KALALOCH — The Jefferson County Historical Society today is launching its eighth annual West End Weekend to encourage residents to explore the West End and gather historical stories from the folks who have spent their lives there.
Historic Kalaloch Lodge, 157151 U.S. Highway 101, will be the headquarters for the event and is offering special rates for Peninsula residents.
For lodging reservations, call 866-662-9928 or go to TheKalalochLodge.com/LOCALS.
“There are two major goals of the weekend,” said Bill Tennent, historical society executive director, “to encourage people from East Jefferson County to explore that beautiful and historic area of our county and to collect stories and historical information from West End residents for the county archives.”
West End residents are invited to have their stories recorded throughout the weekend by the historical society Oral History Team.
The recordings will become part of the oral history collection housed at the historical society’s research center.
For a recording appointment, call 360-395-1003.
The Forks Timber Museum, 1421 S Forks Ave., will be open for visitors traveling through Forks en route to Kalaloch from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. today and Saturday.
The rustic museum was built by the Forks High School carpentry class and community volunteers, according to a news release. Set on 5 wooded acres, it explores the history of logging on the Northwest Olympic Peninsula.
An exhibit of historic photographs and documents related to the relocation and internment of Japanese-American residents from Jefferson County during World War II will open in the Becker Suite at the Kalaloch Lodge at 5 p.m. today and close at 10 a.m. Sunday.
There will be storytelling from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturday at the Peak 6 Adventure Store — located at 4883 Upper Hoh Road near Forks — highlighted by a special presentation about poet May McLeod Pitt at 11 a.m. given by author and teacher Glynda Schaad.
Schaad is the granddaughter of Minnie Peterson, who ran horse packing trips into the high Olympics for about 50 years.
At 2 p.m., Joshua Chenoweth will present a program about the revegetation of the Elwha River Valley in the Becker Suite.
Chenoweth is a botanical restorationist working with Olympic National Park to revegetate 800 acres of barren landscape that emerged as the reservoirs on the Elwha River were drained. The program is free and open to the public.
For more information, go to www.jchsmuseum.org.
Here is the schedule of events:
Friday
• 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Forks Timber Museum — Open for people traveling through Forks en route to Kalaloch.
• 5 p.m., Kalaloch Lodge Becker Suite — Opening an exhibit about internment of Japanese-Americans from Jefferson County during World War II.
Saturday
• 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., Peak 6 Adventure Store — Author and teacher Glynda Schaad, granddaughter of Minnie Peterson, will share stories of poet May McLeod Pitt at 11 a.m.
• 2 p.m., Kalaloch Lodge Becker Suite — Joshua Chenoweth will give a slide presentation and lecture, “Revegetation of the Elwha.” He is a botanical restorationist working for Olympic National Park.
Sunday
• 10 a.m., Kalaloch Lodge Becker Suite — Closing of exhibit about internment of Japanese-Americans from Jefferson County during World War II.
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Features Editor Chris McDaniel can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56650, or at cmcdaniel@ peninsuladailynews.com.
