125 years ago
Nov. 25, 1892
The long dreary winter evenings are at hand again, and the young men are wondering how to pass the time most pleasantly and profitably. The Business Men’s Club rooms can be very cozy, where an evening can be spent occasionally in reading, games, & c. The club should be revived by all means. Then again, the people of this city having comfortable homes, should not neglect to invite the young people to their cheerful firesides once in awhile. We suggested this plan last season, and many rainy evenings were past most pleasantly in the homes of Montesano.
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The supreme court has approved the judgment of the superior court in the case of Maling vs. Crummey, appealed from this county. But what has become of Maling? The last heard of him he was eluding the sheriff over at Wenatchee, where he was accused of forgery, embezzlement and several other harmless (?) ventures. Maling was a big man in Aberdeen at one time–mayor and all that. He was a boomer–which proved a boomerang to him. He went up like a rocket, and came down like the republican party in the recent election. His suit against Crummey was for a gambling debt. He got very conscientious after losing his money, and sued Crummey to recover it. With tears in his eyes he begged us not to comment upon the affair–it would disgrace his family, and he wanted to do better in the future, and adverse comment would hurt him, and so on ad nauseam. Such men as Maling always seem to get to the front, even if they do end up in the penitentiary.
100 years ago
Nov. 23, 1917
Representatives of the various farmers’ organizations of the county will meet in Montesano tomorrow afternoon for the purpose of launching a campaign for the standardization of the potato crop of the county. As it now stands a great variety of potatoes are raised in every section of the county and buyers experience difficulty in securing car load lots of any one kind of potato. The mixing of the varieties counts against the shipments in grading and lowers the price that can be secured for them. The farmers’ organization is known as the Grays Harbor Agricultural Council and is made up of delegates from the granges and other farmers’ societies. The farmers in attendance at this meeting will be entertained at lunch at the noon hour at the Crist Hotel, the business men of the city being the hosts. The business meeting of the organization will be held immediately following lunch.
75 years ago
Nov. 26, 1942
“Army flash … 3-bi-motor-saw-high-13-southeast-2 miles-north.” Many Montesanans will soon have the thrill of making such a report to the army. This is a call for the many Montesano women who have had a secret desire to join the WAACS or WAVES but just could not see their way clear to leave their families and go marching off to war. It also applies to those oldsters who have had a secret ambition that they would like to join the marines or to become commandos. At last you have a chance to really be part of our armed forces and serve here at home. True, there is no pay connected with this branch of service, but the thrill of giving “army flash” and the privilege of serving your government will make up for any pay not received for this work.
50 years ago
Nov. 23, 1967
Three decorative rifles, removed by vandals from a Bryan Parkway monument two weekends ago, have been found and will be returned to their memorial site.
Montesano Police Chief Bruce Curtright, who last week reported that one of the weapons had been located in a nearby hedge “really torn up,” said this week that the other pair had been located in “pretty good shape.” Men working on the freeway spotted them on the south side of the railroad tracks.
Members of William Rosier Post No. 2455, VFW, have volunteered to repair the silver-painted rifles which add much to Monte’s eastern entrance.
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By 1987, the world will be almost totally different than it is today as a result of the “dynamics of change” in the next 20 years. In fact, the change will be larger than what has occurred between the Civil War and now.
Such was the thought-provoking prognostication offered last Thursday by John Smithson of Tacoma, vice-president of the National Bank of Washington, who appeared as principal speaker at the Montesano Chamber of Commerce’s third annual Farm-City Week luncheon in the VFW Hall.
Smithson came to town as a pinch-hitter for his boss, Godwin Chase, bank president, who was unable to attend due to illness. The last-minute substitute proved a happy choice, both because of the quality of his remarks and his Kittitas County livestock ranch background.
25 years ago
Nov. 26, 1992
Superintendent Maureen Finnerty recently announced that park biologists have completed the first year of a new, 3-year inventory project to estimate the density of northern spotted owl pairs in Olympic National Park. During the field season of 1992, intensive surveys were conducted by a crew of 17 persons working off-trail in steep, forested mountains of the park. The biologists surveyed 5 randomly located census blocks (totaling approximately 12,200 acres) in the park interior. Each site was surveyed five times. Known owl sites from previous years’ work were also revisited.
Twenty-eight pairs of spotted owls, 15 single owls, and 29 juveniles were found. Only 8 of the owl pairs were found on the 12,200 acres of census blocks. Only 5 of the single owls and 12 of the juveniles were found on these census blocks. The remaining 20 pairs, 10 single owls, and 17 juveniles were widely distributed around the park, at sites known from previous years or discovered incidentally in 1992. Forty owls were captured and individually marked with leg-bands to aid in identification.
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“Discover The Holiday Spirit” is the theme of this year’s Festival of Lights celebration in Montesano. The festival, which is in its sixth year, is sponsored by the Montesano Chamber of commerce and will be held December 11, 12, & 13. Montesano will once again be “lit-up” with over 40,000 luminaries as well as electric lights as the coming of Christmas is celebrated.
10 years ago
Nov. 22, 2007
To be the best, you have to beat the best. And Montesano took one more step towards being the best 1A football team in the state after stunning the undefeated, third-ranked and defending state champion Meridian, 21-7, in the quarterfinal round of the WIAA/Dairy Farmers of Washington/Les Schwab 1A Washington State Football Championiship Tournament on Saturday, Nov. 17, at Tumwater’s District Stadium.
A stifling defense was the key to this Bulldog victory that ended a 25-game Trojan winning streak. Montesano (10-2) held Meridian (11-1) to just 137 yards of total offense, and the lock-down defense was on display from the game’s opening drive.
The Trojan’s fielded the opening kickoff and began the drive at their own 35-yard line. A false start penalty on first down backed Meridian up 5-yards, then a pair of short running plays set them up with a third-and-9 before an incomplete pass forced the Trojans to punt.
Montesano took over on their own 37-yard line and the game looked as if it was going to settle into it’s expected pace, with the undefeated, reigning state champs dominating the two-loss Bulldogs….
With the win Montesano advances to a semifinal match-up with another unbeaten, No. 1 ranked Connel, in the Tacoma Dome tomorrow at 2:30 p.m.
