Hydrofest Races of the 1950'sDuring the 1950's a group of local businessmen were successful in putting on a few years of sanctioned hydroplane races on Lake Chelan,The races brought the big names and bring boats to the valley for what was known as the Apple Cup. The event also brought crowds - almost unruly crowds - the likes and sizes that valley was unprepared to handle.
Thanks to the late Don Cannon (Cannon's Resort) and his daughter Linda Lu, we post one of Don's favorite personal photos. The Cannon's lived at their resort (across from Judy Jane Bakery, at what was formerly Jobe's Resort and subsequently after Cannon's sold became Campbell's Lodge #3). Don and family saw all the comings and goings of the Lake Chelan Boat Company boats back in the day when the Boat Company used to pick up passenger at the public dock at the foot of Woodin Avenue. Don told me at the time he took this photo, "Those Boat Company Pilots are [...]
Winterfest 2010 - How It Was Then Every year the Lake Chelan Winterfest has grown and changed. Here's a perspective ....This video from 2010 produced by Jerry Isenhart, Richard Uhlhorn and Greg Kennedy,.
Incredible 1950's Film Footage of Lake ChelanWe can thank many people for putting this together. The 'video rights' to this belong to Malcolm Keithly. The most recent editing was the work of Lise Anderson. We wish we could know who all to thank for capturing the many segments on film so many long years ago. This is classic footage. Enjoy!
Remembering Manson's 1983 Helicopter Santa In the 1980's we were part of a great Manson promotion that was aired on Northwest TV Stations in 1983 and then syndicated nationwide the following year. The story behind the program was recently re-told in a special edition of "Making Waves" on Lake Chelan Now.
The 1980 Eruption of Mt St Helens - In Terms of Armageddon - By Scott Brundage and KOZI May 18, 1980 started as a delightful spring day in the Lake Chelan Valley. A sunny Sunday morning with many people heading off to church, and others out in their yards, beginning a day of clean-up, after a long winter. Two "Sonic Booms "( or so they sounded) startled most who heard them, and yet there was something different about their sound. Initially it was a fleeting thought. In the passing minutes that Sunday morning, it began to become very [...]
Ernie The Pilot & Many Other Stories Of The PastFor many years, Ernie Gibson flew the waters of Lake Chelan as the owner of Chelan Airways. His legendary story is told in this video, produced by his son, Steve Gibson and good friend Malcolm Keithly. For anyone wanting to study the history of the valley, this is a 'must watch'. This video is about a lot more than the fascinating life of Ernie Gibson. While it centers around Ernie Gibson, much of the story is told by Claude Southwick, another Lake Chelan chaaracter of the past, and by Hank [...]
The Mid 1920's - The road along the Columbia River from Chelan -Entiat - Wenatchee. Earlier we indicated this might be from Orondo to Wenatchee. But we don't think so now. We think this photo shows the vehicle traveling south along the Columbia towards Wenatchee, with the railroad tracks to the right and then the river. The picture speaks to travel and transportation conditions in the 1920's; they were poor. A trip betwen Chelan and Wenatchee, no matter which side of the Columbia you traveled, was still or 4 or 5 hour adventure one way. This is the reason there once [...]
The Chelan River - Dan Gordon Bridge and Riverwalk Park With locations viewed about 75 years apart. Oh what a difference. The original black and white was taken in about 1950, and the color update was taken earlier this Spring of 2018. The differences are unreal. The Dan Gordon Bridge was dedicated in 1978, and Riverwalk Park was dedicated in 1986. Like most change in the valley, neither the “new Dan Gordon Bridge” or the Riverwalk Park came easy, as public resistance to change was present with both projects. Hindsight would say that the visionaries who saw the [...]
