"Redmond's Poultry Past" -- Program presented by the Redmond Historical Society, September 10th

 Lechner Family Collection – Redmond Historical Society.

Saturday, September 10th

Redmond’s Poultry Past: From Family Farms to Global Tables

Timothy M. Wright

Historian

Beginning in the 1910s, Redmond participated in Washington State’s once-booming poultry industry. Long wooden chicken houses were a familiar sight around the Redmond area as poultry ranches produced eggs and fryers destined for nearby markets. Properties that are now part of the Microsoft campus not only included two chicken farms, but were also the site of leading-edge scientific poultry breeding as well as a commercial hatchery.   Thousands of chicks were hatched and shipped out of Redmond each week.

Historian Tim Wright will examine Redmond’s mid-century poultry history, connecting the larger historical perspective with the stories of people who grew up on or around local farms—as well as those who worked for Heisdorf and Nelson, the poultry breeding company that called Redmond home for 30 years. This program is funded by a grant from 4Culture with volunteer support from the Redmond Historical Society.

Relax over a cup of coffee at the Redmond Historical Society Saturday Speaker Series, a program that features six speakers addressing topics of local, state and Pacific Northwest historical interest. The series is held 10:30am – noon at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse Community Center, 16600 NE 80th St., Redmond, WA.   Doors open at 10:00 am.  $5 suggested donation for non-members. Speakers subject to change. For details: www.redmondhistoricalsociety.org.