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Stella Historical Site and Museum, Washington.
View from Washington Highway 4.
The original blacksmith's shop is the middle building.
Image taken January 28, 2007.
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Stella Blacksmith Shop and Historical Society Museum ...
Stella, is located on the Washington side of the Columbia River at River Mile (RM) 56.5, at the mouth of Germany Creek.
The Stella townsite was originally part of a 320-acre Donation Land Claim filed by John Guisendorfer in the early 1850s. Soon after it was purchased by Henry Lawson who established a river landing at the site. A small community, mostly of German immigrants, sprang up during the 1870s, which provided cordwood for the steamboats and assembled log-rafts to float logs to the Pacific and the Portland market.
The Stella Blacksmith Shop was built in 1907 by B.F. Brock, a prominent area lumberman.
The shop served the community, it survived a fire in 1921, and when the economy of the lumber industry changed the shop changed too. In the declining years the shop became an automobile repair shop. In 1977 the shop was leased to the Stella Historical Society and today it is an area Museum.
In 1985 the structure was listed on the National Register of Historic Places (Building - #85003204).
[More Stella]
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Stella Blacksmith Shop ...
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Stella Blacksmith Shop, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Stella Blacksmith Shop, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Interior, Stella Blacksmith Shop, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Forge, Stella Blacksmith Shop, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Anvil, Stella Blacksmith Shop, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Hand-cranked Blower, Stella Blacksmith Shop, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Oxen Shoes, Stella Blacksmith Shop, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Stella Historical Society Museum ...
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Sign, Stella Historical Site and Museum, Washington.
Bunker Hill is in the background.
Image taken October 13, 2007.
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Stella Historical Site and Museum, Washington.
View from Washington Highway 4.
Image taken January 28, 2007.
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Click image to enlarge
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Stella Historical Site and Museum, Washington.
Image taken October 13, 2007.
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Stella Historical Site and Museum, Washington.
Image taken October 13, 2007.
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Stella Historical Site and Museum, Washington.
Image taken October 13, 2007.
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Stella Quilt, 1988 ...
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Quilt, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Quilt made 1988 by the folks of the Stella Historical Society.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Quilt, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Quilt made 1988 by the folks of the Stella Historical Society.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Quilt block, "Steam Donkey", Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Quilt made 1988 by the folks of the Stella Historical Society.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Quilt block, "Area Creeks", Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Quilt made 1988 by the folks of the Stella Historical Society.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Early Stella Photographs ...
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Photo, Stella after the 1921 fire yet before the construction of the Ocean Beach Highway, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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The 1907 Blacksmith's Shop is second building from the left. It was built after the 1907 fire.
The one-way bridge over Germany Creek wetlands was built in 1916, replacing one from 1909. This second bridge had a turn-out built into it, for passing vehicles. The Ocean Beach Highway (today's Washington State Highway 4) was begun in 1928 and completed past Stella in 1929.
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Photo, "Cigar Raft" at Stella, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Caption on this image in the Stella Historical Society's "History of Stella" publication (1984) says
"1896 Cigar raft. Cradle on right used to assemble the 65-foot-wide, 35-foot-deep, 600-foot-long raft. The ocean-going raft contained five million board feet of lumber. Made at Stella."
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Three Buildings of Memorabilia
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According to the folks of the Stella Historical Society (personal visit, August 2011), the items on display at the Stella Historical Society's Museum were for the most part found in the area of Willow Grove to Wahkiakum County's Cape Horn, were from the logging camps and early homesteads, and were donated by Historical Society members, local residents, and folks interested in preserving history. All three buildings are full of memorabilia, in "as is" condition, and all painstakingly hand-labeled. The Museum was a delightful place to visit.
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Logging Camp Finds ...
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Logging Camp Finds, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Logging Camp Finds, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Logging Camp Finds, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Egg Cleaner ...
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Egg Cleaner, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Early Electric Washer and Wringer ...
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Early Electric Washer and Wringer, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Innards, Early Electric Washer and Wringer, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Grain Grinder ...
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Grain Grinder, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Blades, Grain Grinder, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Potato Digger and Planter (Brock's) ...
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Potato Planter, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Sign on Potato Digger and Planter:
In 1902, B.F. Brock sold timber and went into farming. At that time he purchased a digger and planter. These were pulled by a team of horses. Frand Naglich purchased the two pieces of equipment from Bill Brock in 1960. Donated by Frank and Doris Naglich.
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Potato Digger, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Potato Digger ...
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Potato Digger, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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Thresher ...
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Thresher, Stella Historical Society Museum, Stella, Washington.
Image taken August 7, 2011.
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From the Journals of Lewis and Clark ...
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Clark, November 6, 1805, first draft ...
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a cold wet morning. rain Contd. untill [blank] oClock we Set out early [from Prescott Beach, Oregon, area] & proceeded on the Corse of last night &c.
N. 50° W. 1 mile
on the Lard. Side under Some high land. bold rockey
Shore
N. 60° W. 1 mile
under a bold rockey Shore on the Lard Side, opsd. the
upper point of a Island [Cottonwood Island]
close under the Stard Side the high lands closeing the river on that Side [Carrolls Bluff] above river wide
N. 75° W. 12 miles
to a point of high land on the Lard Side, passed two
Lodges on the Lard Side at 2 miles in a bottom, The high
land [Carrolls Bluff] leave The river on the Stard. Side.
passd. a remarkable
Knob of high land on the Stard. Side at 3 miles
Close on the Waters edge [Mount Coffin, Lewis and Clark missed the Cowlitz River mouth] — ...
passed
a Island nearest the Lard. Side at 10 mile [Walker Island] the head of a Isd. on
Std. [Fisher Island] opposit High Cliffs [Green Point, location of today's Mayger, Oregon], with Several Speces of Pine Cedars
&c. arber vita & different Species of under groth.
N. 80° W. 2 miles
under a high clift on the Lard Side [Green Point, location of today's Mayger Island] the lower point of the Island on Stard. [Fisher Island] opposit those hills are Covered thickly
...
N. 88° W. 5 miles
to a high Clift a little below an old village in the Stard.
bend [possibly Bunker Hill, the location of today's Stella, Washington] and opposit an old village on a Lard. point of a handsom & extensive bottom [Beaver Slough/Clatskanie River bottom].
passed a Island in the middle of
the river 3 miles long and one wide [Crims Island], passed a Small Island Close on the Stard. Side [Gull Island] & a lower point of a former Isld. below which the lands high & with Clifts to the river Stard. Side
S. 45° W. 5 miles
under a Clift of verry high land on the Stard. side [possibly the Oak Point and Eagle Cliff area] wind
high a head. ...
S. 50° W. 1 mile
under a high rockey Hill of pine.
The Indians leave us, Steep assent, Som Clifts
S. 75° W. 1 mile
under a high hill with a bold rocky Shore, high assent
river about 1 mile wide
West 1 mile
under a high Steep hill bold rockey Shore, Encampd
under the hill on Stones [near Cape Horn of Wahkiakum County]
Scercely land Sufficent between the
hills and river Clear of the tide for us to lie. Cloudy & rain all
wet and disagreeable. this evening made large fires on the
Stones and dried our bedding.
...
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