Interest in hometown sparked writer
Odin Baugh is an artist whose medium is words and whose subject is history.
Baugh, 87, did not start writing about history until 1990, after he retired from being a pastor. Before then, he wrote his own sermons. He ministered in New Jersey, in Kalispell, Mont., and at Opportunity Presbyterian in the Valley for 15 years. He was even a pastor in England as part of a pastor exchange. He has a bachelor’s degree in history and psychology from Whitworth College and a master’s degree in divinity from Princeton Theological Seminary.
Baugh also dabbled in genealogy, which sparked his interest in the history of his hometown, South Wenatchee.
In his book, “A Place Called South Wenatchee,” he writes: “… it passes into history leaving an exciting, happy, important heritage which can be confirmed by its sons and daughters.”
Research and his memories were his guides as he wrote about the community’s “pioneering and human activities filled with fun, courage, and rich family life.” He wrote about the Appleyard Terminal built by the Great Northern in 1922 and how South Wenatchee sprang up in its wake. He wrote about its school, its post office, and the determination of its residents to keep the community strong.
The cover of the book is a photo of the home he grew up in with the railroad in the background. The area eventually became a suburb of Wenatchee, and Baugh wanted to preserve the memory of it.
His second book, “John Frank Stevens: American Trailblazer,” was inspired when Stevens’ name kept coming up as he researched his book on South Wenatchee. In the preface, he writes: “Stevens had also worked for the Great Northern and discovered Marias Pass across the Rocky Mountains in Montana for them. The same is true about Stevens Pass … As I learned about his accomplishments … I desired to write his biography.”
Many people think that Stevens Pass was named for Washington state’s first governor, Isaac Stevens, and that the designer and planner of the Panama Canal was Gen. George W. Goethals but in both cases it was John F. Stevens. The book describes the self-made civil engineer as a “builder of railroads throughout the U.S., Canada and Russia, a designer and constructor of the Panama Canal, a discoverer of mountain passes, and an adviser to railroad officials.”
Perhaps parallel to Baugh’s beliefs, Stevens writes in his memoirs: “…to be a real engineer he must flavor his methods of work by that great gift to humanity, a controlled, but vivid imagination.”
Baugh believes that the engineering genius of Stevens should remain a historical influence and so he wrote the book. Baugh’s love of history and desire to preserve it is evident in the painstaking details and dramatic accounts of events.
“It is an art form of word structure and expression,” Baugh said.
Baugh’s wife of 56 years, Deede, shares his love for history. She is a retired teacher and a beginning artist who paints traditional and nostalgic landscapes. Together they have traveled to every continent but Antarctica, and share the same faith, background and values.
Deede’s paintings can be seen in the hallways of Holman Gardens at 12th Avenue and McDonald Road. Baugh’s books can be purchased through Arthur H. Clark in Spokane.