125 years ago
March 9, 1894
The fishermen are rustling these days for steelheads, as they command 5.5 cents per pound at present. The salmon are getting scarce in the river.
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W.C. Pascoe has an interesting relic in his possession, being a splinter of oak wood about the size of a lead pencil that was knocked off the war vessel Kearsarge during the conflict between that vessel and the Alabama off the coast of France on July 10, 1864. The piece of wood was given him by one of the ship carpenters who was employed in repairing the ship after the famous battle. It is quite a prize, and he will have it mounted in the shape of a penholder.
100 years ago
March 7, 1919
Coach Maddox and his fast M.H.S. basketball team left yesterday for Bellingham where they will contest for Northwest honors. Before returning they will play two or three outside games. The team is Roland France, Robert Hall, Steve Young, Sam Perkins, George Thompson, Fred Abel and Ted Wheeler.
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Miss Margaret Maloney, who was sick all last week, is back at her work in Schafter Bros. Logging company offices.
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Mesdames Geissler, Caldwell and Crass went to town Saturday. They took in a lot of good things for the sale held at Pikerings by the Royal Neighbors.
75 years ago
March 9, 1944
What do the three minor children of Mr. and Mrs. Chas. A. Chamberlain, Wynooche, talk about on a rainy evening? Well with four brothers and sisters in the Navy a good guess would be they talk about joining the Navy too when they’re old enough.
The one who has been in the shortest length of time is Miss Elsie Chamberlain, who joined the WAVES in September and is now about half through training at the naval aircraft school at Norman, Oklahoma.
Lt. Wm. F. Chamberlain has been in the longest, having enlisted in June 1941, shortly after being graduated from the university as an aviation engineer. At present he is on Atlantic convoy duty as a fighter pilot.
Chas. A. Chamberlain Jr. is at New London, Connecticut, attending submarine school. He enlisted in December 1941.
Robert J. Chamberlain is serving our country on a submarine in the Pacific and enlisted about the same time Chas. Jr. did.
50 years ago
March 6, 1969
The March of Dimes hit big this year at Montesano High School with the students collecting for a record $2,331.17.
The total enrollment at MHS is 406, and enough money was made so that if each student had given $5.75 each, that would add up to just a few dollars over the total collected.
The student who deserves a great deal of praise, according to her fellow students, is Sandi Southerby, the head operator of the MOD who spent many extra hours setting up activities. Chris Crass was the head of the MOD talent show, which made $165.73.
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Simpson Timber Company has resumed lowland logging operations halted by this winter’s heavy snow.
Ron Ring, Simpson’s logging manager, reports the company rail lines are being opened to Camp Govey and Camp Grisdale this week. Seven crews of fallers are operating in the Camp Grisdale area and nine crews in the Camp Govey area at this time.
The Shelton manufacturing plants have continued operating on schedule and have not been affected by any shortage of timber. Little logging time was lost during last summer, a season of few forest fires. The good production of last summer has maintained Simpson operations here this winter with no log shortage.
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The Young Pillars, a local singing group, were the first to hold a car wash at Kelly’s Richfield Station, which opened for the first time last Saturday at the intersection of Main and Wynooche streets. The car wash was a huge success for the youngsters, who were kept busy throughout the day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
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The Montesano High School Lettermen’s Club will spend Thursday afternoon picking up litter that has apparently been dropped by students on the streets and in yards near the school.
According to plans of the club, this “policing action” will cover approximately four square blocks around the school.
The Lettermen’s Club is doing this volunteer work in response to several complaints that were filed with the city during the past week in regard to some students littering sidewalks and streets.
25 years ago
March 10, 1994
A standing room only crowd, headed by long time opponent of nuclear power, Satsop resident Dr. Glen Sundstrom, greeted members of Montesano’s City Council on Tuesday evening when the question of supporting or opposing the proposed Isaiah Project on Fuller Hill where the two mothballed nuclear plants are located, appeared on the agenda.
The project would use fuel rods that have been manufactured from nuclear weaponry from the U.S. and Russian arsenals, to convert to fuel that could be used in a reactor to manufacture electricity.
After considerable discussion on the matter, the council opted to oppose the project with one dissenting vote, that of Councilman Dick Stone.
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Montesano School District Odyssey of the Mind teams, their coaches and advisors Barb Goble from Beacon Elementary, Joni Grove from Simpson Elementary and Judy Holiday from the Jr.-Sr. High School have been preparing for regional competition at Washougal on March 12. The competition will feature 72 teams from this region.
10 years ago
March 5, 2009
Before he could even walk, Timothy Davis liked to get as high as possible. Davis’ father, Mike Davis, recalled how his son once had climbed drawers to reach cookies atop the counter while barely a toddler.
Friends and family said that love of heights, combined with his competitive nature, sense of honor and duty, passion to succeed, confidence and pride led him to join the U.S. Air Force.
He became a member of the Air Force’s Special Tactics team, an elite group with only 300 members.
A Montesano High School graduate, Staff Sgt. Davis was killed by a roadside bomb that also took the lives of two others, Army Staff Sgt. Jeremy E. Bessa and Master Sgt. David L. Hurt, Feb. 20 in Afghanistan.
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The Washington State Wrestling Coaches Association named three athletes from East County as academic state champions following the completion of the 2008-09 season. Elma’s Nick Watson and Cody Bensinger were honored with grade point averages of 3.97 and 3.96 respectively, while Montesano’s Michaela Ecklund was honored with a 4.0. Her Monte teammate Cyndi Monroe was an all-academic honorable mention.
Compiled from the archives of The Vidette by Karen Barkstrom. She can be reached at kbarkstrom@thedailyworld.com or 360-537-3925.
