Redmond History: 1941-1950

• 1941 Lookout station to watch for enemy aircraft locates at the Y—Avondale Road and Redmond Way (Way 136)

• Nighttime blackouts severely limit community social life (Way 137)

• Japanese citizens sent to state fairgrounds at Puyallup (Way 139)

• Bratnober sells Northwood (Willowmoor) to Uberto M. Dickey, founder of Darigold. Dickey leases the farm to Walter Nettleton, who names the farm Marymoor in honor of his daughter, Mary, who died in an accident at the age of seven. (Hardy 60)

• 1942 Bill Landvatter buys the chicken farm from Otto Wiedmann and raises 8,000 white leghorns (Way 118)

• Lookout tower to watch for enemy aircraft relocates to wooden tower built at Redmond Way and Gilman Street (Way 136)

• The Addi-Bon Café, owned by Addie Kindrick, opens and is located on Leary Way in the building now (2011) occupied by El Toreador Mexican Restaurant (Hardy 74)

• Additional land purchases are made to protect water quality in the watershed that increases the acreage to 800 (Hardy 95)

• Bicycle Derby festivities cease temporarily, and resume after World War II 1944 Fred Reil’s little building houses the Town Hall (Hardy 11)

• Charles Theno with wife, Vivian, begins dairy farming on 65-acres located on the southeast corner of Redmond-Woodinville Road and NE 124th Street (Hardy 58)

• The last remaining Indian long house on Lake Sammamish is deserted (Hardy Timeline I 18)

• 9/12: Redmond, Kirkland, and Juanita school districts consolidate to become the Lake Washington School District. (Way 147)

• 1945 Tommy and Flo Marillo grow strawberries, lettuce, cabbage and broccoli on 19-acres located at the present day site of QFC grocery in Bella Bottega Shopping Mall. (Way 121)

• Chamber of Commerce founded (Way 142)

• Young Turks, sons of long-established families and some newcomers, exert pressure for change including incorporation of the Chamber of Commerce and the Lions Club, and recruit Bob Bailie and Dr. John Way (Way 141)

• Ottini’s sell dairy farm to a developer, but retain their residence, known as The Melrose Inn until 1970

• 1946  9/ “Sammamish Valley News” publishes first newspaper under Bob Bailie’s direction (Way 142)

• Dr. John Way opens medical office in March (Way 142)

• Volunteer fire department forms with 15 charter members, and operates across from T & D Feeds at a two-stall garage located at 164th Ave NE and Cleveland Street. (Way 145)

• American Legion Post 161 purchases lot on the corner of Adair and Jackson Street. (Hardy 42)

• Redmond chicken farmers, the Morelli brothers, were the first in the Seattle area to use electric lights in the hen houses to regulate egg laying (Hardy Timeline I 18)

• Ralph James, Hunts Point resident, buys York Farm on Willows Road from King County, and finds moonshine equipment on the property—a remnant of the era when The County Poor Farm-Lazy Husbands Ranch was located there (Hardy Timeline I 18)

• 1947  1/2: King County Library System assumes administrative responsibility for the Library, but the Nokomis Club continues to furnish the building and utilities. Mamie Orr is the first full time Librarian (Nokomis Archives)

• 10/13: Lions Club chartered (Way 143)

• Faith Lutheran Church is founded by many of Redmond’s pioneer families (Way 147)

• The Cine-Mond Theater, Redmond’s first movie theater, operated by Curtis and Louise Dawley opens on Redmond Way (Hardy Timeline 19)

• The first city Planning Commission is formed although the Department of Planning is not established until 1963 (Hardy Timeline I 19)

• Dudley Carter’s carving of “Bird Woman” is the toast of the first Bellevue Arts and Craft Fair (Hardy Timeline I 19)

• 1948 Redmond’s dairy farms number 25 at the height of their operations (Way 115) KING-TV begins broadcasts of television even though Redmondites have no TV’s

• At the Sick Stadium Derby Night, Derby parade participants including Queen Diantha Rees march around the baseball field during the 7th inning stretch interlude (Hardy Timeline I 19)

• 1949 “Seed money” for a city hall and fire station is raised by Mayor Bill Brown through the commission of $10,300 on the sale of the Redmond Gun Club to a Seattle group (Way 145)

• The first ambulance on the Eastside is purchased for the all-volunteer Fire Department (Hardy Timeline I 19)

• Blueberry bushes are cultivated by John Martinek and Paul Weiser on property that will eventually become the site of the second city hall. The farm is purchased by John and Maureen Watson in 1951 (Way 121)

• Tolls are discontinued on the I-90 Bridge, and ferry service on Lake Washington ends

• Redmond resident Alice O’Leary Ralls organizes ceremonies held at the Bridge toll plaza on July 2nd, and festivities include Miss Redmond, Jeanne Mathews, and other Eastside beauties (Hardy Timeline I 20)

• Redmond Chamber of Commerce incorporates Redmond Town Park is renamed Albert Anderson Memorial Park to honor the first Park Superintendent (Hardy Timeline I 20)

• Lewis Green, endorsed by the Young Turks and the Sammamish Valley News, is elected Mayor in a hotly contested election against 30-year mayoral incumbent, Bill Brown (Way 145)

• 1950 Redmond population is 573 according to the US Census Fifteen

• Mink ranches operate on Union Hill (Way 119)

• Geraldine Kean is the first woman elected to the City Council

• The first City Hall and Fire Station is completed at 16510 NE 79th Street. Much of the construction is accomplished with volunteer labor and donated materials (Way 145)

• Fred Reil’s small building, that served as the de facto City Hall—the unofficial City Council Chambers and office of the Mayor and City Clerk—is relocated to Anderson Park where it functions as the public restroom (Hardy Timeline II 1)