Record South Whidbey
WEDNESDAY, JULY 4, 2012 | Vol. 88, No. 53 | www.SOUTHWHIDBEYRECORD.com | 75¢
INSIDE: All-Stars gain on state, Sports, A7
Maxwelton mystery ship legend revived By JUSTIN BURNETT Staff reporter
Choochokam pays tribute, adds fun BY Record staff
Choochokam, Langley’s annual festival of the arts, takes over the town this weekend with dozens of booths filled with artists’ creations and plenty of music to keep the town hopping both Saturday and Sunday. Almost 38 years ago, artist John Braun and friends got together to cook up a plan to celebrate Langley’s rich arts community. They wanted it to be fun, complete with a street dance and art show. The group did more than that, they started an event named Choochokam, very loosely translated from the Hopi: A Gathering of Stars. And here, 37 years later, the group’s legacy lives on. Friends of John Braun are hosting an art show and sale to honor his work. The opening party is scheduled from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 6 in Studio 106, located at 106 McLeod Alley in Langley. Visitors to the studio will find Braun’s Northwest Coastal art, Talisman and jewelry, as well as his mother Mary McNeal’s quilts and ceramics. The show will benefit the Island Arts Council Artist in Residence program.
Spanish explorers? An attack by Native Americans? Sunken ships? All in the Maxwelton watershed? Many may write off such tales as bupkis, a persistent but smalltown legend that is nothing more than the machination of a few overactive imaginations. Yet, there are others who believe. Some claim to have found evidence. And one man even believes he knows where they are. “I think I have found them,” said Geoff Tapert, a South Whidbey resident. The owner of a small engineering firm, Tapert became increasingly intrigued with the legend while working on a property near the small pond along Maxwelton Road. Doing additional research, his investigations eventually led him to a web search and an aerial Google Maps image that shows patches of grassland along the pond that differ in color from surrounding areas. Tapert believes this may be the final resting spot to two ships. But, like any good local legend, there are others who aren’t so sure. While Tapert was being interviewed for this story near the site, longtime Maxwelton resident Bill Steiner was working in his fields and stopped by to chat.
Justin Burnett / The Record
Robin Clark, watershed program manager for the Whidbey Watershed Stewards, checks out an image on Geoff Tapert’s iPad. Tapert believes he has found evidence of two sunken ships in the Maxwelton watershed. “Ships? Yeah. Right,” said Steiner, good-naturedly. He taught history in South Whidbey schools for 28 years and his family has been working the land in the watershed for more than 60 years. In all that time, he
by Native Americans, some say the Snohomish, and the ship was left to rot away. While the legend generally speaks of just one ship, Tapert says See Legend, A9
Historic Steiner family to helm Maxwelton Parade BY BEN WATANABE Staff reporter
Over the years, bands and artists alike, have become what event organizers call “family.” It is a mutual love for community that creates long-lasting relationships. “Choochokam is a destination event,” event co-chair Sherry Jennings said. “It’s not the mainland shows where people simply drive up, set up and sell, or play. Musicians and artists plan this show as a bonafide trip. And many
MAXWELTON — The Steiner family and the Maxwelton area of South Whidbey have a long history. And after owning one of the largest tracts of land in the neighborhood — the Maxwelton Farm — the Steiners will lead the annual Maxwelton Parade at 1 p.m. today, July 4. Hal Steiner, 72, remembers the area fondly, though it has changed a bit since his days playing in the old mill pond. At his beachfront home near Swede Hill Road, Steiner showed a framed photograph of his grandfather perched on a beach log looking toward the water. “That’s the kind of connection I feel for the land,” Steiner said. The Steiner family has resided in Maxwelton for some 60 years. Ever since, a Steiner has lived in the area, including Hal’s brother Bill and his mother Rose, who lives on Swede Hill overlooking the beach and the farm. When
See Choochokam, A9
See Parade, A13
Swamp Mama tribute
never came across any physical evidence — just a few wild tales. There are several versions of the legend, but generally the story is that a Spanish ship entered the watershed several hundred years ago. The crew was allegedly killed
Ben Watanabe / The Record
Hal Steiner is Maxwelton Parade’s Grand Marshal. His family has a long history in the area.