Ephrata's history highlighted in new book
In this early 1950s view, the old USO (lower left) can be seen. The empty lot behind it will be filled with a new Safeway store around 1959, which would later become the city hall. The building with the “Drug” sign (center) was Savmor Drugs, then Potter Drug, a bookstore, and now an exercise gym FIT Ephrata. Note all the new houses in the background. The Bureau of Reclamation building is nearly new, seen in the center right. The original courthouse, now a church in the view, can be seen to the right of the Bureau building.
Dan Bolyard/Courtesy photo
By RACHAL PINKERTON
Staff Writer
EPHRATA — A new book on the history of Ephrata, “Images of America: Ephrata,” was published Wednesday, and the author is Dan Bolyard, a resident of Coulee City who was born in Ephrata.
Bolyard was asked to do the book at the end of 2018 after the original person slated to do the project backed out. But after agreeing to do it, Bolyard became extremely ill. About July of 2019, when he was starting to recover, Bolyard remembered that he had a book to write.
“The publisher reached out and was like, ‘We’ve got to get this book done,’” Bolyard said. “I was like, ‘I almost died.’”
Bolyard, who had previously written a train book with the same company, had a lot of material already. He also went through several photo collections of people and businesses in Ephrata. The result was a 127-page book on the history of Ephrata.
Bolyard was scheduled to sign books at The Bookery in Ephrata on Friday, Oct. 30, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The book is divided into four sections of the town.
“I had originally proposed a different tack,” Bolyard said. “Ultimately, the pictures wrote the book.”
Bolyard said that the streets in Ephrata originally had different names.
“I found a map of Ephrata when they had different names,” Bolyard said. “I never did find out when they changed names, but I think it was in the ’20s.”
The book includes pictures of familiar buildings, only with different names above the doors. The Ephrata Recreation Center (ERC) is one such building. It was originally built during World War II as the USO, when the Army-Air Force Base was in use. The Ephrata City Hall, just behind the ERC, has a similar story. It used to be a Safeway.
One business that used to be on Division Street, across from the Bell Hotel, was Club Ephrata.
“It was a private club,” Bolyard said. “I was too young to know it was a thing. But there are still people in town who remember doing things down there.”
According to Bolyard, the original stage used for performances is still in the building, but not accessible to the public.
“It’s kinda fascinating what is still there, if you know where to look,” Bolyard said. “Some hints of the past are still there. It’s interesting to see tidbits here and there.”
Bolyard’s book shows a snapshot of what made Ephrata what it is today.
“We built on what people did in the past,” Bolyard said. “Why is there anybody in town? The Army was part of it. I think the railroad has a lot to do with it. It was a train stop. The natural springs were already there, but I think the Army and railroad boomed the town more than what was already there.”