Clamdigger's Club

    Ed. Edson, as he was generally known, was a native of Iowa, and came to Washington in 1883.  He settled in Whatcom County, and in 1891 came to Lynden, and purchased the Pioneer Drug Store, founded by F. S. Wright, in 1888.  With his son, Gale, he continued the business up to the time of his death, or for a period of over fifty years.

    Mr. Edson served his fellow citizens in the capacity of Mayor for a number of years, and was always a leader in all public improvements.  he was one of a group of three that organized the Clamdiggers Club, and served as its President for many years.

Recently Mr. Edson contributed an article to The Bellingham Herald in which he gave an interesting account of the birth of the Clamdigger's Club, from which we are pleased to quote:

    "In the winter of 1891-92, an itinerant lecturer named Paul Smith, with his wife stayed for about three months at the Colley hotel in Lynden.  During this time he lectured several times in Lynden as well as at various other places in the county.

    At an informal gathering after one of his lectures, he mentioned that at some place where he had been, somewhere between Seattle and Olympia, I think< the people of the community had given one or more free clam suppers for everybody who cared to come.  From his description it sounded so good, that we decided to do likewise.  After a very brief discussion, a committee consisting of Jerome Austin, then postmaster, now deceased; Will Hawke, now of Bellingham; Asa Palmer, now living in Montana, and brother of the present president of the Clamdiggers Club, and E. Edson, of Lynden, volunteered to get the clams, which involved a two=days' trip to Birch Bay, in order to be there at the right stage of the tide, which was about 2 a. m.

    Needless to say, Birch Bay was not so well provided with shelter at that time, as now, and we brushed away about three inches of snow, and spread our blankets before a beachwood fire to wait for the low tide.  Shortly after midnight two of us with lanterns and gunnysacks, and two with shovels, slogged out across the flats about half a mile to the clam beds, where we filled our sacks by the time the incoming tide drove us back.  After a fried clam breakfast, we got back to Lynden about noon without incident.  I think, but am not sure, that the clambake as we called it was held that same evening, maybe the next.

    Frank Colley, who was a cook, made the soup.  A 5 and 10-cent chip-in provided the crackers, and the necessary mile and butter was contributed by people with cows.  It was held in what then was Judson's opera house.  It was so much of a success, that it was decided to repeat it annually which was done for, I think, five years.  By that time, with the influx of new settlers, and the constantly growing popularity of the occasion, the crowds that attended became too large to be accommodated, so the clambake was dropped.

    In 1909 the Hon. Chas. E. Cline conceived the idea of resurrecting the clam bake, but with a limited membership.  Only those were to be eligible who were living in the territory prior to its admission as a state.  This naturally reduced the attendance to a number that could readily be accommodated.  It thus became a strictly pioneers' meeting, and was formally named the Clamdiggers Club, and the annual dinner was fixed on the date of the state's admission, November 11, which also later became Armistice Day."

Members of the Clamdigger's Club, November 11, 1915:

Mrs. P. W. Judson, Bonta Judson, Mr. and Mrs. H. S. Slade, Mr. and Mrs. A. H. Frazier, Olive Berthusen, Mr. and Mrs. W. W. Pratt, Mr. and Mrs. A. Ebey, Mrs. Wilcoxon, Aunt Rachel Smith, Mrs. Richbaw, Mr. and Mrs. C. Packard, Mrs. Theo Weidkamp, Mrs. V. Roeder, Mr. and Mrs. Bolster and Son, Millard Palmer, Frank Weidkamp, C. W. Wheeler, Mr. and Mrs. H. Shagren, Mr. and Mrs. J. Gale, Mrs. Aug. Klocke, Mrs. Stark Williams, Mr. and Mrs. A. A. Harkness, Elsia Tremaine, Mr. and Mrs. V. Buzzard, John Marr, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Worthen, Clifford Worthen, Mr. and Mrs. P. Bantzen, Mr. and Mrs. F. Colby, Mrs. Cowley, Mrs. and Mrs. R. Slade, Henry Hoffman, Chas. Richbaw, Mr. and Mrs. R. E. Hawley, Mr. and Mrs. H. C. Berthusen, Mrs. Wm. Laukhart Sr., Mrs. Mattie Anderson, Floyd Anderson, Mrs. Addis Hintz, Lulu and Clarence Hawley, Mr. and Mrs. J. L. Dickerson, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Parker, Mr. and Mrs. A. Bentzen, Mrs. Millan, Jessie D. Engel, Mr. and Mrs. C. R. Axling, Mr. and Mrs. Wallace Palmer, Mrs. Swim, Miss Olive Pangbom, W. Laukhart Jr., Mrs. Annie Anderson, Mr. and Mrs. Geo. Taylor, W. I. Baker, Mr. and Mrs. S. L. Palmer, Mr. and Mrs. A. G. Hyatt, Mr. and Mrs. W. H. Dorr, A. J. Roscoe Sr., Mr. and Mrs. R. R. Helder, Mr. and Mrs. Bert Woody, Theo. Tobiason, Mike Dermondy, Mr. and Mrs. J. A. Buzzard, Warren Hawley, Mr. Shoemaker, Mr. and Mrs. E. Swansen, Mr. and Mrs. Max Blowden, L. D. Pangborn, Mrs. Brownie Watson, Jesse Stark, W. Waples, Albert McSorley, Ed. Edson, Miss Agnes Edson, Mr. and Mrs. N. Rittenburg, Mr. and Mrs. Muir, E. Gill, Mrs. P. B. Shoemaker, Mr. Charles E. Cline, Mr. M. A. McPherson, Mr. Wm. Laukhart Sr., Mr. Hugh Breckenridge, Mr. C. Thyburg, Mr. H. Scoville, Mrs. Hugh Breckenridge, Mr. J. S. Wright, Mrs. L. Worthen, Mr. Aug. Klocke Sr., Mrs. E. J. Robinson, Mr. E. J. Robinson, Mrs. Nellie Stone, Mr. Tobiason  (Skqee Mus, by R. E. Hawley, pub. 1945, pgs. 165-167)