Your article in the West Seattle Herald (Story Pole, Aug. 16) was very interesting to me.

My grandfather, J.E. "Daddy" Standley, gave the original 25 foot totem pole to the city in 1939.

He lived in West Seattle, built a home there in 1906, named "Totem Place." He had about 12 large - up to 20 feet - totem poles in the yard plus a shell mound, muskets, whale jawbones, whale vertebra, wading pools, a full size Japanese Tea House, miniature log house (children's playhouse), sundials, giant man-eating clam shells, etc.

It was a stop for the sightseeing buses that toured West Seattle. He founded the Ye Olde Curiosity Shop in 1899 and lived to be 86 years old. He died in 1940.

Most of the old time West Seattleites knew him and remember the house and yard. The house was restored about 15 years ago and was on the architectural tour shortly afterward. The original pole was not properly preserved - The Park Department and the Art Commission could not agree what and how to paint the pole and preserve its original colors so it gradually rotted away and was replaced in 1966.

It was a magnificent totem pole carved by Sam Williams, a Nuu-chah-nulth Indian, who was a great friend of the Curio Shop and my grandfather and father. Sam Williams came to Seattle from Canada and lived mostly in Seattle but died in Canada after living over 100 years. I also knew him and he was a great person and reliable.

When my grandfather came to Seattle in 1899, there were no totem poles nor were they indigenous to Seattle. He befriended the Indians from Vancouver Island and southeastern Alaska that came "outside" during the winter. After a few years, totems became available and our Shop sold poles in all sizes (up to 35 feet tall) to museums and private estates all over the United States and Canada.

We supplied the original totem poles in Ravenna Park that are now in the University of Washington Museum. Now, the chain saw duplicate pole has gone the same way even after many prominent people had volunteered to try to preserve it. I was 16 when my grandfather died and I knew him well as our family lived with him at Totem Place (1750 Palm Avenue. There is now a three story home on what was our sunken garden).

After the World War II, I spent 50 years working in the shop and my son, Andy, fourth generation is now operating the shop and the fifth generation has started this summer working part time.

Note: Tin Can Park, across from the totem pole, was named for all the old cans and litter that was deposited in the park and my grandfather said if the city would clean it up, he would give the city a totem pole. The city complied and so did he.

Joe James

West Seattle