Come, Visit Our Community Exhibits!

The 2024 Big Lake Historical Society Biennial Exhibit will be held at the Big Lake Fire Department’s community room. This event is Saturday, August 10th, from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM and Sunday, August 11th, from 10:00 AM-3:00 PM. The exhibit's theme is, “community”. Historical photos and artifacts will be displayed, local community historians will be available to answer questions and share stories. Our newest exhibit is the inclusion of the Lake Cavanaugh community. In the afternoons there will be guided walking tours of old town Big Lake and the Day Lumber Company Mill site. Entry to the display is free, but donations are always appreciated, also Big Lake Valley books will be available for purchase as well as the new 2025 BLHS Calendar. Coffee and cookies will be offered as well as opportunities to sit and visit with friends and neighbors in this room with a view and comfortable setting. Please join us as we share the history of the nine communities that make up the Big Lake Valley—Baker Heights, Big Rock, Walker Valley, Montborne, Big Lake, Ehrlich, Finn Settlement, Lake Cavanaugh, and Lake McMurray. See you there.

The 2022 BLHS Biennial Exhibit was a success!

The 2022 BLHS Biennial Exhibit was held the weekend of August 13th and 14th at the Bob & Becky Gates Community Room at the BLFD. After a four-year hiatus, thanks to the pandemic, it was great to see so many visitors including many new faces from our lake community, as well as catching up and reminiscing with all our friends and supporters from the past.

The PowerPoint was updated by Melba Hall, she organized it as a train ride through the Big Lake Valley and guest moderators were Andrea Xaver (Baker Heights & Ehrlich), Jim Farmer (the railroads & Montborne), Dave Granstrom (Finn Settlement & Cavanaugh), and Marilyn Olson (Lake McMurray). It was very interesting to hear the history from those whose descendants had first pioneered their communities.

The newest exhibit this year was the addition of Lake McMurray organized by Marilyn Johnson Olson whose family, the Johnson’s, were some of the first settlers to that community. Marilyn and her family still live on her grandparent’s property. That exhibit brought in visitors from her community and their comments were very positive as they learned more about McMurray’s history.

A big thank you to all those who worked so hard to make the Biennial Exhibit a success and to all our visitors who showed up, curiously asking questions, and sharing information with us. It was a great weekend!

Add to Your BLHS Calendar Collection with the Purchase of this Beautiful BLHS 2022 Calendar

For our BLHS calendar collectors the 2022 BLHS calendar, with seasonal lake photos, is still available and can be ordered by mail for a cost of $5.00 plus $2.00 postage. Inquiries can be sent to Patricia Hanstad Pleas, 17550 Dunbar Road, Mount Vernon, WA 98273 and it will be mailed to you.    

Concerning the 2022 Calendars—This beautiful calendar and the wonderful photographs of Kym Pickup Larvie, is our contemporary history, the roots of the coming generations, and a bridge between what was and what is and what will always be.                     Editor—Trudi Davis