A Dexter Horton Addendum – A Few Other Pioneer Banks (for comparison) & Two Youngbloods with Friends (looking like a posing band) on the Steps of Beck's Bank in Conway.

Dexter Horton Bank, northwest corner of Washington St. and Commercial St. (First Ave. S.) before the June 6, 1889 "Great Fire." (CLICK TO ENLARGE - Sometimes Twice)

And again again, nearly the same point of view and following the "great fire" that razed about 30 city blocks on June 6, 1889.

The Maynard Building in 1994, a century after it took the place of the pioneer Dexter Horton Bank Building.

A page from the Feb. 25, 1906 Seattle Times "jubilee special." The Maynard building is at the bottom left corner when it was still named, like its predecessor there, the Dexter Horton bldg.

Another page from the 1906 Times Jubilee special, this one showing a few Seattle banks. Dexter Horton is printed at the center of the montage.

BANK OF CHENEY, then. This comparison can be found in Jean and my book "Washington Then and Now." We intend, at least, to put the entire book up on this blog within the year. (Courtesy,

Cheney bank NOW. Actually a very hot summer day in 2005.

FIRST NATIONAL BANK, CHENEY

REDMOND BANK

SOUTH BEND BANK, exterior

South Bend Bank, Interior

WAPATO BANK, then (This too appears in the book "Washington Then and Now.")

WAPATO BANK now, with Howard Lev visiting from Seattle to study the progress of his Yakima Valley goat horn peppers for processing into his Mama Lil's condiment. The second person is not identified.

OAK HARBOR BANK

CONWAY BANK - An old one but no longer a bank with cash deposits or lending policy here. This view was snapped by me, I think, either in 1970 or 71 on a trip with the band The Youngbloods from Seattle to Bellingham where they were expected to play that night at WWSU - and did. The Conway Bank was by then Beck's Bank, the home of sculptor Larry Beck, seen here crouching on the bottom step with the pill-box hat, sort of. The camera that recorded this snapshot was probably Fred Bauer's. He holds a Shazzam pose on the left. Fred is an old friend and superb artist. He has been "gone" to California for nearly 40 years exploring ancient forests and raising exotic birds. His brother John is behind him. John's art is furniture - lavish furniture - and wood sculpture. The other of the Memphis Bauer boys is Joe who is front center and smiling. Joe was the band's drummer. The poser with the big black hair is Banana, guitar, piano and much else. I do not know the man behind him (interrupt: Ed Garrett writes with a comment - below - that the standing man behind Banana is a new band member named Michaeki Kane.) nor the woman leaning at the top of the steps, although I do have a faint memory of her costume and her hair. Next to her is artist Charles Larry Heald, who after moving to California - eventually near Fred in Humbolt County - is now back living in the Skagit Valley and painting. Larry is one of the three celebrated Heald brothers - all artists. All were part of Helix, the local tabloid of the late 60s. The oldest brother Maury is past. Paul Heald has a studio in Columbia City, here in Seattle. Beck's Bank was a favorite stop for many when traveling between Seattle and Bellingham. For me that was in the early 1970s. I forgot the figure at the center in the big fur cap. I don't recognize him, but would he recognize himself? Much is hidden. (And now much more is revealed with Larry Heald's comments on this slide - in the "comments section" below, I presume. )

A silly repeat of Fred Bauer's Shazzam pose - from memory. I posed and Jean took it when we were headed for Bellingham in 2005 either to take shots for the book "Washington Then and Now" or to lecture - or both. (Jean also took the repeats for the Cheney and Wapato banks above.) By then Larry Beck was long gone both from his bank and from this mortal coil or veil of tears or human comedy. Larry - Lawrence - died in the spring of 1994, and his passing was noted with a great wake at Golden Gardens. Part Alaskan native his ashes were distributed in Puget Sound - and delivered there ceremonially by a very long and large dugout canoe moved by many paddles and much chanting. Larry "left his mark" on that place with a piece of permanent art at Golden Gardens, 12 feet of steel and named Atala Kivlicktwok Okitun Dukik, "The Golden Money Moon." (Look it up.)

Inside Beck's Bank in Conway but on another occasion in the early 70s. Again Fred Bauer's camera most likely and this time he made the recording too. Larry Beck is up in his loft, and his Skagit Valley neighbor and friend the painter Larry Heald is seated on the couch on the left.

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