April 13, 1978 Shelton Mason County Journal | ![]() |
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April 13, 1978 |
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LEE
eenls particularly cruel
plan them, supply
and when the
it seems the
and foundation will
But one day you
hear the wrecking
and what took
is leveled within a
tnake room for the
ring can stop time.
Stop cycle of
demolition. To
is a season, etc.
Ople who labored
and even more
who supervised its
whole rise and
nful.
NeWkirk cried the
down Belfair's
ly he's not so
But many years
raw edge of the
Was still felt in
ach and Belfair
community,
man in charge of
came to be
Chalet.
to 1938, he
for the WPA
65 unemployed
jobs and the
nlUnity a new
mazes me," says
that everyone
project was
when it
work, yet
a serious accident
injury during the
n
ver
hr tile spirit of the times, tile
Chalet was made from the
resources at hand.
Labor was supplied by
virtually every man in the local
area receiving public relief, while
the materials were taken from
the woods. Rocks, hardwoods
and cedar shakes were all
removed from nearby land to
erect the structure that stood
until only a half-dozen years ago.
"The local school board's
principal contribution to tile job
was the donation of a one-ton
Ford truck and we used it for
everything.
"We even managed to carry
four 60-foot logs out of the
woods on the back of that
truck."
Most of the raw materials.
including stone for the outside
walls and timber tbr the frame,
were collected along abandoned
railroad rights-of-way-.
By the late 1930's, tile big
loggirig outfits had left the local
area, pulling up the steel tracks
laid for their railroads. But the
grades, often with the ties still
left in them, were used as roads
to get the one-ton truck into the
woods.
Although there were never
any injuries on the project,
Marion does admit to a few close
calls.
"The whole project consisted
of three parts. First we cleared
the building site, then we began
construction on the building.
Finally, more land was cleared
for a playfield.
"We did the logging and also
blew all the stumps with powder.
Even in that, no one was ever
hurt, but 1 got a real scare one
tops, not ven for building
Thursday, April 13, 1978
Marion Newkirk recounts his days of supervising construction for Belfair's
Chalet school.
day.
"There was one particularly
stubborn stump up on the hill
behind the school. The day they
decided to blow it, I was
standing in the door of the
nearly completed building to
watch.
"Well, when the stump went,
I saw one large chuck come
flying down the hill. It was
tumbling slowly through the air,
headed straight for me. I got out
of there quick, but I remember
wondering how much of the
,building it was going to destroy.
"With a 'thud,' the piece
landed in a ditch beside the
building, bounced a couple of
times and came to rest fight
inside the doorway. Not one
piece of the building was even
scratched."
Marion says the hardest part
of the whole project was getting
local people to accept the rather
unconventional-looking building
as a schoolhouse.
The Chalet was modeled
after a structure that some
people felt was less than
appropriate for an elementary
school, the Robin Hood Tavern
on South Shore.
"Apparently the man in
charge of the whole project, my
boss, a Lieutenant Mann, liked
the looks of the Robin Hood
building and felt it could be
built by inexperienced labor out
Section of the Shelton-Mason County Journal
or center starts phone line
rye information,, assistance
Can sneak up on "chore worker referral system." and they don't know what to "But right now I think the
can slowly
when
r the lack of
can bring
to
iors deal with
Simply offer
th everyday
Belfair Senior
d up an
hot
Local youth interested in
performing odd jobs will register
with the center. Seniors with
household jobs that need to be
done can then contact the center
via the phone line and a worker
will be sent.
"One of the most important
things people should realize,"
says Sylvia, "is that the hot line
will be strictly confidential.
"If a senior has a problem,
they shouldn't let any feelings of
embarrassment stand in the way
of their calling for help.
Everything will be between just
themand the person on the
other end of the line."
Another service seniors
should be aware of, adds Sylvia,
"is that we at the center can act
as a personal advocate for seniors
involved in a grievance
concerning social security
benefits.
Senior
"hot line'
275-5135
"We can help them prepare
their case and appear with them
at the hearing. The law provides
for such a service now."
Several weeks ago both
Sylvia and Jodi attended a
three-day session in information
and assistance training.
At the session they were
briefed on dealing with some of
the problems they expect to
encounter. The topics included
dealing with grief from the loss
of a close relative, depression
from being housebound,
alcoholism and family problems.
"You'd be surprised how
many seniors have difficulties
with their fam'ilies. And I'm not
necessarily talking about with
their children.
"Quite a few seniors have
parents who are either disabled
or rapidly approa.ching that state
do. They, themselves, are too old
to take care of their parents, but
on the other hand they don't
want to send them away to a
nursing home.
"Decisions like that are hard
to make, especially on your own,
so we try to help them sort
through their feelings."
Another purpose of the hot
line is for seniors to call and
make use of tile transportation
services offered by the Belfair
center.
Currently, tile center
operates a mini-bus that serves
residents in the North Mason
area.
Although the mini-bus is
legally limited to use within the
county, another bus travels up
from the Shelton center every
Friday and then journeys on into
Bremerton.
Sylvia encourages seniors to
call and make use of either
transportation service.
Eventually Sylvia hopes the
hours for the phone line can be
expanded to fill out the day.
One of the main limitations
facing the phone line service
right now comes from its having
to operate out of the local
sheriff's office. The location
eliminates no't only the
possibility of also running a
drop-in center, but also limits
operation of the hot line to the
hours of the office.
Sylvia says the center would
like to eventually offer the
phone service in the evening
hours, but such service would
not be possible until a new
operating location can be found.
Whatever the future plans,
no expansion of the services can
be contemplated until volunteers
are found to help Sylvia and
Jodi take calls.
Volunteers will also be
needed for a new service the
cenler hopes to sotm have
funclioning in conjunction with
the hot line. This service.will be
a visiting group consisting of
seniors headed by Jodi or Sylvia
who will travel to the homes of
shut-away seniors.
important thing for seniors to
remember is that they have a
phone line where they can call
and we'll be there to help.
"And if we don't have the
answers we'll refer them to
somebody who should."
H ISTOR ICAL SOCIETY
TO MEET
Dave McMillin, owner of the
Olympia Oyster Company, will
speak about the local oyster
industry at the next meeting" of
the Mason County Historical
Society on Thursday, April 13,
7:30 p.m., at the Little
Skookum Community Hall on
Lynch Road.
Public is invited.
Lane,
Senior
the phone
give seniors
the special
them and
Use of the
that, unlike
offered
the hot
with a
When the
its own
to also
but for
best we
line."
a recent
ason High
Sylvia
phone
ng,', Sylvia
Will be
through
3 p.m.
line
services
available
SeCurity,
to
out
for
he new
With an
and
ently
ounty
available
ill be a
of available materials.
"Actually, l always felt the
building was very attractive and I
doubt if we could have
constructed a conventional-type
school building without
professional help and that was
out of the question."
Opposition to the project
also came from the local
construction unions.
"They opposed the project
from the start to the finish."
When tile Chalet was
completed, it consisted of four
classrooms and an attached gym.
Another small room was planned
for use as a kitchen but was
quickly converted into a fifth
classroom.
Erecting the gym was a feat
that still holds awe for Marion,
even to this day. The gym's
frame was built around four
60-foot posts. These were
hoisted into place using 500 feet
of one-inch rope, a quadruple
block-and-tackle, the one-ton
Ford, and some backwoods
ingenuity.
"We may not have known
much about building
construction, but we had several
expert logging riggers and we put
'era to good use."
In its final form, the Chalet
was one of the "shakiest"
buildings around, but that's not
because there was anything
wrong with its structure. It was
covered by more than 50,000
cedar shakes.
"Our shake cutters didn't
know much about shake cutting
when they started out, but by
the time they were finished, they
were leading experts."
For some of the men their
work on the school turned out
to be more than a one-shot fling
at construction.
"I personally knew of six
men who went on to work for
the rest of their days in the
construction trade they had
learned while working on the
Chalet."
When the school was finished
in 1938, the WPA planned
another project tbr the local area
and Marion was asked again to
head up its construction. But he
had several "falling outs" with
the local school board during
construction of the Chalet, so he
declined the offer and decided to
take his family and head back to
his native Indiana.
Once in the Hoosier state,
however, Marion realized it was
not the same as when he had left
years before, at least not tile
way he remembered "home."
Maron was born in
Crawfordsville, Indiana, in 1902.
His father was a carpenter so
Marion's family moved
periodically m search of work.
Several years were spent in
Danville. Illinois. but they
eventually returned to his small
hometown located just outside
Indianapolis.
He graduated from
Crawfordsville High School in
1920.
Marion then joined the Army
in time for the end of the war.
He was placed in the Army Air
Corps and performed mechanical
duties at the airfield then located
in the infield of the Indianapolis
motor speedway.
When the armistice was
signed and the reduction bill put
into effect, Marion resigned and
took his pay-off.
For a year Marion attended
Wabash College, but the
academic life was not for
Marion. So with an old Army
buddy he headed west.
Jobs were scarce following
the war, and there were plenty
of young men out looking. By
Ogden, Utah his friend was
getting desperate. Marion had
found work, but his friend asked
him to go along down to the
Navy recruiting station. Once
there, Marion was talked into
signing up for a hitch.
Marion was assigned to the
munitions ship "Pyro" docked in
Bremerton and in 1922 he
caught his first glimpse of the
Northwest.
"On my first liberty I
bummed a ride by water over to
Seattle. Halfway there we came
around a point and suddenly
there was Mt. Rainier. Now, I'd
seen a lot of beautiful sights in
my time, but nothing compared.
I immediately fell in love with
the Northwest and knew, by
golly, someday I'd make it my
home."
During one of his cruises,
Marion took ill and was sent
back to Bremerton to recover.
While resting in the hospital,
Marion met Viola Hill. Within a
few months they were married.
"Right before we got
married, I was assigned to a new
ship. So I spent our honeymoon
with 400 other guys on a
shakedown cruise. She never let
me forget it, either."
In spite of his attraction to
the Northwest, when Marion
took his second discharge he
decided to return to his home
state, as Hoosiers are wont to
do.
They settled in Northern
Indiana where Marion found
work in Hammond and then,
eventually, with an engineering
firm in Chicago.
Meanwhile, Marion and Viola
began raising the first two
children. Marion continued
working at the engineering firm
until the stock market crash.
"It was really felt hard in
Interior of a chalet classroom shows the handiwork of local
workers that lent the building its characteristic charm.
Chicago. The place I worked
shared a building with several
large brokerage firms and nearly
everyone in my office was
playing the market. I wasn't
because I had a family to feed
and no money left over for
playing around.
"Within 20 minutes after the
crash, most of nay friends were
wiped out. Most of them lost
their life savings. Those were
terrible times.
"Two days after that, a
friend and I were walking to
lunch. We had just come out of
the building when we heard
someone yell, 'watch out.' We
looked up and some guy had just
jumped out his window. He
landed about 30 feet away from
US."
Marion managed to keep his
job for another year, but by
1931 his employer was forced to
fold and he was out of a job.
Looking for work in Chicag o
was "a joke," so once again
Marion headed west.
Viola's father owned ten
acres just outside Belfair off
what is now known as Newkirk
Road and was looking for
someone to help him clear
acreage for a garden.
Marion gladly accepted.
Before long he and Viola had
enough money to purchase the
adjoining ten acres and they set
up their own home.
For the next few years it was
"catch-as-catch-can" for Marion
and everybody else in the area.
"Some of the men took to
logging for 'gyppo' outfits. But
since you could only count on
getting paid about half the time,
I figured it wasn't worth the
risk. I'd rather stay home and
work on the garden. At least
then you knew you'd get
something for your efforts -
food on the table."
When the WPA decided to
build the school, it came as a
great relief to Marion and his
neighbors.
But when the project was
finished and Marion took his
family, now numbering five
children, back to Indiana, it took
only one hot, humid summer to
convince Marion his heart now
rested in the Northwest.
"When I told my parents
that we were moving back to
Washington, they asked what we
were going to do. 1 said, 'I don't
know, but whatever it is, we're
going to be comfortable.' "
Fortune smiled on Marion
when he returned. At least he
found steady employment.
From 1941 to 1948, he
vorked in the expanding naval
shipyard. Then he pinned down
the job as the Belfair postmaster,
which he kept until his
retirement in 1959. Even then he
stayed active as a legislative
lobbyist for the Grange.
Last month, Viola, Marion's
wife for more than five decades,
died following a prolonged
illness.
Nowadays Marion is planning
a journey around the country.
His travels will include an
extended stay in Indiana, his
first trip back since 1938.
Before he leaves, Marion
decided to try and trace out the
foundation of the old Chalet for
the historical society.
"The new elementary school
playshed covers most of the old
site - that much I could tell.
But for the rest, it's hard to say.
Time has changed everything so
much; it doesn't even look like
the same place any more."
Materials for the Chalet came from the local area-- logs from the wmd.,
stones from the beach and 50,000 cedar shingles to top it all off.