125 years ago
June 15, 1894
Little Elsie Valentine of Artic, who has been very low with pneumonia, is improving quite rapidly now and hopes to be out again soon.
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Otis Harms, of the Satsop Mercantile & Creamery Co, has about completed his new $900 residence.
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The fire company had a practice meeting last night and the manner in which they manipulated the hose indicated that they would master any ordinary fire without much difficulty.
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J.M. Quimby has lumber on the ground and will soon commence the building of a house on the corner of Third and west Broad streets.
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A merry crowd of serenaders were out last night and delightfully entertained some of our citizens. The family of ye editor appreciated a call from the musical crowd. Come again.
100 years ago
June 13, 1919
“ ’N then, ’n then we run.” This is what 12-year-old Roscoe Beaulieu says happened when the big cougar he and Russel Dunn, another lad of about the same age, saw in a tree started to come down.
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Montesano lost a ball game Sunday afternoon. The team was not out-played, but met defeat through the illness of the umpire. At least he claimed that he was sick and it is easy for all the fans who witnessed a couple of his decisions to agree that it was very likely the truth.
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Mrs. J.E. Calder, Mrs. J.F. Quimby, Mrs. John Bergstrom and Mrs. Gordon Simmons went to Olympia Monday as delegates to the district convention of the Neighbors of Woodcraft.
75 years ago
June 15, 1944
An estimated 1,000 members of the immediate families of Boeing workers visited the Aberdeen Boeing Aircraft company plant last Sunday, Family day. Wesley Hohlbein, manager announced yesterday. Visitors were taken through a planned route of the plant and shown work on parts of the Boeing Superfortresses, the B-20’s.
The Aberdeen plant was the first branch plant to observe the Family day, patterned after that of the main plants in Seattle and Renton.
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The only assurance the Northwest coal-burning householders have of being warm next winter is the coal which they order immediately and store on their own premises. So warned E.C. Ferguson, field distribution representative of the solid fuels administration for war.
“Unless maximum production of the mines is utilized through the summer while railroads have coal-carrying equipment available, and unless the dealers’ truck delivery facilities are kept constantly employed, the Pacific Northwest area undoubtedly will experience a serious fuel shortage this winter. Householders should order their coal immediately — and that means now, not next week.”
50 years ago
June 12, 1969
Meeting last week, the Montesano School Board adopted a budget of $894,340 for the 1969-1970 school year. This is in comparison to the $758,743 budget for 1968-69.
Pointing to the difference of $135,597, school officials indicated this figure was necessary for additional staff members, such as a second shop teacher, an additional music teacher, a grade school librarian, an audio visual instructor and a half time junior high school principal.
The board authorized the purchase of several musical instruments for the music department and also agreed to purchase a Universal gym for the physical education department. The proposed gym will have 12 stations designed for weight lifting, which will materially assist in the efficiency and compactness of the program. Cost of the unit was estimated at $2,500.
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This week’s grocery ad from Montesano’s Pick-Rite Thriftway includes a ½-gallon of Darigold ice cream for 69¢, a gallon of Daisy Maid homogenized milk for 98¢, 10 pounds of U&I sugar for 98¢, 2 large heads of lettuce for 25¢, 3 ripe jumbo cantaloupes for 89¢ and 5 cans of Green Giant cream style corn, green beans, niblets kernel corn or sweet peas for $1.
25 years ago
June 16, 1994
The Lollapalooza concert anticipated to take place in the city of Hoquiam’s Olympic Stadium has been moved. Instead, it will take place in an amphitheater located in the George area of the Columbia Gorge, on the Washington side of the Columbia River, according to Hoquiam Administrator Pete Wall.
“Of course we’re disappointed,” Wall said. “Hoquiam would have benefited from the concert.”
He estimated the city would have made $50,000 to $75,000 in direct city revenue through admissions taxes, stadium rent and other charges. “And it would have been a positive experience for the business community as a whole from a financial aspect,” he said.
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If You Ask Me, question of the week: “If North Korea attacks South Korea should the U.S.A. defend that nation?”
Micky Secor, Newskah Valley, homemaker: “I don’t think I’d care for this country going to their defense. I just don’t like seeing our boys fighting a foreign war.”
John Gerchak Jr., Montesano, grocery store manager: “Yes, we should go to their defense. If we don’t, then problems will just escalate.”
Vi Price, Aberdeen, cook: “No. I think that we’re telling too many nations what to do about too many things. We’re just getting in far too deep.”
10 years ago
June 11, 2009
The teachers’ union cited a lack of fiscal competence and trust as the reasons members voted overwhelmingly to express no confidence in Montesano Superintendent Marti Harruff. Harruff said she was shocked by the decision and defended her record.
The union voted May 22 by a margin of 85.8 percent in favor of the no-confidence vote to 9.5 against with three abstention, union co-president Tina Neils said.
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Everyone who knew and loved Glen Jewett — and those who knew him did love him — is relieved to learn he didn’t drown when he died fishing last Monday, June 8, on the Satsop River. An autopsy Tuesday showed he’d died of natural causes.
The 73-year-old had gone fishing that morning off some nearby property owned by a friend, Ed Comfort. It was a standing arrangement they’d had for “many years,” Sgt. Steve Shumate of the Grays Harbor Sheriff’s Office said.
Though it’s something of a cliche, her brother died doing what he loved, said his sister, Leta Burgess of Elma. “He couldn’t wait for the rivers to open … he was so excited to go fishing.”
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Montesano high school graduated 96 seniors Sunday, June 7, in the high school’s Bo Griffith Memorial Gymnasium.
Elma high school graduated 125 seniors Saturday, June 6, at the Grays Harbor County Fairgrounds pavilion.
Compiled from the archives of The Vidette by Karen Barkstrom. She can be reached at 360-537-3925 or kbarkstrom@thedailyworld.com
