EMAIL info@redmondhistoricalsociety.org HOURS Please contact the office to schedule an appointment 2021 Society Partners with Sotheby’s International Realty Marketplace Sotheby’s International Realty brokers Cynthia Olsen and Mary Sullivan have formed a unique partnership with the Redmond Historical Society in an effort to help raise money for the Society. Sotheby’s International Realty will give 10% of commissions to support the Redmond Historical Society when you or someone you refer is looking to buy or sell property. Marketplace Sotheby’s International Realty established this program as a way to give back to organizations that are committed to the welfare of our communities. For more information, contact Cynthia Olsen at cynthia.olsen@ sothebysrealty.com, 425.877.9904, Mary Sullivan at mary.sullivan@ sothebysrealty.com, 425.449.2841, or call the Society Office at 425.885.2919. Society Seeks Volunteers The Redmond Historical Society actively collects, preserves, and displays artifacts from Redmond’s past. Are you interested in volunteering with us? Currently, we need volunteers for the Redmond Saturday Market booth on October 23, and there are two volunteer Board Member opportunities: • Vice President, Collections • Marketing and Branding Chair Please see page 9 for more details. Every town has a history. Discover ours. • October 2021 President’s Notebook Heavy Lifting For Light Rail! By John Oftebro This huge crane is busy doing some “heavy lifting” for the light rail that will be opening two stations in Redmond, 2024. It will be preceded by the 2023 station openings in Overlake and Redmond Technology (Microsoft campus)! While one new station will serve Marymoor Village near Marymoor Park, the final stop is in the downtown core area, just a block away from the Justice White House. Redmond’s first railroad, the Seattle Lake Shore and Eastern depot, was just across the street from there when it opened in 1888. In 1894, the Ernest Adams family moved to Redmond as he was the District Supervisor for Northern Pacific. The family with their four children lived in the depot for a time, which was likely very exciting for the children. Northern Pacific took over the rail line in 1901 and eventually it was purchased by Burlington Northern. This new rail service in 1888 cut down the two-to-three day steamer travel time up the Squak (Sammamish) River. It provided freight service to Redmond and an efficient method of getting logging industry products to market. Over the years the logging industry faded, but steady rail use supplying grains for the T-D Feeds remained a constant use of the lines. The Redmond Depot closed in 1970 after 80 years of service to the community. You can see what it looked like by visiting our website and typing Railroad in the Keyword Search in the Digital Archives section under Research Resources. There are several interesting stories there to give you a feel for life in Redmond back in the day. Here we are today, waiting now for the new Link Extensions, ~133 years after Redmond’s first railroad. Soon we can travel easily to Bellevue, Downtown Seattle, Northgate, or Sea-Tac Airport in style!