125 years ago
Feb. 15, 1895
Del Cummings of Montesano, was doing business in Elma Wednesday.
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The lady who was canvassing the town selling buttons (to men only) has gone, and it is no longer necessary to fasten your suspenders with a safety pin.
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W.D. McBryde writes from Honolulu that during the recent revolution in Hawaii, he shouldered a musket and did the real soldier act for two weeks in defense of the government. He reports everything quiet in the Islands again.
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The price of beef cattle is now on the upward tendency, which will be good news to those fortunate enough to have this class of stock. The price which has prevailed for some time has been from 2 to 2 1/2 cents; while the present quotations are 3 to 3 1/4 cents.
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C.N. Wilson has purchased the residence property of E.A. Bacon on Second Street, thus coming into possession of a neat little home.
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The work on the Wynooche bridge protection is getting along satisfactorily. The piles were all driven several days since, and the work of filling in is now being done.
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C.N. Byles, who has been critically ill during the past week, is now improving and will probably be able to be out in a few days.
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G.W. Ninemire went to Portland last Monday to purchase stock and bought a car-load of beef cattle.
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Duncan Campbell was in Mason County Saturday and Sunday, serving some legal papers.
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A slight touch of eastern weather the first of the week — several inches of snow fell Tuesday.
100 years ago
Feb. 13, 1920
Mr. and Mrs. C.T. Lee, who have been visiting in Southern California for the past two months, returned home Wednesday.
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A number of persons from Montesano attended the show at the Grand in Aberdeen Monday night. David Warfield was presented in “The Auctioneer.” They reported that the show was good.
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Mrs. R.H. Fleet, wife of Maj. Fleet, and two children, left Montesano yesterday to join her husband in Dayton, Ohio.
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Miss Anna Clemons, who has been visiting in Seattle, Bellingham and Vancouver, B.C., for the past three weeks, returned to Montesano Saturday.
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The influenza epidemic in Montesano seems to be passing away. Ten new cases developed Thursday, according to Dr. J.H. Fitz, but only one on Wednesday. Six new cases were reported last Monday, 25 last Tuesday and 15 last Wednesday.
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A very pretty wedding took place this week at the home of Mr. and Mrs. A.E. Barnum of this city, when their daughter, Mrs. Effie Doty of San Francisco, Cal., was united in marriage to John J. Bennett of Tacoma. The wedding took place in the presence of only immediate relatives. Rev. Dews of the Methodist church officiated.
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W.C. Mumaw of the Montesano Packing Company reports having signed up 25 acres of loganberries, a good many acres of strawberries and some gooseberries this week.
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Mrs. A. Weiland of Oakville was called down Thursday morning on account of the critical illness of her mother, Mrs. Margaret Eastman. She returned Saturday morning.
75 years ago
Feb. 15, 1945
Rose Papac, local Montesano high school girl, has been chosen to represent Montesano high school in a contest which will be arranged by the National Society, Daughters of the American Revolution.
One girl from every high school in the United States will be chosen and then one girl out of all those in the state to represent her particular state.
Each girl chosen from her state will receive a $100 war bond, in lieu of the free trip to Washington, D.C., which was the custom before the war.
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The state Senate had under consideration in Olympia this week a House-approved memorial asking Congress to provide federal funds for a series of sea-level canals linking the mouth of the Columbia River and Budd Inlet of Puget Sound.
This Southwest Washington measure cleared the House without opposition late last week. It calls for canals linking the Columbia with Willapa and Grays harbors and with a canal with locks linking Grays Harbor with Budd Inlet.
Also of keen interest to Southwest Washington was a bill introduced by Representative Harold Kellogg, Montesano Republican, calling for a primary state highway along a coast route and linking Hoquiam with Forks, lumber community in Clallam County. Kellogg said the measure calls for a bridge to span the Quinault river. He said the route would “place the last largest stand of timber 20 miles closer to Grays Harbor.”
50 years ago
Feb. 12, 1970
Initial plans for the new (Montesano High School) gymnasium were unveiled Monday evening before the school board by R.W. Norris, Tacoma architects. The new building was made possible last November by Montesano voters when they passed the $1.1 million bond levy. Approximately $800,000 of that amount will be spent in construction of the new gym, music and choir facility, while the remaining $300,000 has been earmarked for various remodeling in the present plant.
When completed, the new gymnasium will be capable of seating approximately 2,200 sports spectators, and when the two facilities, gym and music rooms, are combined there will be some 34,000 square feet of space on two floors. Sale of the bonds for the construction, expected to start this summer, will be held Tuesday, February 17.
Other work of the board Monday found approval being given to instrumental and vocal music teachers, and their participating students, to attend the Northwest Chorus Festival to be held in Yakima in March.
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The subject of who actually owns Lake Sylvia Park was discussed by the City Council Tuesday evening as the repair or replacement of the existing bridge was deliberated. The city has been looking into the feasibility of using discarded railroad boxcars for the foundation of the bridge, a device that would more than support the weight of log trucks now using the structure. However, the state in the past has indicated that if the bridge is replaced, a more elaborate structure should be considered.
Ownership of the park was also discussed, and it was indicated that if ownership no longer lies with the city, then it would not be possible to write a city warrant in payment for such construction.
The City of Montesano, in 1936, dedicated the park area to the state with the provision the land would be used as a public park. Only two or three reservations were included in the dedication and those were: (1) The state would maintain the water level in the lake in the same manner it had been, to avoid interference with the city’s pumping plant; (2) If the state abandons the property, or (3) if the property were not made into a park for public use, then the area would revert to city ownership.
Apparently, true ownership of the park will have to be decided before the city can go ahead with any proposed construction of the bridge.
