Background

By the early 1900s, Edmonds had grown to 700 residents, but there were large parcels of land available just outside of the city limits. One of the large parcels on the northern edge of town was purchased by James and Caroline Caspers in 1905. James was a painter by trade and had previously worked in Tacoma and Seattle.

The parcel extended from Front Street (Sunset Avenue) eastward to what is now 9th Avenue North. On a knoll just above Front Street, James built a large house with a wraparound porch for his wife and eight children.

For the next eight years, the Casper family enjoyed the entire property, which over time included outbuildings, strawberry fields, a large garden and fruit trees.

Around 1913, James Caspers began selling off three- to five-acre parcels of his property east of the family home while maintaining the two acres closest to Puget Sound. Most of the families that purchased the property were of Scandinavian descent, primarily Swedish.

It is believed that just east of the Kallstrom home, Carl Johan Lund and his wife Marie had also purchased property around 1915.

Carl, Marie and their 2-year-old son Leonard had immigrated from Nyaker, Sweden, to Edmonds in 1906. Immigration records show that the family had traveled from Liverpool, England, on the vessel Mauretania to New York. Then they traveled directly to Edmonds to settle. Censuses of that time listed Carl as a farmer and Marie as a homemaker. In 1910 and 1912, Carl and Marie welcomed a son, Fred, and a daughter, Mildred, into their family.

Author’s note: The Kallstrom’s home was located where the Edmonds United Methodist Church now is located. The Kallstroms sold their five-acre property in 1955 to the Edmonds United Methodist Church. Opening services were conducted in 1959 after the new church had been erected.

Records seem to indicate that the Kallstroms and Lunds were related by marriage, as the children are referred to as cousins in some documents. This may be why the Lunds traveled directly from New York to Edmonds to settle.

Part 1 of the story: Leonard (Luder) Lund — WWII veteran and Union Oil executive

From the limited information that has survived, it appears that Leonard had a normal childhood, attended school at the Edmonds Grade School on Main Street and graduated from Edmonds High School in 1923.

Shortly after graduating from high school, Leonard went to work for Union Oil Company, which had just announced plans for a new substation on Dayton Street in 1924 with extended plans for five large storage tanks to be built by 1930.

Up until 1942, Leonard may have worked for the company in various capacities while climbing the corporate ladder. With the attack on Pearl Harbor and the entrance of the U.S. into World War II, Leonard enlisted in the U.S. Army and served honorably until the end of the war.

After the war, Leonard returned to Union Oil and continued to rise within corporate management. By all accounts, he was a no-nonsense, efficient employee. By 1950, he had risen to the position of plant manager, overseeing the company’s roofing asphalt division.

During Leonard’s long career, he continued to reside in the family home at 860 Caspers Street with his mother. When she passed in 1956, Leonard and his sister inherited the property, and he retained the property until he retired from Union Oil in 1965.

At that time, the Lunds reached a sales agreement with the Edmonds Methodist Church, wherein the church would purchase the property, but Leonard was to continue to reside in the house, which he did until his death on Feb. 25, 1972.

Author’s note: Leonard’s younger brother Fred died at the age of 29, and his sister married (becoming Mildred Billings) and resided elsewhere in Edmonds. 

When you read Leonard Lund’s obituary, it appears as if he led a straightforward life as an executive at Unocal and as a member of the Frank Freese Foreign Legion Post in Edmonds, which most veterans were.

Part 2: Town character and social commentary/historical artist

Several credible accounts from people who are still alive state that Leonard, who liked to be called “Luder,” was a real character with a wide circle of friends.

One part of Luder’s social circle was made up of some commercially successful artists (for example, James Martin and Nick Spanovic) and others who dabbled in the arts primarily for pleasure. 

 The owners of different hardware stores, boat builders and other businesspeople called Luder their friend, and Luder often stopped in to spend some time with them at their businesses.

This diverse group of friends and associates had one thing in common: They all convened at different times at the Sail In Tavern, the favorite “watering hole” of many of the townspeople in the 1950s and 1960s.

Author’s Note: The Sail In Tavern moved to this location in 1938 and remained there until 1994 when it was purchased and renamed Rory’s. The building was later expanded and remains one of the primary gathering places near the waterfront.

Whether Luder always had a love of sketching and painting is unknown, but he became a popular local artist who was known not only to document historical buildings and people, but to also poke fun at situations and events.

What follows are just a few of Luder’s works that are now in private collections or are the property of the Edmonds Historical Museum. Note that Luder often did not assign titles/names, provide dates or leave descriptions of the works he created. However, some of the works can be looked at through a historical lens, and the subject matter can be identified to some degree.

From 1939 through 1943, June Sorensen Crump worked as an usher and cashier at the Princess Theater where “Bank Nights” were held.  She recalled, “It was called Bank Night. I think it was started to promote business. Those who bought tickets for the show were eligible for the drawing at the end of the movie. Outside the theater they posted what the jackpot would be. It became so popular that the theater couldn’t hold all the people who wanted to win, so they too had to buy a ticket to be eligible for the prize.”

“I noticed on the drawing that it said ‘name calling.’ Maybe they had to put their name on the ticket,” Crump continued. “Most of the time regarding tickets, they were bought in a double roll, and the stub went in a container and customer retained the other.”

Author’s note: In all of Luder’s drawings, the people had “red noses.” No one knows why he depicted them that way.

The following painting is a summarized history of L.C. Engel. Note that Luder at times misspelled names or words. That may have been on purpose, but there is no doubt as to whom this painting was about.

L.C. Engel had arrived in Edmonds as a young man, first finding work as a cook in a George Brackett logging camp. He was a hard worker and soon opened a butcher shop and later a restaurant (now Engel’s Tavern). He also built a general goods store (today the Edmonds Bookshop building) and a large home next to the Edmonds Opera House. He and his daughter Jessye were active in real estate and insurance. L.C. over the years worked as a justice of the peace, minor offense judge and water rent collector — as well as a city councilman — as a part of his civic activities.

But not all of Luder’s paintings were serious. Any of his friends were fair game, as were new laws or regulations.

In the case of Ralph Sorensen Jr., who was the owner of Tidemark Boat Works and the builder of a large salmon troller/longliner named Agile, Luder depicted the boat successfully returning from the ocean. Yet in a hand-drawn sketch, he poked fun at his friend’s boat-building ability:

There are multiple oral accounts of people remembering Luder doing quick sketches at friends’ homes or on the spur of the moment for someone. At times, the sketch was on a paper bag or any form of paper available.

Penny and Jill Kingdon, daughters of Variel Kingdon and granddaughters of William Kingdon, Jr. — who owned the first department store in Edmonds — remember calling Luder “Peter Rabbit” as he had drawn pictures of Peter Rabbit for them as young girls when he visited their homes.

Luder’s subject matter varied greatly, from depictions of actual events to whimsical looks at different situations:

 

In reflection: So, who was Leonard “Luder” Lund, really? Historically, he has been documented as a no-nonsense, highly successful executive and manager who worked his way up through the corporate ranks of Unocal over multiple decades. He served his country in World War II and lived on the family’s property with his mother for most of his life, never marrying.

Conversely, people who remember him said that he was an outgoing, friendly character who hung out at the local watering hole with a diverse set of friends. Luder often just stopped by to talk and would on the spur of the moment sketch different subjects when asked.

His artwork that has survived reveals an individual who drew and painted subjects that were fun-loving at times, whereas others were historical in nature as well as a social commentary.

Author’s final notes: I was curious as to the meaning of the name “Luder” and found that it means “Lord of the people” in medieval German.

“An Immigrant History of Edmonds” will be opening on Saturday, May 24 at the Edmonds Historical Museum. This immersive experience honors the diverse cultural heritage of Edmonds and the significant contributions immigrants have made to shape the community into what it is today.

The exhibit explores the history of Edmonds through the lens of immigrants from around the globe, featuring personal stories, photographs and artifacts. From the early settlers who arrived from Scandinavia and Japan to more recent immigrants from Latin America, Southeast Asia and Africa, “An Immigrant History of Edmonds” highlights how these communities have enriched the cultural, economic and social fabric of the city.

A few of Luder Lund’s original works will be on exhibit, along with information regarding his family’s immigration to Edmonds in 1906 and his life in Edmonds from 1906-1972.

Thanks go to the Kingdon and Crump families and others who shared their paintings and memories of Luder. Also, thanks to the Edmonds Historical Museum and Sno-Isle Genealogical Society for their assistance in researching this article. Additional thanks go to Cheryl Hay at the Edmonds United Methodist Church for her assistance in researching the purchases of the Kallstrom and Lund properties on Caspers Street by the church.