McCleary: Fact or Fiction?

Here are four historical myths (of varying degrees) about McCleary, Washington.

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Sine

A short history of the now extinct town of Sine, Washington. I had also posted this in 2006 on OlyBlog under the title The Brief Town of Sine, Washington.

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On the left, the Girod House in the French Quarter of New Orleans. The third floor was supposedly added with the intention of being a friendly place to house Napoleon in exile. This building was featured in the early part of Oliver Stone's movie JFK. The building on the right once was a slave market.

McCleary Memories / by Orville Pearson

One of the better personal narratives I've read about McCleary, Washington's wild history.

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New Orleans

The Jungle Buzzard and the Ghost of Al McKean

This article from the January 1937 issue of Real Detective was too good to pass up. Although I can't seem to find a copy in my files, I think I reprinted this as part of my print-on-demand series, ca. 1994-1996.

Also supplying a short bit on Fred Lomax, who is mentioned the piece.

By coincidence, not long ago while exploring a funky old tomb in Aberdeen, I found the weird little dark cove where Al McKean is laid to rest.

And finally, a phone photo of the present Union Hall in McCleary, the site where McKean was shot.

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Bourbon St.
New Orleans

Tall Tale or Historical Fact?

After publishing this piece, I sent it to several historians in the area and even visited the government archives in Victoria, BC. Later I posted part of this on OlyBlog.

So far no one can verify there were any brothers named Chase in the area. No one can verify the area that is now McCleary, Washington ever had any Anglo structures erected as early as 1832.

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St. Louis Cathedral
New Orleans