125 years ago
Oct. 7, 1892
From the Elma Chronicle:
A good attorney could establish a lucrative practice in Elma.
A. O. Myers, who has been engaged in the manufacture of cedar lumber and shingles at Johns river, for the last three years, is seeking a location for his mill in this vicinity.
Geo. Simpson, Supt. Of the P. S. &G. H. R. R., was in town Tuesday. While here he arranged with Robert strong to erect a dwelling, and barn, and otherwise improve his property in the south side.
“Dad” Sumner has brought in a head of cabbage weighing seven pounds, the second growth on the same stalk that was left in the ground last year.
A petition is being circulated and numerously signed, asking the county commissioners that a bridge be built across the Satsop river at Turner’s ford.
100 years ago
Oct. 5, 1917
Wesley Jones, youngest son of Mrs. F. E. Jones of this city, was seriously injured Monday afternoon while hunting on the Dr. Carr ranch west of the E. K. bishop mill, when his shotgun was accidentally discharged and the heavy load of shot struck him in the side, inflicting a painful and dangerous wound. His companion, a young Pearson boy, ran for help to the mill nearby and a wide board was secured and the injured lad placed upon it and carried to the road, where he was placed upon a bed of straw in the bottom of Olson &Mitchell’s motorcycle delivery car and taken to his home. The wound was dressed by Dr. F. L. Carr, and the lad is now much improved in condition, although not out of danger.
The boy was shot in a manner that has taken many men out of the world. He had crawled through a wire fence and was pulling his gun through after him when the hammer caught on a wire and snapped back sufficiently hard to discharge the shell. The charge of shot took effect in his right side, tearing a hole entirely through the body.
75 years ago
Oct. 8, 1942
A meeting, this Thursday, at Elma of small and large land owners in the east Grays Harbor County area with representatives of the Weyerhaeuser and Simpson logging interests promises a huge cooperative movement toward development of a wide-spread program of tree growing that may change the whole history of the county. Such was the prediction of leading business, professional and forest authorities expressed at a luncheon sponsored by the Elma Kiwanis club and Chamber of Commerce.
Roderic Olzendam, public relations official of the Weyerhaeuser Timber company, whose 130 thousand acre tree farm lies adjacent to Elma and Montesano areas, told the leaders of both regions that, “The potential growth of the region in terms of cubic feet rather than in broad feet is 16,400 cubic feet.
The signs all seem to point that what will count in the future is the bulk wood, trees of small dimensions, thinnings, wood as the raw material for paper and cellulose products, laminated wood, small manufactures, plastics and chemicals, regardless of species and regardless of how measured in the past and how we used our trees in the past. Our laboratories are at work in these fields.”
50 years ago
Oct. 5, 1967
By sticking to a difficult task and doing it properly, eastern county businessmen and residents probably can have extended area telephone service – something which many of them apparently desire.
That was the opinion given the Montesano Chamber of Commerce last Thursday by John Hayes, public relations representative of General Telephone Company, who went on to stress that his firm remains “entirely neutral” on such matters.
If the people of Montesano, Elma and McCleary want expansion of their direct-dial toll-free calling area from Olympia west to Aberdeen or the beaches, then it is General’s objective to give them the service they want, Hayes said.
But, the speaker cautioned, the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission in Olympia has “a set of rules” which must be followed by the people – as well as the company – before expansion can be realized. He then outlined the necessary steps to be taken.
First, according to Hayes, a local person or group must undertake a survey to determine area interest in extended service. He underscored the importance of seeing as many residents as possible, since merchants are pretty much sold on the idea anyway. Once General has received survey results indicative of significant local interest, a six-month study is begun by the company, Hayes explained. This is done to find out if the calling habits of the people show they are ready for expansion.
25 years ago
Oct. 1, 1992
PTI Communications has petitioned the Washington Utilities and Transportation Commission to approve a plan whereby the company can expand toll free telephone calls between Montesano, Elma and McCleary. At the present time such toll free calls can be made between Montesano and Elma, but not to McCleary. Under the proposed plan residents of Montesano and Elma will be able to call McCleary toll free and visa-versa for McCleary residents.
A PTI official said that there would be no rate increase for Elma residents, but the following new rates would apply to McCleary numbers: Residential service, $1.50 a month; business single-line, $3; and multi-line business, $6. In Montesano the following rates would apply; Residential service, 75 cents; single-line business, $1.50; and multi-use business, $3.
In explaining the proposed rate plan Don Dennis, customer service manager for PTI said, “This request is part of the overall plan announced last year, to expand the local calling areas throughout the state.”
10 years ago
Oct. 4, 2007
The City of McCleary has put Grays Harbor County on notice that its citizens’ need for clean and adequate water is important enough to use legal means if necessary to oppose county approval of an application for a large lot division without requiring an Environmental Impact Statement.
The county has applications from corporations, all three of which name Kenneth E. Brogan as their “agent,” for large lot subdivisions northwest of McCleary. But a letter the city sent to County Planner Jane Hewitt in September says, “it is the city’s understanding” that the county is requiring Environmental Impact Statements on only two of the parcels, though “all three adjacent large lot subdivisions are owned by one entity.”
The two applications the county is requiring Environmental Impact Statements for are 24-acre and 23-acre parcels. The application on the third, also a 24-acre parcel, was originally proposed as a cluster subdivision with four houses on smaller than five-acre lots and an open “tract.” But it was revised in July to a four-lot subdivision, said Brian Shay, the county’s director of planning and building. “So you’re just going to have four lots of approximately five acres each in size,” which the area is zoned for.
