During November 28th to the 30th of 1958, Bob Herendeen and his crew prepared for the move. December 1- 3 were the days of the actual move. The Nord family is responsible for the move. Our community is grateful.The cross country journey of the old Grange Hall from its solid foundation along side the old Farm to Market Road a half mile west of Clayton was recorded by Mrs. Jean Nord, wife of the late Lyle Nord.
The building now rests on the old Loomis/Nord place.
A photograph of the building on the morning of the move. The building has been placed on a wide heavy duty moving carriage by professional building mover Bob Herendeen.
Part of the crew, paused for a coffee break. From left to right, Bob Herendeen, Leno Prestini, Tom Scriven, and Sol Twidwell.
The old grange hall sat on four sets of dollies with no roof sag. The route, across the road, through a few hundred yards of open field, down an incline toward the creek bottom, parallel to the creek for another several hunderd yards and on into the Nord barn yard.
This is Lyle Nord with his bulldozer in 1952.
So after decades of companionship this old tree was left to fend fir itself. Never again to recieve norishment from the thousands that flocked to the Hall of Fame. #456
Here on the Nord farm the old Grange Hall keeps watch across the east to Beaver Creek's green pasture land and to the west to wooded mountains.
Wilda and Clarence Nord in a 1953 family gathering.
Jean Nord with baby Vicky and Warren, 1953.
They took their wedding vows here on October 8, 1949. at the First Presbyterian Church on the corner of 4th and Cedar in Spokane WA.
When the mowibg starts, so does the work.
One of the Nord boys shows the strength to pitch it a bale of hay up into the hay mow door where his father snags it with tines, drags to to the other end of the hay mow and stacks it neatly clear up to the rafters.
Some of the sides of beef the Nords raised on their farm. In addition, Mr. Clarence Nord was the janitor and school bus driver for the Clayton School district 9 months a year.
One of the loafing areas inside the old barn where the cattle are fed and are out of disagreeable weather.
Warren Nord is now the Patriarch. Past 80 he is the chief advisor and commander in chief. He joyfully escorts interested people on a tour of Nords' Nostalgia.
Wilda Nord, top left, took a little time each day. year after year to write in her journal. Four generations in this photograph; Wilda Nord, oldest son Lyle beside Jean with their child held by Wilda's mother Mrs. Scriven.
|
It was cold November day, it had to be in that the move route crossed a soggy creek bottom which needed be frozen to support the building. The moving equipment included a bulldozer, the Nord's Farmall M tractor, Herendeen's truck, Leno Prestini's pickup truck and his dog Rover in harness.
The road is blocked in this photograph. The Nord boys were ticked about missing the coffee break. They wanted one last picture of the old pine out behind the hall not far from the outhouse. That tree drew a bigger crowd on Saturday night social functions than the outhouse ever did.
At this point the building is being moved down the incline towards the creek. There was a long way to go and a mile can be an eternity while holding your breath every inch of the way.
This husky Farmall M, along with Bob Herendeen's truck hitched to the front steering dolly, were the main sources of power for the move.
Lyle and Jean on the Farmall M drawing lighter duty than pulling a Grange Hall down a creek bed, July 3, 1952.
Leno Prestini's depiction of the Grange Hall move.
Warren, Clarence, Lyle and Wilda Nord in the Spring of 1949.
Jean Decker and Lyle Nord, Septenber 20, 1949, the day they got their marriage license.
The late Jean Nord's recording of the Grange Hall move from Farm to Market road, across hill and dale to Clarence & Wilda Nords estate. Mission accomplished.
Pitching bales of hay into the barn qualifies as real work!
A bale elevator makes the work a little easier.
Circa 1950, It might be more accurate to say that Clarence Nord on the far right was a member of the faculty and not just a janitor or bus driver. His classes lasted from picking up kids at the bus stop till he dropped them off in the afternoon.
On Nov. 28th 1958 the last mile began. Wilda Nord's journal from November 28, 1958 as the last mile of the move began. She recorded the events from the start of the move to "It is done".
Wilda's journal records, "Got bldg. here.", on Dec 3rd 1958. This was just about 50 years ago.
Wilds's journal after the moving of the hall is not dramatic but this is just a record of the daily happenings as Christmas neared and the thoughts of pride that they had saved a bit of history.
This ends the Nord history segment. It is really only the beginning because the children of Warren and Lyle and their grandchildren have only just begun.
|