THEN and NOW: The Old Primeau Farm

The pig farm on 124th Avenue was a longtime Rose Hill curiosity, finally bulldozed over after years of battle with the county

By Greg Johnston

Sometimes when I drive by Fire Station 26 on Rose Hill these days I recall what was there before for many years, and it's always with a certain sense of sadness. Fire Station 26 represents the new Rose Hill in my mind; the "Primeau pig farm," as everyone used to call it, represents old Rose Hill.

The Primeau family moved to north Rose Hill in 1948, from where I don't know, and lived on 13.5 acres at the intersection of 124th Avenue NE and NE 100th.

They had 14 children, and as the story was told back in the day, they were not poor at all. But it is safe to say that, in the long run anyway, they lived a hardscrabble existence, apparently at first operating a commercial pig farm along with a scrap collection business -- today it would be called a recycling business.

At some point Mr. Primeau died and over the years the kids all grew up and moved on. Irene Primeau remained on the property, keeping a menagerie of dogs, cats, chickens, goats, ducks, ponies, cows and other animals, all the while as the cabin deteriorated.

Neighbors complained about conditions, setting off a long-running battle between Irene and the county, which claimed it found instances of animal cruelty, as well as serious health and fire hazards. At least once during confrontations, a shot was fired into the air by a member of the Primeau family.

The black and white photo came from the files of the long-gone Kirkland weekly newspaper The Eastside Journal and is now in the archives of the Kirkland Heritage Society.

The date of the picture is unknown, but it doesn't really matter because this is exactly as the place looked for years. I'm going to say it was taken between 1966 and 1986, likely on the earlier side. Note there is a youngster waving, just to the right of the cabin's front door, perhaps one of the Primeau boys or a grandson.

Today, all that remains is the powerline tower in the background.

To me the photo is powerfully reminiscent, a reminder of days gone by. As a kid, the Primeau place was a curiosity, and we always looked while passing by, occasionally spotting Mrs. Primeau out tending her animals and marveling at the collection of junked cars, stacked boards and sheet metal, ramshackle wooden corrals and various barns and outbuildings in various states of repair.

Irene suffered a debilitating stroke in 1986, and her children sold the farm in 1988. The cabin and outbuildings were bulldozed and, according to reports, 50 truckloads of debris and junk were hauled away. Irene died in 1993.

Now the site hosts Kirkland's Fire Station 26 and a wonderful park, Rose Hill Woodlands. But somehow I miss seeing the Primeau place when I drive by today -- just like I miss all the other sights of the Rose Hill I knew while growing up.

As sure as the whiskers on my chin are gray, most of it is history now.

NEWS SOURCE