125 years ago
September 15, 1893
Some of the fat men of this city, who are to play a game of ball with the fat men of Aberdeen, have been practicing on the street this week. The very sight of them should attract a good crowd to the game.
***
Uncle Zimri Witzman of Porter, sends us a bunch of seedling peach plums that would be hard to beat, even in this country. On a limb but three feet long, were 168 plums, and we are assured that the whole tree was as heavily loaded.
***
S.G. Simpson was down from his camps last Saturday night. He is still running two camps with an increased number of men. He states that while nearly all the camps on the Sound are closed down, most of the mills are running full time, and he predicts that within sixty days, there will be a scarcity of logs, which will mean an advance in price and more logging.
100 years ago
September 13, 1918
Perhaps no other feature of the county fair at Elma was so attractive and certainly more instructive than the daily tractor demonstration. The Fordson, the Samson, the Moline and the Cleveland — the latter a caterpillar type, made demonstrations all of which were eye-openers to many. Besides these regular farm tractors was the Beeman garden tractor and walking engine.
The Vidette will not, of course, attempt to say which of the tractors is the best, even if anyone knows which is the best, All of them demonstrated what they could do in the way of plowing, discing, harrowing, seeding, and the like.
***
Last evening about 5 o’clock Simmon’s gray team, still hitched to their rig, ran away, across Main Street, and straight into the Tulip Candy Store, smashing out one whole side of the front. Tangled in the show window frame and screen door they were stopped before actually getting into the store, but struggled and danced there for two or three minutes.
Harold Johnson and one of the Simmon’s men reached the horses the same time and managed to back them out, before either was dangerously cut. Mrs. Johnson, who was waiting on Mrs. J.C. Cross and Miss Bergstrom, was badly frightened but none of them were hurt.
75 years ago
September 16, 1943
Marines in the Pacific voted the following as their order of preference for various items than they would be able to use if Santa brought them: 1. Watches; 2. Pen and pencil sets; 3. Toilet kits; 4. Hunting knives; 5. Pocket size books; 6. Candy or cakes in metal containers; 7. Radio sets; 8. Billfolds; 9. Cigarette lighters; 10. Stationery; 11. Sun glasses; 12. House and bath slippers; 13. Photographs; 14. Identification bracelets and rings; 15. Pipes.
***
More than 8,500 cars and trucks disappear every day from the roads and streets of America — They are worn out! That means that over 3,000,000 of them, or ten per cent of the cars and trucks which we had on the road before Pearl Harbor, are lost to our use for winning the war this year. That, in any man’s language, is a lot of transporation.
At Whitney’s this week and part of next, Earl Kluge and R.H. Conn, factory specialists from the Chevrolet Motor Company, are here to help Montesano car and truck operators to keep their cars in use for at least another year. Their service in absolutely free — and no obligation will rest of the shoulders of the car owner to pay for the service.
50 years ago
September 12, 1968
Sawmill Two, a land mark in the Simpson Timber Company water front manufacturing complex, is succumbing to the fate of its former neighbor, Sawmill One.
Sawmill One was demolished in 1964. Now Sawmill Two, which was built in 1926, is also being demolished. Production at that mill was discontinued early in 1967. Mill Two is the last major unit of Shelton’s great industrial expansion of 1925-26-27. When Simpson built Reed Mill (later Mill One), McCleary built Mill Two, Rayonier erected its pulp mill and the Northern Pacific Railroad extended its line into Shelton and McCleary.
As a monument to the mill, Shelton is preserving an 11-½ foot band saw wheel. The big band saw originally sliced the giant virgin logs brought to the Simpson mill in early days. Now it will become an historical relic of the milling operation as the steam locomotive has come to represent bygone logging.
25 years ago
September 16, 1993
Ian Morrison, son of Joseph and Glennis Morrison, was recently presented his Eagle Scout award. The ceremony took place August 1 at the Wishkah Valley Community Church. Morrison’s Eagle project was the building of two large planter-benches at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds.
Morrison, a member of Montesano Scout Troop 15 has been in scouting for eight years.
***
An escort of some 45 Harley-Davidson motorcycles Monday afternoon accompanied the body of Charles Ackley of Montesano to the Wynooche Cemetery, where he was buried. Mr. Ackely died Thursday, Sept. 9 after a lengthy illness. He had been active in A.B.A.T.E. and the Harley Davidson organization for many years. The lead motorcycle carried an empty passenger sidecar in a salute to the deceased.
10 years ago
September 11, 2008
Kristy Powell, the City of Montesano’s new clerk-controller, has the kind of financial and management experience that will be a good fit at City Hall, Mayor Ron Schillinger says.
“She’s a person of good character and I think she’ll fit in well with all the staff in providing service and be an effective part of the management team,” Schillinger said.
The City Council voted 7-0 to ratify the mayor’s choice. Powell had been a finalist last year when Linda Wolverton, a former Spokane County treasurer, was hired. She left in July to take a job with the Quinaults.
Powell has been an accounting and payroll coordinator for the Simpson Door Company at McCleary for 15 months. Her husband, Lyle, is a safety and environmental coordinator for the Grays Harbor PUD.
***
Because soldiers from Alpha Battery 2-146 Field Artillery from the Montesano Armory will be in Iraq during the country’s wintertime, Harbor residents are donating quilts to help keep them warm.
Anyone else in the county who would like to make and/or donate quilts for the project is asked to call Jerry Hliboki or the VFW. The best colors to use are hues of brown, gray or camouflage, said Hliboki, who has volunteered to provide the fabric, if needed.
Compiled from the archives of The Vidette by Karen Barkstrom. She can be reached at kbarkstrom@thedailyworld.com or 360-537-3925.
