University of Denver Digital Commons @ DU Electronic Theses and Dissertations Graduate Studies 8-1-2009 Ocosta-by-the-Sea: A Boomtown in Three Narratives Katherine L. Arntzen University of Denver Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd Part of the American Studies Commons, and the Archaeological Anthropology Commons Recommended Citation Arntzen, Katherine L., "Ocosta-by-the-Sea: A Boomtown in Three Narratives" (2009). Electronic Theses and Dissertations. 35. https://digitalcommons.du.edu/etd/35 This Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Graduate Studies at Digital Commons @ DU. It has been accepted for inclusion in Electronic Theses and Dissertations by an authorized administrator of Digital Commons @ DU. For more information, please contact [email protected],[email protected]. OCOSTA-BY-THE-SEA: A BOOMTOWN IN THREE NARRATIVES __________ A Thesis Presented to the Faculty of Social Sciences University of Denver __________ In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Masters of Arts __________ by Katherine L. Arntzen August 2009 Advisor: Dr. Bonnie Clark ©Copyright by Katherine L. Arntzen 2009 All Rights Reserved Author: Katherine L. Arntzen Title: OCOSTA-BY-THE-SEA: A BOOMTOWN IN THREE NARRATIVES Advisor: Bonnie Clark Degree Date: August 2009 ABSTRACT This thesis explores the Washington State 1890s railroad boomtown, Ocosta-by- the-Sea through place, microhistory, and narrative theories. Place theory focuses analysis on the townsite. A microhistory is created by the presentation of three narratives on Ocosta: the city-as-imagined, the city-as-built, and the city-as-remembered. The city-as- imagined narrative recounts the city that Ocosta was projected to become by its founders through analysis of historic maps, advertisements, and financial investments of the city’s founders. The city-as-built uncovers information about the built environment of the site. The city-as-remembered reveals the city that has and is remembered by the local community. Site memory is explored through 1890s written accounts, 1950s radio transcripts from a local oral history program, a 2007 oral history event, and interviews with current residents in 2008. A fourth narrative is constructed by the reader while they read the text. This narrative contains the meaning of Ocosta that the reader has created for themselves while reading this text. Together, these narratives explore meanings that humans have written on the cultural landscape of Ocosta-by-the-Sea. ii TABLE OF CONTENTS LIST OF TABLES .............................................................................................................. v LIST OF FIGURES ........................................................................................................... vi CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 1 My Introduction to Ocosta .............................................................................................. 3 Theoretical Perspective ................................................................................................... 4 CHAPTER 2: BACKGROUND ......................................................................................... 8 Environment .................................................................................................................... 8 Historical Background .................................................................................................. 15 Regional History ....................................................................................................... 15 History of Ocosta-by-the-Sea ................................................................................... 18 Ocosta Today ............................................................................................................ 30 CHAPTER 3: THEORY ................................................................................................... 34 Place Theory ................................................................................................................. 34 Place Theory and Historical Archaeology in the American West .............................. 35 Place Memory Theory .................................................................................................. 40 Place as Narrative ......................................................................................................... 43 Narrative ....................................................................................................................... 44 Contributions ................................................................................................................ 46 CHAPTER 4: METHODS ................................................................................................ 47 Archives ........................................................................................................................ 47 Oral Histories ................................................................................................................ 48 Geographic Information Systems (GIS) ....................................................................... 50 Ground-penetrating Radar (GPR) ................................................................................. 53 CHAPTER 5: CITY AS IMAGINED ............................................................................... 58 Advertising Ocosta ........................................................................................................ 58 Ocosta’s History as Promoted ....................................................................................... 60 Plat Maps ...................................................................................................................... 64 Landscape as Advertised ............................................................................................... 68 Financial Records .......................................................................................................... 73 CHAPTER 7: CITY AS BUILT ....................................................................................... 77 Sanborn-Perris Fire Insurance Map Analysis ............................................................... 77 iii Historic Photograph Analysis ....................................................................................... 88 Ground-Penetrating Radar (GPR) Survey .................................................................... 91 CHAPTER 6: CITY AS REMEMBERED ....................................................................... 99 Early Memoires ............................................................................................................. 99 Hometown Scrapbook ................................................................................................. 101 Fireside Chat ............................................................................................................... 108 Lila Biggs (Scafturon) Mitchell .............................................................................. 109 Irene Graham Hollingsbrook .................................................................................. 112 Saul Family ............................................................................................................. 113 Audience ................................................................................................................. 117 Interviews .................................................................................................................... 120 Dale Bogar .............................................................................................................. 120 Colleen Berger ........................................................................................................ 120 Irene Fisher ............................................................................................................. 123 Louie Clerke............................................................................................................ 123 Lenny Reed ............................................................................................................. 124 CHAPTER 8: CONCLUSION ....................................................................................... 127 Outreach and Future Research .................................................................................... 131 WORKS CITED ............................................................................................................. 135 APPENDICES ................................................................................................................ 143 Appendix 1: USGS Soil Map: Grays Harbor County Washington: Ocosta ............... 143 Appendix 2: The Clam Wars by Ben K. Weatherwax edited by Katherine Arntzen . 145 Appendix 3: The Hilker Hotel by Ben K. Weatherwax edited by Grays Harbor Journal ......................................................................................................................................... 151 Appendix 4: Token Text ............................................................................................. 159 iv LIST OF TABLES Table 1: Dates of Sanborn-Perris Fire Insurance Map Revisions for Ocosta, Hoquiam, and Aberdeen. ................................................................................................................... 88 v LIST OF FIGURES Figure 1: Washington State Map, Grays Harbor Map