Born: November 11, 1894, Ankeny, Polk County, Iowa

Died: August 21, 1973, Seattle, King County, Washington

(Father: Charles Betts 1862-1926)

(Mother: Mary Ellen “Ella” Horning 1864-1960)

(Spouse: Lauree Evelyn Burgess 1902-1956)

Children of Weston & Lauree

• Evelyn Carol Betts 1922-2002
• Byron Lee Betts 1926-2003
• Barbara Jean Betts 1930-2013

~~1890~~

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Weston J. Betts was born in Ankeny Iowa, on November 11, 1894.

Weston’s Aunt Ida and Uncle Isaac came to Redondo in the late 1890s. I’m sure they thought it was so beautiful with all the trees, natural water, and opportunity (Kansas can be a little dry, flat, and stormy) and convinced her brother Charles to go West. Charles, Mary Ellen, and their young son Weston packed up and moved out west. They arrived at Stones Landing in 1898. Charles homesteaded the 45-acre Springer ranch, now known as Sunset Ranch on Springer Road. There were few neighbors at that time. The nearest was the Webb family at the Webb Center, now 320th and Pacific Highway South, and the French family who owned what is now Mirror Lake. As you can see later in the newspaper society pages, Redondo was the place to be in the 20s.

~~1900~~

1900 US Census. Buena / King County/ Washington

*Weston is 5 years old. Isaac and Ida lived next door. Charles and Isaac are listed as Farmers.

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In 1904 Charles bought the Park property in Redondo and built a two-story store (what used to be the Lindstrand Store). In recent years it became the *Redondo Art Gallery, which incidentally is the oldest building in the immediate vicinity. I’m looking for an original store photo.

*Update on the store will be on its own Redondo page coming soon.

In his early boyhood, Weston worked as a whistle punk* with a timber company and made bricks at the Redondo brick plant. During this period his father had dreams of making Stones Landing, which Charles renamed Redondo, into one of the finest recreation areas in the Northwest.

*The whistle punk’s job was to sound a whistle (usually at the Steam donkey) as a signal to the yarder operator controlling the movement of logs. He also had to act as a safety lookout. A good whistle punk had to be alert and think fast as others’ safety depended on him. -Wikipedia (Very Interesting!)

~~1910~~

~This census was a large one family-wise. Weston is 15 years old. Listed living with Charles and Mary are 9 Hornings (Mary Ellen’s Father John Ellsworth. Brother John Henry, his wife Elizabeth, children Katie, John Weston, Nelly, and Annie. Her youngest brother Franklin Ellsworth, and his daughter Louise). The Hurds are running the Hotel and Post Office while hosting borders in Redondo. One of the boarders is Edith Henry, the local public school teacher.

1910 US Census. Washington/ King County/ Star Lake

The Grocery Store Charles built is a two-story building with a wrap-around porch.

During high tide, boats could row right up to the front door.

~~1910~~

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Out-of-town Society Pages

Scroll through January 7th – November 19, 1911

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February 4th – November 3, 1912

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You might recognize some names after reading all the society pages. Weston and his family, the Hornings, Hurds, Roger’s, and Thompson’s. Do you recognize any names?

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In 1917, as a young man, Weston enlisted in the Army with the 91st Division and served in Belgium and France. When he returned to Redondo after the armistice, his father’s dream became his dream.

Weston’s World War 2 Registration Card

~~1920~~

Charles, Mary Ellen, and Weston took a few month-long road trip after Weston’s military service. I don’t have the family ever living in Florida so maybe the paper meant Washington? They had been living in Redondo for 22 years. Interesting info in the article. This article also makes me think that they were traveling during the 1920 census and that’s why I can’t find them on one. 1920 Ida Hurd is still in Redondo at the Store and Boarding House and Isaac Hurd was still the Postmaster of Redondo.

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When Weston came home from his time in the Army, and after their months-long road trip, he and his dad started to build the building that would house the Dance Hall, Restaurant, and Bath House. Welcome to the Redondo Amusedrome. Check out the old cars, men in suits, and the women in hats and dresses.

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Lauree Burgess left her family home at Alder Lake and caught the bus to meet up with Weston. They were married on August 13, 1921, in Tacoma Washington.

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In 1906 Charles & Weston purchased from C.W Parker, the now-famous hand-carved Carousel. He brought it to Washington from Kansas sometime after 1910. It has been in operation for over 100 years and at the present time is still entertaining the children and their parents at Wild Waves Theme Park (formally Enchanted Village and Wild Waves). The Carousel lived in Redondo until the early 1950s. It was reassembled at the Woodland Park Kiddyland in Seattle. Weston, Lauree, and son Byron operated the Kiddyland for 5 years. The Carousel was an attraction at the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium in Tacoma from 1960 to 1980. In 1980 Byron and May Betts brought the Carousel to their new theme park, Enchanted Village where it remains today.

I (Heather) remember riding the Carousel with my brothers, cousins, and friends. My dad Larry would tell me stories that my Grandma Evie would get tired at the age of 2 and her dad Weston would lift the seat of one of the horses he modified and set Grandma inside for her afternoon nap riding round and round. People would get concerned that she would fall out but Weston wasn’t worried. Weston let Evie start selling Carousel tickets at the age of 5. If someone tried to short-change her she would yell to Grandpa Weston and the person would correct their mistake or he would put them in their place. What is your favorite Carousel story?

Weston was especially proud that Dwight Eisenhower, as a boy of 15 or 16, sanded the horses when they were being carved in President Eisenhower’s hometown of Abilene Kansas. The carousel is the last of 3 such 50-foot “Carry Us All’s” Carousels known to exist (Still researching how many of the 3 are left as of 2021?)

Weston the Conductor

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Weston and Lauree’s first child Evelyn Carol Betts was born at

Tacoma General in Tacoma Washington October 25, 1922.

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The Seattle Times, Thursday, July 15, 1926

Services to be held for Charles E. Betts

Funeral services for Charles E. Betts, 65 years old, who died at his home in Redondo Beach Monday, were held at 3 o’clock this afternoon in the Chittenden Funeral Parlors in Kent. Mr. Betts came to this state 28 years ago and bought the property at Stones Landing, which later he renamed Redondo Beach. He is survived by his widow, Mrs. Mary Betts; a son, Weston J. Betts; his father, James W. Betts, and a sister, Mrs. Ida M. Hurd, all of Redondo Beach. Other relatives are living in Iowa.

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On August 2, 1926, Byron Lee Betts joined the family making Evelyn a big sister.

Does anyone have baby photos of Byron?

~~1930~~

1930 US Census Washington/ King County/ Redondo

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Barbara Jean Betts joined Evelyn and Byron on October 30, 1930.

Does anyone have baby photos of Bobbie as a baby?

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~Story by Barbara “Bobbie” Betts Englund

I called Ernie to ask where Mom and Dad lived when they brought me home from the hospital. It was this house. Mom was in the hospital for 10 days when I was born. When they brought her home she wasn’t allowed to walk, so they started carrying her down the sidewalk. Before they got to the last two steps., they started to giggle and they almost dropped her. When they got her into the house, the phone rang. It was a message to say that Eldon and Mildred’s brother Barney had been in a plane accident. A farmer had taken them on a flatbed to the hospital. Barney lost an eye in the accident, but Eldon was not seriously hurt. Mom started to get hysterical and Dad said, “Myra take the baby”(me). They said Eldon “froze to the stick of the plane.”

When I was little, Dad carried me home from the dance hall in a blanket and had the money bag in his hand. The story I heard was he put me in the crib- money bag, blanket, and all. Someone took a chair off Uncle Noah’s porch (next door) to get in the window. But they didn’t find the money. Ernie says dad used to put the money bag in the furnace register, but that night he threw it under the stove (that stood on legs). ~Bobbie

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~The Rink by Barbara “Bobbie” Betts Englund

The story goes that Dad was stocking the shelves at his grocery store and hit his head on a shelf – he saw wheels. Since the Spanish Castle, a dance hall on Highway 99 at the Des Moines exit was built by Wes Morrill, Dad was worried he would lose business at his dance hall. He got in touch with a fellow named Herbie Hemlow. I think he had something to do with the Crystal Palace in Seattle. He bought clamp-on skates from Herbie and decided to start a skating rink – that was in 1937. I tried skating and would fall under the bench while squatting down and turning around too.

At first, Betty Shelton played the Hammond organ at the rink for the skaters. Mom (Lauree) also played too but there were times when she would fall asleep at the organ. Once I was skating with Archie Carasino and we were doing the waltz. Mom kept playing slower and slower as she was falling asleep and we waltzed into the lunchroom wall while on skates. I thought I was pretty special as I could do the skate dances with Evie’s friends too. Carl Mack, Dick K., Archy, and Wimpy. Faye Rogers (May Betts twin sister), and I used to really “zoom” around to the “Fourteen Step” and “Tango Barn Dance”. In the Christmas show, we put on in December 1950, I did a routine with Pat where we would skate a nice Waltz and then get to falling down and ripping my dress and making a comedy out of it. I also did a farm girl with a wheelbarrow and a Gingham plaid dress on. The popular song at the time was “Sleigh Ride”. Carole and Ronnie Butler were cute young kids at that show, about 9 years old. ~Story continued in 1950~

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~1938 Weston and Lauree became the 2nd member on the Pacific Coast to the R.S.R.O.A (Roller Skating Rink Operators Association)

~~1940~~

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1940 US Census Washington/ King County/ Redondo

During this census, Weston’s widowed mother is living with them. Pat & Evie were married in March and live next door. Ida Hurd is widowed and retired and I believe had sold the store.

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~By Barbara “Bobbie” Betts Englund

Dad would eat anything, like fish he had caught, clams, and oysters. One morning after fishing, he was cooking the fish and also frying the insides, eggs, and all. He liked to eat the raw muscle of the clam. He put sauce on everything- catsup, mustard, vinegar, even horseradish. Evie would eat them but he would chase me around to try them, but I never would!

Dad would get up earlier than Mom and go to work at the park or rink. He was a hard worker and worked a lot of hours every day (Those genes were definitely passed down to many of us). When he was ready to come home for dinner, he would drive up the beach road – up the hill past Auer’s house and come back to the stucco house. He always honked while on the beach road to let Mom know he was coming. His honk was 1 long and 2 shorts. We still use that to this day. So did Evie, Byron, and their families.

Redondo Roller Rink turns 5!

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In 1946 Byron joins the Navy

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~1947 Byron and Margaret May Rogers get married (Is this their wedding photo?) ~

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~~1950~~

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Amy and Si Cook, friends of Weston & Lauree, owned Cook’s Roller Rink in Spokane. Pat and Evie would buy the Cook’s Roller Rink in Spokane in 1951 and rename it Pattison’s North Division Rollercade.

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~The Rink continued…

Then on January 19, 1951, the Rink burned down. In the last of 1950, Dad (Weston) had a heart attack. It was minor but he and Mom (Lauree) decided he was working too hard and needed a break. Dad began ordering new skates and boots from Chicago Skate Company to fill his stock for future sales. He also cleaned up the north end of the bottom floor where the buses were parked, getting rid of paint cans and anything hazardous or flammable. They were planning to go to California in the middle of January 1951.

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Friday night Pat and Evie were running the rink. Eric (Englund) and one other driver drove the 2 buses to pick up skaters in the Burien area. near the end of the session, Pat and Evie were ready to go home. Little Bobbie (Pattison-Winkler) was asleep in the salesroom. Pat said they almost forgot to take her home with them and came back to get her. The session was not quite over and Eric and I were to lock up. When everyone left, we were ready to turn out the lights. The light panel was in a room a little larger than a phone booth. In the dark, we stopped to steal a couple kisses before we went out the door to the lobby. There was NO fire, smoke, or flames in the whole rink at the time we went downstairs to the penny arcade, and to one of the booths to get something to eat. Within 15 to 20 minutes 3 teenage girls came running into the arcade shouting that the roof was on fire. My car was in front of the rink and I got in a drove it south to the side of Lindstrand’s store. Eric, who liked to be challenged, had brought the buses home and backed them one behind the other, making it easier to go in and drive both buses straight out. They were the only things saved from the fire. When I started to go home in the early morning hours, I discovered the money bag from the night before that I had dropped alongside my car.

Before Eric and I went down the stairs to the penny arcade, there was definitely no smoke or flames in the building. We all felt that someone got on the roof on the north side of the building (which would have been possible as the dirt was higher along the building there). They could have poured gasoline or flammables on the fans that Dad had on the roof for circulation. It started so fast and was happening within a half-hour of us being upstairs with no signs of smoke.

Evie and Pat heard the sirens at their home up the beach, went to the front window, and saw the flames. Byron and May were out of town and came home before morning.

Mom and Dad were traveling through Oregon and almost to California. We alerted the State Patrol to look for them and found them near California. Eric and I drove to Merle and Lillian’s house in Vancouver a day or two later to help drive them home. Dad also had purchased a second pipe organ to use along with the rink organ and made it a larger and special unit. Both organs were burned up, of course. The rink burned to the ground. -Bobbie E.

The rink building was an all-wood structure, nothing but the busses were saved. The volunteer fire department was across the street and the siren was on the rink roof. Neighboring fire departments responded to the call as well.

For several years, Dad would say he was looking for tools or items and would say, “I’ll go to the rink and get it”, then remember that it could no longer be there. Realizing more and more of the missing items and belongings.

Eventually, he built the Bayshore Apartments on the rink property – then turned them into condo units. Evie and Pat, Byron and May, Eric and I each bought a unit there. -Bobbie E.

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Other Memories -by Barbara “Bobbie” Betts Englund

Dad used to let servicemen skate for free if they were in uniform during World War II. Dad had to cover all the front windows of the rink with blackout paper so the “enemy” couldn’t recognize the building if they flew over it. Dad, Byron, and Eric used to sit atop the short tower and be prepared to use a siren to warn people of a coming attack from the Japanese or the enemy. Because Boeing was in Seattle and the shipyards in Tacoma, our area was at risk. I also remember we had G_____ that we used to issue tickets out of (Uniform, Point, Certificate, or Differential ration books maybe?). They were for a pair of shoes, also for sugar. They were rationed and we could buy only a certain amount – also gasoline. The Boeing Company in Seattle had camouflage netting or screens on top of their buildings so the “enemy” couldn’t recognize landmarks.

Something that made an impression on me and I haven’t forgotten was Penny Anderson was killed in the war. He was the guy who put a dead mouse in her skate and watched her try to put them on. Of course, she screamed. The “her” was Virginia Gould.

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On August 17, 1951, Eric J. Englund marries Barbara Jean “Bobbie” Betts

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Christmas 1951. Thanks to the Englund and Pattison families, we have family home movies to view!! This was more than amazing for me to see the relatives I’ve put hours into come to life! They are some of the same videos my dad may have shared with some of you but I have put names and music behind them because they are silent movies. Enjoy!

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Betts-Pattison Christmas 1953

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The boating pictures are not in chronological order from the 1950s-1970s.

Lauree

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Sadly, in 1956 Weston lost his true love after her struggle with a long illness. I think I remember Grandma Evie telling me that she and her mom struggled with thyroid issues after finding one of her medications. Can anyone confirm this? Lauree has her own page under Burgess for more information on her.

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The three-story Betts Redondo Marina was completed in 1959 by Weston and Byron at the cost of $200,000. The innovative dry-storage marina was hailed as Puget Sound’s “most modern and complete service.” It boasted room for 250 boats and two elevators to launch and retrieve boats. In addition, the facility included a motor repair business, boat sales, and a coffee shop. Weston, Byron, and Eric worked almost night and day and finally sold 5 years later. The Marina stayed open until 1975. Starting in 1981 it was dismantled and turned into a boat launch and fishing pier you see today.

I’m starting to see where Eric Englund got his love of boats and buses from. A more extensive Redondo Marina page will be completed in the future.

~~1960~~

In December 1960 Weston’s mom Mary Ellen passed away. I’m sure she passed away from natural causes at 95 but I’m still researching. Does anyone have any info on her passing?

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Bayshore Appartments

The Bayshore Apartments were built on the spot where the rink once stood by Weston and Byron. They opened in 1962.

Bayshore Apartments

28120 Redondo Beach DR S DES MOINES, WA 98198

The News Tribune October 28, 1962

~~1965~~

Pat & Evie’s 25th Anniversary at Weston’s house in Redondo

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Barbara, Byron, Weston, and Evie

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Weston with his 10 grandchildren* and 4 great-grandchildren**.

Back Row: Cathy Betts*, Mike Pattison*, Gary Englund*, Weston Betts, Larry Pattison*, Christy Betts*, Weston Betts II*.

Front Row: Twins Sherri & Teri Englund*, Bobbie Winkler* with her 3-week-old twins Kim & Kelly**, Carole King* holding Brian King**, Shelly King**.

Do you have any memories or pictures of this party? Let me know!

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Weston and Howard clean their fish catch

I wonder if they came across some geoducks??

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I feel like I’m missing so much info on Weston even though this page alone has taken me 2 months to write and gather information. He led such a full life that I don’t want to end it here.

As always Weston’s story isn’t finished yet. Thank you for reading. Let me know if you have Pictures, stories, or favorite memories of anyone on this page. 

-Family members in Bold have their own page on this website. 

-F.A.G# are FindaGrave.com reference numbers if you to start your own virtual cemetery.

-I find most of my information in State or County books, Family genealogy books, personal stories and pictures given to me, libraries, and  websites like 

• Ancestry.com
• FamilySearch.org
• Wikitree.com
• Fold3.com
• Newspapers.com

I (Heather) do this to preserve our family history for us and future generations. I  keep the website ad-free because who wants to see ads. I do take donations and I truly appreciate everyone who has donated so far. You know who you are 🙂 We have a Venmo set up now @Eric-Puryear-3 to make it easier.

Thank you and always remember if you count back 10 generations,

that was 2,046 people it took just to make you!