Visit the Blhs 2024 Biennial Exhibit

Mark your calendars! The BLHS 2024 Biennial Exhibit will be held this year at the Big Lake Fire Department’s community room. This event is Saturday, August 10 from 10:00 AM-5:00 PM and Sunday, August 11, from 10:00 AM-3:00 PM. The exhibit's theme this year is community and the exhibit welcomes our newest exhibit the community of Lake Cavanaugh. Historical photos and artifacts will be displayed, local community historians will be available to answer questions about these neighborhood communities. In the afternoons there will be guided walking tours of the original Big Lake townsite and the Day Lumber Company mill site.  Entry to the display is free, but donations are always appreciated, also Big Lake Valley books and the new 2025 BLHS Calendar will be available for purchase. Coffee and cookies will be offered as well as opportunities to sit and visit with friends and neighbors in this room with a view and comfortable setting. Please join us as we share the history of the nine communities that make up the Big Lake Valley—Baker Heights, Big Rock, Walker Valley, Montborne, Big Lake, Ehrlich, Finn Settlement, Lake Cavanaugh, and Lake McMurray.

Navigating this site:

• Click NEWS for information about Activities, events, and meetings of the BLHS.

• our photos page is a collection of Big lake valley photos that have been emailed to The BLHS for viewing on this site.

  • To move through the Photos click on the side of each picture, to view the captions move your cursor over the bottom of the page and they should pop-up.

  • note, we are missing some captions and if you have information about the photos you would be willing to share—or you have old photos of Life in the Big Lake Valley you would like to share on this site, email the information to Trudi Davis at:

    • biglakehistoricalsociety@gmail.com

• Click EVENTS for information on Recent and coming events and meetings of the BLHS.

• Click RESOURCES to read the most recent BLHS Newsletter And links to historical research.

The Big Lake Historical Society is a non-profit organization with the sole purpose of preserving the character, artifacts and memorabilia relating to the history of the area, and natural environment of the Big Lake, Washington community and sharing that history through education and the biennial history exhibit.

The Big Lake Historical Society meets quarterly on the fourth Thursday of January, April, July and October at 7:00 pm at the Big Lake Community Church of the Nazarene Board Room. NOTE: New meeting time--7:00 PM

The Historical Society's educational and historical reference book, Images of America--Big Lake Valley, the stories of Ehrlich, Montborne, Walker Valley, Finn Settlement, Baker Heights and Big Lake has been published and is available for purchase at the Big Lake Store or from the BLHS; for more information contact us.