The Nord Family Page
This is a collage of the Clarence and Wilda Nord farm now in the care of Son Warren and Daughter-in-law Lorraine (Rainy). There is a great deal of history in this one farm. We will do our best to cover the history in the photos to follow.
Mr. Clarence Nord, Clayton School's Jack-of-all-trades. He took care of the school and the kids just like they were his own.
Warren Nord sitting at his kitchen table with a pen and ink "painting" done by Leno Prestini December 3, 1958. The barn spent the night at the bottom of a hill. They had to wait for Ken Kratzer and his International track type tractor to help push it up the hill and the rest of the way to the Nord farm.
This Farmall Super "C" is the very same tractor you can see in Leno's picture of moving the Grange.
Hey Mister, there's a dance tonight and the Mom and Dads are playing. Wanna take me? Notice the unique gate. It was at the front of the place when the Nords first moved in, in 1937. This three year old Palomino goes by the name of Golden Nugget and is the pride and Joy of Lorraine Rainy Zimmerer Nord., Warrens wife. She was nick named Rainy by her loving Step Father Elmer Zimmerer and this beautiful tribute has remained with her all these years since. What a pleasure it was for Wally Parker, Bill Sebright and Bob Clouse to put this album together. We are Blessed.
The old Grange Hall. Notice how many windows upstairs. Now look at Leno's painting.
Through these swinging doors walked many a entertainer, Clyde and Slim, Clyde and Pal, Rocky Star, Fred Swanback's Band and the Mom and Dads as well as many more. Plus the legions of Grange members and people from near and far passed through these doors. Most were sober, a few were not. There were many social events, such as Boy Scout meetings, even movies were shown from time to time. The Grange members elected a new Head Master once a year. Their pictures hung on the upstairs balcony in the new Grange hall in downtown Clayton. Each and every one for close to a century was destroyed, consumed by fire when the Historic Grange (Moose) Hall burned in 2005. But the members survived and the Grange was revived with the reopening coming in October of this year 2007.
The old stairs going up to the kitchen at the old Grange won't mean much unless you have eaten there!
The Nord Estate from on high.
The first thought that comes to mind when seeing these old old saddles is that song by the Sons of the Pioneers, "Empty Saddles in the old Corral." The small saddle on the left belonged to Warren's Father Clarence when he was a young lad. The large one on the left was Clarence's Dad and Warren's Grandfather.
If you spent time in this old Clayton Grange Hall in its heyday these next three photos have to tug at your heart. Whether it was fun and games or business at a Grange meeting there are wonderful memories. Probably my most treasured moment was my first dance ever and it was with my Mother to the strains of "The Waltz you saved for me." Strangely enough it was this very same waltz many years later at another location that I had my last dance with her. Memories are made of this. Thanks for the picture, Wally Parker.
Today this upstairs Dining Hall is a storage room for memories much like our mind stores memories. Yesterday it was the the kitchen where our country Mothers turned out dinners, lunches and banquets like they were magic. Not to mention the Sons of Norway with their incomparable Lutefisk and Swedish meat ball dinners.
A window of life. First it watched out over Clayton, the School and neighbors. Today the gracious Nord family, their Children and precious Grandchildren and beyond as far as the eye can see.
Dean Twydwell (left) lived directly across the road from the Grange Hall with his parents Saul and Lulu Twydwell. Through this very window above, you could see the western edge of Clayton and possibly the ranch where Warren and his older Brother Lyle grew up with their parents Clarence and Wilda Nord. This is Warren on the right.
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Sometimes things are not as they seem to be. This little building looks like maybe a one room bungalow built by a new homesteader. Not so! When the pioneers settled in the West it was essential to build a number of buildings in a very short amount of time. Barn, house, outhouse and one other necessity, a root cellar. Most root cellars were merely a good size hole in the ground with steps leading down to a short door with a roof of rafters covered with a goodly amount of dirt. Shelves for canned goods and bins for potatoes and vegtables were on each side. The dirt insulation kept them cool in the summer and above freezing in the winter. On the other hand if the owner was more affluent he built an above ground root celler which is exactly what this neat little green building is. The walls are 18 inches thick and provide the warmth needed in the outlandish winters back at the turn of the century.
This is the back side of the olf Grange Hall originaly located close to a mile due north on Farm to Market Road. The Nords purchased and moved this large building across country and now is a hay and storage shed. It is still strong and well maintaned by the Nords. They stepped up, and now one more historic building survives for years and years to come.
This old Mammoth stove heated the old Grange Hall for Grange meeting, dances, Boy Scout meeting, and many other occasions. It is long enough to handle 4 foot cord wood. The fan on the stove pipe heater still works!
The Nords Barn with a history to follow
When you take a picture of the Nord barn, just spin 90 degrees and snap a picture of the house that replaced the original house that burned to the ground. This set the stage for Mr. & Mrs. Evan Loomis who had homesteaded here in 1900, Being from Oslo Norway it is easy to understand why the buildings stand straight and strong to this day. But the loss of his home was more then Mr. Loomis could bear so he sold his beloved farm to Mr. Clarence and Mrs. Wilda Nord.
Up these steps and into the kitchen or take a hard right into the dinning hall with two rows of tables end to end the full lenghth of the hall. I can still hear Don Gibson laughing at my Dad when he took a piece of lefsa at a lutefisk supper and laid it in his lap, because he
Nords' "RAINY" day retreat
Note the pulleys in Leno's drawing. They were actually used to help increase the pulling power. Nord's dog helping to pull was part of Leno's sense of humor.
The buildings to the right of the picture is the approximate locate from which the Grange was moved. The picture was taken at the top of the hill that Ken Kratzer had to help push the Grange up with his track type tractor.
Warren Nord and Robert Clouse were caught talking over the good old days in Nord's 100+ year old barn.
When Evan Loomis came to Clayton, he, his wife, seven sons, and 5 daughters homesteaded this farm. Being from Oslo, Norway, Mr. Loomis knew Scandinavian carpentry. He built this barn not long after they settled in, so it is easly over 100 years old.
The following was written by Sid Loomis, son of Evan Loomis. Evan E. Loomis was born in Oslo, Norway in 1859. He came to the United States in 1879 and settled in Eau Claire, Wisconsin. He worked in the woods driving an ox team for several years. Then decided to come west in 1900 and settled in Clayton, Washington. He worked for the Washington Brick and Lime for 20 years and raised a family of 7 boys and 5 girls. This is a model of the home built in 1910. In 1936 the house burned, and he rebuilt, but lost all interest and sold the farm the next year. He retired at the age of 80. He was nearly 99 when he passed away in 1958. Mother was 72 at the time of her death in 1948. This model was constructed from my memory of our home. The farm is located on quarter mile south of the Clayton Schoolhouse and is presently owned by the Warren Nord Family. Sid Loomis, Chewelah, Wa.
Christmas 1954 at the Lindh house. Carl on the floor, Norma Lindh Burnett in chair. Back row L to R. Dorthy Nolan Lindh (Carl's wife) Don Lindh and his wife Marilyn, and Mom and Dad, Con and Thelma Lindh. Thelma and Warren's Mother Wilda are sisters. When Rainy showed me this photo I sensed a certain tenderness. Con, Thelma and Carl are gone now and Norma is way down in Florida.
Please meet Lorraine (Rainy) Nord. Rainy recently retired as a postal employee. Now she has more time for the loves of her life; Warren, her kids, her grand kids and her horses.
Bill Sebright on the left, retracing the route when the Grange Hall was moved. Even though his Father and older Brother were still around it was Warren that spearheaded the huge undertaking of moving this huge building and saving a treasure from almost certian demolition.
This picture shows the visiting that goes on after our Society meetings the second Saturday, 9 AM at the Clayton Drive In. On the left is Wally Parker, our editor of the publications for the Clayton Deer Park Historical Society. He was raised on a farm in Williams Valley a few miles southwest of Clayton. A very gifted historian and writer. Next to him is Duane Costa whose family emigrated from Italy 110 years ago and settled in Clayton. Next is Warren Nord, born and raised and never strayed far from the farm he now lives on. Last is Bobby Gibson a native who has lived his entire life in the Clayton -Deer Park area. It is people like these with memories from their parents and grandparents that are an important source of our history. Every last pioneer was courageous beyond our wildest imagination.
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