Local Authors Tell the History of Schafer State Park Through Vintage Photos

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The newest addition to Arcadia Publishing’s popular Images of America series is Schafer State Park from local authors Peter Schafer Reid and Barbara Seal Ogle. The book boasts more than 200 vintage images and memories of days gone by.

Schafer State Park, a US National Historic Site located to the north of Elma, not only represents a unique example of 1930s craftsmanship from the Works Progress Administration and other emergency programs but is also a window into the settlement of the Satsop River Valley. In the last quarter of the 19th century, this included the vast logging and lumber operations undertaken at the park and in the surrounding forest, as well as the bounty available from the river stretching far back into the history of Native Americans in the Northwest.

The park also memorializes an early example of philanthropy by private citizens and corporations in Washington State. It is an effort that has continued over the years and has been crucial to the expansion of the state park system. The authors are pleased to provide this book as the Washington State Parks System celebrates its 100th anniversary.

Highlights of Schafer State Park include:
  • Pioneer Days in the Satsop River Vallery
  • Life and Logging Before and During World War I
  • The 1920’s Boom and Establishment of Schafer State Park
  • The Depression Years of the 1930’s
  • World War II to the Present

Available at area bookstores, independent retailers, and online retailers, or through Arcadia Publishing at (888)-313-2665. Peter Reid was born and raised in Aberdeen, Washington. He is a graduate of Stanford University, New York University School of Law and the School of Oriental and African Studies of London University. Peter is the great grandson of John and Anna Schafer who settled with their family in the Satsop River Valley in 1872 and the grandson of Peter Schafer, one of the three brothers who donated Schafer State Park to Washington State in 1924.

Peter Reid

Reid served two years in the Peace Corps in Tanzania and was the Executive Director of a Public Interest Law Firm in the San Francisco Bay Area for 30 years before joining the faculty of Stanford Law School. He retired from Stanford in 2006 when he and his wife, Barbara Ogle, moved to Olympia. Reid currently is serving as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Washington State Parks Foundation, Co-chair of the Steamboat Conservation Partnership and is a Board member and former President of the Olympia World Affairs Council.

Barbara Seal Ogle

Barbara Seal Ogle is a graduate of St. Olaf College with a major in History. As a child her family vacations included camping and visiting National and State Parks. Her love of history continues with her current interest in local history such as the settlement of the Satsop River Valley. Ogle grew up in the Midwest and moved with her family around the area before settling in California. Her strong interest in travel has included living and studying in Thailand while in college and extensive visits to Europe and to other states in the US.

Ogle is an accomplished, prize-winning knitter and enjoys working in textile arts and photography; chronicling the beautiful flora, fauna and landscapes found in the state, national and international parks she has visited. She recently retired from the Palo Alto Unified School District and from the Office of International Programs and Development at Saint Martin’s University. Ogle currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Olympia World Affairs Council.

Arcadia Publishing is the leading publisher of local and regional history in the United States. Their mission is to make history accessible and meaningful through the publication of books on the heritage of America’s people and places. Have they done a book on your town? Visit http://www.arcadiapublishing.com/

Much of the text in this article was provided by Arcadia Publishing.
Posted in local history.