Digest>Archives> Sep/Oct 2014

Tree Point Lighthouse

Memories of a Happy Childhood in the Alaskan Wildnerness

By Jill Marie McMurray

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Tree Point Lighthouse is located in Revillagigedo ...

Imagine a family with four children during the troubled times of the Great Depression, waiting for good news of their father’s new job as a lighthouse keeper. The post where he and his family would be stationed is so remote and isolated that the only way into the area is by boat. It was the Tree Point Lighthouse located in the southernmost region of Alaska, is the first structure to guide ships from Canada’s Queen Charlotte Sound into Dixon’s Entrance at the start of the Inside Passage.

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This is how the Washburn family arrived at Tree ...

This is where the true story of the Washburn family begins. That’s my grandparents Joe and Marie, my mother Jean, Harold my uncle, and my two aunts, Donna and Joyce. Oh, and we must not forget the other family members: “Tippy” their beloved Toy Shepard and “Queenie” the goat!

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The keeper’s quarters and tram at Tree Point ...

Their journey began in 1935 when it was first learned that the U.S. Bureau of Lighthouses, more commonly known as the U.S. Lighthouse Service, claimed that four children were one too many to keep from the public school system. That did not sit well with Mother, and she walked a mile to the lighthouse office to speak to the Captain in charge. She wanted the Captain to know just how heartbroken the children were. Furthermore, as a teacher herself, she would be willing to step in and take upon herself any teaching duties that the government required. So persuasive was Mother that the Captain consented, and she rushed home with the good news. Within a week, the Washburn’s were boarding the Fairbanks, a mail-boat out of Ketchikan, with their furniture and supplies piled high, on the passage to their new home.

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Lighthouse keeper Joe Washburn at Tree Point ...

The newly constructed lighthouse replacing the original structure from 1904 was designed in Art Deco architecture and stood majestic on the horizon. Inside, the Fresnel lens from Paris sported some thirty-eight thousand candle power. All were in awe of this site and wondered how in heaven’s name were they to set about getting on shore! The mail-boat navigated through the rocks and into the bay, then a launch connected to a derrick became a most impressive ride as it hoisted the passengers high into the air. This was followed by swinging the precious cargo over to a safe landing on the dock. All the while, the resident lighthouse keeper ran the levels and pulleys from the control house nearby. After that excitement, the children were pondering about where their new home was and how they would get there.

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Queenie, the goat, with lighthouse keeper Joe ...

Then the family climbed aboard a tramcar which ran on old fashioned man-power. With a big push they were sent flying on the track which was built to move the car by momentum. Going through the woods, the children took in the beauty of a lush forest and eventually headed around a bend and slowly rolled to a stop. Once there, a trio of white houses built to withstand high winds and treacherous storms came into view. For the Washburns, the first house, officially known as “keeper’s quarters,” turned out to be their new family lighthouse residence. Immediately, the children, and naturally the family dog, dashed inside and ran up a stairway to stake a claim on their bedrooms. The oldest daughter’s was on one end of the hallway, with her two sisters in the middle room. Their brother’s, however, was a small room near the end of the hall where the roof slanted to the floor, but he couldn’t have been more delighted. The parents took a room downstairs. Next to that was a room made for living and the family piano, along with a dining room which lead to the kitchen where an antique Franklin stove turned out to be the only heat in the house.

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The Washburn children with the Maypole at Tree ...

There was no electricity, so kerosene lamps were the only source of light - and heat for the hot water bottles that kept everyone’s feet warm at night. Needless to say, knit caps and layers of pajamas were worn to bed. Ah. . . the bathroom - it had an old world toilet with the tank mounted high on the wall and a pull chain that the younger ones thought made a whistle blow if they pulled it. Also included was a “Bear Claw” tub.

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May Day Celebration on the tram at Alaska’s Tree ...

The water system to the houses was a large cistern tank that was connected to one of the two lakes. Even with no modern amenities, warmth flowed throughout the home. When Father was on duty at the tower, he would come home early to put the homemade bread that mother left under a towel in a bowl and into the oven. And there was always a large heavy coffee pot that was brewing. At night, the oldest daughter would read Nancy Drew books by a kerosene lamp and she found comfort in watching the rotation of the lighthouse beam pass through her bedroom window and across her bed.

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Lighthouse keeper Joe Washburn having some fun ...

On foggy nights the generator in the tower’s compressor room pumped air to the foghorns. The Tree Point Lighthouse tower stood on a rocky point, and the ships passing through the dense fog depended on that sound. The luminous light that swept across the dark ocean was an awe inspiring sight to the men at sea, just like the canvas of celestial stars was a navigational tool.

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Tippy the dog in 1935 with his very own Easter ...

When school started, the keeper’s house in the middle became the classroom. It was there Mother taught classes that incorporated the history of Alaska, which was a territory at that time. The children studied geography, English, math, and art. One school project had the children making marionette puppets and putting on the story of Jack and the Beanstalk. As each holiday arrived, special projects were created. During Halloween, one of the keepers dressed in a costume that was a cross between Frankenstein and the Tin Man. He was called “Skookum Jim.” With fiery eyes and real smoke coming out of a pipe on his head, the children were frightened until the person underneath was revealed. All were surprised and everyone enjoyed homemade root beer, cookies, and Halloween candy. They all sang songs were sung and played games, bringing much joy to all.

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The Washburn children in 1935 with their six-foot ...

The family really had to create their own entertainment and they looked forward to listening to short wave radio programs every night. The children especially loved the program, Pepper Young’s Family. The parents loved, Red Skelton’s Comedy Hour. Musical programs were enjoyed also.

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The Washburn kids with Tippy on a sled in 1935 at ...

Father built an Indian Smoke House to smoke deer meat and fish. They really did live off the land! Wild berries such as the Salmon Berry and many other wild berries were made into jams and pies. Wild grasses were used in food and Mother even pickled seaweed. They tended the chores that included feeding the rabbits and chickens and Father cared for the goat. Of course Tippy ate all the left over foods because there was no such thing as dog food in those days. Queenie’s milk provided nutrition.

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The Washburn family in 1935 on the steps of the ...

Once a month, the mail-boat would arrive to bring mail, staples, and a dried milk called KLIM, as well as occasional material for the lighthouse and other things. Special requests could be sent back with the Captain.

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Joe Washburn and the kids in the rowboat at Tree ...

On one outing, the family hiked back into the woods and discovered a small lake with velvet-like moss around the shore. A small rowboat brought happiness when they took turns around the lake. But come winter, as the Thanksgiving holiday was near, an illness tried to destroy the children; it was scarlet fever. With doctors or drug stores nowhere in sight at this remote outpost, the parents nursed them day and night. Prayers for a cure along with homemade remedies containing vinegar were top priority. The children’s beds were moved downstairs to the hallway to be closer to the stove, the only source of heat. Many days later, after sleepless nights, each child pulled through and prayers were answered. A Thanksgiving smoked goose was served as everyone was grateful.

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Joe Washburn and the kids in the rowboat at Tree ...

When Christmas approached, a beautiful tree was brought by sled from the forest. Homemade decorations adorned the tree. On Christmas Eve, the story of the baby Jesus was performed in the living room, and the children giggled when the “three wise men” wore turbans made of bath towels on their heads. Mother played the piano while everyone enjoyed Christmas songs. Presents ordered from the Sears and Roebuck catalogue and delivered on time by the mail-boat made for gifts under the tree.

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Joe Washburn and the kids in the rowboat at Tree ...

With the following spring came many celebrations. Easter was delightful when the children colored eggs and Father hid them all about the property. Even the mamma rabbit and the old papa rabbit got to run around the garden after pellets were sprinkled about. Tippy of course had his own Easter basket which he carried in his mouth. May Day arrived and father built a Maypole and a celebration was performed. The children called maidens, wore Grecian dresses and put flowers in their hair. Their brother wore a crown, and he was the King. Mother cranked the Victrola phonograph and the music played as the children, posed on the tramcar, rolled up to the houses. Down they came to grab one of the colored streamers Mother had made on the Maypole and Mendelssohn’s “Spring Song” accompanied the dancers.

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The back side of Tree Point Lighthouse in Alaska ...

A BIG secret was brewing around Mother’s Day. Father molded wire into a large heart shape with the word “Mother” in the middle. The children gathered beautiful Alaskan flowers that they attached to the heart, and they presented the gift to their mother on her special day. In all the long days of isolation, the treacherous storms, the illness, tending to the lighthouse, wild animals (yes, wolves and bears), and guiding the ships onward, the family made a wonderful, creative, and loving home life at the Tree Point Light Station. In due course the family left the Alaskan lighthouse, never to forget it. As the children grew up and had families of their own, many times they were asked to recount the adventures and memories of their happy childhood. Today, my mother, Jean McMurray who is 91, is the last living member of the original family. My name is Jill Marie McMurray, and I’m her daughter. The majestic Tree Point Lighthouse has stood strong for many years welcoming ships from Canada into Alaska. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) in 2004, the old light station now sits empty, void of the human life of love and laughter that it once witnessed. Inspired by my mother’s life at Tree Point, a children’s illustrated book, Beacon Bright, will be coming out soon. For more information about Beacon Bright go to Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/seastarentertainment or email filmmake4@aol.com.

This story appeared in the Sep/Oct 2014 edition of Lighthouse Digest Magazine. The print edition contains more stories than our internet edition, and each story generally contains more photographs - often many more - in the print edition. For subscription information about the print edition, click here.

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