redbarn.html

The Klickitat County News, Goldendale, WA., October 31, 1935, page 1

MANY ANECDOTES, HISTORY FOUND IN THE "OLD RED BARN"
Pioneer History Written in Every Board, Every Nail of Structure Now Being
Razed to Make Way for Goldendale Progress; Pike Built It in 1884

"It'll be a darn good thing for the town and even if Pike goes down broke."
Such was the pe__ment, and now amusing comment made in the spring of 1884 by the wiseacres who talked over all topics of a civic nature as well as local gossip in the feed the barns and stables and on the wooden sidewalks curbs which then graced the Main street of Goldendale.
In those days the main street was Broadway, a block north of the main thoroughfare. It was not until of the rebuilding of the town which started in 1888, following the "big fire," that the main street was moved to its present location.
The "thing" referred to in the opening paragraph was the "old red barn," known to most of Goldendales moderns either as the former Silver Feed store or the Maurer Bros. feed store. The building is now being razed by a crew of men and the material is being salvaged for further use after 51 years of continuous service.
E.W. Pike, Ed Pike's father and Clifford Pike's grandfather, was the man who was destined to improve the town but at the same time tasted a better financial pill. At least this was the thought of the old timers as they watched Mr. Pike and his crew constructing the building which was to be a modern feed barn and stable. The construction was to run into a fabulous sum, in the access of $1500, and was said to have been about all Mr. Pike had saved up to that time.
But all prognostications to the contrary, the "old red barn" was not to the lemon predicted and several fortunes were made - even lost - in the history that surrounded this pioneer building. Ed Pike was six years of age at the time of the barn was constructed. While there were two other stables in town at the time, it was felt that Goldendale's strategic location warranted a modern ediface of its nature and Mr. Pike decided to take the plunge.
Mr. Pike operated the barn for some ten years during which time it became the most popular business establishment of its nature between The Dalles and Yakima. Several stage and mail lines operated out of the stable. The long, arduous drive over the Columbia Hills was made in a long day's drive. The "old red barn" was the first terminus of the run. Bringing passenger, mail and baggage from The Dalles, the driver would retire here overnight, rest and feed his trusty steeds, and then return the next day.
At times a terrific schedule of four times a week were made from The Dalles and daily trips over the old wagon roads were made from Goldendale to Grants (Maryhill). From Goldendale to Yakima, via the former stage line "highway," the total elapsed time for fast driving was two days. The first day's ride took the stage, mail and passengers to the Half-way house, located near Satus Creek just a mile past the foot of the northern slope of the Simcoes.
Mr. Pike, at one time, possessed the government contract for mail transportation between Goldendale and Yakima. Two him passed the responsibility of caring for his horses, passengers and mail at the Half-way house. There being no adequate facilities at that point, Mr. Pike purchased lumber and materials, loaded all that was necessary on a large wagon and sent his driver ahead to deliver the material at the site of the "depot's" construction.
Giving his driver ample time to get far into the mountains north of Goldendale, Mr. Pike hitched-up his driving team, a stunningly mated pair of dappled mares, and started for the scene of the construction. Arriving shortly after his driver, he was amazed when he finally came upon his man. The teamster was surrounded with hostile Indians. (The Half-way house was to be constructed on the Yakima reservation.
The red skins would not give an inch. They refused to allow the driver an opportunity to unload the materials. Mr. Pike surveyed the situation, argued with the self-appointed leader, got nowhere and finally decided to take matters into his own hands. Leaving the driver stunned and frightened, he leaped off the load, unclamped the heavy chains that held the lumber intact and began his work of unloading.
Indians, stunned by the sudden activity were more stunned when the heavy planking and siding started their way, crashing into their already_____ _____, several were knocked prone to the ground. When the Indian leader regained his wits, he rallied his red-skin friends together and took Mr. Pike boldly -- a captive.
That band forced him to accompany it, with his driver, to Fort Simcoe, where he found himself "in bad" with the Indian officials. Able to produce credentials from the government which granted his perhouse at that point, he was released to go his way unmolested.
Ed Pike tells of the first telephone which was used in Goldendale. He was 11 or 12 years old and was called upon by his father to "keep shop" while the elderly Pike was out or at home. His home was located directly south of the Service garage. The "high-powered" salesman, appearing in town for the first time, finally succeeded in interesting the elder Pike in the telephone system. Installed, the affair had more the appearance of a tin can in which a small pearl button was imbedded. Ed, finding the average of his patrons tough individuals, preferred to run across the street to a store as soon as his father disappeared from sight. His father, finding his son not attending to business as he would like, decided to lock Ed in the office door or window glass and the younger fellow would tap on the telephone to attract his father's attention. The father would come over to the stable and care for the customer's needs and wants - but would leave the son securely locked in the office to make certain someone was caring for business.
In 1887, the year of the "big snow," four feet of the downy moisture fell and stayed on the ground for several weeks. One night, the last night of the storm, the heavy snow began to take its told and the rafter beams could no longer. Loud cracks which started with morning creeks finally gave way to a visible sagging of the roof. There were 100 head of stock in the barn that night and 25 or 30 men resting in the mow just below the roof. Mr. Pike rustled among the men and organized a crew to "shinny" up the roof and assist in shoveling every flake of snow from the top. It was a cold, miserable job but probably saved a great many dollars in damage to the building.
The year 1888, recalled by many pioneers who reside yet in the valley, was a year of the "big fire." The "old red barn" marked the western terminus of the disastrous conflagration which consumed thousands of dollars in buildings and valuable merchandise and fixtures.
To the late Judge N. Brooks goes the credit for saving the Pike stable. Mr. Pike admitted this fact and as a gesture of appreciation took Mr. Brooks in as a partner a few weeks after the fire.
When the gradual creeping, of the all-consuming blaze, started up the street, and jumped from building to building, fear was expressed for the safety of the barn. No ladders were available for use on the roof. The sparks were flying hither and thither and eventually a lighted bit of shingle alighted on the tinder-dry barn roof. A blaze was started. N.B. Brooks, a staunch friend of Mr. Pike could not see his friend's holdings destroyed if there remained any chance for saving the property.
Girding himself about the waist with a heavy rope, he scampered up the side of the barn with the aid of a rickety ladder and made his way to the gable. He subdued several small blazes with the use of water hoisted to the roof with the rope. Back and forth across the gable treked Mr. Brooks. Of the instance, Ed Pike says the following: "Judge Brooks (he was not yet a judge) proved himself the most able fire-fighter and smoking eater of the day. Time after time the smoke of the fire which was sweeping the other blocks obliterated any sight of the prominent Goldendale man but always the bucket was lowered through the nauseating blanket of smoke and each blaze was halted before it had a chance to gain much headway. Judge Brooks endeared himself to my father for his brave and insistent deed of the day."
An interesting, amusing and still dangerous incident occurred as George Waldron, one of the well to do residents of the community, drove hastily down the street between the two walls of fire, encouraging his well matched team to hurry to cover. Mr. Waldron was headed for the barn where he wanted to stable his team. Without noticing the rope which dangled from the gable and which was securely fastened to Mr. Brook's waist, Mr. Waldron and drove the team into the main driveway. The bucket-end of the rope caught on the tongue or on some portion of the buggy (time has dimmed the exact description) and as he drove into the barn, Mr. Brooks was dragged from his position atop the roof to the edge and but for the quick work of Mr. Pike, some 25 or 30 feet below, he most certainly would have been seriously injured, perhaps killed, the story intimates.
At the time of the fire the barn was leased to Noblet and Hartley, the latter an uncle of Dr. H.H. Hartley who hailed from Oregon City. When the fire razed the main portion of the business section, the two leasees were somehow somewhat discouraged with the outlook and Mr. Pike took the business over, to operate it himself.
A few days after this occurred, Mr. Brooks walked over to the barn and told Mr. Pike that he would like to go into the business venture with him. The deal was made and from that time until the time that Mr. Pike died in 1918, the two pioneer residents were partners in some sort of enterprise, though it might have been only the ownership of the real property.
It was during the years that followed that Mr. Brooks studied, in his leisure time as a stable owner and operator, for his profession, that of law, and in which he later was to become quite noted in the Northwest.
It is said that many fortunes were made by those interested in the barn enterprise and that the money thus obtained was often invested in other ventures less lucrative. Chas. Alvord, pioneer resident who get resides in Goldendale, owned the barn at one time and is said to have enjoyed a prosperous period while so identified. Mr. Alvord said experiences while connected with the pioneer establishment are plentiful and exceedingly interesting, it was reported.
Among those pioneer residents, some living, others now gone, who were identified with the barn's early history and who droves stage and mail routes with headquarters there, include: Howard Marshall, William W. Lear, Ed Phillips, all of Goldendale; Gas Binns, Dot; and Millard Derting, Vancouver.
It is also said that tales of the experiences of traveling men (drummers in those days) while working out of the local stable would fill a large book, perhaps several volumes. For as high as three weeks at a time, these salesmen would be away from the barn with rented rigs and teams, and without pay in advance to the keepers, and always they were good and returned to pay their bill and returned the hacks or buggies and horses.
And so, limited in description and completeness as this article might appear, another era in Goldendale and vicinity history has passed, and the story of the era is written in the rough lumber and square headed nails now being found in, part of which is being salvaged, at the site of the "old red barn," "modern" stable of the '80's.