125 years ago
March 10, 1893
Quite an interest is being aroused in organizing an art league on the harbor, including three classes of membership—the actives, who do the actual art work for the exhibitions; the associates, who excel in other things, as music, poetry, authorship, elocution, oratory; while honorary members are made so by gifts of any kind for the advancement of the league. Instructors will be provided for the different branches. …What a grand opportunity for development, improvement and culture this league will be for this sleepy place, and who can tell what jewels of genius may be rescued from the “rough” by its polishing influences.
While on the subject of art we may as well mention a subject that has been in our mind for some time, and that is a Columbian dress for American women, for this year at least. The choice of some such dress is made almost imperative from the fact that we are threatened to be engulfed once more by that horrid monster crinoline. This will be the American woman’s opportunity to prove to the world that her good sense and good taste will guide her in the choice of her garments.
100 years ago
March 8, 1918
Four-year-old George Wilder, son of Mr. and Mrs. J. N. Wilder, was shot with a soft nose bullet, in the left arm, the elbow of which was badly shattered, Tuesday evening, and it is believed by the parents the shooting was deliberately done by an older boy, at this writing unknown.
The little fellow was playing alone in the back yard at home, in the east part of Montesano, shortly after 5 o’clock. His people heard a shot and at the same instant the screams of the boy. They found him writhing with pain in the back yard. Dr. F. L. Carr was called and the child was rushed to the City Hospital where Dr. Carr and Dr. G. E. Marcy got the bones of the elbow back into place, picked out the splinters of lead and dressed the arm. The child was unable to talk any that night and much of the next day.
Wednesday afternoon he overheard his father and Sheriff Bartell discussing the shooting. Until then it had been believed it was a stray bullet accidentally shot that hit the boy. The child turned his head and remarked in a weak voice: “I know the boy that shot me. I can show him to you.”
75 years ago
March 11. 1943
Montesanans were aroused last Tuesday evening when heavy fire equipment from the Aberdeen Fire Department roared through town on its way to a large fire at the Elma CCC camp where several buildings were destroyed by fire.
Officers’ quarters and supply buildings were lost it was reported.
Several brush and grass fires have been fought during the past week by units of the Montesano fire department, according to Dutch Hunter.
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Chapin’s Column
CAMP CARSON, Colo.—Miscelaneous: By the skin of his teeth, the Italian boy in the bed next to mine missed serving the Axis, rather than the United States, for which he’s thankful.
Born in the United States, he nevertheless spent most of his early life in Italy. His father, a sales representative of a large manufacturer, lived in Milan, and the boy, during vacation periods, used to travel with his parents. He remembers Tripoli and Italian Somaliland well.
He became enamored of planes and decided to enlist in the Italian air force. But his enlistment was held up for his birth certificate, for which he wrote an aunt in New York.
But she persuaded him to come to America to see his birthplace. That was after Munich but before the war broke out in 1939.
“Everything seemed peaceful then and I had no idea war was so close,” he says.
But Italian government officials had a different idea. He was stopped as he was about to board the Rex for the United States. Only with the help of an American consul did he make his way into France where he sailed aboard the Normandie.
50 years ago
March 7, 1968
The State Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that charges made against the mayor of Westport, Byron Cramer, constituted adequate grounds for a recall election.
The citizens group that is attempting Cramer’s removal contend that ‘he abused his appointive power in a manner inconsistent with the interests of the constituents’.
•••
Steve Sackrider reported to police last Friday that while his vehicle was parked on a local parking lot, vandals ripped an outside mirror from the car.
On the same date, a resident of Wynooche Valley reported that while his car was parked on a lot in town, someone attempted to remove the mufflers. Two suspects were observed running from the scene.
25 years ago
March 11, 1993
Apparently, the possibility of a McDonald’s Restaurant, or ‘fast food outlet’ riding into Montesano on the shirttails of a proposed public rest stop on South Main Street at the site of the old city sewer system plant doesn’t sit too well with a good many business people in the county seat community. For the past several years, the concept of such a facility has been before the city council, and just during the past few weeks has the name of McDonald’s made its entry onto the scene. But, this past Tuesday evening, members of the city council received several earsful as far as local opinions were concerned.
•••
John Bebich, County coroner, responded to 34 death scenes during the month of February, according to his activity report submitted to the county commissioners Monday. Thirty-three of the deaths were listed as ‘natural’, while one was a traffic fatality.
There were 12 responses in Aberdeen, eight in Hoquiam, two each in Montesano and Central Park, and three in Ocean Shores. Bebich also responded to one death report each in Westport, Elma, Amanda Park, McCleary, Moclips and Hoquiam rural.
10 years ago
March 6, 2008
Hoquiam will soon be in the pontoon business.
Monday, Gov. Christine Gregoire announced that the city would be home to a facility that would produce the huge pontoons for Seattle’s new Highway 520 Evergreen Floating Bridge.
The pontoon plant, which will be built on Grays Harbor Port property near the mouth of the Hoquiam River, will be completed and “running” by 2011, Gregoire said. Construction on the facility would begin in about two years, she said.
The facility is expected to provide jobs for scores of employees and could later be reused for other floating bridges projects, according to state Rep. Lynn Kessler of Hoquiam.
•••
Roger Garrick, the Montesano School District’s former transportation supervisor, wonders how anyone could forget the day he stormed up to the high school to report illegal cell phone used by athletes on school buses.
“And I do say stormed,” Garrick said last week after reading that Principal Bob Corley has no recollection of Garrick reporting that football players had been taking sexually explicit photos of themselves and sending them back and forth between buses while traveling to practice at Tumwater prior to the state tournament in November of 2006. Students were chastised before the bus left.
