Roslyn Ronald Cle Elum Heritage Club Interviews

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  Albert Stone Video Interview

  Albert G. Stone

  Albert Stone talks about his life. Albert grew up in Ellensburg and recalls working on farms. After marriage he worked in the coal mines in Roslyn. Later he drove trucks and worked on he west side of the state.

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  James E. Russom Video Interview

  James Edward Russom

  James Edward Russom (Eddie) talks about his life growing up in Ronald Washington and later going to High School in Cle Elum and working at stores in town while still in high school. He served in the marines before working in the coal mines briefly. He also discusses his other career as an industrial painter. He explains his love of dancing and how his sister taught him to swing dance. He mentions attending Central Washington College of Education with his wife. He also talks about skiing and how he always tried to have jobs that allowed him to take time off to ski. He skied until he was seventy years ald and the doctor advised him to stop. Eddie also reminisces about growing up in the close knit community of upper county.

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  George Burchak Video Interview

  George Burchak

  George Burchak discusses his experiences as a mink farmer. George talks about growing up in the Cle Elum area and jobs he had before he started mink farming. He details how they raised the mink , including how they choose breeding stock and how they processed the fur. He had a very large farm. At the end of the interview he shows us some furs and the largest of his barns where the mink were raised.

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  Fred Fischer Video Interview

  Fred Fischer

  Fred Fischer talk about growing up and Roslyn Washington. He recalls his father, who worked for Northwest Improvement Company (NWI) as a fireman on the railroad.He discusses the mines and his brief time working in the mines at the age of 19. He later went to Central Washington College of Education after a year at Saint Mary's College in California on a football scholarship. He had a career as an educator and later owned an orchard.

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  Paula and Ralph Griffin Video Interview

  Ralph Griffin

  Paula and Ralph Griffin talk about the history of The Roslyn Riders. They have been providing wholesome equine recreation since 1956.

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  Braven Bendzack and Arlene Watts Video Interview

  Braven Bendzak and Arlene Watts

  Emily Dalvit interviews brother and sister, Braven Bendzak and Arlene Watts. They talk about their family and lives growing up in Ronald, Washington. They talk bout the closeness of the Croation community of immigrants. They discuss how lodges served as a social net to help widows and children of deceased miners. They recall many aspects of life in a close knit mining community. Braven also discusses his time in the Air Force during the Vietnam War.

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  Bob Cernick Video Interview

  Robert M. Cernick

  Elsie Bingay interviews Bob Cernick. He discusses growing up in Cle Elum, Washington. He talks about the abundance of outdoor activities his family did when he was young. These include camping, hunting, and fishing in the mountains around the area. He mentions his career working for the state department of transportation. Bob also talks about his love of old cars and how he came to appreciate and collect classic cars.

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  Mark Randleman Video Interview

  Mark Randleman

  Mark Randleman discusses growing up in Snoqualmie, earning athletic scholarships for college and later moving to Cle Elum to teach and coach. He talks about his family growing up. He later discusses raising his own kids in Cle Elum. He fondly remembers and shares some stories of athletes that demonstrate the strong work ethic of the area.

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  Wes Craven Video Interview

  Wes Craven

  Shannon O'Malley interviews Wesley Craven and he discusses growing up in a large family in Roslyn, Washington. He talks about learning to cut hops at a young age when the whole family would take two weeks to go to Yakima for the harvest. His father was abig influence and taught him many practical skills. He tells about playing baseball and football as a high school student and notable coaches he knew. Wes describes how he got into boxing and how he started to learn boxing as a young person. Wes continues to work as a gravedigger and he discusses this career too.

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  Babs Ballard Video Interview

  Babs Ballard

  Babs Ballard talks about her life. She grew up in Cle Elum and her family had a cattle ranch. She discusses the impact World War II had on her family and the hardships it brought. She also discusses dowsing for water with a willow switch or dowsing rods.

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  Frederick Krueger Video Interview

  Frederick Krueger

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  Maria Adams Video Interview

  Maria Adams

  Elise Bingay interviews Maria Adams about the Roslyn, Ronald, Cle Elum Heritage Club. Maria talks about her work with the heritage club and its history. The heritage club has been instrumental in maintaining the Roslyn cemeteries. She discusses how the cemetery kiosk developed and the information stored within it. She talks about the growth of tourism in the area and changes she has seen.

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  Steve and Nancy Jones Video Interview

  Steve Jones and Nancy Jones

  James Fossett interviews Steve and Nancy Jones. Steve talks about growing up in Lester Washington when it was a railroad and logging town. He shares what his first jobs were after they relocated to Cle Elum. Steve talks about his time in the Army in Germany and Vietnam as a helicopter mechanic. He also discusses his later life working at the summit ski slopes and logging. They were also part of the ski patrol and later became EMT's. Nancy shares how they met and parts of their life together. She also discusses growing up in Centralia and Bremen.

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  Ethel Craven Sweet Video Interview

  Ethel Craven-Sweet

  Ether Craven Sweet shares about growing up in Roslyn, Washington during the boom times of coal mining there. She also talks about her life after leaving Roslyn and her career, husbands, and various jobs. She explains about how she became interested in history and how her family brought back the Black Pioneers picnic in 1978. She also discusses the floats the Black Pioneers group had in parades around the state for many years. She mentions her current work volunteering at a senior center.

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  Nick and Jennie Henderson Video Interview

  Nick Henderson and Jennie Henderson

  Nick Henderson and his mother Jennie Henderson talk about life in Roslyn , Washington. Jennie grew up in a family with 13 siblings. She discusses her schooling and work life, as well as raising her family. Nick talks about life growing up in the Ducktown neighborhood of Roslyn. Cover image is the coal washing plant in 1939. Nick talks about salvaging parts from coal buildings after the mines closed.

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  Don Hill Video Interview

  Don Hill

  Don Hill was born in Yakima and moved to Easton before he turned one. Don graduated from Cle Elum High School in 1955. He entered the logging industry at the age 10 in his father’s company. In the late 40s he cut, and his dad hauled bobbies and timber props to the #9 mine. Over his career he’s built roads into Cooper river, mineral springs up to Red Top, Table Mountain, and Salmon la Sac. He logged throughout the county including Green canyon in Ellensburg . Don came out of retirement to build roads and golf courses throughout Suncadia.

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  Donna Willette Video Interview

  Donna Willette

  Donna has a love of hiking and mountaineering. She lived in Colorado until she was 12 and the family relocated to Easton. She was raised by her grandmother and started her own family right after high school. In this interview Donna talks about growing up in Easton and finishing school in Cle Elum. From the time her youngest child was five years old she was taking her three children hiking. She discusses growing up in a small community where they walked everywhere and heated with coal. In the 1970's she attended Central Washington University and became an EMT2, later becoming director of ambulance services for Kittitas County.

  The peaks she’s summited: Mount Stuart, Bear Mountain, Mary Peak, Earl Peak. Koppen, South Engles Peak, Iron Peak, Navajo Peak, Peoh Point (three times), Silver Peak, and Miller Peak.

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  John Cernick Video Interview

  John Cernick

  John Cernick Junior talks about growing up in Roslyn, Washington. He discusses the activities of his youth and notes changes over time in the culture of the area. He discusses life as a boy in Ducktown neighborhood of Roslyn. He talks about working in the mines before he joined the Army in 1953. He then worked as a logger and in the construction industry. He remembers the Western Miners strike as a young boy in the 1930's. He tells about the Cle Elum Ski Club and how they took spectators through the mines to reach the jump area. He mentions his current home and how he feeds the wildlife. He also mentions how his family made wine from grapes shipped from California via train. His family came from Croatia as early as 1905.

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  Louie Osmonovich Video Interview

  Louie Osmonovich

  Louie Osmonovich talks about growing up in the Ducktown neighborhood of Roslyn and his later career as a school teacher. He also discusses his years of backcountry trail riding. He also discusses changes he has seen in the area over time.

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  Sandra H. Peck Video Interview

  Sandra H. Peck

  Sandy Peck talks about growing up on Gobblers Knob near South Cle Elum. She discusses her first job as a Theater Usher. Sandy also talks about her father's work as a railroad engineer, and her mother's work as a homemaker. She also mentions her work in education as a testing specialist. She talks about the changes in the region and culture of the area over time

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  Jeri B. Francisco Porter Video Interview

  Jeri Francisco Porter

  Jeri Francisco Porter talks about her life growing up in Roslyn in the 1950's and 60's. She attended Central Washington State College. She talks about her career as an electrician and finishing her career at Central Washington University. She was mayor of Roslyn. Jeri also discusses some artifacts and documents from her family. She mentions her grandfather was part of the four minute men speeches during the first world war. Jeri also talks about starting the Roslyn Revitalization group. She recalls what life was like as the mines began to decline and other changes in the area over time.

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  Rudolph A. Kovacevich Video Interview

  Rudolph A. Kovacevich

  Rudy Kovacevich talks about growing up in Roslyn Washington. He discusses his family's Croation roots and ties to the old country. He shares memories of his grandmother and talks about her struggles as a miner's wife. He talks about the feeling of community he felt growing up in a small town. Rudy also shares his grandmother's premonitions.

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  David Franklin Video Interview

  Shannon O'Malley

  David Franklin talks about his ties to upper Kittitas county and changes he has seen in the area in his lifetime. He discusses how his in-laws came to the area and how they made a living in South Cle Elum. He first visited the area in 1968 and moved to Cle Elum in 2001. He also discusses the current changes happening in the area including planned development.Dave conducts guided walking tours of Roslyn. They can be booked through https://www.roslynwalkingtours.com/

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  Sam Krahenbuhl Video Interview

  Sam Krahenbuhl

  Sam Krahenbuhl talks about growing up in Roslyn. He discusses the variety of things kids did in the 1950's. He mentions the decline of the mines and changes in town. He mentions night life in Cle Elum. Sam also talks about his love of ice cream.

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  Beverly Prkacin Read Video Interview

  Beverly Prkacin Read

  Beverly discusses being born in Cumberland, Washington and growing up in the cascades. She mentions her work life including running an airport and learning to fly. She talks about her Croatian heritage and being involved in the annual Croatian picnic and helping with Croatian dance. She talks about the efforts to build the Croatian memorial. Beverly also mentions about her continuing career as a realtor.