West End Weekend will offer tales of a pioneering history, a hike and other activities Saturday.
Visitors can arrive today at the Kalaloch Lodge at 157151 U.S. Highway 101 south of Forks — which is ground zero for the Jefferson County Historical Society’s event — and will be expected to leave by noon Sunday or they can come only for Saturday’s full day of activities.
Events — all free except for a group dinner — are scheduled for Saturday.
The annual event originally was scheduled last February but it was canceled because of the massive snowstorm known in Port Angeles and Sequim as Snopocalypse 2019 or Snowmagedon, said Shelly Leavens, executive director of the historical society based in Port Townsend.
Here is the schedule for Saturday.
• 10 a.m. — Gary Peterson, owner and operator of the Peak 6 Store on Upper Hoh Road, will talk about his new book, which is part of the Women to Reckon With series.
His talk, called “Confluence of Cultures, the Adventures of Mary Strom and Pansy Snell,” is about two Native American women, Mary of the Hoh and Queets tribes and Pansy of the Hoh Tribe.
Their story, set in the late 1800s to early 1900s, is based on their grandchildren’s memories and historical research, with many connections to Hoh River country.
• Noon — Bill Rooney will lead a Hoh River Rapids Hike. Rooney has been fishing the Hoh River for decades and “knows the river like the back of his hand,” organizers said.
He will lead an all-ages, short interpretive hike to see the Hoh River rapids and talk about his experiences with West Jefferson County’s wild river.
To join the hike, drive south from Forks on U.S. Highway 101 past the Upper Hoh Road exit or, if traveling from the Upper Hoh Road, turn south and drive about 2 miles.
At a sign on the left saying Hoh Oxbow Campground, turn off 101. The campground road is one way; take right arm of the one way next to river and travel past camp sites to a primitive boat ramp on right.
The trail is just to the left, about 30 feet, as one faces the boat ramp. There is plenty of parking, but visitors are asked to leave room around the ramp so boaters can maneuver.
• 4 p.m. — At Kalaloch Lodge, Steve Shively will present a lecture on the Olympic Coast National Marine Sanctuary, which is one of 14 marine sanctuaries administered by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).
The sanctuary was designated in 1994 and encompasses 3,189 square miles of the Pacific Ocean from Cape Flattery in the north to the mouth of the Copalis River, a distance of about 162.5 miles.
Extending 25 to 40 miles from the shore, it includes most of the continental shelf, as well as parts of three important submarine canyons: the Nintinat River, the Quinalt Canyon and the Juan de Fuca Canyon.
For 64 miles along the coast, the sanctuary shares stewardship with the Olympic National Park. The sanctuary overlays the Flattery Rocks, Quileute Needles and Copalis Rocks National Wildlife Refuge.
• 6 p.m. — A group dinner is planned at Kalaloch Lodge’s Creekside Restaurant. Diners will pay for their meals and are asked to RSVP to shelly@jchsmuseum.com.
• All day — In the Becker Suite at Kalaloch Lodge will be a special multi-media exhibition of historic photographs and stories compiled by Ellie DiPietro, the historical society’s Research Center manager.
Oral history listening stations are planned.
Those who want to share their tales of life on the West End can make an appointment to speak with Ann Welch, oral historian and historical society trustee.
She has been gathering West End stories annually for many years.
To make an appointment, contact Leavens at 360-385-1003, or email shelly@ jchsmusuem.com.
Those traveling through Forks can visit the Timber Museum at 1421 S. Forks Ave., between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. today through Sunday.
The rustic museum was built by the Forks High School carpentry class and many volunteers. Set on 5 wooded acres, it tells the story of Northwest Olympic Peninsula logging.
Another side trip Leavens highly recommends is the Hoh Rain Forest up Upper Hoh Road past Peak 6 Store. The visitors center is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. today through Sunday. The phone number is 360-374-6925.
