The Oregon Electric train began clanging along here in 1908, opening Garden Home to so many exciting events.

Historical Display Case in the Garden Home Library

Check out the Historical Display case in the Garden Home Library: It’s all about Garden Home School days. See the Beaverton newspaper announcing the sad news of the closure of Garden Home Elementary School.

2022-09 Display cabinet – School Days

2022-09 Display cabinet – School Days, top shelf

We’re researching a History Walk for downtown Garden Home

If you have a story about early Garden Home, please send your story to us. For example, Rick Newton sent us a wonderful story about his years growing up in Garden Home: The Newton Boys. Another example is the early writers’ group that met with Dorothy Bastien, who lived on Oleson near the major intersection. A member of the writer’s group, Peg Bracken, wrote several fun books including On Getting Old for the First Time. “The older you get, the more complicated the things you have to work with.” Yes, we agree. She achieved considerable fame with The I Hate to Cook Book. Grab a cream of chicken or mushroom soup can and some leftovers for a quick supper, such as “Skid Road Stroganoff”. “Some women, it is said, like to cook. This book is not for them.” You’ll enjoy these books, which are available from Garden Home Library or your local library.

Road closure for roundabout development at SW 92nd Ave. and SW Allen Blvd.

Yes, we’re all learning new ways to navigate out of Garden Home while SW 92nd Ave is closed for construction. Now that it’s difficult to access SW Allen Blvd from Garden Home, use the ramps onto Hwy 217 at SW Hall Blvd or SW Greenburg Rd instead.  Your Vista Brook neighbors will appreciate it if you avoid cutting through their neighborhood. See City of Beaverton Traffic Alerts for details.

In Memoriam: Andy Friedle Dignan, 1932-2022

Andy Friedle Dignan

Andy Dignan was a great help for us when we first began Garden Home History. Her obituary tells her fascinating story.

Remember!

Remember the Big Blow 60 years ago, on Columbus Day? We’re writing that story next month, let us know how your family handled it. For example, I was the evening nurse in charge of the post-op patients’ ward at Good Samaritan Hospital. The lights going out signaled that the various suctioning devices for my patients were not working. I took a quick trip down the dark stairway, three floors down, to get a large manual suction device I could use for the ‘most needful’ patient. The phones remained working and my son’s babysitter assured me they were fine.

Discover Garden Home!

Check out our Garden Home Library’s new books about old houses.

Library recommendations – Discovering the history of your neighborhood

Get Involved

Our Board of Directors continues their monthly meetings, second Mondays at 4:15 in our homes. Call to attend. Current subjects include displays in the Library and bulletin board, Century Homes program (we have some 39 Century Homes in Garden Home), Historic Garden Home street signs, new businesses, our newsletters, program planning with the Garden Home Library and more! More Garden Home History walking Tours. We welcome new volunteers to our committees; let us know your interest. Call Elaine 503-246-5879, or Esta 503-246-5758.

Stay safe and well, from all of our dedicated Board of Directors: Esta Mapes, Sharon Vedder, John and Marie Pacella, Stan and Susan Houseman, Mickey Lindsay, Jan Fredrickson, Kevin Mistler, and Elaine Shreve. Tom Shreve is our webmaster.

– Elaine

Elaine Shreve