125 years ago
June 9, 1893
Station Agent Eckert reports that seven carloads of shingles and 34 carloads of lumber were shipped from Elma during the month of May.
The saw mills, shingle mills and logging camps are running full blast, and an era of prosperity brighter than ever before is dawning o’er Elma and vicinity.
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The bank of Montesano has received a coin detector, which for accuracy can not be surpassed. The slightest difference in size or weight of any coin is instantly shown by it.
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The Montesano base ball club would like some of the charming young ladies of the city to make a couple of foul flags, for the team. Particulars as to size, etc., can be obtained from Manager Starr or Captain Lyons.
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I.N. Harding has completed the new school house on the Mox Chehalis, to the entire satisfaction of the directors.
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E.C. Stamper of Elma informs us that he will have at least 1,000 boxes of strawberries from his patch north of the railroad, and anyone who takes a look at the prospect will believe him.
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The county treasurer is working night and day on the delinquent tax register, having three crews at work. There are about 30,000 descriptions of land to be copied, with nine tax levies to be extended against each description. Only four men can work at the books at one time, and it is estimated that it would take fifty-two days to complete the work with the day force alone. As the registers must be in the hands of the auditor by July 1 it was necessary to put on extra men. This total amount of delinquent taxes in about $40,000.
100 years ago
June 7, 1918
Attorney O.M. Nelson, in petitioning for use of a county donkey engine to help load spruce at Montesano, for the Wynooche Spruce Co., Nels Est and Bert Schofield, Monday, announced that these three camps were between them bringing out about a carload a day of airplane stock from the Wynooche Valley county.
All three of these camps are Montesano camps.
Though it is against the policy of the county to let out county machinery for hire, because of the importance of this work and the almost impossibility of hiring or buying a donkey at this time the commissioners agreed that the engine could be used.
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The annual statement of W.E. Johnson, secretary-treasurer of the Satsop Co-operative Cheese Factory for the fiscal year ending April 30, is one that not only does credit to his management but to the famous Satsop Valley dairy farms. It shows:
Total milk received, 2,908,122 lbs; Total cheese manufactured and sold, 318,012 lbs.; Average price received for cheese, 22 9/10 cents.
75 years ago
June 10, 1943
A burning cigarette carelessly tossed under the front steps of the old Schafer mill office about 9:30 this Wednesday night nearly caused loss of life. Shortly after midnight the whole front of the building was ablaze and the more than 20 sleeping men of the crew of forest fire fighters who were quartered in the building barely escaped. One of them suffered a back injury in his efforts to get out of a window.
Despite the efforts of the fire fighters themselves and of members of the Montesano fire department the whole building was burned to the ground. With it was destroyed bed-rolls, furniture, kitchen equipment and fire-fighting supplies estimated to be worth over $3,000.
50 years ago
June 6, 1968
Steve Lewis, Mayor of Montesano, was accepted as a charter member of the Grays Harbor Chapter of the Order of the Purple Heart at their last meeting. Mr. Lewis won his purple heart in the Marines during World War II.
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Department of Natural Resources personnel from fire districts in Southwest Washington have had a busy week of fire control training at Shelton.
This annual school gives new personnel basic training in all phases of fire control work while veterans get a refresher course. Experienced instructors from the DNR staff led the students over a rugged two-day school.
Courses in use and care of hose and fittings, operation of portable pumps, pump truck operation and rife weather are practical in nature, while courses in fire behavior, prevention, tool inspections, safety and critical decisions keep students confined to the classroom.
25 years ago
June 10, 1993
If all goes as currently planned by Bill Quigg of Hoquiam, one paper-making machine at the closed Grays Harbor Paper Company in Hoquiam will be back on line come next November and the second machine will tentatively be operating shortly after the first of the year. An investor group, headed by Quigg, signed an agreement to purchase the mill last week, and when the mill is reopened it should employ about 230 people.
When both the paper mill and adjoining pulp mill were closed by Rayonier last November, 650 employees lost their jobs.
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After many years of operation, the Oakhurst convalescent Center is going to have to close its doors and the 108 patients transferred to other facilities as an 11th hour attempt to iron out agreements between the McCleary Hospital District, Community Care of Seattle, the current operator, and the State of Washington failed early this week.
Originally, the Hospital District was ready to go ahead with an outlay of $340,000 for the 170-bed facility, but when the state balked at paying the sought-after $85 per day by the District for each patient per day and offered $75, the proposed deal fell through. Now Oakhurst will apparently close, some 140 people will lose their jobs and the 108 patients will be transferred to new locations.
10 years ago
June 5, 2008
Students in the Montesano School District will no longer be allowed to use their cell phones and other hand-held electronic devices during school hours or on the bus under a policy the School Board adopted May 29. In deference to parents who often desire to speak with their student before or after school, the board decided not to impose an outright ban. “We believe this is a policy we can live with,” Superintendent Marti Harruff told the board. “We do not want to prohibit students from having cell phones or technology on campus, but they may not be on during school time. … It’s an enforceable policy that we can live with and that can be monitored by staff.”
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WHITE SALMON – Behind five individual title winners, the Montesano boys nearly doubled the point output of the second place team and ran away with their fifth state powerlifting title in a row on Saturday, May 31, at White Salmon.
“This was a successful year all the way around,” Coach Eric Stanfield said. “It just goes to show all of the hard work they have put in.”
