Saturday, June 15 is the annual all classes reunion for Kapowsin High School. If you are wondering where that is, well, it doesn’t exist anymore. In 1951, the Kapowsin School District was part of a merger with the Roy School District, Elk Plain District, Spanaway District and Rocky Ridge District. The merger had been the brain child of  and was pushed by a former principal of Roy High School who became Superintendent of Public Instruction, Ruth Bethel. When the new School District was formed, it was named after her.

Kapowsin High School’s foundation is still visible behind the weeds on the corner of Griggs and Browne Roads. Kapowsin High School was built in the early 1900’s. At that time Kapowsin was a booming town of almost 1000 people with 7 lumber mills around the lake. Those mills were in competition with Tacoma. Around 1927, the mills began to sell off because they were told the lake would be dammed and flooded. With the mills shut down, the town declined and Tacoma’s mill business improved. The dam was never built. It was apparently part of a well thought out scheme by the people running the city of Tacoma during that era.

If you don’t believe it, ask the people at this reunion. The event will be held Saturday, starting at 4 p.m. in the Century Ballroom of the Poodle Dog Restaurant in Fife. Classmate Dorothy Drake is the contact, but it actually is probably too late to make a reservation. It’s nott oo late to hear the stories of old Kapoawsin, however. The Post will be there in search of those great tales.