0U9-We8teiC - Pacific County Historical Society

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Published Quarterly by the
Pacific County Historical Society
State of Washington
Frances, Washington, circa 1910
WINTER
1982
Volume XVII
Number 4
1
*
ULe
SINCE 1966
8ou'W'e,5te:Cz6
A Quarterly Publication of the Pacific County Historical Society, Inc .
A Non-profit Organization
Magazine subscription rate - $6 .00 Annually
Membership in the Society - $3 .00 single, $5 .00 couple
Payable annually - membership card issued
Address: P .O . Box P, South Bend, WA 98586
Historical articles accepted for publication may be edited by the editors to conform to size and other requirements .
Opinions expressed by the authors are not necessarily those of the historical society . All Rights
Reserved . Reprinting of any material approved by special permission from the Pacific County Historical
Society . Second class postage paid at South Bend, Washington .
P UB . N O . ISSN-003804984
Larry Weathers
EDITOR
Karen Johnson and Esther Coates - Subscriptions
Printed by Pacific Printing, Ilwaco, Washington
Our Cover
by Larry Weathers
The photo on our cover is from a postcard made by Joseph Amrhein about 1910 . Amrhein was born in
Switzerland and moved to Frances in 1903 . He was an optometrist and lens grinder and also operated a jewelry
store and photography shop . His advertisements stated that he did lens grinding, filled prescriptions for spectacles
and eye glasses in all styles and sizes, and conducted thorough and scientific eye examinations . His photographs
were often reproduced in local newspapers and on postcards . His business was located in one of the buildings on
the street behind the train depot .
All of the buildings shown in our cover photo are gone now . They have been replaced by houses, trees, and
fenced yards . A vacant storefront (built in 1916) stands approximately where the Charles B . Handy store is on our
cover . The tracks of the old Northern Pacific Railroad (now Burlington Northern Railroad) are still used by freight
trains, but passenger service was discontinued March 19, 1954 . Today, an asphalt highway parallels the tracks
where once there was mud and wooden planks .
This photo is from the Don and Gloria Christen collection in the Pacific County Historical Society Museum
files .
Table of Contents
TITLE
Our Cover - Larry Weathers
Frances: The Early Years - Larry Weathers
Brand New Town of Frances - from the South BendJournal
How the Girls Kiss - a poem by F . Handy and T . Soule
The Frances Silver Band - Larry Weathers
The Fern Creek Lumber Company - Miss Ethel May Handy
Catholics to Hold Big Fair - from the Willapa Harbor Pilot
Swiss Pancakes "Eiertatsch" - Mrs. Joe (Hermenia) Huber Rosettes - Mrs . Joe (Hedwig) Karnas
Frances Post Office - from the Museum files
The Church of the Holy Family - Mrs. Victor (Ruth) Habersetzer
List of Burials in Holy Family Church Cemetery - Larry Weathers
The Swiss Society - Mrs . Paul (Hedwig) Strago
62
PAGE
62
63
68
69
70
71
73
74
74
75
76
79
82
Frances : The Early Years
by Larry Weathers
Editor's Note : The following history is a compilation and revision of several stories written by Ruth
Habersetzer and Virginia Olsen for The Willapa Country: a History Report in 1965 . Supplementary information about the settlement of the vicinity of Frances was taken from the following sources : Pacific
County and Its Resources (a promotional booklet published by F .A. Hazeltine in 1909 for the AlaskaYukon Exposition), "Wallace Campbell, the Story of His Life in Frances" (an unpublished 1936
W .P .A . history), "The Habersetzer Family, from Germany and Switzerland to Pacific County" (a paper
prepared by Ruth Habersetzer in 1982), "The Christen Family History" (a paper prepared by Gloria
Christen and Anita Christen Dunsmoor in 1982), Our Pacific County (a book written by Valley High
School superintendent L .R. Williams in 1930), Willapa Bay: Its Historical and Regional Geography (a
book written by Jean Hazeltine Shaudys in 1956), The Pacific County Edition of the South Bend lour •
nal (a souvenir supplement published by F .A . Hazeltine in 1900), and "Echoes from the Past" (a
weekly newspaper column written by Ruth Dixon in the late 1960's and early 1970's) . Pacific County
Assessor's Records 1879-1910 and the Census for March 1, 1908, were also valuable sources .
Each of the works cited above, except the Assessor's Records and Census Roll, is on file in the
Pacific County Museum, 1008 W . Robert Bush Drive, South Bend .
This article briefly covers the years 1874 to 1910 .
Frances is the last community in the upper Willapa Valley on the highway (State Route
6) connecting Raymond and Chehalis . There was a time when Frances was a town, but that
was during the first half of this century . Today, Frances is a great deal quieter . The church
and cemetery are still used, dairy farms still dot the landscape, but the stores and industry
are gone and the train doesn't stop there anymore .
The first inhabitants in the vicinity of Frances were a small band of Chehalis Indians .
Long before the arrival of white men they knew the beauty of the land and the abundance of
its resources . On a seasonal basis, they set up camp on the tall-grass prairie now called Elk
Prairie, fished the waters of the Willapa River and its tributaries, and hunted the hills with
bow and arrow . As a matter of fact, until the 1890's, the Chehalis band continued to pass
through the area practicing their ancient ways . Nervous white settlers often felt compelled
to carry their guns to work .
The Chehalis gave names to many of their seasonal campsites along the Willapa but
they did not leave one for this particular campground . They did leave a few archaeological
calling cards though . Many years after the arrival of white settlers, mounds of rock could be
seen scattered across the burned-off prairie, and farmers tilling the soil frequently uncovered
arrowheads and broken cooking implements trapped just below the surface . Nothing was
ever found in the mounds but arrowheads are occasionally still being uncovered .
White settlers were first attracted to the area in the 1 870's . Settlement was late compared to other sections of Pacific County because of the isolation . Giant trees, thick underbrush and steep ravines stood in the way of all . Only the truly committed ventured into such
areas first . Most, especially those with families, preferred to stake land claims on the riverbanks and floodplains first, inaccessible hills and valleys last .
The first to come to the upper valley were squatters . They did not have title to the land
and paid no taxes . Many were bachelors escaping civilization or the law . Few stayed for
more than a few years . Among the first were two Scandinavians named Erick Erickson and
Hans (sometimes called Harry) Hanson . They lived on Elk Prairie between 1874 and
1879 . Some sources say they were placer miners .
63
i
One morning in 1879, Hanson left his partner to go to Chehalis for business and supplies . When he returned he found his tent burned and Erickson missing . After searching the
vicinity, Hanson went to Woodards Landing, a settlement at the confluence of the Willapa
River and Wilson Creek, for help . Eventually, Erickson's body was found in a stream near
their Elk Prairie claim . He was apparently the victim of drowning . The burnt tent and some
missing possessions aroused the posse's suspicions, however, and an investigation ensued .
The posse found evidence that a man named Yurick, who was squatting with some
roughnecks on land south of Elk Prairie, had some of Erickson's possessions hidden on his
claim . The evidence proved circumstantial and Yurick was freed . Disgusted, Hanson decided to sell his claim and move on .
Genuine settlement of the area followed in the 1 880's . The first family was that of the
Campbell's . William Wallace Campbell, his mother Margaret, sister Nell, and a nephew,
came to Pacific County during the last days of December 1879 . Wallace's brother-in-law
James Fowler, who was already living in the Willapa Country, had written to him about the
large parcels of timberland available in the upper valley . Shortly after their arrival, Mrs .
Campbell bought the squatter claim of Yurick, and Wallace bought out Hanson . The
Campbell's could only obtain a "squatter's rights" to the land because that section of the
County had not yet been surveyed by the Government Land Office .
The Federal government completed the survey of public lands around Elk Prairie in
June-July 1882 and Wallace and his mother quickly filed their claims in Oysterville . During
the intervening years they built a cabin of split cedar and worked the land . They were soon
joined by others .
The first neighbors the Campbell's had were mostly sons, daughters, and in-laws of
Margaret Campbell . They included the James Fowler family, Capt . Tom Sparrow who married Nell, the Wesley Campbell family, and the families of Alford S . and Charles Patton . All
of them, except Tom and Nell Sparrow, had large families . Following on their heels were
the Chapman, Lusk and Souther families .
In 1885 the first school was taught in a bunkhouse on Fowler's claim on Elk Prairie .
School was held in the building while the men were out logging . A real schoolhouse was
built on the Edward Souther farm in 1887 . (A new school was built in Frances in 1893 .
Frances School District No . 14 was organized in 1897 . In 1946 the district consolidated
with Lebam No . 140 and finally with Willapa Valley School District No . 160 in 1955 . A
parochial school was taught by Catholic nuns between 1908-1914 .)
Settlement north of Elk Prairie occurred in late 1886 . Three men, Alois Custer,
William Duckwitz and Leonhard Habersetzer, living in Mt . Angel, Oregon, were led to the
area that year looking for homestead land . A Mr. Weiss served as guide and manager of the
trip . He took them to Chehalis by train, and then, led them over the Willapa Hills coast
range to the upper valley .
After looking the land over, the three Mt . Angel men drew straws to see who would be
allowed to choose the first homestead . William Duckwitz was the winner but when he filed
his claim he found that it was railroad land and not a true homestead claim . He purchased
the land from the railroad for $7 .50 an acre . It was his claim which was later platted as the
town of Frances (February 1893) .
Leonhard Habersetzer was given second choice and had the same luck as Duckwitz .
He chose a claim which was railroad land and had to purchase his acreage for the same
price .
Alois Custer drew the last claim . He chose land on Fern Creek which turned out to be
64
-Victor and Ruth Habersetzer collection
Rosa and Leonhard Habersetzer and daughter
Mary, circa 1870. Mary was one of thirteen
children born to this couple .
-victor and Ru
collection, PCHS
Alois Custer and family, circa 1890
Standing : Othmar, Alois and Louis . Sitting :
Mrs . Custer and Cecelia .
the only true homestead claim of the three . His homestead certificate was finally issued by
the General Land Office at Vancouver, Washington, on August 25, 1903, and signed by
President Theodore Roosevelt .
Having staked their claims, the men returned to Oregon for their families via Indian
trails and train . When they returned, they came by boat up the Columbia River to Ilwaco .
Up the peninsula at Oysterville, they took another boat to the town of Willapa (formerly
Woodards Landing, renamed Willapa in 1884) and on to Elk Prairie by nearly impassible
trails .
The Duckwitz and Custer families moved onto their claims and started building cabins
and barns, but the Habersetzer family decided to move to the John Wood place near
Willapa for a year of adjustment . Leonhard finally moved his family to the upper valley in
the summer of 1888 . Having no house, the Custer family kindly let them move into a new
barn behind their house . (The barn is still standing but the farm now belongs to the Victor
Habersetzer family . Victor is one of the many grandsons of Leonhard Habersetzer .)
While the Habersetzer family was still living on the Wood farm in 1887, new families
were arriving in the upper valley . The lack of adequate conveyance to the area was still
hampering rapid settlement but word of the available land was a strong conductor . Susan
Campbell Prentiss, who was born into the Wm . Wallace Campbell family in 1893, wrote in
1964, "It took years to build good roads into that country . I was grown before a passable
road was built over the coast range (to Chehalis) . The road to South Bend was only
65
1
passable in good weather for years . We traveled horseback during the winter and it took
hours to Menlo by horse and wagon because the road wandered from farm to farm ."
A few of the 1887 arrivals took timber claims around Elk Prairie and then moved to
established settlements on the Willapa . Others came to stay . Joseph Guggenbickler, John
Kain, and Joseph M . Christen were three who took parcels of land in the vicinity of
Duckwitz, Custer and Habersetzer . Guggenbickler and Kain were originally from Bavaria,
while Christen was from Switzerland . Like the first three families, they had settled in Oregon
first, spoke German and had large families .
New arrivals continued to reach the upper valley between late 1888 and 1892 .
Among them were the families of Gregor Vetter, the Gehrman Brothers, J .P . Lemons, the
Handy Brothers, S .A . "Forney" Soule, Wolfgang Lengauer, Peter Stanley, Frank Sigrist,
Leonard and Peter Switzer, and many more . Through hard work and confidence they built
rich dairy farms, sawmills and businesses, and transformed the countryside . In 1892 they
were still living in an unnamed community, but in 1893 the situation changed dramatically .
The last decade of the 19th century was the era of a phenomenon known as the
"boomtown" . These communities rose rapidly across the face of the Northwest frontier and
usually disappeared just as quickly . Frances was one of the boomtowns but it survived
longer than most . Unlike many, which were the product of the active imagination of a land
speculator or professional shyster, Frances was the happy result of the need to exploit its
local resources (timber and farm produce) and the arrival of the railroad .
The railroad, which was started at Chehalis in August 1890 by the Yakima and Pacific
Coast Railroad and completed at South Bend by the Northern Pacific Railroad in December
1892, officially established Frances as a depot stop in 1893 . According to some sources,
the community was given its name when the railroad survey crew passed through the area
in 1892 . E . H . McHenry, an NP Chief Engineer, used his wife's middle name .
-Cliff Ellis collection . PCHS
Railroad Survey Crew, circa 1891
66
-an Amrhein photo from the Anita Christen Dunsmoor collection, PCHS
Frances in 1906
This view of Frances was taken from behind the Handy store shown on our cover. To the left of the
depot is the Columbia Saloon . To the right is the town hall and public school .
-Don and Gloria Christen collection, PCHS
Columbia Saloon in 1909
The Columbia Saloon was a combination saloon, bowling alley, ice cream parlor and boarding
house . It was built and operated by the Louis Christen (he had twelve children) family . Louis moved
his family from Switzerland to Lebam (Halfmoon Creek) in 1893, then to Frances after the saloon
was built in the late 1890's .
67
The town plat of Frances was filed in the County Auditor's Office (Plat Book C) on
February 27, 1893, by the Northwest Lumber Company of San Francisco (A .M . Simpson,
president, and E .J . Holt, secretary) . The company had timber holdings in the vicinity and
purchased the claim of William Duckwitz for the town .
It wasn't long before the train depot, which was built in the middle of the plat, became
quite a center of building activity . The railroad was operating two passenger trains and two
freight trains on a daily basis, businessmen leased or bought lots from the company on both
sides of the depot, and sawmills, logging camps and farms crowded the landscape .
Among the businesses in town between 1893-1910 were several saloons, a bowling
alley, a shoe repair shop, several general stores, a jewelry and optometrist shop, a
photography studio, a creamery, several sawmills, a post office, a barbershop, a meat
market, a blacksmith, shingle mills, a hotel and restaurant, a theater, a town hall and a
newspaper (the Frances News) .
To name all of the men who operated these businesses would require more space than
is available, but among the more enterprising families of the community were those of the
Handy Brothers and Louis Christen and sons . The Handy's operated general stores and
sawmills, while the Christen boys operated almost everything else, including a carpentry
shop, saloon, bowling alley, theater, creamery, electrical plant, shingle mill and logging
camp .
Louis Christen even acted as unofficial doctor and dentist for a time . He was a master
of home remedies (among them pitch salves) and when anyone was suffering from a
toothache they went to the Christen Brothers Columbia Saloon, where, after getting a
liberal dose of whiskey to deaden the pain, had their tooth extracted by him .
In 1960, Mrs . Charles B . (Amelia Habersetzer) Handy recalled the early days of
Frances, saying appropriately, "Really, Frances was quite a town!"
Brand New Town of Frances
(from the South Bend Journal, August 4, 1893)
Editor's Note: The following article was taken from the August 4, 1893 issue of the South Bend Journal. It was a reprint of an article originally published in the Willapa Pilot that same week. The Pilot was
printed by C .A . Heath of Willapa, while the Journal was published by F .A . Hazeltine .
Frances consists of a depot building at present unoccupied, a station house where
Peter Demmer and his excellent wife, board the section hands and occasionally dispense
meals and beds to the hungry and weary traveler . Near the depot is the store of W .A . Curtis,
who has but recently established himself there . Nearby stands the town hall, a fine building
32 x 50 feet which was erected by several of the enterprising young men of the place and
has already been found a great convenience as well as a source of revenue .
On a gentle eminence in a very pretty and commanding location stands the Catholic
Church which has just been completed ; this building though small - 24 x 40 feet - is in
design and ornamentation very handsome and a credit not only to the town but the architect
as well . Besides the station house there are only two dwellings in the town, C .W .
Campbell's and Wm . Duckwitz's, and these being farm houses, but being on the very edge
of the plat, may be justly considered in the suburbs .
The country in the immediate vicinity of Frances is thickly settled on all sides and there
are several very fine farms although all are newly settled . The crowning glory of Frances is
her sawmill ; Messrs . Brown, Brooks and Newton, formerly of Centralia, have cast in their
lot and erected a sawmill with a capacity of about 20,000 feet per day . These gentlemen
are all practical mill men and are making a most excellent quality of lumber .
68
How The Girls Kiss
(a poem revised by F. Handy and T. Soule)
Editor's Note : This poem appeared in a Pacific County newspaper circa 1900 . It was written by Fred
Handy and Timothy Soule, young men of Frances . There is no record of how many girlfriends they
made or lost with this revision of an old poem but obviously they thought themselves experienced .
Fred remained a bachelor . Timothy married Emma Patton of Lebam .
A clipping of this poem was placed in the Museum files by Victor and Ruth Habersetzer .
The Ilwaco girl bows her stately head,
And fixes her stylish lids
In a firm hard way, and lets them go
In spasmodic little sips.
The Willapa girl gets a grin on herself,
As she carefully takes off her hat,
Then she grabs up her prize in a frenzied way,
Like a terrier shaking a rat .
The Oysterville girl removeth her specs,
And freezeth her lips with a smile;
And sticks out her mouth like an open book,
And cheweth her gum meanwhile .
The Lebam girl so gentle and sweet,
Lets her lips meet the coming kiss,
With a raptuous warmth, and the youthful soul
Floats away on a sea of bliss.
The Bay Centre girl says never a word,
And you'd think she was rather tame,
With the practical views of the matter in hand,
But she gets there just the same .
We have sung of the girls who kiss,
And it sets one's brain in a whirl,
But to reach the height of earthly bliss
You must kiss a Frances girl .
The South Bend girl, the pride of the world,
In her elicit soleful way,
Absorbs it all with a yearnful yearn
As big as a bale of hay .
The closer together your lips do draw,
Till they meet in a raptuous glow ;
And the small boy hidden behind the fence
Cries : "Gallager, let her go . "
Willapa Valley Location Map
69
The Frances Silver Band
by Larry Weathers
Concerts in the park, musicales at the local "opera house", and band receptions for
dignitaries at the train depot were important social events in the life of almost every
American community at the turn of the century . There being an absence of such passive
recreational distractions as listening to the radio and watching television, people found time
to participate in community activities . This usually translated into performing plays, participating in community sports, or playing an instrument in a community orchestra .
Frances, being a typical American town of the time, had its share of such community
organizations .
Almost from its birth in 1893, the town of Frances had a community band . Around
1895, a Mr . Brewer of Frances founded the Frances Silver Band . All of the members were
male and all had store bought uniforms . Their caps even displayed the band monogram
"FSB" in front . The band performed at dances around the county, marched in parades,
serenaded the community at picnics, and met politicians and others at the Northern Pacific
depot . They were tremendously popular from Chehalis to Ilwaco .
It isn't known whether Mr . Brewer died, left town, or just disbanded the group, but in
1906, the Swiss friends of Ferdinand Lawrence Calouri wrote to him in Portland, Oregon,
-Victor and Ruth Habersetzer collection, PCHS
The Frances Silver Band, circa 1898
Front row : Othmar A . Custer and Mr . Marsh ; second row : C .B . Handy, Fred Handy, Tim Soule,
Will Habersetzer, Joe Habersetzer ; third row : Louis Custer, Archie Handy, John Waters, Leonhard
Habersetzer ; and back row : Mr . Brewer (founder of the band), Art Sloan, Cornelius Habersetzer .
70
of the need for a musical leader in Frances . Calouri, born and educated in Switzerland, was
the music professor on the faculty of Columbia University (now Portland University) at the
time . After reading the letter, Calouri decided his young family of five children needed
some country air and opted to move .
Calouri took up residence in Frances in
1906
and commenced giving musical lessons
immediately . He commuted by train between South Bend and Chehalis to teach piano, and
reorganized the Frances band .
In April
1964,
Agnes Calouri Lincoln, one of the daughters of Professor Calouri,
wrote from her home in Portland, "When we lived in Frances, it was a lively, flourishing,
small town . We had a dramatic club which (was similar to) today's "little theatre" and we
had a town hall in which we did musicals, decorating and serving refreshments . It was a
good place to grow up and prepare for life in a city .
"My father played the church organ while Doris Habersetzer, my sister, a teacher named Edna Crea and I, were the choir . We did some rather pretentious things . . .1 have on my
piano a volume of music titled "In the Olympics" written by Father Victor Couverete under
the pen name of Victor C . O'Leary . The form and proper musicality of this volume was
edited by my father previous to its publication ."
When Professor Calouri returned to Portland in the
1910's,
Frances was again left
without a bandleader but it wasn't left without music . Many of his pupils continued in informal dance bands and quartets playing polkas and schottishes on special occasions .
The Fern Creek
Lumber Company
by Miss Ethel May Handy
Editor's Note : Frances has been the site of several logging camps and more than a dozen sawmills in
its long history . The first logging camps were established in the Elk Prairie vicinity in the 1880's and
the first sawmill was probably operated by S .A. "Forney" Soule around 1890 . Among later sawmills in
the area were those operated by Brown, Brooks and Newton of Centralia, William McKeever and
Brothers, the Christen Brothers, Forner and Lux, D .J . Platt, Alois Custer and Sons, and the Handy and
Habersetzer Brothers. This last partnership called themselves the Fern Creek Lumber Company .
The history of the Fern Creek Lumber Company is printed here because it is somewhat typical of
the history of sawmills in the Frances area . It was written in February 1964 by Ethel May Handy, the
sister of the Handy Brothers . She was living in the family home in Portland at the time; the last of the
Handy children .
Ethel May Handy was the daughter of R.D . Handy, who had moved his family to Pacific County
from Point Arena, California, in 1889 . Mr . Handy built a house on the Job Bullard farm near Willapa
and worked as a carpenter there, before moving his family to Frances in 1895 . Around 1902, the Handy family purchased the general merchandise store from J .E . Pease and during the same year bought
the Custer Mill on Fern Creek . Ethel tells the rest of the story in her remembrances .
In
1902,
Charles B . Handy, Fred A . Handy, Joseph A . Habersetzer and Cornelius J .
Habersetzer purchased a small mill on Fern Creek near Frances from the Custer family
(Alois Custer and sons Othmar A . and Louis) . They also bought the Custer timber
holdings . They formed a partnership and called the mill the Fern Creek Lumber Company .
The lumber company also operated a shingle mill . The new owners continued to run it
71
-Victor and Kuth Habersetzer collection, PCHS
Fern Creek Lumber Company, circa 1909
The buildings in this picture were built after the devastating fire of 1906.
and make cedar shingles, turned porch columns and fir and cedar bevel siding .
From time to time improvements were made at the mill to increase the output . Timber
claims were purchased from Peter L . Stanley, W .C . Fields, Anton Wildhaber, Joseph
Stocker, and later a tract of timber was purchased in the upper valley from the Simpson
Lumber Company of South Bend .
About 1906, the Fern Creek mill was destroyed by fire . Much of the piled lumber in
the yards was also burned . It was a considerable loss .
After the fire, the Handy Brothers (Charles, Fred and Arthur), purchased the holdings
of Joseph and Cornelius Habersetzer and began rebuilding the mill on a larger scale . W .B .
Murdock was the millwright and his son Gordon worked in the office . Charles Handy was
general manager and Arthur Handy was overseer . Fred Handy, who had an interest in the
mill opted to buy and operate a small grocery store from Albert Shore in Lebam .
The capacity of the new mill was increased by the Handy's. Circular saws were installed
and improved logging methods were used . By this time steam donkey engines had been introduced in the woods . A short, narrow gauged railroad was also built . The small engine
brought the logs to a mill pond near the lumber company .
Cabins were built for the workers and a cookhouse was operated . Loggers and mill
workers were hearty eaters and the food had to be plentiful and good .
All kinds of timber was cut and the lumber was good quality . Some of it was finished
and put through the dry kiln . All of the lumber was shipped by rail, either in box cars or on
flat cars, brought to the mill on a shore spur from the Northern Pacific . It was sold to local
lumber yards and in Eastern states .
72
The Fern Creek Lumber Company was operated until 1912 when it again caught fire
and was destroyed . For the second time, thousands of dollars worth of lumber piled in the
yards was burned .
After the lumber company fire, the Handys decided to dispose of all their holdings in
the upper valley . They sold their timber holdings and logged-off land, mill machinery that
could be salvaged (the rest was sold for scrap iron), and logging equipment . The C .B . Handy General Merchandise Store was sold to Mr . Ingbert I . Kaasa . The Handys kept a small
interest in it, but the name changed to the Frances Mercantile Company . Fred Handy's
Lebam store had already burned to the ground in the Lebam fire of 1911 .
In 1914, after 25 years in Pacific County, the Handy family moved to Portland,
Oregon .
Catholics to Hold Big Fair
(from the
Willapa Harbor Pilot, October 7, 1910)
Editor's Note : The Catholic faith isn't the only religion represented among the families of Frances, but
for over 80 years it has dominated the cultural landscape there . In 1910, the following article appeared in one of South Bend two newspapers, the Willapa Harbor Pilot.
The church debt mentioned in the article was probably incurred around 1908 when the church
was remodelled and enlarged .
Frances, Wn ., Oct . 3 - The Catholics of this city, with the full approbation of their
devoted pastor, Rev . Father Couverette, are preparing what promises to be the greatest
social event held here in recent years . On November 10, 11, and 12 in the Frances opera
house, with a grand sacred concert on Sunday, November 13, the parishioners of the
Catholic church, here, are to conduct a church fair that seems destined to eclipse any held
heretofore in this parish or elsewhere in the county .
Headed by this efficient committee, the Messrs . Louis Christen, Paul Christen, Joseph
Amrhein, Peter Stroyzk, and O .A . Custer, the preparations for the "Fair" are rapidly
assuming the appearance of intense activity . The ladies of the parish are straining every
nerve to collect an assortment of attractions that will out-rival any of their former efforts .
Many booths will be heavy ladened with an array of articles that will appeal to the eye of the
visitors . The cuisine will be conducted on an elaborate scale and the most toothsome
delicacies await the patrons and visitors of the dining room . As a grand finale there is to be a
grand, sacred concert on Sunday, November 13, under the direction of that eminent musician, Professor Ferdinand Calouri .
The object of this great social event among the Catholics of Frances, and their nonCatholic brethren, is to liquidate the remaining debt on the beautiful church which is the
pride of the county and one of the most beautifully finished edifices in the entire state .
"We are all united, believing that in union there is strength," said a member of the
committee . "All we desire now is the support and encouragement of our friends, near and
far, and in sending this letter to the Pilot, we are sure happy results will crown our labors . . ."
73
Swiss Pancakes
"Eiertatsch"
a recipe from Mrs. Joe (Hermenia) Huber of Frances
1 cup flour
teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups milk
5 eggs (4 if they are large)
Y2
Sift the flour, salt, baking powder into a bowl . Add the milk, and then the eggs one at a
time . Mix by hand with a wire whip . Heat 8" skillet at medium high and coat skillet with
melted butter . When the skillet is hot, pour Y3 of a cup of the batter into it, tipping skillet so
that the batter covers the bottom . When the pancake is brown, turn it and brown the other
side . This recipe makes 10 large pancakes . They can be served with sugar, syrup, jelly,
jam, strawberries, applesauce or whatever is preferred . They tan also be rolled up as a jelly
roll or crepe .
J%v
Rosettes
a recipe from Mrs. Joe (Hedwig) Karnas of Frances
2 cups milk
4 eggs
dash of salt
1 teaspoon sugar
capful of Real Lemon juice
2 cups flour
For this recipe you will need a deep fat fryer, rosette iron and ingredients . Pour the milk,
eggs, dash of salt, sugar, Real Lemon juice into a blender . Mix to liquefy . Gradually add the
flour to the mixture . If the batter is thick and bubbly, add a little more milk . If the batter is too
thin or has small bubbles, add a little more flour . Set deep fat fryer at 400 degrees . Dip
rosette iron into batter . If the dough is heavy on the rosette iron, add a little more milk . Tap
the batter off gently before putting the rosette iron into the deep fat fryer . Brown as you
would doughnuts . (Tap grease off iron before dipping it into batter so that grease does not
get into batter) .
74
Frances Post Office
Established May 26, 1894
Postmasters
l
Name
Date of Appointment
Solomon A . Soule
May 26, 1894
John N . Phillips
September 29, 1898
Alfred S . Patton
July 15, 1901
Charles B . Handy
September 25, 1908
Ingbert I . Kaasa
July 8, 1914
Earl Kaasa
September 17, 1932
Zelpha Richmond
June 14, 1945
Jake Kaech, Jr .
May 20, 1948
(In 1973 Jake Kaech was transferred to Lebam as Postmaster . He posted a sign at the
Frances store notifying residents that the Frances Post Office would be permanently closed
as of November 23, 1973 .)
-Victor and Ruth Habersetzer collection, PCHS
Emerson Avenue, Frances, circa 1900
This is a closer view of the street behind the depot on our cover. Handy's store is on the extreme
lefthand side . The store in the middle of the picture has a tattered poster on the side wall advertising
the Ringling Brothers Circus in Centralia . Emerson was an executive in the company that platted the
town .
75
The Church o f the Holy Family
by Mrs. Victor (Ruth) Habersetzer
Editor's Note : A significant part of the social life of the early pioneers revolved around their churches .
The earliest settlers in the Elk Prairie area were Protestants . Circuit riding preachers ministered to the
far-flung families of the upper Willapa River by horseback and boat . In 1886 things changed
somewhat when a number of Catholic families moved into the area above Elk Prairie . Most of these
families were Swiss or German immigrants ; some newly arrived in America, others migrating from
Oregon and the Midwest . It wasn't long before there were enough of them to warrant building a
church of their own . Today, the Church of the Holy Family is the only prominent landmark still standing from the era when Frances was a town .
The information in this article was compiled by Ruth Habersetzer . Ruth is not a native of Frances
but there are few people living who know as much as she does about the rich personal history of the
area . Ask a resident about some aspect of their family history and they will tell you what they know,
and then send you to Ruth for more .
Ruth was born in Idaho but living and working in Chehalis when she met Victor Habersetzer of
Frances, one of the grandsons of Leonhard Habersetzer . She married Victor in 1948 and moved to
the family farm in Frances with him where they raised three daughters . Having married into a pioneer
family, and taking part in the social life, she was privy to the stories of the pioneers. There are a
number of people still living in Frances who can tell you stories about the early days but few have
recorded so much of it for us as she has.
The first Mass to be celebrated for the early Catholic settlers of what was to become
known as Frances, was held on the Fern Creek homestead of Alois Custer by Rev . Barnabas Held, Order of the Society of Benedictines, of Mt . Angel Abbey, Oregon, in the year
1888 . The Custer, Duckwitz and Habersetzer families had recently come to the upper
valley from Mt . Angel and knew Father Held personally . After Father Held left, a series of
circuit priests visited and celebrated Mass in the homes of parishioners in the area . Services
were held about every three months, so the priest often stayed at private homes for several
days before moving on .
In 1892 Bishop Aegedius Junger of the Diocese of Nisqually instructed Rev . Henry
Deichman, pastor of the Aberdeen and Hoquiam churches, to visit Willapa Harbor to acquire land for a church . Father Deichman knew the families of the upper valley and was able
to acquire land from William and Margaretha Duckwitz .
The Duckwitz's donated one acre of land for a church and school and one acre for a
cemetery in 1892 . The deed for the land was officially recorded at the County Courthouse
in South Bend on March 2, 1893 . The filing was witnessed by John Kain and Wolfgang
Lengauer, and the deed said the land was given to the trustees of St . Joseph Church :
Leonhard Habersetzer, Gregor Vetter, Alois Custer, William Duckwitz, J .M . Christen and
Joseph Guggenbickler .
In 1892, the craftsmen of the community set to work and built a small but attractive 24
x 40 ft . church . Joseph M . Christen, a carpenter, and Alois Custer were probably in charge .
The interior of the church was beautifully furnished with carved altars and communion rail
but there were no pews . Parishioners had to kneel on the floor for several years . Rows of
pews, a bell tower and sacristy were added later as the church was remodelled .
Father Deichman continued to visit the area until 1898 . From 1898 to 1902, the
Benedictine Fathers of St . Martins College in Olympia filled in as missionaries to the parish .
They commuted by train from Olympia .
In 1899 and 1900, the oil paintings of the Holy Family over the main and side altars
76
I
-Victor and Ruth Habersetzer collection, PCHS
Church of the Holy Family, circa 1909
This picture was taken after the church was remodelled in 1908-9 . The parish priest lived in the rectory to the right .
were donated to the church by the Christen family . They were painted by Karl Georg Kaiser
of Switzerland . Karl was a cousin of Mrs . Louis Christen and a pupil of the great painter
Deschwanden . New altars and jointed frames for the pictures were made by Louis Christen
in 1902 on his water powered lathe . Louis also made the pews for the church .
During the same period of remodelling, the painted glass Sacred Heart windows on
either side of the main altar were made by Edward Vogel . Edward, a photographer and
glass painter, was the brother of Mrs . Wolfgang (Theresa) Lengauer .
Around 1900 the trustees of St . Joseph church signed the property over to the
Diocese . It was renamed Holy Family church by the Diocese because there was already a
St . Joseph church at Pe Ell, ten miles away . The Diocese also assigned one priest to serve
both parishes .
The Church of the Holy Family was dedicated by Bishop Edward John O'Dea on July
17, 1904 . Father Severinus Jurek, S .D .S ., pastor of the Pe Ell church, was assigned to
visit the churches on Willapa Harbor between 1902 and 1907 .
In October 1907, Father Victor Couverette was made pastor of the churches in Pacific
County with his headquarters and parish house at Frances . In January 1908, Father
Couverette opened Sacred Heart parochial school in Frances with the help of the Benedictine Sisters . The school operated until the summer of 1914 . It was housed in a building
donated by the Christen family . The Christens had earlier operated the Crystal Springs
Dairy and Cheese factory (incorporated in 1903) in the building .
77
-Victor and Ruth Habersetzer collection, PCHS
Church of the Holy Family, circa 1904
This interior view of the church was taken before the remodelling of 1908-9 . Remodelling opened
up the sanctuary around the main altar and added painted glass windows on each side .
In 1908 and 1909 the church was enlarged to widen and lengthen the structure . The
remodelling allowed for the addition of new rows of pews on either side of the church, a bigger sanctuary, sacristy and altar servers' room . This was the last major remodelling of the
church with the exception of new outside steps and entry .
The parish house is gone now, the pastor again lives in Pe Ell and serves both communities, but the Church of the Holy Family is still the pride of the community .
78
List of Burials in
Holy Family Church Cemetery
by Larry Weathers
Editor's Note: The cemetery behind the Church of the Holy Family was originally deeded to the
trustees of St . Joseph Church by William and Margaretha Duckwitz on March 2, 1893 . The Diocese
changed the name of the church to Holy Family church around 1900 .
All burials in the cemetery were members of the Catholic faith . One did not have to be Swiss or
German to be buried in the cemetery but they did have to be baptized Catholic . Non-Catholics made
other arrangements . Some of them, like the Wm . Wallace Campbell family, had family plots on their
farms, others buried their dead in the Lebam church cemetery or Fern Hill in Menlo .
Epitaphs on most of the grave stones in this cemetery are written in English but a few are written
in Swiss German . A few examples follow:
"Hier Ruht In Frieden Unser Innigst Geliehles, Kind Anna Huber, Was Wir Hoffen, Was Wir
Flehen, ist Ein Frohlich, Widersehen" - Here rests at peace our heartfelt sweetheart, child Anna
Huber . What we hope, what we implore, is be cheerful, goodbye.
"Hier Ruht In Gott, Marie Zumbuhl, Geb . Christen, 18 November 1858, 5 December 1916, Nach
Gethaner Arbeit ist Gut Ruh'n, Geb.-H
inWolfsche,Switzrland" ere rests in God, Marie Zumbuhl . Born Marie Christen, 18 November 1858, Died 5 December 1916 . After hard work, rest is good .
Born in Wolfinschissen, Switzerland .
-Larry Weathers collection
This wooden cross with painted glass marks
the grave of one of the Wolfgang Lengauer
children . The cross and glass were destroyed
by vandals after this picture was taken in
1978 .
-Larry Weathers collection, PCHS
This wrought iron cross marks the grave of
Alois Kuhne, Sr ., born in Switzerland 1840,
died in Frances 1920 .
79
"Hier Ruht Unsere Iniggehebte Mutter, Dorathea Fassbind, Geb . 15 Dez . 1854, Gest 19 Juli
1919, Ruhe Sanft ." - Here rests our beautiful mother, Dorathea Fassbind . Born 15 December 1854,
Died 19 July 1919, Rest quietly .
The following list of cemetery burials, row by row, was recorded in June 1982 . Several graves in
the cemetery are unmarked, or where marked by a wooden cross, the names are missing . Information
for these graves was taken from church records . Name spellings are as found on the grave stone or as
recorded in the records . In certain instances, family names were misspelled (e.g . Notice that in row 7
the "Buhlman" family had their name misspelled on Joseph's stone with two n's . In row 2, 3, and 5,
the 'Kneitch" family spelled their name two different ways . In row 4 and 8, the "Camenzind" family
spelled their name as they did in Europe, and as it was spelled in America) .
I
Church
I
Holy Family Catholic Church Cemetery, 1982
The cemetery is located on a hill behind the church .
80
List of Burials in Holy Family Church Cemetery, Frances
Holy Family Church Cemetery Records - June 1982
Row I
Victor Habersetzer
Andrew Konia
Joseph Christen
Adolf Christen
Theophil L . Strozyk
Peter Strozyk
Barbara Strozyk
Joseph J . Karnas
JoAnn H . Karnas
Kathrine J . Kaech
Row 2
Josephine Costi
Thomas Osark
Adolf Zumbuhl
Considine Saner
Robert Vetter
Joseph Baszczak
Nellie Baszczak
Walter J . Pusieski
Florence J . Pusieski
John Knietsh
Louis Christen, Jr .
Alois Kaech
Elise Kaech
Florentin Rohrer
Traci Lynn Karnas
Helen N . Karnas
John J . Karnas
Lawrence E . Karnas
Joseph Guggenbickler, Jr .
Margaret Guggenbickler
Anna G . Larsen
Row 3
Joseph Bantz
Thomas P . Callihan
Baby Boy Zumbuhl
Baby Girl Zumbuhl
Baby Boy Zumbuhl
Mary Wrobel
Infant Walter Paulis
Thomas Vetter
Katharina Vetter
Margaret Vetter
John Igloski
Frank J . Igloski
Ted Strozyk
Frank J . Strozyk
Mary Strozyk
Pauline Pusieski
Sophia G . Kneitch
Elizabeth A. Breen
William C . Habersetzer
Elizabeth Habersetzer
Row 4
Row 6
Xavier F . Camenzind
Elisa Kaminzind
Albert Kaminzind
Anna Huber
Albert Willie
William Sweeney
Kathleen V. Sweeney
Joseph Sirtoft
Infant Sirtoft
Anton Proslosz
Infant Leonard Vetter
Sophia Von Rotz
John Kain, Jr .
Mary Kain
John Kain
Anna Kain
Andrew Kain
Infant Thomas W . Cavanaugh
Inis I . McNutt
Michael Moran
Josepha Muller
Leonard Habersetzer
Rosa Habersetzer
Peter L. Habersetzer
Barbara K . Habersetzer
Peter L. Stanley
Cornelius J . Habersetzer
Stanislaw Kolano
Cecilia Mary Kolano
Frank S . Strozyk
Leonard A. Habersetzer
Anna H . Habersetzer
Alice Snider
Fritz Muri
Mary M . Reichle
Joseph A . Kuttel
Hedy Bunschi
John Kuttel
Theresa Kuttel
Row 7
Row 5
Maria Kuehne
Alois Kuehne, Jr .
Alois Kuehne, Sr .
Marie Zumbuhl
George P . Cramer
Catherine Custer-Imfeld
Frank Knietch
John Vetter
Rose Lapinsky
Eduard Christen
Otto A . Christen
Joseph M . Christen
Josephine Christen
Mary Christen
Louis Christen, Sr .
Joseph Fanger
Marie Guggenbickler
Joseph Guggenbickler, Sr .
Frank H . Breen
Harvey L . Breen
Eleanor Guggenbickler
Bernard Imfeld
John Breen
81
Jimmie Christen
Lavertta A. Hartman
Infant Rutzer
James Edward Sweeney
Leon Robert Guggenbickler
Infant Lengauer
Theresa Lengauer Sigrist
Frank Sigrist
Infant Lengauer
Wolfgang Lengauer
Lydia Von Rotz
Nora W. Lally
Marie R . Muri
Joseph Buhlmann
Elisabeth Buhlman
George Duckwitz
Louis Hensler
Capt . G .L . Couvrette
Ann Gaffney
Elizabeth Brennan
Michael W . Egan
Louis Baggenstos
Katharina Baggenstos
Louis Stadlin
Row 8
Hedwig Tochter
Catherine Felber
Julius Felber
Infant Amrhein
John Amrhein
Robert Amrhein
William Grady
Annie Grady
Peter Schweitzer
Theresa Schweitzer
Leo Duckwitz
Infant Duckwitz
Jacob Gehrman
Augusta Gehrman
Mary C . Burke
Joseph L . Rothlin, Jr .
Anna Rothlin
Barbara Pfiffner
Joseph Pfiffner
Joseph Rothlin, Sr.
Lawrence Camenzind
Row 9
Ludwiga Fischer
Tobias Burke
Anna Maria Mandel
Teresa Panfilio
Serafino Panfilio
Dorathea Fassbind
Wm . J . Hince
Alice McNally
The Swiss Society
by Mrs. Paul (Hedwig) Strago
Editor's Note: The Lewis-Pacific Swiss Society picnic ground is located off State Route 6 on Elk Prairie
Road . It's a beautiful setting near Frances with the Willapa River meandering through it . Alder trees
abound along the river and maple trees provide shade on the grounds around the Swiss hall . The land
was donated to the society in 1930 by the families on Konrad Huber and Jake Kaech, Sr .
This article was written by Hedwig Strago, daughter of Jake Kaech, Sr ., in November 1982 . It was
written from memory and the current minutes of the Swiss Society . Earlier records are missing .
The Lewis-Pacific Swiss Society was organized in August 1930 for the purpose of
preserving Swiss customs and traditions . Charter officers included Jake Kaech, Sr ., president, Elizabeth Schwarzenberger, secretary, John Moseman, treasurer, and Konrad Huber,
Fred Hubscher and Albert Muri, trustees .
Adjoining parcels of land for the picnic ground were donated by Konrad Huber and
Jake Kaech, Sr . The first Saturday in August was designated for the annual Swiss picnic and
the first one was held on August 1, 1931 . At the time, there was no electricity, running
water or picnic facilities on the grounds so members set up make-shift picnic tables and two
wood burning cook stoves near the river . The dance that night was held in an old deserted
house at the entrance to the grounds . Kerosene lanterns provided light and a "two-holer"
provided the bathroom facilities . A membership drive that day netted forty-seven (47)
members and thus the club was started .
In August 1932 an open dance floor was built and again illuminated with kerosene
lanterns .
In 1933, a hall was erected near the site of the present Swiss hall and electricity was
provided . The society later acquired the grange hall from the Frances Grange . The building
was located across the railroad tracks from the Catholic church and had been used at
various times by the Crystal Springs Dairy and Cheese Factory, the Sacred Heart Catholic
school, and Frances Grange No . 666 . The society enlarged and remodelled the building
and used it for certain club events .
In 1969, it was decided that instead of having two halls the society would have just
one . Plans were drawn up for a spacious new hall at the picnic grounds and construction
was made possible by donated labor and materials . The official dedication took place on
October 3, 1970 . It was dedicated to the future generation of Swiss descendants . The old
Grange Hall building was sold .
In early 1980, a 90 ft . extension of the roof line was added to the building to accommodate a beer garden and bowling alley . On July 4, 5, and 6, 1980, the Swiss Society
celebrated its 50th Anniversary .
Members of the Swiss Society gather several times throughout the year for different
functions . The Annual meeting is held in January Officers are elected and a free dinner and
refreshments are offered to all members and associate members .
The annual Schwingfest is usually held in July . This festival provides participants with
an opportunity to show off their Swiss wrestling (the national sport of Switzerland) skills .
Winners are judged on aggressiveness and pinning speed . The top 10 competitors are
awarded oak leaf crowns that are imported from Switzerland . Competitors come from
California, Oregon, Washington and Canada .
Another Swiss tradition, usually held in September, is the bowling picnic . The lanes are
82
made of cement and instead of 10 pins,
there are only 9 . The contestants get three
tries to build a score-twenty-seven (27)
being a perfect game .
Oktoberfest is another annual affair .
Girls of Swiss descent vie for the Swiss
Miss crown by selling buttons for the
event .
Two other events of the society are
the annual costume ball held in March and
the Summer Concert . Well-known entertainers perform at the concert and a dance
is held in the evening .
It has taken over 50 years of cooperation and hard work but the Swiss Society
can now boast of having one of the most
beautiful picnic areas in the vicinity . In
1982 there were nearly 600 members on
the rolls .
-a Willapa Harbor Herald photo, courtesy of Dave Gauger
1981 Swiss Miss
Dawna Camenzind of Lebam and escort Paul
Gwerder .
-a Willapa Harbor Herald photo, courtesy of Dave Gauger
200 lb . wheel of Wisconsin Cheese
Each Oktoberfest the Blatt family of Chehalis makes arrangements to obtain, cut and sell cheese .
83
-Victor and Ruth Habersetzer collection . PCHS
First Communion Class, May 28, 1908
These students of the Catholic school in Frances were taught by the Benedictine Sisters of Clyde .
Missouri (Benedictine Sisters of Cottonwood, Idaho, replaced the Missouri nuns in the fall of
1909) . The school operated from 1908 to 1914. The names of the children in the picture are
available in the files of the Museum in South Bend .
-Victor and Ruth Habersetzer collection, PCHS
Community celebration at Alois Kaech's farm in 1908
National holidays, barn building, birthdays, and church holy days, provided many a chance for the
Swiss of Frances to gather for singing, dancing, lots of food, a little beer and a photo to commemorate the occasion .
84