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BENTON COUNTY, WASHINGTON
in the heart of the Columbia Basin

Page 16 TRI-CITY HERALD, Sunday, Dec. 18, 1960.

A Pioneer Reports
Kennewick's 1st                     Strong Oarsmen
Yule Tree .                             Necessary

By BURTON 0. LUM
Tri-City Pioneer

In 1890 the community population of Kennewick had grown to a dozen families. 
 A splendid community spirit existed.  The pioneers welcomed new neighbors.  
A school district had been formed.  A school house was built.  
There now was a Community Meeting Place.  The Christmas celebration could be a 
community affair.  A meeting was held in the new school house.  A program for the 
celebration was adopted.  Committees were appointed to perform certain duties.  
No evergreen trees grew in this immediate area.  The committee appointed to
 secure an evergreen for the community tree was composed of Captain Charles E. Lum 
and Charley Aune.  Aune was the chief local lineman for the Western Union 
Telegraph Co. in this area.  Lum was a hardy, early pioneer, one of the founders of 
Kennewick He had been a steamboat Captain on the Mississippi in Mark Twain's time.  
Anne had previously served in the navy of his native Norway.  Two finer, water wise, 
and more powerful oarsmen could not be found.  They rowed down the Columbia
 in Lum's skiff to a juniper grove on the sandy shore between Ainsworth and 
Wallula. With much care and searching they found a tree large enough for a 
beautiful community Christmas tree.  The two men cut down the tree, then 
carried it over a mile to the skiff.  It was placed lengthwise in the skiff.  
Lum sat in the bow seat, Anne in the next.  The trip downstream had been easy.  
The return trip up Humley Rapids was terrific.  Less skilled and weaker oarsmen 
would never have made it.  At sundown the two tired men pulled into Captain 
Lum's moorage at Kennewick.  They rested for a short time, then picked up the
 tree and carried it a half mile farther to the school house.  "These were the days 
of iron men and wooden ships."  Other committees had been appointed.  One 
was comosed of women.  Their function was to see to the decoration of the tree and
 the preparation of a Santa Claus outfit.  The committee met.  Captain Lum's wife, 
a fine seamstress, was delegated to order from Walla Walla the necessary materials 
to make a Santa Claus suit, also candles and candle holders for lighting the tree and
 a Santa Claus false face and beard.  She ordered the proper amount of red calico 
to make Santa Claus' coat, pants and cap and enough cotton batting to trim them.  
Boots were plentiful in these early days.  The tree was erected in the school house. 
 Chains of strung popcorn and wild red rose hips were draped and festooned around the
 tree.  Time passed.  The ordered materials from Walla Walla did not arrive.  
Consternation reigned.  Some arrangement must be worked out to supplement 
Santa Claus' duties, in the event the ordered materials were lost in transit. 
 The time of the celebration was Christmas Eve.  The committee on the celebration 
arrangements waited as long as possible for the arrival of the materials.  They did not come. 
 Something had to be done to get them out of the predicament. (Leave it to the 
pioneers to do that).  They decided that Captain Lum should be dressed as an elderly 
Negro.  He should knock on the school house door at about the time Santa Claus 
was expected.  When admitted, he would state that he was hungry but wished to
 earn his food.  Since Santa Claus had not arrived he would like his job of taking the
 presents from the tree.  Charles Jayson Beach attended the door.  He was glad that
 the Christmas tree candles had not arrived.  His entire family had almost been burned
 to death in the terrible Chicago fire of 1871.  He had arranged coal oil lanterns to give
 light to the tree. They were not decorative but gave sufficient light.  Captain Lum's
 good wife worked all day preparing the Negro attire.  She took her husband's black
 broadcloth wedding suit, sewed on white patches here and there and at the seams. 
 Her husbands sandy hair must be covered.  She fashioned a tight scull cap from black 
calico that tightly fitted his head.  To imitate curly gray hair, she sewed on curly gray 
waste which she secured from the railroad.  She collected beer bottle corks and burned
 them to color his face and hands.  Almost every family of the community came to
 the celebration.  It was a merry gathering.  They enjoyed the entertainment.  Many
 met for the first time.  At the proper time there was a loud knocking at the school
 house door.  Mr. Beach opened it.  An elderly negro sought entrance.  Beach invited
 him in. He threw back his head and gave a merry chuckle; then looked at everyone
 and everything and said: "Where's you'alls Santy Clause?  You'll needs some un to
 take dem presents off dat tree".  Beach told him he could have the job if he wanted it. 
 He replied: "I shore duz boss" and did a cake-walk from the door to the tree.  Babbling 
a jovial Negro patter, he took the presents from the tree.  There were no Negroes in the
 entire Tri-City region at this time.  The children had never seen one before; they hadn't
 seen one now.  Lum was like the white End Men in the old colored Minstrel shows.  He 
could act the part of a Negro better than the Negro himself.  Despite the inconveniences 
caused by the lost materials, the celebration was a great success.

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