Monroe Historical Archives
Photographs
Monroe’s history in pictures.
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Our Stories
Go beyond the bare facts of Monroe's history. Real stories about real people.
The Monroe Historical Society & Museum has more than 3,500 photos of Monroe and the surrounding area, including businesses, industry, historic buildings, people and community, many of which no longer exist except for their presence in our collection.
If you’d like to purchase a photo from our vast collection, get in touch, let us know what photo you’re interested in (each photo is numbered), and we’ll ship you nicely a matted print with a printed description of the photo on the back.
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Our Collection
0001 – Henry Dennis in his barbershop c1925
Located on the south side of East Main, the Dennis Barbershop was one of the first businesses to be established in Monroe. The original barbershop burned in the 1901 fire. It provided weekly baths and shaves for the loggers who crowded Monroe on weekends. Henry Dennis, Sr. is on the left. 1/19
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 7x5; O; CN13; B
0002 – Monroe School Superintendent Finley “scolds” Henry A ‘Babe’ Dennis in 1909
“Babe” Dennis remembered this photo well. He was dressed in his Sunday best (not his normal outfit for school) and the dreaded-trip-to-the-principal’s-office scene was posed for the photographer with Finley “scolding” with pen in hand and Babe keeping with his head down. Written on the back is “Babe 1909 Finley Supt.” While written on the photo itself is “Supt. Room Monroe Schools Wash”. (Original accession book entry lists Mr. Finley as principal.) Teeple photo. 7/04
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 8x6 ml; O: CN7; S
0003 – Interior of the Three Lakes Sawmill with William Mitchell
William Mitchell, the father of Katherine (Mitchell) Dennis (Mrs. Henry A. ‘Babe’) is sitting (second from the left), marked “Dad.” He was foreman of the shingle mill. The Three Lakes Logging Company, located northwest of Monroe at the south end of Panther Lake, had its own electric generating plant and a rail link with the Great Northern Mainline at the Woodruff junction, near the west end of Fryelands. It also had a link the Northern Pacific line near Machias. The Three Lakes Logging Company and sawmill began operation in 1903 and added a shingle mill in 1907. The sawmill burned in 1922. A small mill was setup after the fire and finally shut down in 1929. 7/04
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 6.5x4.5 m; O; L
0004 – Six-horse team hauling logs on a skid road
Noted as possibly being on Camano Island. 1/18
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 8x6 m; O; L
0006 – Loggers on railroad tracks
Possibly near Wagner Mill. 1/18
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 8x6 m; O; L
0007 – Hayes family portrait
From left to right are George, Leila, Willie, and Addie. Written on the back of the cardboard mount is “To Mother and Father Hayes in exchange for yours please get yours taken Addie and George.” D.B. Ewing, Everett, photo. 1/03 Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 4x5.5 m; O; P
0008 – Joseph Dennis, the first horse teamster in Monroe, with his dray team
This pre-1900 photo shows Joseph Dennis transporting finished lumber for a local mill. Joseph was the father of Henry Dennis, Sr., and grandfather of Henry A. (Babe) Dennis, who also worked as a teamster for 26 years. “W.A. Bisbee” is stamped on the back. 7/05
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 9.5x7.5 m; O; CN7; L
0009 – Johnny Johnson’s High Rock Mill
A single horse and stump puller (capsin) is in front of Johnny Johnson’s High Rock Mill (Agnew Hill) c1890. Johnson is holding the horse, named either “Colonel” or “Dolly.” He is the step-grandfather of Henry A. (Babe) Dennis. This is a snapshot copy (1965) of an older photo. 1/03
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 3.5x3; O; CN50; L
0010 – Pioneer farmers “On Their Way to Market” c1900
An Ox-drawn wagon with a man, woman and baby with baskets of vegetables is shown in front of farmstead entitled “On Their Way to Market” in the photo. Babe Dennis, who donated the photo, stated that it was given to him by Mose Udell who was supposedly in the photo, possibly the baby, however Mose was born in 1880 so unlikely. Another source identifies the man as Mose Udell and the baby as his sister, nicknamed “Snowball”, however Mose did not have a baby sister. Could be later (1905) with Mose and his wife, Lulu, and their baby, Leo. Or could be Mose’s parents, George and Frazeline Udell, with a younger sibling. The homestead was in the Woods Creek Valley northeast of Monroe. This photo was used as the source for the bronze sculpture on the Monroe Centennial Monument erected by the Tualco Grange in Lewis Street Park. 1/18
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 5.5x3; O; CN3,7,10; F, T
0011 – Main Street Monroe before 1901 fire
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis is the child with the hose by the Barber Pole, while his father, Henry Dennis Sr. is sitting at the left on the boardwalk. Photo was taken before the 1901 fire looking west and slightly north down Main Street. Business signs visible are B.L. Monck Hardware; R.H. Stapleton, Groceries & Hardware on the northwest corner of Main and Lewis Streets; and Monroe Cash Store. 6/05
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 4x3 m; O; CN3,7; M
0012 – Undercut tree with four loggers
Two of the men are standing on springboards with a cross-cut saw leaning on the tree. From left to right, Walt Follett, a Jimmicum, unknown, and a Johnson. 1/03
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 4x3; O; CN3,7; L
0013 – Joseph and Mathilda Dennis Portrait
Taken before 1908. Joseph was a freight hauler (see #8). They owned the property where the original Monroe Union High School was built on the southeast corner of Hill and Kelsey Streets. Grandparents of Henry A. (Babe) Dennis. After Joseph’s death, Mathilda married Johnny (or John) Johnson. 1/03
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 4x5.5 m; O; P
0014 – Wes Barber (a.k.a. Hiram Green) and his pet bear
He was the blacksmith at Little High Rock Mill. See also #17. 2/03
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 4x3 m; O; H
0015 – House in Tualco Valley
On Sargent Rd. near the Swiss Hall. Water pump and chair are on back porch, bell is on the roof of side extension. Originally identified as Johnson House, (Hop kiln?—referenced: Andrew Johnson and Johnson Hop Farm.) but Shirley Proust (great-granddaughter) doesn’t think this is the Andrew Johnson house—she said it was a one-story house. See also #259, 260. 2/03
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 7x5 m; O; M, F; fair condition, faded, scratched
0016 – Earl Lindley (?) home
In the Tualco Valley (?) or original card file entry also suggests it may be the Whitfield house, and that it might be in Park Place. It also references Xerox Info file 2 – Humanity Class Project. 1/03
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 6.5x4 m; O; M
0017 – Wes Barber (a.k.a. Hiram Green) and his bear
The black & white postcard had red ink added to simulate blood. Quite probably a posed hunting picture because written on the back is “Wes Barber and his bear,” which would indicate that the bear is his pet bear playing dead. He was the blacksmith at Little High Rock Mill. See also #14. 6/05
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 5x3.5 pp; O; H
0018 – View of Monroe from the south c1902
Taken after the 1901 Fire probably from High Rock and before the Condensery was built in 1908 but probably much closer to 1901; tall white building would be the new Odd Fellows Hall built in 1901 on North Lewis Street. S. A. Buck’s Monroe Mill Company is at far right. Note the river channel is running further to the north at this time. The cut in the hills behind Monroe was made for the Great Northern tracks and the gravel was used for fill in the tracks. Scanned at 600 ppi for greater detail when viewed on computer screen. 6/05
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 7x5 m; O; M
0019 – Undercut tree with two men on springboards with crosscut saw
“Lawrence and Billie Johnson” is written on the back—Lawrence 'Rip' Odell and Bill (Billie) Johnson. Johnson was Johnny Johnson’s brother; Odell was Babe’s (Henry A. Dennis) step-cousin. Teeple photo. 1/03
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 4.5x6.5 m; O; CN13; L
0020 – Cadillac in July 4th Parade of 1910 on South Lewis Street
Probably on Lewis Street, Robert Fleming Jr. is driving, with father, Robert Sr., next to him holding a sign reading “C.E. Ritchie Leading Jeweler.” In the back are the four Fleming girls, Eva, Mae, Lilly and Nellie, holding parasols. Note clock face on rear wheel. “Photographer” sign on a house in background might be Rigby & Rigby. See #126. 1/16
Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 5.5x3.5 pp; O; CN3,7,13; C, M
Photographic Image Collection
Master Accession File
The information in the accession file entries is often incomplete, occasionally contradictory, possibly inaccurate, and subject to continual updating. And in the case when much is known, it certainly is not exhaustive. For more information, please consult the FAQ, the Copyright Policy, and other documents that accompany this file. There is also an Accession Number Index for all images in the collection, and a detailed Subject Index for those images that have been scanned. The Accession Numbers of photos not yet scanned are marked with an asterisk (*). Those marked with # following the number have had negatives scanned at 300ppi and should eventually be improved. If you can clarify an entry, or wish to donate photos (either the original or to be scanned and returned), or need a specialized copy or scan of a photo, or have other questions about the collection, please contact us.
Accession Information
The first line of the accession information is the accession number in bold. The second line, also in bold, is a brief description of the photo. Other descriptive information may follow on the next line(s) in regular type. The last entry in regular type (e.g. 1/03) is the date of the last update of the entry if it is different from the date of accession. The last line(s) in italic type is the technical information about the photo, with one line for each copy in the collection. (*) Indicates the copy generally used when more than one copy of an image is in the collection. (+) Indicates a copy that has been scanned when more than one copy of an image is in the collection. In the files section copy “a” is generally assumed rather than so marked. An extra indent indicates a different scan of the same image, usually because the original became available for scanning after a copy was scanned.
The technical information generally begins with the donor name followed by the date of accession. Next is the size of the original if known in inches, width first and whether it is mounted (m), photo postcard (pp), large (l), oversize (o) or oversize-wide (w). Next the primary type of image in the collection, which was also the one scanned (O-Original to MHS; ON-Original Negative; OS-original slide; D-digital; AP-archival or copy print; CN-copy negative; CS-copy slide; PC-Photocopy; fm means found in museum with no source and “r-“ means the original was returned to donor). Then follows the copy negative information if any: CN with a number indicates 35mm and links it with a proof sheet file; CNL indicates larger format that is filed with the original images. Finally, if a better quality image can be found in one of the themed binders in the museum it will be noted with these codes for those binders:
- B—Business, industry and government (except for logging and farming)
- C—Community activities
- F—Farming and related activities
- H—Human interest to include non-school sports
- L—Logging and related activities
- M—Monroe area images, primarily outside views of streets, buildings etc.
- P—People – portraits and group photos
- S—School related to include school sports
- T—Transportation
Example technical information
For example, this is the technical information for #1: Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; 9/76; 7×5; O; CN13; B
Which tells us that the image was donated by Henry A. (Babe) Dennis; it was accessioned September 1976; the original was approximately 7 inches wide and 5 inches high; the Original photo is in the collection; a 35 mm copy negative of the photo exists and is on proof sheet 13; and a better inkjet copy of the photo can be found in the museum in the themed binder on Business, industry and government.