Recently, VFW Post 3617 celebrated the Centennial anniversary of the signing of the Post Charter. To commemorate the occasion, Commander Brad Pieratt did some research on the history of veterans in the Wenatchee Valley and wrote this story. Originally published in their Centennial Edition newsletter, Vol 14 Issue 2, March 2022. Re-published here with permission.
On the centennial anniversary of the Veterans of Foreign Wars serving veterans here in the Wenatchee Valley, I’d like to share a look back at how our local military and veteran organizations provided a solid foundation on which this valley grew and prospered. Information was gathered from multiple sources including The Wenatchee World newspaper, “A History of Wenatchee”, by John Gellatly (1962), American Legion Post 10 Historian’s Office, internet sources, and personal conversations I’ve had with members since 2005.
-Brad Pieratt, Commander (VFW Post 3617)
IN THE BEGINNING
Wenatchee has had a rich history of military service dating back to the mid-19th century. During the Yakima War in 1856, US Army Colonel George Wright was in our valley to help keep the peace with the local Wenatchi tribe. In 1891, two years before the city of Wenatchee was incorporated, over 75 percent of the men in town were veterans of the Civil War. Others in the area could be counted as veterans of the Indian Wars from the 1850s to 1879.
Through all this early history in our valley, veteran groups strived to provide a common place that like-minded veterans could meet, honor their fallen, pass on their legacy by providing patriotic education to the younger generations, and help their community by involvement with civic projects and memorials.
EARLY WENATCHEE VETERAN HISTORY
The first veteran’s group to organize was in 1891 when the Grand Army of the Republic (GAR) Daniel McCook Post 105 was established with 86 veterans of the Civil War. 18 years later in 1909 when the GAR monument was erected in Wenatchee, only 9 members remained.
One of their biggest contributions was the procurement of a civil war cannon with carriage and cannon balls from the Secretary of War at a cost of around $300. The cannon, a Model 1844 32-pounder field howitzer, was manufactured in 1855 and weighs 1,874 pounds. It is one of five known still in existence and may have seen action in the Civil War with the Union Army, though no one has been able to provide documentation saying so. It was one of 16 surplus cannons secured for the state by Senator Wesley L. Jones (R-WA 1909-1932). In 1913 it was shipped from the Benicia Arsenal in San Francisco, CA to the Puget Sound at the freight cost of $26.20.
On September 11, 1915, a time when there were only 66 veterans of the Civil War left living in the Wenatchee area, the cannon was dedicated at Carnegie Park (original name of Memorial Park). Today, the cannon still remains as property of the Department of Defense on permanent loan to the City of Wenatchee. The stacks of cannon balls were removed out of safety concerns and the carriage was lost to time. On September 11, 1998, the cannon was rededicated and given its concrete pedestal we see today. Of the 16 cannons procured in 1913 for towns and cities in Washington, only the Wenatchee cannon and a pair of cannons located at Fort Steilacoom remain. Several of the sister cannons out of that original procurement were melted down as scrap during World War II.
AMERICAN LEGION POST 10
When the World War ended on November 11, 1918, the local boys began to return to the valley after their fight against the Germans in Europe. On July 2, 1919, a group of veterans met for the purpose of forming a Legion Post in Wenatchee. By August 1919, the charter arrived and the election of the first commander, Cliff Chase, was held. Wenatchee was the 10th post to receive its charter in the State of Washington, hence it was named Post 10 and had 94 men sign the charter. Today, American Legion Post 10 has 479 members.
VETERANS OF FOREIGN WARS (Early Years)
The Veterans of Foreign Wars can trace their roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service. Many arrived home wounded or sick. There was no medical care or veterans’ pension for them, and they were left to care for themselves. In their misery, some of these veterans gathered together and formed smaller local organizations that would eventually band together and become known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.
In 1921 the VFW Department of Washington was charted and set out to establish VFW Posts across the state. In 1922, Wenatchee’s Lyle B. Cain Post 902 was charted. The post was named after Sgt Lyle B. Cain of Wenatchee who was wounded while rescuing two other wounded soldiers near Fismes, France on August 10, 1918. He died of his wounds on January 31, 1919 in New York. Sgt Cain was awarded the Distinguished Service Cross for his heroism on that battlefield.
Unfortunately, beyond this early history which was provided from newspaper articles, all records and history of the early years of Post 902 were destroyed during the fire of 2002 which gutted the Veterans Memorial Hall.
VETERANS MEMORIAL HALL
In “A History of Wenatchee”, authored by John Gellatly in 1962, he states that “The Veterans Memorial Hall, located at 215 Okanogan Ave, was built by the citizens of Wenatchee to the end that the Legion members would have a home of their own, as we all felt the boys who had offered their lives to their country were entitled to it.”
An article in the Wenatchee Daily World on October 11, 1955 sets out the facts relating to the Veteran’s Memorial Hall and how the city of Wenatchee came to possess the property:
In 1923, Mr. Troy Gibbons, a former garage owner, and his wife, past residents of Wenatchee, constructed the 6,640 sq ft building and deeded it along with the lots to the City of Wenatchee to be held in trust, with certain stipulations as to the maintenance, etc. Under the terms of the deed, the property was to be used for the benefit and enjoyment of ex-servicemen of the United States in the World War as a club house, community meeting place, and other similar purposes. The city will pay for maintenance and operation of the building which amount to $1,480 per year in 1923. The deed specifies that if at any time in the future ‘there are not sufficient of said ex-service men in Wenatchee and vicinity to warrant the continued maintenance of said property for the purposes specified, the property shall go to the city for use in such a manner as city officials determine.’
For almost 80 years it would come to house many veteran organizations like the Spanish American War Veterans; Veterans of World War; American Legion Post 10; VFW Post 902; Disabled American Veterans; and Marine Corps League. In March 2002 the building was gutted by an arson fire that destroyed most of the historical documents and photos of veteran activities since 1923.
Since the building belonged to the City of Wenatchee, they received an insurance settlement of $880,000. In 2006, the City of Wenatchee constructed the 2,100 sq ft Veteran’s Hall behind the new Community Center on S. Chelan Ave. This facility housed VFW Post 902 and the Marine Corps League until 2018 when the city removed the word “Veteran” from the Hall as they transitioned the building into just another city facility available to rent for private functions. Veteran groups no longer have the ability to use the facility without paying for it.
In an effort to live up to the requirements stated in the original deed, current Wenatchee mayor Frank Kuntz replaced the Vet’s Hall with the lease of a 3,000 square foot facility from the Fraternal Order of Eagles Aerie 204 at 1206 N. Wenatchee Ave. This new Veterans Hall was renovated by a team of veteran volunteers and contractors. The Hall is finally up and running and serving all veterans of the valley with a space they can call their own.
WENATCHEE VALLEY VFW POST 3617
In 1980, a group of VFW Post 902 members splintered off to form their own VFW Post in Douglas County. Named East Wenatchee VFW Post 3617, the membership met at the East Wenatchee Grange by Carmichael’s Gas Station on Sunset Hwy for the first year before finding a permanent piece of property they could purchase. By taking out a loan and pooling their money, dipping in to savings, and in some cases taking out a second mortgage on their personal home, the membership purchased the East Wenatchee Garden Club building located at the corner of N. Baker Ave. and 11th Street NE. In 1984 the (Ladies) Auxiliary was chartered and joined the comrades. Later, a 900 square foot addition was added to the north side of the building for the Comrades meeting hall and improvements were made to the entire structure. By the 1990s the mortgage and personal loans were paid and the building was free and clear to the members.
In 2007, the post membership approved a name change to Dean M. Baughman Post 3617 in honor of a previous commander that led the purchase and renovation of our current facility. Later when Post 902 of Wenatchee and Post 10445 of Cashmere dissolved because of a lack of members and officers to lead them, their remaining members were transferred to our post. In recognition of the geographic areas that makeup the sum of our membership area, our name was changed to Wenatchee Valley VFW Post 3617. Today our membership is around 230 members.
