Belle McLain's Reardan

Belle McLain age 82 years in 1974. This is her recollections of early Reardan. [Things enclosed in square brackets are recent additions.]

Reardan is a little town, for the aged and the young.
Many a basketball game the young have won.
But, when I look out my door at the sleet and the rain,
I can still hear the whistle of the old freight train.
While the (old) passenger is now a thing of the past,
I hope the freight trains shall last and last and last.

Population in 1906-1907 was 700. As I first remember, the first school was east along the highway, about where Mrs. Walter Hinkle lives. [block 23?] My older brother, Harry, and sister May went to school there. Otis Beck's father and mother taught there. One was my brother's teacher, and the other was my sister's teacher. For a while my folks live down next to Mr. and Mrs. Gus Lutzhoft on the corner where Long's (Hamilton's) gas station is. [SE corner of Broadway (US2) and Birch] I used to run away, and go to Anna Lutzhoft's for cookies, and not long after that we moved out in the country on a little place between Meyes's and Ed Brommer's on the other side of the road. It was called the Hustin [Hughsten?] Place.

We moved from there out by Clear Lake, and from there, 2-1/2 miles this side of Medial Lake. I started to school at Medical Lake. The next year we went to Melrose, Idaho, by covered wagon. We went in April and came back in September. When I was in third grade, we move 1-1/2 miles this side of Espanola. It was called Manila at that time. [before 1900?]

When I was in the 6th grade [1904], we moved back to Reardan, and my father O. N. [Oliver Nathaniel] Bartholomew built a blacksmith shop in 1905. It was located where the cement elevators are, where the two (elevators) stand closest to the railroad track [SE corner Columbia and Laurel]. Our house was a little way from there; then on a small piece of ground Adolph Anderson's father [John Anderson] owned was a long building called 'the old Ark.' Two or three families lived there. Next was Walt King's house; his blacksmith shop was on the corner where Dean's Drive-in now stands [NW corner Broadway and Laurel].

Across the street (the highway) where Ruby and Carl Rogers live was Jimmy Morehouse's saloon [west of Dean's Drive-in]. Next to it was a barbershop operated in a small building. My brother was Harry Bartholomew. Where Raymer's had their last hardware store was Lutzhoft and Denney, hardware. J. C. Driscol had a general store where the tavern [Speedtrap] is now, and bank was where it is now [current entrance to the Speedtrap].

South from the (former) railroad depot was a bowling alley where Kelso Bros. [] Shop stands, then a post office. (Mr. William H.) McCoy ran that and had a drug store. On one side was a small telephone office, where the community hall is now. Millards had a dry goods and grocery store there. After a few years it was turned into a saloon. Teeny Schultz ran that. Next to it was Gulleros's store. Mr. Bliss ran a bakery and restaurant, and the corner where nothing stands [NE corner of Broadway (US2) and Lake] was another saloon run by John Lesley. On the other side of the street (Lake Street) across from Kelso's present shop site, was a real estate office next to a good sized hotel, a barber shop on one side of it, then another saloon. (That made four saloons in Reardan. Kept some men busy going from on to another.)

Next was a livery stable where horses and buggies were for hire. A man slept there, so if he got a call to take a doctor out, he was soon ready. On the corner where Newcomb's store building (where a Chatket sports jacket factory is now) [the Mattis Building, also home to Frisk's grocery] was an old building called the Fairwell [Farwell] Building, named for the people who owned it, I guess. (By the way, Reardan used to be called Fairweather.) Around the corner, facing south, was another livery stable, and across the street (highway) was Finrow's Dry Goods and Grocery.

Next coming down (west) was a small building. There was a printing office that put out the paper called the 'Reardan Gazette'; then an alley and a hotel where the library is, but closer to the street, called 'Thing's Hotel.' Across where Bill Zunker's shop is, Mr. [Joseph] King, Walt's father, had a blacksmith shop [until 1901]. (He was Leonard King's grandfather [Garbutt's father].) Around the corner, south from Finrow's store where the Ranchhouse (Sully's) is--was a big brick two-story building (Bowie) in 1906 or 1907. Downstairs was a drug store and jewelry, and grocery store. Mr. Bently ran that store, and upstairs was a lawyer's office, Guth and Guth, and a dentist (Karrison), and doctor's office. In back of all that was a big dance hall called Bowie's Hall.

Up the street was a cafe, then a pool hall; Charlie Dipmer ran that and on next was a millinery shop. When Dr. Green came to town, his office was on the corner. Across was Raymer's big hardware (store) that had furniture and almost everything. This is where we bought most of our furnishings when I was married in 1910. (This is where Lincoln Mutual's 'grange supply' [the R-Store] is now). East of it, Conrad Scharman had a butcher's shop. Bill (Uncle Billie) Hopkins came from England and worked there when I was around 14 years old [1906].

The Baptist Church used to be where Colville's Garage is, facing the highway (then). It's still standing, back behind the present garage. I played the organ for Sunday School and Church there. Up over the bank, that big hall (it's still there) called Stevenson Hall (built by Tom Stevenson); that's were all our school entertainments were. Also had big dances there. The flour mill was here where the cement foundation is (by my home [NW corner of Columbia and Maple]); it ran with day and night crews, and made Snow-White flour and Swing-Sifter flour (had a baseball team called Swingsifters), on top of handling wheat and all grains.

In 1908, we left Reardan and moved to Sprague, from there to Lamont for one year, then to Spokane. I got married and came back to Reardan. Lived here for nearly one year, then we moved on to the ranch near Edwall, 13-1/2 miles from here, and lived there 35 years. In 1945, moved back to Reardan, and lived across (across highway [555 Broadway] where son Jack is; was there nine years. In 1952 the flour mill burned down, and in 1954 I bought the property. This house was the mill office. I had it made into a house and it is real handy little house. My brother Walter (Bartholomew) planned it, and three years ago, my son Wayne added another room for me.

Around 1906-1907, we didn't have any street lights, as they are now. There was power from a steam generator (stood back of Zunker shop building), but the lights were turned off around ten o'clock at night unless there was a dance or something like that. The flat iron was the only electrical appliance. So you see we had things handy and were happy.

The 35 years I lived on the ranch, I didn't have electricity, but raised my family, raised lots of garden stuff, canned, cooked for a lot of men. Still was happy. Had our own orchestra, played for dances in most all of the towns around. In 1945, the last of October, they needed a cook up at the school. I did all of the cooking from October to March (they only served hot lunch through the cold months). Sometimes as many as 160.