Monte Holm auction starts today

Public viewing draws visitors

MOSES LAKE - A variety of people came from a variety of places for a variety of reasons to look over the things Monte Holm collected in his lifetime.

The beloved Moses Lake icon died in 2006. Citing financial necessity, his family has decided to put the majority of items in Holm's House of Poverty Museum, which is now closed, up for auction.

The auction began today at 10 a.m. in the Ardell Pavilion at the Grant County Fairgrounds and continues Saturday, starting at 10 a.m. A public viewing took place in the same location Thursday.

Valley, Wash., residents Rhonda Erickson and Erica Hamilton had never met Holm, but were looking to find a large boiler for a family steam-powered sawmill.

"We just were talking to a gentleman in our area interested in old stuff and has an old car museum and such," Erickson said. "He had seen our sawmill and alerted us to this auction. We got on the Internet, found out everything and (said), 'Well, heck, Moses Lake, we can drive there in a few hours.' So here we are."

Moses Lake resident Ed Sharp said he was looking over the items to see what all Holm had.

"I knew he had a lot of stuff, so I thought I'd get over here and look at it," Sharp said.

Sharp said he had met Holm, but not gotten to know him very well.

Moses Lake resident Todd Voth used to visit Holm at his wrecking yard as a child, and receive the trademark Werther's Original candy he would hand out.

"I was raised in Moses Lake and Monte Holm was a fixture," Voth said. "To come and see all of his restoration projects and collecting over the years is just amazing to me. The family's pretty special to our community as well."

Ellensburg residents Kerry and Sharon Parker have a friend who knew Holm.

"I knew he had a lot of stuff and I just wanted to see what he had," Kerry Parker said Thursday. "And if I see something, I'd be back tomorrow for the auction."

"It's unique," Sharon Parker said. "These are rare to find, this big a collection."

"I've been to his museum, and there's a couple items I wanted," Prosser resident Buck Enos said. "So we came up together - my neighbor and I collect a little bit of stuff."

Enos had also met Holm.

"Oh yeah," he said with a grin. "I've had hobo stew with him over at the scrapyard. We knew him for about 10 years, I guess."

"I think it's the best of a sad situation for the family and for a lot of people in the community," Holm's grandson Steve Rimple said. "But it's going to be a great event and it's going to be real interesting. I think people are going to have a good time. I think if my grandfather were here, which he will be in spirit, he would enjoy seeing everybody."

Grandson Larry Rimple said Holm never set out to be a collector, save for items related to the railroad.

"As we know with my grandfather's history, his life really started out with the railroads as a hobo, so that was initially his primary interest, was anything railroads," Larry Rimple said.

Holm never reveled in the word "museum," Larry Rimple added.

"He was a private collector and the word 'museum' of course gets tagged along with antique items," he explained. "This was his hobby. Especially being farm country, the gas engines were very collectible and there are a lot of items that did come in as scrap. He never set out to have a massive one-lunger collection, he never set out to have a car collection … It was the train. The train was a catalyst for everything else."

Larry Rimple said he was experiencing mixed emotions, having been raised in the midst of many of the items up for auction.

However, he also felt it was the right time for the items "to start their second life, with someone else."

"I really want people to focus more on the man rather than the items," he said. "These items here for sale are items that have had their own history, and we were very lucky for about 30 years to have had the opportunity to put them out for a viewing for everyone and anyone to come and enjoy."

Holm was very clear to both of his grandchildren about what to do with the museum.

"This is my grandfather's wish," Larry Rimple said.

The auction, managed by Moses Lake-based Chuck Yarbro Auctioneers, has garnered attention from across the nation and world, he added.

"It's time for these items to go elsewhere so they can express their stories to other people," he said. "Maybe even a wider audience than what we've had here in Moses Lake."

Holm loved his museum, Larry Rimple added, and would go to the building every single Sunday until he became physically incapable of doing so.

"Yeah, he does live in every single item, but it is just time for these items to start a second life with someone else, so they can be enjoyed all over the world," Larry Rimple said. "I do hope people also enjoy the fact this was Monte Holm's collection, and it was cherished by him and thousands of people for well over 30 years."