July Party in the Park Nets Over $16,000 To Help Keep Bridle Trails State Park Open

The weather was perfect, the run was exhilarating, and the pancakes delicious; no wonder the Bridle Trails Park Foundation's 2nd Annual Party in the Park was such a smashing success.

Two hundred plus people ran or walked through the forested trails, more than twice that number partook of the pancake and bacon outdoor breakfast, the kids' activity center was so busy that the face painters hardly had time to take a break and the line for the ponies went on forever. Over 30 people enjoyed the guided nature walks and, the Poker Ride drew in the neighborhood of 40 riders who bought and played over 100 hands . Horse riding demonstrations and entertainment were provided by the Hilltop Hayburners youth drill team, the Western Sky School of Horsemanship, the Saddlebreds and pony carts from Les Corbett's stables, and the ever popular King County Posse drill team. Don Prince, Foundation President, was called out into the arena to accept a donation check from the Hayburners and said he was almost moved to tears when he turned around and saw the bleachers over-flowing with people. It's been a long time since that has happened.

The parking lot and the one at the church across the street were filled and, at one time, cars were parked for over a half mile down 116th. It is estimated that there were between 800 and 1,000 people in the park. And so many of the "ol' guard" (early members of Lake Washington Saddle Club and people who regularly showed their horses at Bridle Trails State Park for years) came back and had a chance to get reacquainted over pancakes and coffee. How great it was to see them in the park again.

The success of this event can be directly attributed to several things: a committee that spent many long hours researching, planning, and executing a very well run event, more than 45 wonderful, willing and happy volunteers, and more than 35 generous local businesses whose sponsorships more than paid for the cost of this shindig. So many people who attended remarked what a wonderful time they had. They loved the run courses, eating breakfast under the trees, and seeing their friends and neighbors in that beautiful setting. All have said they are looking forward to doing it again next year.

The final numbers are in and we were thrilled to see that we had raised over $16,000 to help us on our march to a million plus. If you couldn't make it to the Party this year, you can still help by sending your donations to: The Bridle Trails Park Foundation, 6619 132nd Ave. NE, #265, Kirkland, WA 98033. Many people are finding creative ways to do this by sending donations as memorials for someone who has passed away, some have made donations in someone else's name in lieu of a present, and some have even begun putting us in their wills. Won't you consider something similar and help us keep Bridle Trails State Park open now and for generations to come? For more information, please visit our web site at www.bridletrails.org .

The Foundation would like to Thank all those who worked on and/or attended this fun day, as well as our many sponsors. In the end, keeping the Park open is the Foundation's primary mission and we are all beneficiaries of the love for our Park that went into this event. Congratulations all!

The State Parks Department is already making plans for their 2013 Centennial celebration. Due to decreasing funds over the years, some parks have been turned over to other entities, others have fallen far behind in maintenance. With help from the Governor and the Legislature the State Parks Commission is committed to: safeguarding Washington's natural, cultural and historical treasures, strengthening public service, eliminating the maintenance backlog, engaging more partnerships, leveraging general tax support with earned revenue and donations for park operations.

The agreement our Foundation struck with State Parks in May 2003, ensures that Bridle Trails State Park will be retained and maintained as long as we meet our agreed upon financial commitment, and will be a model for other partnerships in the future. For that reason there are plans afoot to bring more people into Bridle Trails State Park and have them get to know it, love it, and support it the way we do.

To do this, the Foundation is in the early planning stages of a new environmental education program. Research has begun into the history and natural history of the park's forest. The long-term goal is to develop programs in environmental education and nature appreciation for the public and local school children. Jim Erckmann, with a Ph.D. in Ecology, is heading this endeavor. He will also be writing pieces for this newsletter about some of his historical findings about Bridle Trails State Park and the surrounding community.

Why does the wonderful forest we know as Bridle Trails State Park look as it does today, and what's the ecological significance of the different conditions we see? Understanding how the park’s forest came to its current condition will require a little sleuthing, both historical and ecological. Like many natural areas, the park’s forest is a product of natural processes and the activity of people. This is the first installment in a series of articles about my journey as a detective, trying to uncover the story of the park’s forest.

Along with ecological investigations within the park, I have been touring the Internet; acquiring historic records from the state, county, and federal government; purchasing and analyzing historic aerial photos; and reading books and articles on Eastside history and the history of logging. Here are some results of my historical probing to date.

The 482-acre park that we know today was part of an original federal land grant to Washington State in 1889, originally a full square mile or section. Income from leases, the sale of timber, and the sale of segments of the land itself were used to support the state's public schools. Parcels totaling 160 acres of the original 640 acres were sold to private owners in the early part of the twentieth century; I live on one of these parcels now, Bridlewood Circle.

In response to urging by local residents, the Washington Commissioner of Public Lands first formally reserved the area for park use in the early 1930s, and State Parks completed the purchase of the land and timber from DNR in 1992, for a little more than $5 million. But what happened on this land before it became a park?

Imagine: the 1857 census of King County listed “152 persons of European American descent in all of King County.” The 1860 population exploded to 302 persons, along with 53 horses, 16 mules, 495 “fowls,” and other miscellaneous critters and crops. In 1870, government surveyors noted the sizes and type of trees at points on the section’s boundaries, as well as two small streams in the southwest corner, but no signs of use by settlers. Homesteaders filed claims around the park between 1888 and 1895.

Historical records show seven leases of parts of the current park between 1898 and 1927. Five timber sales recorded between 1919 and 1936 correspond to evidence of recent logging that one can see in 1936 aerial photos. There is no evidence that any logging occurred after 1936. The 1936 aerial photos, however, indicate that some logging probably occurred several decades before 1919, possibly in the 1800s, and that some of the original old-growth trees were left untouched. Might some of the park have been logged with horses, as would have been common in the late 1800s? What happened on the leased areas? I am still working on those questions. More next time.

They moved to Bridle Trails in the early 60's and became the stuff of local legend. She was outgoing, warm and friendly; described by daughter, Susie, as a "collector of people" who always had the teapot on for anyone who dropped by.

He was a quiet but generous man with a wry sense of humor who worked in property management, real estate and insurance, but his first love was farming and took great pride in teaching young men the art of driving farm machinery on their dairy farm in Carnation. One friend, Lean Carroll, remembered him as always dressed in a tweed jacket, wool plaid shirt and a hat. One summer day she rode her horse up to say hello and he came out to greet her in a Santa hat. She chided him that it wasn't Christmas yet and he said, "that's okay, my head's cold."

They loved people, animals and their community. They were Frances and Manson Backus, no longer with us in body, but always with us in spirit. Their family made sure of that last spring when their Lucky Seven Foundation gifted our Foundation with a $50,000 grant, to be funded over the next 10 years, in honor of their parents and the hours they spent riding in Bridle Trails State Park.

He grew up in Seattle, riding the horse kept in the family garage to school every day. She was raised in Tacoma graduating from Annie Wright Seminary and the University of Washington. They married in 1937 and had 5 children, Frank, Steve, Ned, Susie and John. They moved from Madison Park in Seattle to Bridle Trails in 1963 and became the focus family of the community. No strangers to tragedy, their faith in God saw them through the loss of sons, Frank and Steve. Their faith and love of people endeared them to family and friends.

Their daughter, Susie, told how her mother would use her quarterhorse mare, Rhythm, and Manson would take his chestnut Arabian gelding, Torrik, down to the Woodbrook Hunt Club one weekend on up into the mountains the next. For several summers, Ellie Moon recalls, they would join 50-60 other riders on the trail from Canada to Oregon, riding from one county to another on a given ride until they had covered the entire length. In between these weekend adventures and for years after they ended, Frany and Manson spent many happy hours in the saddle in Bridle Trails. Even into his 80's, Manson would bring his grey Arab, Zaza, up to a mounting platform that Frany called his "launching pad" to get on so he could enjoy the splendor of the Park on horseback one more time.

Friends told of how generous and giving they were of their time and anything they had. They were friendly to all and shared their house, their horses, and even their barn with others, from helping a neighbor get his sick horse to a vet or inviting a friend to use his horse when hers was injured. Marjorie Jones remembers that when Frany and Manson decided it was time to downsize, Frany put many treasures out on a table and invited friends to come and pick something out as a keepsake. And, Ellie Moon said they gave away tack to anyone who wanted it - filling the back of her car with it.

Lean Carroll tells a story she and her daughter, Tilghman, will never forget about the warmth and humor that defined Frany's life. Frances had promised to buy some of Tilghman's Girl Scout cookies if she and her mother would have tea with her when they delivered the cookies. When she greeted them at the door, she saw them looking at a rather ragged looking tree next to the entrance. She told Tilghman that this was her "worry tree". She said that every time she came in the front door she would touch the tree and wipe her worries off on its leaves. Then she said, "you know, Tilghman, it's beginning to look like I've just about worried this poor old tree to death, doesn't it?"

Frances Backus was probably best known for her hats, and, always the proper lady, she could be seen mucking stalls in her overalls and pearls. When she passed away, more than 500 people attended her funeral, and all the ladies were asked to wear hats in her honor. Daughter, Susie, says she also liked any color as long as it was red and was laid to rest in a red suit and her red cowboy boots. I can't think of a better tribute than that. How I wish I had know these beautiful people. Thank you, Lucky Seven, for sharing their memory with us and for your very generous gift. We hope it will spur others into remembering loved ones in a similar fashion.