Work is finally underway on our new staff, volunteer, and visitor building. I’m excited about this project for several reasons. Selfishly, I’m looking forward to having the master bedroom of our house back after 18 long years of using it as the sanctuary’s main office. In the very early days, the office could only be accessed through our kitchen and dining area. As awkward as that was for Diana and me, it was even worse for the other staff who had to get past our often aggressive Chow Chow, Honey B (for more on the seemingly coincidental fact that we once had a dog named Honey B, click here). We used to leave a bag of bread by the door so that people coming in could throw crumbs and distract her while running to safety in the office. It seemed like a major upgrade when we had another sliding glass door installed.
As for the sanctuary, I’m looking forward to all this new building will provide to our current staff and volunteers—more work areas, real offices, a locker room with separate laundry facilities, and a kitchen and break room—as well as what it will provide to our summer visitors and student interns who come to learn about chimps, caregiving, and the work of sanctuaries like ours. But beyond that, it will also provide a foundation for future growth—for the staff and volunteers that will one day (hopefully soon) be caring for rescued monkeys on these same grounds. After all, there are only so many people I want working out of our bedroom.
This groundbreaking is bittersweet, however, since it requires saying goodbye to a historic barn on the sanctuary grounds. This barn is over 100 years old, which at first didn’t seem that old to this New Englander. But it is downright ancient for Cle Elum, which was at that time inhabited largely by pioneer homesteaders and not the wealthy gentleman farmers of my native Connecticut. These barns were made of the trees that once stood in their place, likely by the same people that farmed the land.
Several years ago, I got interested in the history of the canyon in which the sanctuary sits, and the people that used to live here—people like Big John Taylor and his business partner, known to the locals here as Indian Charlie, who used to turn sheep out on the hills in the late 19th century. The sanctuary’s pastures were said to have been filled with the teepees of the people from present-day Yakima who worked for them in the summers. Big John Taylor’s wife, whose name I don’t know, ran something of a mess hall for the folks that loaded logs down a flume and into the Yakima River. In the process of permitting a new driveway for the sanctuary, I was once sent the original blueprints for our road, Highway 10, which used to be the only road across the state to Seattle. And I was delighted to discover that where the bottom of our driveway currently sits, there was once a train stop and a dance hall. It really was the wild west.
The manger for the cows, including Sparky, Blacky, Little One, Toots, Baldy, and Maud:
The barn was one of the last buildings standing from that era. Unfortunately, it spent the last 100 years sinking into the ground as its log foundation rotted away. As an example of how much it has sunk, the left side of the barn used to house draft horses—these days, I hit my head going through that door. Often. The right side has sloped so much that you feel drunk walking through it. And there’s a good chance that the whole thing is one strong gust of wind or one heavy snowfall away from returning to the earth entirely.
Saddle racks and stalls for the draft horses:
So the barn must go. But we are salvaging the wood so that it can live on in some other form. And I am spending the bulk of this blog post writing to you about a barn instead of about chimps because I feel like we owe it at least that much.
Workers remove siding from the back of the barn:
Thanks, JB, for a brief history of the Cle Elum area and the old barn. All very interesting. Do you have a timeline for barn removal and new building construction?
The whole thing should be wrapped up in 8-9 months.
That’s a magnificent barn! 100 years isn’t that long, from the perspective of having lived for 75 already! I’m always so impressed by how you’re all protective guardians of the whole area as well as the chimps, cattle, barn kitty, and everyone else who wants to make your site their own.
William aptly demonstrated that he can pant hoot with his mouth full, but that he can also wiggle his left ear. That guy has talent and potential, I tell ya….
What a wonderful look into the past, and it must give you all a great feeling of being part of the whole history of the area……and the future too!
George has quickly learned how to wiggle his fingers through the caging to ask for his share of the goodies. It’s heartening to see how the other chimps are supporting Neggie with visits and sharing their precious babies. I loved how she was nodding and swaying to acknowlege Jamie checking in on her.
Have the girls gone out to their summer pasture yet or is the weather still a bit too unpredictable?
We’re waiting for the grass in the upper pastures to grow 1-2 more inches before turning them out. Should be in the next week or two!
Thankyou, J.B. for as always taking precious time out to keep us all in the loop and it’s like we’re right there with you every step of the way. A massive indertaking but apart from getting your master bedroom back it will provide more space for future projects ( and new residents) and a welcome retreat for the staff. I have a very soft spot in my heart for your Pacific North West and I loved reading the history surrounding your landscape. A huge thankyou :sparkling_heart:?. You are going from strength to strength.
Thank you J.B. for the wonderfully informative history of the area and some of it’s people. A dance hall was by your driveway – that’s so cool!!! I’m pleased to know that you’re salvaging the wood from the the barn that has served so many so well. I think I’ve watched every episode of Barnwood Builders and I revere the efforts of all who save and repurpose such structures. Precious video as well. Thanks again to all of CSNW.
JB – i love history and your wonderful story about the history of Cle Elm. The barn is beautiful! Don is 87 and I am 83 so this barn would have been new to us in our childhoods and I saw many in Pennsylvania where i was raised. i have not been able to post any comments so i’ll cut this short and see if the glitch has been fixed! So glad this project has begun!
karen and Don
That Willy B. is something else eh?!
I was “pleasantly” surprized to see darling Negra up high in her lovely nest; stil climbing.
Shame to see the old Barn disapeare; so much history.
Could you display those planks with the horses names somewhere?
And this one is for Laura : MAVE!!
Aw. :heart_eyes: Mave’s rush to Willy B was heartwarming. Like Cool Dude! Good to see you out here too. Look at us! Look what we’ve been missing! And that JB is something right? Right out here along with us? Wow, what a human!!
The loss of anything beautiful, such as your magnificent century old barn, deserves to be recognized and memorialized. And it was no surprise to me to see you do so, you care so much about everything that surrounds you. It’s so unfortunate you have to take the barn down. I believe I actually feel your pain in your words. However, it’s wonderful the wood will be put to a new use. I hope you keep us posted on what you do with it. Here’s to the day you and Diana get your master bedroom back!!
Most of all, thank you for bringing the history of the people and the land to life for all of us. I have to admit as soon as I read this, I googled Big John Taylor and Indian Charlie to see if I could learn more.
I feel very fortunate because I was in that barn on my first visit in 2015. I am shocked that I did not ask if David could see the barn when he came to pick me up. He has restored many a barn on our surrounding countryside. Raising it up, putting in new foundations, and breathing new life into them. But it is very time-consuming and costly. I showed him this blog post and he thoroughly enjoyed seeing all the photos of the structure. He was amazed that the roof line still held. His first comment was if he had known you needed the barn restored he would love to have done the work for you back then. Did your local historical society visit prior to starting the work, I’m sure they would love to have photographs, inside and out, of the total building.
With Boss Jamie overseeing the taking down of the barn, we all know progress is in the best of hands. Willy B’s embrace of Mave out on the Bray was heartwarming. As was everybody finding such excitement over the big yellow peppers. And the close up at the end of Willy B made me realize why I love him so much. That face steals my heart. Couldn’t love him more if I tried. Negra might be limited in some activities, but I am shocked at the way she climbs up to her platform. That’s extraordinary. couldn’t love Negra anymore if I tried! 🙂
Wow what a surprising and beautiful post – the Ode to the Old Barn. The Barn has been part of the Chimps’ homestead and I think it’s great that its history is here among all the blogs about the residents. And it will be interesting to hear what you re-purpose the wood into. Yay! for the new building and paws crossed for rescued monkeys. xo