Meeting looks at Japanese role in lumber

The community is invited to the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society’s annual meeting, 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, at the Meadowbrook Farm Interpretive Center.

November 18, 2008 3:10 pm
This undated Darius Kinsey photo shows Japanese workers at Snoqualmie. They were originally hired to build the Snoqualmie logging railroads
This undated Darius Kinsey photo shows Japanese workers at Snoqualmie. They were originally hired to build the Snoqualmie logging railroads

The community is invited to the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society’s annual meeting, 2 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 23, at the Meadowbrook Farm Interpretive Center.

The event includes a presentation, “Weyerhaeuser’s Japanese American Workforce – A Historical Perspective, 1917-1942,” from the Weyerhaeuser Archives.

Weyerhaeuser archivist Ken House has woven together the history of the Japanese families at the Snoqualmie and White River mills, from data provided by the Snoqualmie Valley Historical Society, details in the Weyerhaeuser archives and from his own personal research into the U. S. Census and other sources. Included is the story of George Abe, a local Japanese-American citizen, who became a member of the 442nd (nicknamed the Purple Heart) Battalion and may be the most decorated WWII veteran from the Valley.

This year’s annual meeting includes a brief business meeting to elect Society Board members and officers, preceding the program. Cookies and drinks will be provided. There is ample parking and it is free.

Meadowbrook Farm Interpretive Center is located on Boalch Road about a half mile west of North Bend.