In this edition: The Big Freeze of January 2024, February 2024 Gazette newsletter, Alpenrose property turned over to developers, Our History Corner, Garden Home Community Library – Garden Home Cooks, Early 1900s, Kit Bowen, Chapter Two, Memorial for former Garden Home School principal Don Dunbar.
Hello to our Garden Home History Friends – As you all know, we’re just recovering from our Big Freeze of January 2024. Let us know your Big Freeze story and your memories of Garden Home.
One of our subscribers notified us that her name had been omitted from the Donor List 2023 that was published in the February Gazette. We have tracked down and corrected our error. If anyone else notes any mistakes in our stories, please let us know. GardenHomeHistory@gmail.com.
The Big Freeze of January 2024
Big Freeze of 2024 – 5
Big Freeze of 2024 – 1
Big Freeze of 2024 – 2
Big Freeze of 2024 – 3
Big Freeze of 2024 – 4
Big Freeze of 2024 – 8
Big Freeze of 2024 – 6
Big Freeze of 2024 – Tom Shreve
Although predicted, most of us were surprised by the deep freeze of four straight days. The initial wind storm helped to fall trees which took out the power lines to much of the Portland area including most all of Garden Home. Some residents had no electricity or cable for up to 10 days. Personally, we had no power for five days. Please help us to document how we all coped here in Garden Home: GardenHomeHistory@gmail.com
My adult son (our webmaster) Tom and I used our fireplace for a day which was very inadequate against the freezing temps. It got cold enough for us to fire up our vintage stove that I grew up with on our farm in eastern Oregon. It hadn’t been lit in many years. Thankfully, friends brought plenty of firewood. This warmed the family room. The refrigerator gradually warmed up as we noted the utility room was quite cold as the freeze continued. Tom put the refrigerator items in the cold room and the freezer items outside. We all left our pipes dripping and the sink doors below open.
Cable TV and broadband was out for most of us which left us feeling the need to talk to friends, and find out what was happening. The driveway and local streets were coated with 2 to 4 inches of ice for several days. Fir trees fell into many homes, because fir trees have a relatively small root ball. Many homes had significant damage. At least 14 people died in the greater Portland area. The Governor issued an Emergency Declaration.
Other folks were trapped in their homes when big trees went down on their street preventing any vehicles from using the street. Some folks used their generator or purchased one to then learn how to attach them to their home appliances. Others went to a hotel or a friend’s home outside of Garden Home. The heavy ice limited movement for a few days.
February 2024 Gazette newsletter
GHHP Gazette – Feb 2024 (PDF)
Alpenrose property turned over to developers
Alpenrose Dairy historic panorama
From Friends of Alpenrose, Marita Ingalsbe, February 24, 2024:
Hello Friends of Alpenrose, We received the following message yesterday from Josh Reynolds, Alpenrose Dairy General Manager, with important information about decommissioning the ammonia refrigeration system on February 27-29.
The general manager’s complete report includes many precautions, details, and concludes:
We will complete all decommissioning work and exit the facility completely before the end of March. One of our obligations is to ensure the dairy buildings are sealed off to discourage any vagrancy. As you likely know, future activity and site development is in the hands of West Hills Land Development, the new owners of the property. I’m encouraged that they are a local company, and have been cooperative with us throughout the ownership change.
Our History Corner, Garden Home Community Library – Garden Home Cooks, Early 1900s
Garden Home Cooks, Early 1900s
Garden Home Cooks, Early 1900s – top shelf
Garden Home Cooks, Early 1900s – middle shelf
Garden Home Cooks, Early 1900s – bottom shelf
This display of old recipe books and vintage cooking equipment often came with our residents as they settled in Garden Home. Note the huge White House book, Brer Rabbit selling molasses, a hard cover book to announce the invention of baking powder, a book introducing how to cook with electricity and more. The display will be up into April 2024. The Library is open 10-6 Monday through Friday, 10-3:00 pm Saturday, closed Sundays.
Kit Bowen, Chapter Two
Kit shares his journey to return to his childhood home, Garden Home, in Wobbling Into My Past by Kit Bowen.
For me to even be drooling at 74 is a major miracle, (another story) let alone living on the estate of the grandson of the original founder of the best Department Store on planet earth, Meier and Frank. This move was very emotional because it’s now my generation’s turn to down size. I’m two generations down from Cork Ireland and I seem to keep all things from part of those three centuries.
I ended up filling up 3 dumpsters full of memories, selling the hot rods, and motorcycles etc., etc., etc.
I was a basket case.
Passing of former Garden Home School principal Don Dunbar
Don Dunbar and Elaine Shreve are enjoying a cup of ice cream from our History booth – Garden Home Library 40th Anniversary June 3, 2023
Fogelbo tour 2019 interior – Don Dunbar
Don Dunbar 2018, Army 1945-47
Garden Home School principal Don Dunbar speaking with Lavender Shreve – History Society Roundtable May 18, 2018
Don Dunbar was Principal of Garden Home School from 1968 to 1974. Don continued his interest in Garden Home through his participation with our organization, GardenHomeHistory.com. His stories are found in Veterans of Garden Home, and Garden Home School by Don Dunbar, Principal 1968-1974. We all appreciated learning from him. For his last visit with us, he drove from Laurel Parc to Garden Home for the outdoor celebration of the Garden Home Library 40th Anniversary – June 3, 2023.
Read the full Don Dunbar obituary.
Remember Garden Home!
Remember to prepare for the next storm: candles, flashlights and head lamps, house thermometer, water, cash, firewood, and good friends!
Discover Garden Home!
As you explore Garden Home, be sure to appreciate the many spring-blooming trees!
Cherry tree on SW 87th Ave
Cherry tree blooming in late April
Volunteer and make friends
New people might enjoy research, interviews, visiting special Garden Home sites, write stories for the website, doing the History corner displays, and so much more! Call Mickey at 503-805-5518 or Esta at 503-246-5758. Board meetings 4:30-6:00 pm on the second Monday of the month.
Stay safe and well, from all of our volunteer dedicated Board of Directors: Mickey Lindsay, Esta Mapes, Sharon Vedder, John and Marie Pacella, Stan and Susan Houseman, Jan Fredrickson, Kevin Mistler, and Elaine Shreve. Tom Shreve is our webmaster.
– Elaine
Elaine Shreve
GardenHomeHistory.com 
Dara Wasserman writes via email:
As for the storm, 6 days with no power for us. One thing of interest is that my husband, used our hybrid car as a sort of generator for lower voltage things. He strung extension cords all through the house and was able to alternately power things like the fan on our gas fireplace, and our cell phones (as well as our neighbor’s phones). He was able to cycle the refrigerator periodically so we didn’t lose any food. By day four, he realized he could power the microwave and later still, his espresso maker. Priorities, right? All of this was done one thing at time, plugging and unplugging things from the extension cord, and leaving the car running.
We toughed it out, most of the house was at 41 degrees. We had offers of places to stay but didn’t want to leave our senior kitty, who was relying on our body heat at night.
We’ve lived in GH since 1990 and have never lost power for more than 4 hours or so. We picked a bad year to replace our gas oven/stove with electric. Oh, the irony.
Dawn Knudsen Philips writes via email:
Hello garden home history folks,
Thank you for this wonderful site.
My father helped develop the subdivision built behind progress downs with Wedgewood homes back in the early 1960’s.
We lived on corner of SW 89th and SW Crystal Street. I saw a post that said Crystal was just a mark to a trail – it’s actually a cultasac and it was a fun neighborhood at the time. The pharmacist to lamb’s Thriftway lived there and other families.
My grandparents Lloyd and Bea Knudsen owned the garage on the corner of Oleson and Garden Home Roads. I went to Garden Home elementary until 4th grade when we moved out to Hillsboro. I had a horse on some grassy land near our house that I used to ride down through Fanno Creek and up to the Frank Estate where they let me run her at the covered arena.
My grandma told me stories about what happened when their house burned down and she went back to find the diamond ring that was buried in the rubble. My uncle Lloyd lived off Oleson road and we would visit him quite a bit as well.
My grandfather served on the Beaverton City Council until the late 1970’s. If you want any photos I’ll see what I can find sometime.
Thanks for the memories.