Community Clicks
PHOTO PROVIDED BY MUSEUM & ARTS CENTER Tribal canoes at rest in the early 1900s at Dungeness Beach, which was near where The 3 Crabs Restaurant is today.
Guest lecturers share knowledge,memories of Sequim’s rich history
Guest lecturers include experts on North Olympic Peninsula Native American tribal heritage, members of pioneer families and others who have studied the area for dozens of years.
“Attending classes are a great way for people new to the area to be introduced to our rich history,” said Katherine Vollenweider, executive director of Museum & Arts Center.
“People who have lived in the area all their lives will enjoy hearing about the people and events that shaped our community.”
Vollenweider said the annual guest lecture series features a variety of topics that will appeal to people from all walks of life.
“Classes are very informal, people do not need prior knowledge of the lecture subject to attend any of the lectures,” Vollenweider said.
“No materials are necessary. People can simply come to a class to enjoy the stories that will be told.”
The cost of the class series is $46.80 regardless of how many classes people attend. For registration details, see the “Course Details” sidebar on Page 17.
“Some guest lecturers will use historical photographs to help class participants imagine what Sequim looked like years ago,” Vollenweider said.
Most classes will be taught in the Historic Dungeness Schoolhouse, 2781 Towne Road, from 10 a.m. to noon.
“Conducting classes at Dungeness Schoolhouse provides a wonderful opportunity for people to experience a historical building firsthand,” she said.
During the Jan. 15 lecture, attendees will learn about the history of the Peninsula’s nine tribes and how trade, religion, warfare and kinship influenced their daily lives.
Jacilee Wray, editor of Native Peoples of the Olympic Peninsula, will speak on behalf of the Olympic Peninsula Intertribal Cultural Advisory Committee.
Wray will share historical information about local tribes, including the Jamestown S’Klallam, Lower Elwha Klallam, Quileute, Hoh, Makah and Quinault tribes.
“This will be a fascinating lecture,” Vollenweider promised.
During “Barns & Farms — Then & Now,” Catherine Bennett and Bob Clark will share images and stories about structures that are now distant memories and those still standing today.
The Jan. 29 lecture, will bring the railroad to life in Sequim again.
Steve Hauff, a retired Clallam County Road Department director who has wrote, co-authored and edited several historic railroad books, will be the lecturer.
The history of Sequim will stretch back a little farther when Clare Manis Hatler tells class attendees about the discovery of a mastodon in local soils during the Feb. 5 lecture.
The lecture, “The Manis Mastodon-Archeological Site,” will illustrate how a simple property excavation by a Sequim farmer in 1977 led to a significant archaeological dig.
The Feb. 5 lecture — “The Life of Lloyd Beebe & How Olympic Game Farm Came to Be” — will be given by Alice and Robert Beebe.
Lloyd Beebe, founder of Olympic Game Farm, is famous for working with Walt Disney Studios to complete a variety of famous nature films.
Beebe and his wife, Catherine, also provided a safe haven for wild and endangered animals throughout the years at their farm, which is still in operation today.
During the Feb. 19 lecture, “Triangle of Defense- Fort Casey, Fort Worden & Fort Flagler,” Terry Buchanan will share colorful Northwest military stories.
The Feb. 26 lecture will feature some of the area’s most recognizable pioneers.
Bob Clark, Mary Hermann, Margaret Lotzgesell and Esther Nelson will share candid stories about their early school days.
The lecture is described as a fun and informative lecture that will give class attendees a unique perspective about the early history of Sequim, the community of Dungeness and the surrounding area
