Dear Mother
I wanted to take a moment to write about one of my top sources for first-person accounts of Spokane in 1901. Dear Mother is “A collection of letters and photographs describing many conditions in and around Spokane in 1901-1902” by Marinus (“Marien”) Crommelin. Although originally written in Dutch, Patrick Serné, Marien’s grandson, has taken the time to translate and transcribe the packet of letters he was gifted in 1977.
Within the pages of this book—which is now out of print, but thankfully available through the Spokane public library system—are windows into life circa 1901 in the growing town of Spokane, Washington in a way that the newspapers don’t quite capture. This is personal, filled with funny anecdotes, references to people never mentioned in the newspapers, and personal revelations of a young man far from home.
For example, in the very first letter written September 10, 1901 on the boat to America, he notes some observations of Americans (misspellings and incorrect grammar usage is his):
“Just now an American ‘beauty’ is starting to meow at the piano, far from nice.”
“The American cat meowing was just relieved by two Germans with good voices.”
“It is funny to see the offhandedness of the real Americans. They walk calmly in the street in there colored shirts without a coat or vest only a wide belt.”
While on the boat, the news arrives of President McKinley’s assassination (which occurred September 6, 1901 at the Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo, NY), and he describes the reaction:
“Saturday night at 12 o’clock it was a rather interesting site when the pilot came on board. There was a ball and everybody was hanging over the railing in good moods to see how the pilot climbed up. When he was halfway he called, “I have bad news for you,” etc. That moment was unique. How the moods suddenly changed! Several women broke out crying. Afterwards they literally tore the newspapers out of each other’s hands. Little groups formed, women, as well as men, stood on chairs and tables to be able to read the newspaper at the same time. Naturally, according to American style, the newspapers were full of all kinds of pictures even pictures of his wound taken with and without X-ray.”
How wonderful to find a first-hand account of the reaction outside the newspapers!
One of my favorite aspects of the stories he shares, however, is how they reveal that there is truly “nothing new under the sun.” For example, on the train ride out to Spokane from the east coast he writes about a woman traveling with two small children riding beside him and how she lets them irritatingly run all over. As a mother of two, who has traveled by plane, I’ve been there! Not like today, however, when this mother wants to sleep, she merely asks the porter to act as “baby sitter”! Wouldn’t that be nice?
In his December 1 letter (he’s been in Spokane a couple months by now) he shares his rather hilarious thoughts about Thanksgiving:
“Thursday it was ‘Thanks Giving Day’ I could not find out why they say thanks, everyone I asked had a different version about it, I came to the conclusion that they don’t know very well themselves. The day is celebrated with football games everywhere in the country and eating turkey and other delicacies. In the afternoon I also went to one of those games especially because I have never seen a game of ‘rugby.’”
And in reference to the sales available around Thanksgiving, “America only buys during sales”!
Sounds like Thanksgiving hasn’t changed much since 1901!
He also writes a lot about bicycles, which were becoming much more common at this time:
He rides a bike to his job at the sawmill and says, “We are being spoiled in town with asphalt or bicycle paths of cinders” even though the “streets are not paved with asphalt” (as there are only maybe five cars in all of Spokane at this time!).
“Here a bike is nothing but a means of transportation because you won’t make trips for pleasure for lack of passable roads and the hilliness. Also it is definitely not fashionable to ride a bike, this is done by the working people only. It is funny to see the gentleman and ladies race at seven, 12 and 6 o’clock because then it is freedom freedom and you ride as fast as you want because pedestrians keep to the sidewalks. You only have to slow down at the corners. Only a bell is required (horns are prohibited, these are for cars) and at night you don’t need a lantern but there is bicycle tax of one dollar.”
“The bike you see the most of here is the Cleveland, of the Victor you see very few”
“You never have to pump the tires yourself you go to the bicycle shop of which there are plenty here and get air there for free by way of an electrical pump…. Here you treat your bike just like your horse, you just put it anywhere, against the curb for instance and you can leave it there for the rest of the day, it won’t get stolen. They have strange ideas of honesty here, if you leave something in a restaurant or even in church you will never see it again but out in the open they don’t steal.”
And then, while searching for more information on the book and the family, I came across this marvelous page about Marien’s stop at the Pan-American Exposition on his way to Spokane.
Visit here for more images and information about Marinus Crommelin.
There is so much more I could share, but I have to stop somewhere!
In my own book, The Butcher, the Baker, the Candlestick Taker, you’ll find many instances where I incorporated descriptions regarding Spokane and the Pan-American Expo inspired by Marien’s letters, and I hope to include him as a cameo in a later book.
If you know of another great resource for first-hand accounts of 1901 Spokane, let me know in the comments!
Crommelin, Marinus. Patrick Serné, ed. Dear Mother. Summerland, Canada: Valley Publishing, 1999. Print.
