riverside

By Dee CampThe Chronicle

IVERSIDE – The cityhasn’t always been calledRiverside, and for a timeit was a bit upstream, butby 1900 it was Okanogan

County’s foremost trading centerand its promoters had their sightson even loftier goals.

A Seattle syndicate promoted“Okanogan City” in 1897, but theeffort failed despite some heavycampaigning by the PalmerMountain Prospector newspaperin Loomis.

On June 18, 1897, thenewspaper said, “A new town isspring up in the county, of whichbut little has been said and not agreat deal known even by thoseliving within a radius of a fewmiles. The fledgling that isgradually coming into existencewithout blare of trumpets, anelaborate blue print plat, and a gilt-edge prospectus that promisesabundant riches to every lotinvestor, is to be known upon themaps as Okanogan City, and islocated at the junction of JohnsonCreek with the Okanogan River, thehighest point of navigation reachedby the steamer Ellensburg.”

The new town was slated tohave a hotel, general merchandisestore, livery stable and “anotherstructure where the interior of manmay be irrigated with such fluids asmay suit the fancy,” the Prospectorsaid. “There is no good reason –with the opening up of surroundingmines, light craft navigation of theriver and the occupancy of theagricultural lands in the valley –why Okanogan City should not intime become quite a flourishingplace.”

Even though Okanogan Cityfailed, steamboats continued tounload supplies at the site at themouth of Johnson Creek, historianand former Chronicle PublisherBruce A. Wilson wrote in his book,

“Late Frontier.” Supplies werestored in tents and warehousesuntil they could be moved.

For a while, the site was called“Republic Landing,” in an effort toconvince shippers that goodsdestined for the booming miningcamp at Republic could be shippedeconomically from the site.

In 1898, Frank J. “Pard”Cummings, already a mover andshaker in Okanogan’s predecessor,Alma, opened a store in a tentabout two miles north of the mouthof Johnson Creek, Wilson wrote.

James E. Forde of the Loomisfirm Ellis & Forde, erected awarehouse nearby. But a smallisland in the Okanogan River gavesteamboats trouble, so Fordeplatted Riverside at its presentlocation, below the island.

Uriah Ward had settled on landnow occupied by the town, butJohn Kendall later secured a patentto the site, according to the 1904“Illustrated History of Stevens,Ferry, Okanogan and ChelanCounties.” Cummings moved his

store to the present site – the samearea abandoned earlier — and Ellisand Forde later moved theirwarehouse to the site and alsoopened a store.

A post office was established in

1900, with Kate Edwards aspostmistress.

Forde platted the 160-acre townsite Sept. 5, 1902. Another 40 acreswere added later by the RiversideTownsite Co.

“Though only a few years old,the town has a population of about200 people and is gaining rapidly,”the book said. “The buildings ofRiverside are all new andsubstantially constructed.”

Steamers from Wenatcheecould reach the mouth of theOkanogan all year and in summercould go up the Okanogan as far asRiverside during the summer.Beyond that, McLoughlin Fallsprevented further navigation.

Stage lines at Brewster andRiverside connected other areas ofthe county.

In 1904, the town had twostores, two warehouses, twosaloons, one hotel, one restaurant,

See Trading 3

— Riverside 100 Years The Chronicle — December 11, 2013

Congratulationson celebrating100 years!

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County’s trading centered on Riverside

George Ladd/Okanogan County Historical Society

The Occidental Hotel in Riverside about 1913. The building — and much of the downtown area — wasdestroyed by fire in 1916.

R

Frank S. Matsura

The North Star passes through the drawbridge at Riverside sometime before 1913.

Riverside’s centennialcelebration: 1-6 p.m.Dec. 14 at MountOlive Grange Hall,317 N. Main St.

Riverside 100 years

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Garrett Rudolph, managing editor

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one blacksmith shop and twolawyers. A ferry took traffic acrossthe Okanogan River.

Riverside was the hub andsupply point for the north half ofOkanogan County and outfittingpoint for the “South Half” of theColville Indian Reservation, thebook said.

It was the principal wool-shipping point in the county, withhundreds of thousands of poundsgoing out annually. In 1902, thevalue of incoming freight andoutgoing products was placed at$1.25 million.

In June 1903, the OkanoganRiver reached its highest point inyears, but despite the threatenedflooding disaster, only one building– the Columbia and Okanoganwarehouse – was vacated.

Residents took the high water instride – or rather afloat – with the1904 history book reporting thatpeople used skiffs to traverse MainStreet.

“There was a sufficient stage ofwater to enable steamboats to landat the rear of the GlenwoodMercantile Company’s store,” thebook said.

On Aug. 15, 1903, townspeoplemet and decided, on a vote of 37-8,to sell $1,500 in bonds to build aschool building.

“The new edifice was erectedand is considered one of the finestin the county, and the course ofinstruction is under a competentcorps of teachers,” the book said.J.D. Williams was the schooldistrict clerk.

“Riverside is ambitious. Itscitizens confidently expect tosecure the location of the countyseat within its limits at an earlydate,” the 1904 book continued.“The Great Northern RailwayCompany has had a survey madefor a branch line from Wenatcheealong the Columbia and Okanoganrivers to tap the valley of the latterstream.”

An irrigation system also wasproposed for thousands of acres ofland.

The town’s population peakedat about 350, Wilson wrote.

But for all the town’s loftydreams, it lost in a 1908 countyseat election (the county seatremained in Conconully) and therailway, which moved up the valleyin 1914, put the steamboats out ofbusiness.

Two more blows came in 1916,when two fires leveled much of thebusiness district.

Despite the setbacks, the townrebuilt but its population neverquite matched the 350 figure.

The 1920 Census showed 209residents, followed by 218 in 1930,192 in 1940 and a low of 149 in1950. Since then it’s been on therise; as of last year, the city had apopulation of 283.

The Chronicle — December 11, 2013 Riverside 100 Years—

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Early day Riverside, with the bridge on the right. By 1904, the town had two stores, two warehouses, twosaloons, one hotel, one restaurant, one blacksmith shop and two lawyers.

Trading from 2


One of two fires to hit Riverside smolders in the spring of 1916. Thefirst destroyed 12 buildings, with a loss of $25,000. The second, six daysafter the first, started in an empty barber shop and took out a block ofbuildings for a loss of $50,000. Both blazes were fought by a bucketbrigade, since the town’s water system was undergoing repairs.


Riverside’s train depot. The railroad’s arrival was one of several blowsto the young city.

Riverside boastedearly movers

The Chronicle

The 1904 “Illustrated History ofStevens, Ferry, Okanogan andChelan Counties” listed severalprominent early Riversideresidents. Among them:

John D. Williams. He cameto the county in 1899 was engagedprimarily in the stock business. Hebuilt the first business house inRiverside and by 1904 wasoperating a retail liquor storefeaturing “a choice stock of liquorsand tobaccos.”

He had other business propertyin Riverside “and has beenprospered in his enterprises.” Healso had an interest in the ferry atRiverside.”

Frank J. “Pard” Cummings.The Maine native was “a leadingmerchant at Riverside.” He came tothe county in 1896 and brought hisfamily to the county next year.

“He is now conducting abusiness establishment nearRiverside, at a place called Alma,and is one of the substantial andleading citizens of the community,”the book reported.

John Kendall. He was well-known in the county, and aprominent businessman and townsite owner in Riverside. He owneda large livery and feed stable.

He came to the area after hemarried Olive Thomas, whoseparents lived in the Riverside area.Kendall and his wife took up ahomestead on 182 acres in 1895.Forty acres of the estate were soldfor the town site. Mr. Kendall

owned an interest in the town site,and the rest of his land adjoinedthe town.

“The farm is fenced and allunder cultivation, being suppliedwith irrigating water from JohnsonCreek,” the history book said. “Heraises abundance of cereals andhad 45 acres sowed to alfalfa,which produces three cropsannually. He has six acres inorchard, which bears plenty, ofpeaches, apricots, prunes, pears,apples, and so forth. A goodresidence makes the place beautifuland valuable, while outbuildingsand other improvements are inevidence.”

He built the hotel, which heoperated for four years and thensold. He also had an interest in theferry.

The Kendalls were members ofthe Methodist Church “and areknown as progressive and uprightpeople,” the book said. They had

See Movers 4

Okanogan County Historical Society

Mr. and Mrs. George Cooper,owners of the Hotel Cooper.

By Jennifer MarshallThe Chronicle

RIVERSIDE – It’s one of thesmallest towns in OkanoganCounty, but a few longtimebusinesses are thriving.

There’s DeTro’s Western Store,107 Main St., which has perseveredfor around seven decades.

“We’re the only true Westernstore in this valley,” owner MikeLavezzo said. “That’s all we do.That’s all we are.”

The DeTro family purchased thestore in 1946. At the time it was ageneral mercantile owned by LeeFrank, who bought it when it wascalled Blackwell’s, Lavezzo said.

“It had groceries, hardware,your jeans and boots; it hadeverything,” he said.

The DeTros transformed theshop to sell only Western gear,including saddles, tack andclothing. It has been that way eversince.

Bunny DeTro, who now lives inOmak, said she and her husband,

Russ, moved to Riverside afterbeing discharged from the

Canadian Air Force. His father,“Pop” DeTro, had family in the area

and purchased the store for his sonand daughter-in-law.

He converted upstairs offices toan apartment where Russ andBunny lived and raised their threechildren, Jim, Scott and Ginger.

They lived there until they sold thestore to Lavezzo’s brother, DaveLavezzo, in 1987 and they moved toOmak.

See Business 5


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George Cooper. The Britishnative owned and operated theHotel Cooper, which was a twostory structure with 12 sleepingapartments besides other rooms

“and is furnished and handled in avery tasty and pleasant manner.Mr. Cooper enjoys the patronage ofthe traveling public and isesteemed a genial and affablehost,” the book said.

James E. Forde. Forde waspresident of the WashingtonCommercial Co. He entered apartnership with George H. Ellis and

they operated general merchandisebusinesses in Loomis, Oroville,Republic, Riverside and Conconully.

“Each store is the largest in itsrespective town and they are allwell supplied with a choice andcomplete stock of generalmerchandise and are all doing asplendid business,” the book said.

He and Ellis also owned theoriginal town site at Riverside.

Movers from 3

Longtime Riverside businesses thrive


Riverside Commercial Co. eventually became DeTro’s Western Store, which still does business on Riverside’s Main Street.


A cafe in Riverside in about 1920. Mrs. Cummings’ daughter, Audrey, is at right and Edna Lyons is at one ofthe tables. The other woman is unidentified.


Finely dressed couples stand outside the Riverside Drug Co.

Riveside 100 Years—

Riverside “was a very friendlytown,” DeTro said. “I was from thecity, from Toronto. Everybodywanted to invite me to a party or tojoin this club.”

In 1994, Mike Lavezzo took overownership from his brother andhas operated the store ever since.

“I was a cowboy, and I fit intoit,” Mike Lavezzo said.

He and his brother opted tokeep the DeTro’s name.

“You could change the nameafter 40 years, but people are stillgoing to call it DeTro’s so we aren’tgoing to mess with that,” Lavezzosaid. “The DeTro family did such agreat job with the store for 40years, the store is known reallyfrom hours away from here. I’ve

been with people a long ways fromhere who know about this store.”

Since taking ownership,Lavezzo has updated and tripledthe inventory at the store, whichtakes up 5,500 square feet of a10,000-square foot building.

There’s a separate leather shopin back, and the store’s employeesclean and shape Western hats, hemjeans for men and women, oilsaddles and more.

“There’s a lot we do here that’sall geared toward taking care of theWestern people that are a majorityof this county,” Lavezzo said.“That’s what’s kept us alive.”

He said working in a small townlike Riverside has been “rewardingand humbling.”

“Riverside’s a great town, asmall town, so everybody knowseverybody. I like the location of it,”

he said.Although he’s 63 now, Lavezzo

has no plans to close up shop.“We’re thankful that the people

of Okanogan County havesupported us all these years and wehope that they will continue. Wehope that we can still provide whatthey need,” he said.

Two additional businesses havebeen going strong since 1990 –Dave’s Gun and Pawn, 112 N. MainSt., and Margie’s RV Park andPottery, 202 Kendall St.

“Riverside’s a nice town to growup in. It’s just homey,” Gun andPawn owner Kim Anderson said.

Her late stepfather, DaveSchwilke, opened the shop in 1990and they sell “a little bit ofeverything,” Anderson said. “Gunsand reloading supplies, huntingsupplies, some tools, some saddles

once in a while.”She said she appreciates the

“small town attitudes. Thecustomers are all nice. We getcustomers from all over though,not just here.”

The same holds for the RV park,which is tucked in a quiet spot offU.S. Highway 97.

“You get to meet so manydifferent people, from all over theworld. That’s probably theinteresting part,” owner MargieMefford said.

In her time running the park,which she opened the week of the1990 Omak Stampede, she has metcampers from Germany,Switzerland, Holland, Tasmania,Thailand, Australia and other far-flung places.

Some live in their RVs year-round on the 2.5 acres there, and

the site has even played host to fiveweddings, Mefford said.

She keeps pottery on display, aside gig that is “more of just ahobby,” she said.

A tavern, the Riverside Bar andGrill, still stands in an Old West-style building even though it closeda while ago.

“It’s opened and closed over theyears,” said Mefford, also thetown’s mayor.

The last owner, originally fromSoap Lake, closed the tavern andreturned to his hometown when hedeveloped health problems,Mefford said. She couldn’tremember exactly when the tavernclosed.

High school students built thetavern as a project, according toresident Kate McPherson, whoselate husband grew up in the area.

Business from 4

George Ladd/Okanogan County Historical Society

The Okanogan County Fair in 1913, in Riverside. The Carpenter ranch was across the river on the extremeright.

The Chronicle

The Riverside Grocery in 1976. The building still houses the store.

The Chronicle

Riverside’s Main Street, with DeTro’s figuring prominently, in 1966.

Looking back at Riverside through the years

TheOkanoganRiver spillsover itsbanksduring the1972 flood.TheRiversidebridgeshows at farright.

The Chronicle


Longtime city residents reminisceBy Garrett Rudolph

The Chronicle

RIVERSIDE — As the townapproaches its centennialcelebration, local residentsreminisce about the often colorfulpast that brought Riverside towhere it is today.

In many ways, the town hasn’tchanged much over those decades,said Bob Sutton, who’s lived inRiverside for nearly 86 years. Hewas the son of Dick Sutton, whowas one of the town’s originalpioneers.

“It was a good place to raisehell, and I done lots of that,” Suttonsaid of the old days.

He remembers people — otherpeople, he said — would tip overouthouses as a Halloween prank —including one time knocking over atoilet as a startled man sat inside.

He remembers skinny dippingin the old concrete cistern tank atthe cemetery, which was fed withwater from a windmill.

The old bridge that ran throughtown and crossed the OkanoganRiver was a source of summerrecreation. Sutton and longtimeRiverside resident George Frankboth said they’d jumped off themain deck level into the riverbefore, but had never venturedhigher up the structure.

“I’ve seen it happen, but I’venever done it before,” Sutton said.

Another popular prankincluded moving the gravestonemarker of Frank Watkins, a horsethief who was famously shot andkilled by an unknown gunman in1904.

The bullet holes still remain atthe location of the shooting, at

what is now the Riverside Grocery,102 N. Main St., town ClerkSharma Dickinson said.

While some things haveremained the same, Frank said thetown has changed a lot over theyears. At one point, Riverside wasknown as one of the prettiest townsaround, he said.

“The town was something to beproud of,” he said.

The old-timers shake their headat the shape the town’s in now, hesaid.

“The people themselves have totake the pride,” he said.

Still, Riverside remains a niceplace to live, former Mayor GeneLayton said.

“Every time I go somewhere tovisit, I think about where I’d like tolive and I keep coming back toRiverside,” Mayor Margie Meffordsaid.

She described the town as“quaint” and “charming.”

One recent change with the

town was the city adding a granitecolumbarium to the cemetery.

Mefford said there’s only oneother one like it in the county.

“It’s really nice looking,” shesaid.

It was installed in the middle ofNovember.

Mefford said the city has beenlooking at building a new sewerplant and adding new watermeters, but those plans have been

put on hold due to a lack offunding.

The city also abandoned itsannual RiverFest celebration overthe summer.

“It’s been an off-and on thingfor probably 30 years,” Meffordsaid. “It just got where nobodywanted to handle it.”

Mefford said she hopessomebody will eventually resurrectthe festival, but it “would have to besome younger people.”

Many local residents may saythe town hasn’t changed a greatdeal, but at one time it wasn’t quiteso tiny.

Prior to being incorporated,Riverside hosted the firstOkanogan County Fair in 1905.

In the years that followed, thetown featured a hospital, a schooland even a zoo that kept coyotes,rattlesnakes and a lion. DuringProhibition, the town had its shareof bootlegging stories.

Frank remembers that as achild, he hauled in firewood forMrs. Cooper, whose husbandowned the Cooper Hotel. Each day,she would give him one piece ofcandy for his troubles.

The high school’s lastgraduating class was in the 1950s,but the primary school remainedopen until the 1970s.

Mefford, who moved to town in

1976, said a lot of people at thattime were sad about the schoolclosing.

“They never could get thequality of teachers they needed,”she said.

The bell from the school nowresides in the park.

Sutton said that bell has beenstolen a few times over the years.

He said he was never involvedin any of the thievery, but as ayoungster, he would sneak into thebell tower, grab hold of the ropeand ring the bell more than a fewtimes when he wasn’t supposed to.

The town had been a major hubof Okanogan County in those earlyyears, shortly after incorporationon Dec. 22, 1913. One major eventstalled the growth of the town.

The railway came through in1914, negating the town’simportance of being at the head ofthe Okanogan River for riverboattravel, such as the North Star ferry,which ran from Wenatchee toRiverside until 1915.

Tragedy would consume muchof the original layout of the town.

During a one-week stretch in1916, three-quarters of the townwas destroyed by a pair of fires —the first of which was said to havebeen started by a business ownerwho wanted to claim the insurancemoney on his property.

The Chronicle

Tree-lined Riverside on April 20, 1961. The school, which later became a gold-panning concern, stands on thehill overlooking town.

“

I think about

where I’d like to

live and I keep

coming back to

Riverside.Mayor Margie Mefford

”

The Chronicle

Riverside’s current bridge, in 1969. The old bridge had different levels from which town daredevils jumped.

The Chronicle — December 11, 2013 Riverside 100 Years—

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By Al CampThe Chronicle

RIVERSIDE – If you visitedtown from the late 1980s to aboutfour years ago, the main streetwould look almost like it did afterthe town was incorporated in 1913.

That’s because The Rusty Bunch(also known by other rusty names)maintained a workshop in themiddle of town and often parkedtheir stock vehicles outside. Or theydrove them from one end of townto the other on errands (often in abare-bones 1925 Dodge).

Three of the five foundingmembers – Dave Schwilke, TroyWatkins and Don McFarland –have since driven off into historyand are deceased.

The Chronicle was unable tocontact Chuck Graham, who livesnorth of town, but did catch up tothe fifth member, Ted Ford, who isfighting multiple sclerosis inBrewster.

The memory of those vehicles,from a 1918 Dodge to 1931 Fords,remains vivid for many.

Ford said the loosely knit groupwould park their cars and trucks onMain Street near Schwilke’s carshop – formerly a gas station.

They started getting together atSchwilke’s garage in the 1980s,where they worked to restorevehicles to pristine stock condition.The men also were associated withthe Friendly OK Car Club.

“We got tired of waiting to goplaces,” said Ford, formerly of

Omak. “The other bunch was areally good bunch of people. But ifwe wanted to go to the DairyQueen, we’d have to give a month’s

notice. We just wanted to go. Wedid not want to wait around.”

“That group would take off andgo,” said former member Ed

Lehrman, 82, of Omak. “Theywould go to Winthrop or Twisp andhave a cup of coffee just to drive.They were not hesitant to get out

and go.”Lehrman still has a trophy from

See Rusty 8

Rusty Bunch drives off into history

Al Camp/The Chronicle

The Rusty Bunch got a bunch of their cars together on Riverside’s Main Street in late May 2005. They included Don McFarland of Omak and his1930 A coupe; Ted Ford of Omak and a 1931 Ford A coupe (what he liked to say a Ford with a Ford); Chuck Graham of Riverside and a 1931 Fordsedan; David Schwilke of Riverside and a 1929 Ford sedan; Michael LaMotte of Omak and a 1931 Ford sedan; and Preston Todd of Omak and a1931 Ford roadster. Farther down the street is a 1925 Ford speedster and a 1926 Dodge.

the club for his 1928 Chevroletdump truck.

Many of the early membersbanded together and took off for aroad trip to Montana.

“We went to Montana justbecause we could,” Ford, 71, said.“The other bunch said you willnever make it in those old rustbuckets. We had one flat tire. Thatwas the only problem.”

“They just wanted to branchoff,” said Lehrman, who was one ofthe early presidents of the FriendlyOK Car Club. “They wanted to domore running around and foolingwith the rigs.”

The rusty club oftenparticipated in RiverFest andafterwards would sit down to anold-fashioned barbecue during aclub meeting.

“We’d have a barbecue every sooften,” Ford said. “We’d usuallyhave a spit with meat on a stick.”

At the 2006 RiverFest,members displaying cars includedFord with his 1931 Ford Model ACoupe (five window); BillArmstrong of Riverside with a 1931Ford Model A coupe; DonMcFarland of Omak with a 1926model T roadster pickup; MikeLaMotte of Omak with a 1931 two-door sedan Model A Ford; DaveSchwilke of Riverside with a 1930Model A Ford coupe and a 1928Ford two-door sedan; and MikeStargel of Methow with a 1930Model A coupe.

The club disbanded about fouryears ago, when Schwilke died.

“That was really a loss to theclub,” Ford said. “Everybody reallyliked him and we had a place to go.”

The club had been rebuilding aModel T from the ground up.

“They were working on a ModelT truck, really from scratch,”Lehrman said. “They got some partsfrom me. They found parts not onlyin the valley, but elsewhere. They gotsome doors in Montana.”

“They had it all done when Davedied,” Ford said. “Dave wasworking on a 1918 Dodge, putting itback to original. We were stock. Wedidn’t build hot rods. We builtstock cars.”

Lehrman remembers getting aride in the Model T.

“It was nice,” Lehrman said.“He was sharp on that old Model T.He took me for a ride in it a coupletimes and I really enjoyed it.”

Paul Yarnell, 73, of Omak, saidthe club formed because they likedworking on older vehicles.

“They were all members of theFriendly OK Car Club,” Yarnellsaid. “The Friendly OK Car Cluband the rust bucket bunch wouldbe there (RiverFest). When Davepassed away, everybody prettymuch split up after that.”

Lehrman said Watkins had a

Ford Model A, which he sold JimFreese, who was the son of the car’soriginal owner, Wilbur Freese.

Joyce Todd said her husband,Preston, died in the summer of1911. The couple moved toRiverside in 1990, she said.

“He was there when Omak hadits centennial parade (about amonth before he passed away),”said Joyce Todd who is working toframe photos of her husband withhis cars. “It was a sad situation, butyou have to regroup.”

McFarland’s wife, Joyce, saidwhen her husband passed away thefamily’s dog, Rapsy, “missed himterribly.

“She is gone now, too. She livedto be 15.”


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Rusty from 7

Al Camp/The Chronicle

Rapsy the dog enjoyed riding in Don McFarland’s 1930 A coupe.

“We went to

Montana just

because we could.Ted Ford

”

riverside

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present site

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ellisand forde

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themouth of johnson

mouthof johnson creek

tounload supplies