Vashon Island news-record. [volume] (Vashon, Wash.) 1919-1954, 1923-12-14

|
chased tract Of land from Rev.
Harrison, and occupied the Harri-
son cabin until their own could be
built, The McClintocks put up q
tent on their land near the point
but were soon driven to seek
shelter from the rain, in their lit
tie log cabin left by Rev. Green.
This they used until their own
house could be built on the site it
still occupies.
A few months later Edward Ivy
of Seattle moved his family on to
a tract of land he had bought of
Rev. Ellis, near what is now the
center of Ellisport. He built
quite large house, but his fami-
ly, not caring for country life, he
soon returned to Seattle. His is
now the jackson property and
was used for hotel purposes for
many years.
George II. Fuller later started
one of the first stores on the is
land at Ellisport. He later home
steaded what is now known as the
Wise ranch and then moved his
store onto property he had at
Center, where is was located for
many years, and was the chief
trading point for the most of the
island.
The Fuller, Ivy and McClm-
took families were the only ones
living at Ellisport prior to 1888
( when the Chautauqua Assembly
selected this spot for its perman-
ent home. During the summer of
1885 the meeting of the assembly
were held at Dilworth Point at the
north end of the island. The sea
sons of 1886 and 1887 were spent
at Gardeners Beach on the main
land. At this time the members
Of the assembly were attracted to
the island again by the beauty of
Ellisport and its protected harb-
or. However, the organizers lack
ed the money to buy as much of
the land as they wanted, and it
was only through the generosity
Of group Of pioneers Of the is
land made it possible for the
Chautauqua assembly to acquire
most of the land that now com
prises Ellisport. The names of the
men who gave so freely and glad
ly of the land that they and their
families had suffered years of
hardship and isolation were: Geo.
H. Fuller, who donated 80 acres;
James M. McClintock, who gave
50 acres; Rev. j. F.. Ellis, who
gave Is acres; A. w. Judd, 40
acres and l.. R. Carpenter, 10
acres. Other men on the island
later gave different amounts, but
those mentioned are the ones who
started the ball rolling. These
amounts are copied from old rec
ords officially issued by the Chau-
tauqua assembly at that time so
are correct. The assembly then
purchased 40 acres of the Harri-
son homestead for 5000, this being
the tract above the point. Mr..
Ivy erecived $500 for five acres,
which is now the center of the
town. Besides this, AS acres of
the Ellis homestead were acquir-
ed by private means but later sold
under a Chautauqua deed. This
gave the assembly about two and
one-half miles of shore along this
beautiful harbor and it became in
a very short time the best known
summer attraction in the West.
The Chatutauqua assembly plat
ted the town with wide streets of
60 and 100 feet, leaving parks and
places for tennis courts and play
grounds, built a large pavilion
with a seating capacity of 1000
persons for lectures and enter
tainments, a fine dock and a hotel.
The dock was in the front of
what is now the Jackson place and
a wide shoreline drive, known as
Alder street, was built along the
waterfront leading to the dock
and pavilion on the hill. During
the Chautauqua season all the
large boats running from Tacoma
and Seattle would stop at the dock
with crowds Of people coming to
study and attend lectures or en-
JOY day on the bathing beach.
The fine beach was one of the
big attractions in the old days
and still is considered one of the
finest on the Sound. And although
now owned by private interests,
the public is allowed to use it