This photo is rather large in size, so here's a tale to read while it is downloading.

This is a photo of the Juanita schoolhouse near the turn of the century. It is not known what the significance of the wreaths and boughs are above the entryway, but they are quite bucolic. It is also interesting to note some of the clothing being worn, including the wasp-waist dress on the teacher, and the kermit-the-frog collar on the boy in the middle.

Our story concerns the young boy in the front row who is not wearing shoes. This little boy is Leslie Forbes. At the time this photo was taken he was just a lad, the son of Dorr and Eliza Forbes, well-established pioneers in the Juanita community. Dorr was one of the earliest settlers on the East Side, and his wife Eliza was the first female Justice of the Peace in Washington Territory. When Washington became a state, she had to step down from that position, as women were not allowed to vote in the U.S. at that time.

But this story concerns young Leslie. When the weather was fine, Leslie would sometimes remove his shoes on his way to school, as any young boy would prefer to do given the tight and binding footwear of the era (take heed of the shoes on the feet of the other children). He would simply drop the shoes off in one of the bushes along the way and retrieve them on his way home. In this way, his mother would be none the wiser to his cavalier ways. He would arrive home at the end of the schoolday, dressed as he was when she sent him out in the morning.

This carefree plan worked for quite some time, until one day when Leslie arrived at school and realized that it was the day that the school photo would be taken. Unfortunately for him, he was placed in the front row, knowing that his mother would later see his unshod feet once the photo was developed. If you look at his face and stance in this photo, you can sense the trouble that he would later get into.

Not to worry about poor Leslie, though, the barefoot boy with cheeks of tan. Years later, as an adult, he owned and operated Forbes Beach resort on Juanita Bay. This was a very successful and popular weekend retreat for weary Seattleites, even receiving some awards. While running the beach resort, Leslie could go barefoot along his beach any time he liked.

Photo - © Kirkland Heritage Society
Text - © 1998 Alan J Stein