[harriet the spy]

Thanks for all the links to the books. I just received Switchbacks yesterday and todays rainy day seems the perfect day to read it. I am still waiting for my Indian Stories & Legends of the Stillaguamish, Sauks & Allied Tribes book by the man himself. Oh and my husband would like to thank all of you for introducing me to abe books, it has taken my book hoarding to a whole new level. I would love to help out working on Nels Memorial Garden. Let me know the particulars and I will see if I can get a couple of friends to come along with me as well.

[albrightmd]

A new geocache in Darrington was recently published which features a short biography of Nels Bruseth.

[mike]

[the1mitch]

Any mention of Mr Bruseth without talking about his paintings would be inadequate. His watercolors are the best! His photo is also to be found in the Lookout house on Pilchuck. His younger cousin is my mother in law, who also grew up in Silvanna and yes he was Norski, you betcha.

[Kim Brown]

That's awesome, mitch1! I have a Nels Bruseth painting! Of course its hanging in a prominent place in my house! There are several hanging in the Darrington Ranger station, and several at the Community Center in Darrington. When I was hunting for a first ed. Tales of the Stillaguamish (Sauks were added in the 1954 ed), I ran across a botany book by Nels. I'm ashamed to say I didn't purchase it; it was expensive, and I figured I'd run across the first ed. Tales book, and I couldn't afford both, so I'd buy the botany book another time. I'm such a dumb-bunny. The 1st ed. wasn't cheap, but it's worth every penny.

[kevinsa]

Here is a pretty interesting map created by Nels Bruseth in the 30's (just in case you have not seen it). The verbage attached to it says 1930, but that is quite impossible, since it shows the Three Fingers lookout. http://www.glacierview.net/geowinters/1930EraMap.jpg

[George Winters]

[Snowbrushy]

The word lookout dosen't mean 'lookout tower'. Most lookout's started as simple camps or platforms with some later becoming lookout towers, cabins. PS At this ariel pic. the actual living cabin for the lookout is below in a meadow.

Old lookout platform around Lake Cascade Idaho.

[kevinsa]

My point was simply this - a lookout completed in 1933 would most likely not be put on a map that was created in 1930. Therefore, my suspicion is that the map was created in the mid-'30s.

[Schroder]

[Arthur]

Some of Nel's writings are available now - - from Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Indian-Stories-Legends-Stillaguamish-Allied/dp/125851866X Or Barnes and Noble: http://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/indian-stories-and-legends-of-the-stillaguamish-sauks-and-allied-tribes-nels-bruseth/1001530235 And on line: http://www.accessgenealogy.com/native/stillaguamish/ Or from the Burlington Public Library: http://burlington.skagitcat.org/eg/opac/record/33239?query=Sauk%20Indians.;qtype=subject;locg=4

[Martha Rasmussen]

Nels Bruseth's childhood home still stands today in Sillvana, WA. If you go to Jim & Willows Cafe and look west across the tracks you will see it. His mother and father are buried at the Lutheren church in Sillvana up on the hill. There graves are down the slope in the cemetery. When Nels came to Darrington he was the first lookout for Mount Pugh in 1916 when it was still a tent or "Rag House" When the cupola lookout was built he met a young woman from Norway named Beate. Every Saturday he would head into town for the dance and be back to the lookout by sun up. Mount Pugh's lookout burned by a lightning strike and was rebuilt in 1927. He asked Beate's hand in marriage that year and that summer they "manned" the lookout together. I could go on but this is starting to look like a book. He was remarkable, passionate, artistic man and believed everything was possible. I'm glad you are interested in him.

[Jules4u20]

Yes both Nels and Beate were 100 Percent Norwegian . He was born in Wa , she was born in Norway. Nel’s parents met at a liberal (similar to Fairhaven/Evergreen Colleges) in Denmark. Most of Nels siblings died of childhood diseases because no vaccines were available .His brother Alf settled in the San Francisco Bay Area and one of his surviving sons is also named Nels Bruseth whom I communicate with ongoing and know personally. Alf was a gifted artist (he in whose who in America )for his artistic accomplishments. He illustrated Nels published book on Indian Folklore with portraits of the Native American friends and fellow Trail Blazers (the Bidell sisters and Nels trailblazed the Cascades naming the trails and mountains). He died suddenly when I was about 5 years old. He never hunted. He was always painting when we visited them and would hand me little paintings of birds. He was extremely kind and was voted man of the year in WA for his influencing so many young people to treasure the mountains, and wildlife He was an award winning shot putter, very strong, and would go into the woods for days leaving my mother Liv with the Native American Biddell sisters . My mother was in regular contact with the sisters her entire life and had much love for them. TheIr life stories were recently published . I’m writing this all from memory from what my mother told me.

[Jules4u20]

Thank for this history. I’m his grand daughter. My mother was Liv. Did you know her? See my entry from last night

[Brushbuffalo]