Many, many thanks to the several people who phoned with information about the Whitney Store (our feature photo from April). It has been great fun learning about this part of Kingston history. The building that became the Whitney Grocery was owned by a Mrs. Owens. It was a tavern then. The Whitney family became the owners in about 1940. Irene Whitney Miller told about her father going to Eastern Washington for fresh watermelons and selling ice cream  to the families out for summer Sunday drives.

The Sorters became the owners in about 1960 or ’61. Their son-in-law remembered living as a newlywed in a trailer behind the store. The next owners were the Nussbaum family. Mike Whitbeck owned the store when it burned. It was rebuilt and reopened in 1986. Mike’s brother Joe ran the gas station. Mike now lives in Arizona.

The picture this month is of Carpenter Lake. There are some rather interesting suggestions about how the lake got its name. The truth is a man named George M. Carpenter owned a portion of the lake. Many roads and other landmarks in the area are named after landowners and settlers.

This column is brought to you by the Kingston Historical Society. Call me at 297-2448 with tips and suggestions.

— Harriet Muhrlein