A Serendipitous Discovery

Serendipitous for my daughter, anyway...



Courtney just sent this photo to me via her cellphone. It seems she was taking a stroll in Ballard (the old Scandinavian district of Seattle) and came across copies of my Arcadia Publishing book, Snoqualmie Pass, displayed at Walgreen's Drug Store... right next to the Ped Eggs. At least I get better exposure than the Reese's Peanut Butter Cups!

"Snoqualmie Pass" Reviewed

The local Valley View community newspaper has just published an article about my book, "Snoqualmie Pass," which was released through Arcadia Publishing in October 2007:

"'Snoqualmie Pass' Tells it Like it Was", Valley View, February 18, 2008 edition.

I was rather surprised to get a phone call last week at work from the editor, Lisa Allen, who requested an interview. This is one of several articles written in local papers over the last few months, and I don't think I'm quite used to it yet. I still feel rather like a wide-eyed child when it comes to the media.

Happily, "Snoqualmie Pass" is providing more and more folks a glimpse of the overall history of the area, which is something that Arcadia's Images of America series does quite well. As my editor likes to say: "Arcadia is the Starbucks of history publishers": quick, accessible, and tastes good, too!

I came into contact with the series during my first trip to Minnesota to meet cousins and do family history research. I had been looking for a photograph of an old building in 1890s Duluth, where an ancestor worked in an office as an attorney. I only had a few minutes in Duluth to have lunch and hunt for useful information. I quickly located a gift shop, and with cousins in tow, went inside and headed for the book rack. I spotted and picked up a copy of Arcadia's "Duluth," by Sheldon Aubut, and when I turned to the pages of downtown architecture, I struck gold. I told a cousin about the story behind the building in the photograph, he asked "How did you DO that?" I was tempted to tell him: "Trust in the force." But, after paying the cashier, I thanked my lucky stars and logged Arcadia Publishing into the back of my mind as a potential future resource, little suspecting I would add to their series within a few years.

If "Snoqualmie Pass" helps or inspires even just one person through a special archival photograph or descriptive historical tidbit, just like "Duluth" helped me in my research, then the book has accomplished its mission.

You can get a glimpse inside "Snoqualmie Pass," by John and Chery Kinnick at Google Books.

How I Earned My "Mountain Girl" Degree

Welcome to my (snowy) world.

This post is not related to ancestral family history, but it certainly is to my own personal family history. I can't refuse footnoteMaven anything, and she just asked about the current difficult conditions where I live, in the Cascade Mountains at Snoqualmie Pass, Washington. Since Maven and I haven't been able to hobknob in person recently, I'm going to tell all about it all here.

Well, there has been a lot of weather coverage about our area recently, and all of it is true. Blizzards? Avalanches? Road closures? Power outages? Record breaking snowfall? Yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes. I'm sure our local ski resort owners are crying in their beer mugs, because in recent years there has been a shortage of snow. This year, there is plenty... but, who can get there to enjoy it?




Life at Snoqualmie Pass is beautiful, but unpredictable this time of year. We're used to snow, but not this much in a such a short period of time. Case in point: this image taken from an I-90 freeway cam just west of the summit. What's that? You can't see much? Exactly! Record snowfall this season has created a snow removal nightmare for WSDOT (Washington State Department of Transportation). You can see the rest of the conditions report on this website:
WSDOT Mountain Passes, Snoqualmie Pass, I-90

Pass Report for 1:41 pm, 2/5/2008:

Temperature: 29ºF / -2ºC

Restrictions Eastbound:Traffic Delayed for Avalanche Control

Restrictions Westbound:Traffic Delayed for Avalanche Control

Conditions & Weather:Avalanche control work is in progress. Eastbound traffic is stopped at milepost 47 near Denny Creek, westbound traffic is now stopped at milepost 71. // Overcast skies with light snow



Here's our chalet pictured a few years ago during a relatively tame winter. Photo courtesy of Billie Lawson.

My usual daily commute, 55 miles from the Pass into Seattle, begins with all of this. Now Maven, don't you worry; we're all safe and sound. But, I certainly hope there isn't much more snow, because our chalet is already bridged on three sides and is more like a cave than a house right now.

For more photos and news:

"I-90 still closed in Wash. by avalanche danger", USA Today, 1/29/08

"...governor declares state of emergency" The Seattle Times, 1/31/08

Snoqualmie Pass reopens, KOMOTV.com, 2/2/08

Heavy snow forces another brief closure", KOMOTV.com, 2/5/08

Avalanche control photos, WSDOT, Winter 2008.

"Snoqualmie Pass" now released!

SNOQUALMIE PASS

by John and Chery Kinnick

NOW AVAILABLE!

ARCADIA PUBLISHING

www.arcadiapublishing.com/

"Arcadia Publishing is the leading local history publisher in the United States, with a catalog of more than 4,000 titles in print and hundreds of new titles released every year."

• Snoqualmie Pass (ISBN: 073854809X), was written as a cooperative effort between my husband and myself, and was meant as a tribute to the history of the community where we live.
• Recently released to the market on October 8, 2007, Snoqualmie Pass is part of Arcadia's Images of America series. The book is available for $19.99 through the publisher's website: http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/.
• As of October 22nd, Snoqualmie Pass has made the "Most Popular Items in Washington [State]" list on Amazon.com; more than 1,000 copies have already been sold through various booksellers!

Description from the back cover:

Situated in the Cascades about 50 miles east of Seattle, Snoqualmie Pass is intersected by the most heavily used route connecting eastern and western Washington. In the 1800s, use of the old Native American trail by explorers, cattlemen, and miners created a need for a wagon road. A railway and highway followed, and Snoqualmie Pass quickly developed into an all-season recreational paradise with over a half million visitors annually. Known for easy access to snow sports and the Alpine Lakes Wilderness area, nighttime ski operations, and the world-famous terrain of Alpental, Snoqualmie Pass is also a community of neighborhoods with both full-time and part-time residents who share a unique mountain lifestyle.

Snoqualmie Pass will appeal to skiers, hikers, and outdoor enthusiasts of any type, also to those who are attracted by the beauty and unique history of the Cascade Mountains and the beautiful Pacific Northwest.

The Images of America series celebrates the history of neighborhoods, towns, and cities across the county. Using archival photographs, each title presents the disctinctive stoies from the past that shape the cahracter of the commuynity today. Arcadia is proud to play a part in the preservation of local heritage, making history available to all.