The Olympian from Olympia, Washington • 27

"X- 1 ROBINKOENNINGER STie CDlgmpimt SECTION SUNDAY MARCH 9 1997 i I WW- 1 Uj 1 SOUNDINGS EDITOR: JERRE REDECKER 754-5443 INSIDE: TRAVEL OLYMPIA: WOMEN WERE (TRENDSETTERS A former lighthouse keeper at later a charter I of Hie Olympia Tfomaifs Chib Mrs EUalSta was hostess for the first aimwersaiy of the dub in March 1884 It was ad elaborated appointed dinner at tbe Stork home with nine chai ter members and their husbands celebrating the anntoreary Today considerably more members than were In that first small groirn are gathering for dinner and a program to mark the 114th year of the dub the oldest dub west of the Mumiimipp nrganiggd on March 10 Back in those late 1880s dubs for women common The men wanted their women home they were suspicious at this new dub gathering But those men were dealing with some determined females and the initial nine charter members met together in each other's homes hearing pro- Unk to the past: A community railroad station used to be its welcome mat Now these aging treasures are being redaimedfor new roles By Hollis LEngley Gannett News Soivlcs rACOMA His hometown's railroad station was the last familiar place 11-year-old Robert Takasugi saw before he was imprisoned in 1942 That day Thkasud and his parents were shipped from this city's Union Sta- tion with hundreds of other JapanesfrAmericans on a train guarded by FBI A station I Namethat rafl tune Railroads have? worked themselves I so deeply into US popular culture that I I even when we don't ride them we still slna about them i Here's a list of some pop railroad hits of the past 100 years orso' fi- "Chattanooga Choo Choo" I "I've Been i Working on the Raii 1 51 road" i I "Last Train to "Last Train to 'Overbrook' --''-a "Midnight Tain 1 I Thain stations even permeated pop culture from the Choo Choo" which left Station Ixnit a quarter to four" to Marilyn sexy descent of the Chicago stairs in Like It HoL" A station was a front door the chance to make a good first Impression on visitors A station like Tacoma's with high arched windows four grand staircases and a dome modeled after Pantheon was a secular cathedral as much about a aspirations for the future as about getting from here to there That history and pride are the reason depots are belngrestored around the country some for continued use as transportation hubs some as museums shopping malls and offices According to the National Thist for Historic Preservation there are literally hundreds of US railroad stations now undergoing some form of active restoration or preservation Hie Great American Station Foundation a new Ki dedicated to restoring working sta-and backed in part byAmtrak money met for the first time in December The group plans to communities learn bow to deal with the railroad how to deal with a National Register of Historic Place property how to get says board member Tam Downs See Stations its to spend World Hat the federal prison camp at Tide Lake Calit I was a town's front door the chance to good first on visitors to Georgia7: i Tnlenm rOwoni Prison i I In 1943 the same station with soldiers going to war was the Frederickson worked in a lifelong love affair with trains The threads of lives like Takasugi's and still run through railroad stations even as in Ihcoma's case-trains no longer do Before Interstate highways and cheap fast air transport most long-distance travelers came and went by raiL West of the Mississippi towns often sprang up on the plains only because the were there make a impression I such as I Clean at first then later venturing into the fields of literature travel music and education 1 In addition to Stork charter members included Janet Moore Pamela Hale Mrs Phillip Moore Mehitable Ekierthe Rev Sarah Whitney Mrs ARJL Stuart first president of the chib Mrs Mary BrickerHartsuck and Miss Mary Shelton Tho bottom Hno we organized" Moore recalled a few years later was the farthest But we set about being financiers Mrs Stuart invested it in warrants and they drew interest for many years Our rent (on the meeting nail) had now been raised by an avaricious landlord to $1JS0 per and we began to talk of as r- a meeting mace of our own a clubhouse! More interest accu- mulated and we felt rich so we bought a little well-built house for (500 and with the $300 left over we made over the interior to suit our purposes kitchen dressing and assembly In time a fire caused consid-' erable damage to the dubhouse This question arose: to rebuild -or build The women set about raising fUnds for a new buMdg giving card parties dances con-certs apron sales and baby shows They wrote a song and sold it and sold The Daily Olympian and Recorder sub- scripuons They agreed to issue 10-year bonds at 4 percent and buy them themselves In time they reached their goal of $6000 and the dubhouse rose at the corner of Tenth Avenue and Washington Street Setting a trend As the appellation began to fade dubs popped up all over the country The Olympia Club joined he National Federation of Clubs then in IMS a state federation was formed at a statewide gathering in Tacoma Mrs Stuart and Mrs 'fi-Aii'-v -'3 "Casey Jones" "OntheAtcM- -A son Topeka and the I Santa Henry" vs "Rock Island 'Line "Love Train "Lonesome Whistle" "Freedom i "TbketheA "Ttaln Train" 1 "The Looomo- i "Engine Engine No "King of the Road Bios-' a som Special" "Wabash Can- nonball" of New "TUxedo Juno-J "The Gambler "Mystery Tain" "Freight Tain" i "The Wreck of the Old Tr "Night Tain" Old stations new missions Union Stations (the old name comes from more than one railroad us- the same terml-acrossthe country have been renovated 4 TU Iftfn n4iin i-4 II ti 1 no wooni ngion DC terminal was restored 10 years ago as a station and 1 shopping mall and Is one of the city's ma- )or tourist draws Cincinnati's is now 1 an art museum the station in Si Louis is a hotel and shop- ping center and the Indianapolis station is a festival marketplace Kansas City's station will soon be a science museum Smaller stations 3 i are not left out In Central ia the old brick station was ac-quired by the city from the Burlington -Northern Railroad A new tile roof and a renovated waiting room make It a working station that looks like 1914 when 44 passenger trains passed through each day but serves the two daily trains of 1 997 i I Oman Naim Sarvtca NEW GLORY! The blown glass (top photo) of Tacoma-born artist Dale Chihuly spangles in the classic main lobby of the restored 1912 Union Station in Tacoma (above) which reopened in 1993 as a federal courthouse 'H Volunteers transform into showplace 3 AT A GLANCE 1 The first state convention held in Olympia in June 1897 And how these stalwart women have contributed to their nancial perils Amtrak faces trains are have such a huge capacity to haul people and solve our transportation Harmon said passengers are there always been there Centennial Station is the only station in the Amtrak system that is run by volunteers Amtrak initially talked of providing a full-time agent but did not follow through Tbe cadre of 50 volunteers announce train arrivals and departures If necessary they help carry luggage to and from the train With smiles and patience they answer the same schedule See Centennial D6 By FE Satir The Olympian years oi memorative bricks soliciting labor and material donations and making pitches before city councils but the Amtrak Centennial Station offlfelm Highway finally opened in May 1993 talked dmot for seven years so today people still assume Fm retired from the said Maurice Harmon who -headed up the grass-roots Amtrak Depot Committee train station is a very significant emblem of a said Harmon who had a 40-plus-year ca-reer in state agencies and human services the constant fi reader board shows north-and southbound schedules for all lines If a train is expected to be hours late a volunteer will return to the station whatever the hour to meet the travelers Travelers may leave cars for a day week or longer In the park-and-ride lot They fill out a form on their vehicle and leave It with the sheriff's substation office on site When the station opened in May 1993 vandalism problems were reported But when the sheriff's substation opened later that year the problem disappeared To reach Amtrak call (800) 872-7245 Afl aboard! Amtrak Centennial Station 6600 Yelm Highway is staffed from 8:30 am to noon and 4:30 to 8 pm Morning trains arrive from 9 am to noon Evening and afternoon trains arrive from 5 pm to 7:30 pm Tickets are purchased through Amtrak or at a travel agency Fbur Afferent trains Mop at the station The Cascadia runs from Seattle to Eugene The Mount Adams train runs from Seattle to Portland The Pioneer runs every other day from Seattle to Chicago and back The dally Coast Starlight runs from Seattle to San Diego and back UAiAM SIA jJmaftdkS a njujui wnen me oepoi is cxsea a 1 findpuMic library in Olympia housed in a downtown building When the Carnegie library was built at Seventh Avenue aim Franklin Street the Club donated all 1000 books in their library to the new building As part of the Federation Fhr-est program the women take pan in maintaining the 612 acres of virgin timber east of Enumdaw Along with other dub members they have planted seeds wildflowers and rhododendrons in the park A garden of poisonous plants greets visitors at the entrance to warn them of pitfalls through the ye i the years the Also I il II II 'll lj LJ scholarships to ity high-school i high-school txtwuUMfnz: IN THIS SECTION 3 BEST SELLERS HOTTRAX LIFESTYLES Couples These were the top pop singles last week according to Billboard Magazine: -a Spice Girts "Cant Nobody Hold Me Puff Daddy featuring DM D4 D7 dub has given! Thurston County seniors Club members have dime volunteer work for the Thurston County Food Bank Safeplace The Salvation Army the Veterans Administration Christmas Canteen Books Coins for Art Washington State Federation state endowment and state scholarships The scope of the club's activities is broad but there's still time for fellowship and socializing just as there was back a century-plus ago when dubs for women were new and was the first in the west Soundings appears Sunday in Lifestyles Write to Robin Koen-ninger co The Olympian RO Box 407 Olympia Wash 98407 or via e-mail at oiympianolywanet Underground bird The head of a jackdaw protrudes through a hole In a manhole cover in Nagenfurt Austria The bird got lost in the sewer system and was -freed through fire personnel The bird promptly flew away These were the top-selling books at Four Seasons Books In downtown Olympia: "The English Michael Ondaatje "Allas Margaret Atwood Michael Dorris "Bury Me Isabel Fonseca "The Persian Pickle Sandra Dallas "Chrll Jonathan Harr Rivers Run to the Elie Wiesel "Essential Rum) a Dana Sobel "High Tide In Barbara Kingsolver Dave Barry Books INSIDE Exotic faror Food and travel experts talk about the most memorable dishes they've eaten while traveling off the beaten path D9 TOMORROW Not so prhratei Shock jock Howard Stem bares his soul in the movie Parts" "Un-Break My Toni Braxton "You Were Meant For Urn ImmI llunul "In My Dru Hill "I Believe I Can Kelly a I dose My Eyes" Babyfaoe "Dont Lot Go En Vogue a "For You I Monica "Dont Cry For Me Madonna TlwAaaocwladPraM.