125 years ago
Sept. 16, 1892
In commenting upon the large purchase of land near Ocosta, by the president of the C. B. and Q. Railroad, the fact of which was noted in these columns last week, the Tacoma News says:
The Chicago, Burlington and Quincy railroad is headed direct for Puget Sound and the Pacific Ocean, and there is no doubt whatever that plans have been already adopted by the company to push the extension of its tracks westward without delay. The company has acquired possession of sixteen hundred acres in the Grays Harbor country. The price paid was between $30 and $50 per acre. Negotiations for this land was begun over a year ago. The deal was closed a few days ago by Lawyer James M. Ashton and several other gentlemen who have been interested with him in realty.
What the Burlington wants with so much land near Grays Harbor is a mystery to most railroad men. The suggestion that it is a real estate investment is accepted for what it is worth and among men it is not regarded as the real reason. The C. B. and Q., has been figuring for years on coming to this section of the country and the probabilities are that the purchase of the land at the ocean means that they have made definite arrangements to join the procession of transcontinental railroads to the Pacific coast.
100 years ago
Sept. 14, 1917
The Montesano schools carried away all the prizes worth mentioning at the County Fair held last week, taking first honors in the general school exhibit and first for exhibit of hand work. The other schools of the county did not display any manual training work for prizes, and therefore many of our awards were seconds instead of firsts because of no competition. Many individual articles were thus judged and given only second money. The agricultural exhibit also took many prizes. The space which was allotted to the Montesano schools was very prettily decorated with autumn leaves by Mr. Jacobs, the manual training instructor, and Miss Nelson, art instructor. The floor space was occupied by the manual work of the grades. Montesano citizens who attended the fair were proud to be from a town that was so well represented.
75 years ago
Sept. 17, 1942
War work being turned out at the Simpson Logging Company’s mill at McCleary may soon result in that community becoming an incorporated city, it was indicated Monday when application was made to the board of county commissioners for necessary street improvements.
Several hundred people have been added to the population within recent months explained Frank S. Smith of Elma who represented citizens of McCleary. He ventured the prediction that the community would soon have over 1,000 population.
McCleary school attendance has reached a new high, county school superintendent Blanche Pennick reports.
50 years ago
Sept. 14, 1967
After three months of negotiations and a summerful of rumors, Ben Moore’s Broiler – popular Montesano restaurant – finally was sold this week.
Mrs. Bettina Svinth, who took over the Main Street establishment March 1, 1965, confirmed the official transaction Wednesday. The new owners, Mr. and Mrs. William Hash of Puyallup, will assume control Friday morning.
Contacted by phone Wednesday, Mrs. Hash said the first order of business will be to change the eatery’s name to Prime Broiler. “We’re planning a new face for the building and a little remodeling, but otherwise our policy will remain the same,” Mrs. Hash said.
At present, the Broiler is the only Monte restaurant open on a seven-day-a-week basis. Since the recent easing of the Sunday liquor laws, it has also become the only cocktail lounge with service here every day of the week.
This will be the first restaurant cocktail lounge venture for the Hashes, who have been operating an auto dealership in Puyallup for the past two and a half years. At one time, Hash ran the Smoke Shop Tavern in Tacoma for a year.
“We’re excited about the prospect of living and working in Montesano,” the new owner declared.
25 years ago
Sept. 10, 1992
Erk. Squeak. Rumma-rumma-rumma-rumma. Btshhhh.
If you’re still in bed and forgot to take the trash out last night, these are the sounds you’ll hear as the garbage truck approaches your home. You have two choices. You can make a mad rush in your pajamas to get the cans out before the truck goes by, or you can lie in bed and live with your trash for another week.
Mark Hall doesn’t really care which you choose. As a waste manager for EGH Disposal, he’s seen it all. But a lady coming out in her nightgown, he admits, can make a garbage man’s day.
Mark, 27, is the man who each week single-handedly takes all of Montesano’s trash to the landfill. That means about 22 tons per week, which works out to more than 700 pounds per person per year. His description of his job is succinct: “I clean up this town.”
Every morning, the former high school football star leaves Elma around 5:30 a.m. to run routes in his 16 cubic yard sanitation truck, which can squish and hold as much as 8 tons. “She’s slow, but she’s strong,” he observes.
Every day is different. While most clients have their garbage picked up weekly, some places are on a Monday-Wednesday-Friday schedule, others Tuesday-Thursday. Friday is the main day for picking up commercial containers and retrieving cardboard for recycling.
There are well over a thousand customers in town. Each client and the order of pick-up is neatly noted in Mark’s computer-printed daily route book, but after three years on the job, he has long since memorized each step and rarely refers to the book.
10 years ago
Sept. 13, 2007
A 31-lot subdivision on Camp Creek Road east of Montesano at Roup Road was approved Monday by the County Commissioners.
Curt Crites, a planner for the county, said the commissioners’ vote means that the developer, Mark Studer, can proceed but must still meet all the conditions set out in the planning documents. The 19-acre development proposal came to the commissioners with a unanimous recommendation from the Planning Commission.
Crites said one of the keys to approval is that the new lots will be served by water and sewer from the City of Montesano. The utility service makes it possible for lots to be smaller than an acre, but the rural setting is still preserved, he said, because most lots will be larger than a half acre.
Earlier this summer the Montesano City Council agreed to extend the utilities. The cost will be paid by the developer, and it was noted that the new line brings water and sewer service to the Beacon Park project at virtually no cost to the city.
