 |
   |
|
2010 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep 2009 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2008 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2007 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2006 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2005 Archives Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2004 Archives Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec 2002 Archives Jul | Oct |
Book preserves rich history of Lakewood By Angie Leventis - 12/06/2005 News Tribune Although it’s a few months shy of Lakewood’s 10th birthday celebration, the city recently got an early gift: its first history book. Two journalists from the now-defunct Lakewood Journal got together and chronicled the city’s past, from the birth of Fort Steilacoom in the mid-1800s to incorporation in 1996. The result was “Images of America: Lakewood,” a 128-page history that showcases around 200 photos of city icons such as Western State Hospital, American Lake, and the old Tacoma Speedway that burned in 1920. Authors Steve Dunkelberger, now editor of the Business Examiner, and Walter Neary, now a Lakewood City Councilman, talked with The News Tribune about their love of history, Lakewood’s rich past and new projects in the future. Why was capturing Lakewood’s past so important to you? Neary: Lakewood needs something for everyone to rally around, a common past that everyone can be a part of. Sometimes history forms a sense of identity. Dunkelberger: Many of the older residents who hold Lakewood’s history were dying or retiring and moving away. The history was fading. Lakewood is a city of transients, people who come and go. They see Lakewood today and think it all started in 1996. I wanted people to realize that Lakewood was a city long before incorporation, in everything but title. There’s a deep heritage here. What surprised you when you were researching the book? Dunkelberger: The Lakewood Players acted for 50 years with no payroll. That explains Lakewood to me. They wanted an arts scene of their own, separate from Tacoma. So they did it on their own without seeking government help or independent consultants. Very few communities can say that. Neary: In 1885, when Tacoma expelled the Chinese, they took them to Lakeview (a Lakewood neighborhood). That just haunted me. They took them to a train station out there … around the place that’s now the International District (a thriving, predominantly Korean-American business district). It’s a redemption of sorts. What’s great about the book is that we didn’t just focus on the very positive … we also got in the black points — the Chief Leschi story, the Chinese expulsion. What were some difficulties? Neary: It was hard to find pictures of minorities. Dunkelberger: Lakewood was predominantly white until the 1970s. Today, we can’t imagine it. Any advice for historians taking up similar projects in other communities? Dunkelberger: Don’t look at it as one big project. Look at it as a series of small projects with independent deadlines. Do an hour or so a day. Neary: Keep your photos. Preserve your history. Now that the book’s done, what’s next? Dunkelberger: I’m talking with Russell Kasselman (spokesman for University Place) about partnering to write a history book for University Place. Neary: The Lakewood Historical Society is working on opening a museum, which is another way to capture oral history. Buy the book “Images of America: Lakewood” by Arcadia Publishing can be purchased at www.amazon.com, at various bookstores or the Lakewood Historical Society, P.O. Box 98014, Lakewood, WA, 98499. Angie Leventis: 253-597-8692 angie.leventis@thenewstribune.com |
| Arcadia Pressroom | Arcadia Catalog Search | New and Coming Soon | ||||
 |
||||||
|
|
|||||
| © 2010 Arcadia Publishing | Privacy Policy | Job Opportunities |