125 years ago

Feb. 12, 1895

The “Key City” of the famous Grays Harbor country, and the Shipping Center both by Rail and water. The present terminus of the Northern Pacific is at Montesano. It is the point where railway navigation ceases and traffic by water commences. All traffic for the lower Harbor is here transferred from rail to steamers, making this the principal shipping point of the Harbor region. All the commerce of the Inland Empire, which is now looking for an outlet to the markets of the world via Grays Harbor must come to Montesano, where it will be transferred to the great ocean vessels.

The business of the Northern Pacific road at this point, as well as steamers running to this city, has more than quadrupled during the past two months. Besides being the most important commercial town on the Harbor, and will continue to be so, Montesano has many other advantages: It is the largest city in the county. It is surrounded by a magnificent agricultural region, which Montesano is the center, and the trade of which it controls. It is the center of the finest timber belt in the world. It has the most beautiful natural townsite in the state. It has manufacturing plants, successful business men, good schools, churches, an academy, cultured society, and is in every way a most desirable place in which to locate, either in business or to have a pleasant home.

100 years ago

Feb. 9, 1917

Tonight in the High School gym two of the closest and best basketball games of the season will be played, when the boys and girls basketball teams meet the teams from the Elma high school. Two weeks ago the Monte girls defeated the Elma girls 12 to 10 and they believe that they can win by a bigger score this time. The boys lost to the Elma boys 31 to 15. Tonight the local boys hope to make the game too fast for Elma, as Tuttle, the star forward of last year’s team, is out for the first time this season and can be depended upon to get a basket when needed. France, also of the last year’s team, is now out and will probably play a guard.

These players, with Cooper as forward, Noel center, H. Bernard and Holloway as guards will make the game intensely interesting. With all teams determined to win, and being evenly matched nothing more could be desired to make the games worth seeing. The admission will be 25c.

75 years ago

Feb. 12, 1942

Still suffering from severe burns, sustained when Japanese bombers attacked and sunk the U.S.S. Arizona at Pearl Harbor on December 7, Lauren F. Bruner, nephew of Mrs. George Lincoln, was in Montesano this week, the first man to return here from the actual scene of the outbreak of war on the Pacific.

Bruner, who has been in the navy nearly three years, is rated as a fire control man, first class. In line of duty, he was in the crows nest atop one of the battleship’s masts when the Japanese planes swooped down for their surprise attack.

What happened then remains confused in Bruner’s mind. Too much happened too fast. Bombs were dropping and exploding on all sides. Just where he was when a bomb was dropped down the warship’s funnel, exploding in its interior, he can’t say. Nor does he remember exactly how he got down from the mast and ultimately to safety.

Scorching flames seared his arms, legs and face. His hair was burned off. A machine gun bullet got him in one leg, a wound from which he still limps. After he was in the hospital at Honolulu, he recalled having heard one native Hawaiian call to another to get some more help. “He’s too big for us,” he said, apparently finding Bruner, who is a good six feet tall, too heavy a burden. But those were details that are all but lost.

Bruner doesn’t talk much about his escape. “It was quite an experience,” is about as far as he’ll go. “But I’ll be glad to get back at ‘em.”

50 years ago

Feb. 9, 1967

With the successful realization of the Monte Villa dream to their credit in 1966, members of the Montesano Development Corporation held their annual reorganization meeting last week and set their sights squarely on new projects for 1967.

Harold Kellogg, re-elected president of the eight member group, said MDC has several specific programs in mind for the year ahead. “They will be considered in detail at our March meeting,” he reported.

Regarding Monte Villa, the $200,000 apartment development, now under construction on Pioneer between Academy and Satsop, Kellogg said it is “coming along nicely, and we understand it will be ready for occupancy by mid-April.”

25 years ago

Feb. 6, 1992

Residents in an area east of Montesano are concerned about changes in emergency service boundaries which they fear could mean longer response times during a medical crisis. Part of the controversy centers around the differences between the services provided by aid cars and ambulances, and the differing response times these vehicles have from various fire stations.

Montesano feels it can get an aid car to the area faster than the Central Park fire station, which has an aid car but no ambulance. But Montesano also believes its ambulance service could be slower than the next nearest ambulance service, which is in Aberdeen.

In contract renewal negotiations with the City of Montesano, Fire District 2 has been seeking to reduce the area served by the Montesano fire station by moving the boundary line perpendicular to SR 12 from Clemons Road east to the Wynoochee bridge. Fire and aid car service to residents along Clemons Road, Alder Grove, West Wynoochee and Geisler Road would shift from Montesano to the Central Park fire station. In response, the Montesano fire department has said they would discontinue ambulance service to the area, leaving Aberdeen to take up the slack.

10 years ago

Feb. 8, 2007

The Montesano School Board is putting the finishing touches on a $19.25 million bond proposal that includes a new Simpson School, modernized Beacon Elementary and upgraded junior/senior high school that could go before voters as early as April 24.

“I’m excited,” Superintendent Marti Harruff said. “And I really want to assure the public we will do a quality job on the projects they are paying for on the bonds.”

A long-standing bone-of-contention in the community is the fact that the high school is only 15 years old and is in need of a new roof and major repairs.

The School Board has spent hours in workshops going over the proposal and meets again at 6 tonight, Feb. 8 in the board room off the gymnasium to make a final decision on whether to go for it.

Chairman Ray Sowers said he’s hoping members of the community will attend to learn about the proposal and get answers to their questions.