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Hurelle Family in Bellingham, Washington
Elmer and Della lived 26 years in this Bellingham, Washington home on 1618 Iron Street from 1947 to 1973. The two story Victorian style house was built in 1903 and was once the Perham’s old farm house. One night when her granddaughter was staying over, there was a loud "boom" in the house. Plaster had fallen off the ceiling in the stairwell of the old house.
There was three bedrooms upstairs with high ceilings and downstairs, a bay window in the dining room which looked out over the garden. Hand made quilts covered the beds and a big master bedroom had rugs and two beds. An odd upright stove and furnace stood in the dining room with a grate that would open and close in the ceiling.
The house was on a hill terrace and had a small front porch and a large back porch with a sun room on the back of the house with storage and a root cellar below where Elmer would store wide varieties of apples he purchased by the bushel. There was also a wood shed, detached garage and smoke house. An alley way stood behind the house. They had a wood burning stove and Della had to put just the right amount of wood in to bake pies. Elmer cut the wood - he stacked cords and cords of wood in his hand made frames for storage. |
Willard on the left stands next to his mother Della Mathews Hurelle, Elmer Hurelle, his father and Claude, his brother in 1963 at their Washington home. |
Della stands next to some of her huge roses in the garden. In the background stand numerous fruit trees including apple and pear trees. They also grew strawberries which Elmer sold. Elmer generously, would even let his neighbors pick veggies out of the garden. |
Della's granddaughter remembers picking dinner plate sized flowers and then Della would put them in a big flower vase. She grew dahlias, gladiolas, roses and pansies as well as had vegetable gardens with cucumbers, potatoes, carrots, and cabbage. |
Elmer and Della sit with the great grand kids in 1959 in their Washington home. Photos of their sons and wives sit on the top of their piano in the background. |
1963 station wagon with the hanging laundry and a jungle gym in the shade of the trees. |
Elmer and Della spent their remaining years in Bellingham, Washington with visits from their many family members. Their old step side truck sits under the trees in 1959. |
In 1947, as Willard emerged from serving in the Army during and after WWII, It looks like Elmer and Della's move to Seattle took him by surprise. Willard sent Elmer a "WHERE WE GOING? AND COME TO ___" post card filled in with "Columbus, Wisconsin" not Seattle. Writing a not so happy "HA. HA." in the notes, the joke apparently was on Willard as he wrote his father, now on 1618 Iron Street in Bellingham.
Seven years later, after working in Tulsa, Oklahoma and Independence, Kansas, Willard and his family followed his parents to Seattle where worked at Boeing for 29 years.
Receiving the notice of their first son's death as a WWII POW in 1945 had deeply hurt Elmer and Della and it looks like they wanted a fresh start and to retire at a new location.
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Elmer Hurelle received a letter and envelope with a Boeing 707 stamp in 1957 from his son, Willard. |
Elmer has a businessman visitor with suit, shiny shoes and cigarette in 1947 - perhaps a real estate agent or banker. He seems impressed by Elmer's arm strength. |
Elmer and Della in Seattle in their old vehicle talking with another businessmen. |
In 1952, Elmer went hunting with a neighbor, Clarence Harkness. They traveled on horses through the Hannegan Pass Trail to Copper Creek Camp in the Mt. Baker - Snoqualmie National Forest, Washington, a wilderness area northeast of Bellingham. (photo courtesy Jared Harkness) |
In the Clarence Harkness photos was an early 1900s photo of Elmer hunting in what looks like in Wisconsin from the appearance of the boat and the foliage. (photo courtesy Jared Harkness) |
Go to the Walter Hurelle in WWII
Go to the Willard Hurelle in WWII
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