World gone by

Published 1:30 am Friday, March 27, 2026

85 Years Ago

March 22, 1941

Chief Jim James of the Nez Perce Indians pushed a button in the powerhouse of giant Grand Coulee dam today, sending the first electricity surging from two 10,000-kilowatt generators. Then he stepped to a microphone and spoke briefly in his native tongue on a nation-wide broadcast.

“Pride and humility mingle in our hearts today,” he said. “We red Americans are glad to join the white Americans to celebrate the beginning of generation of power at the largest plant in the world.”

Organization of the Weatherwax Civic Promoters, senior boys’ promotion group, was announced today by Chairman Harry Goldstein. The group boasts a membership of 150, all members of J.D. Fenega’s psychology classes.

The boys are determined to obtain a running track at Stewart field and are collaborating with the civic committee directing the drive to drain and turf the gridiron.

March 24, 1941

Razing of the 50-year-old Albee hotel, landmark of early day South Bend, has been commissioned to the Grays Harbor Wrecking company of Aberdeen. The Albee spread its hospitable portals first in the boom days of the early ’90s.

Its bar and dining room were famous and its hospitality was known from San Francisco to Nome.

Construction of an annex to the south side fire station to house the South Aberdeen branch library and “Old Tiger,” famed early-day pumper, will get under way soon, Councilman C. Victor Morrison announced today.

The library will be next to the station. “Old Tiger’s” sanctuary will be glassed in so the venerable pumper and its hose cart can be seen from three sides. Morrison said they will be clearly visible to motorists crossing the West bridge.

March 25, 1941

Starting Friday, men on the Moon Island airport project will work 48 hours a week, H.R. McKay, project engineer, said today.

The increase from six to eight hours a day will affect about 160 men. Twelve carpenters were added to the project today.

Men on the project will work on a two-shift basis, six days a week with the first crew starting at 5 o’clock in the morning and the second at about 11.

March 26, 1941

A basking shark, one of the largest of the shark family, was found washed up on the beach between Copalis and Pacific Beach yesterday by state highway department employees and identified by W.M. Chapman, state biologist. It was estimated to weigh about three tons, almost 30 feet in length.

This type of shark is not common in this locality, usually inhabiting the northern Pacific and Atlantic oceans.

March 27, 1941

First timbers were raised today at the site of Montesano’s new athletic stadium as WPA project supervisor C.E. Green, and the foreman, H.H. Hartley directed hoisting of the timbers into place. These had been cut on the ground and rapid progress was made in putting them up.

The new stadium grandstand will seat more than 1,400 people. The field, which will be turfed, is almost entirely leveled and a bulldozer is preparing it for the top soil dressing which will be started this week.

60 YEARS AGO

March 22, 1966

Twelve members of the special citizens committee appointed to advise the Grays Harbor County Commissioners on plans for courthouse and jail remodeling and renovation, and several county officials, were given a tour of the recently donated Schafer property adjacent to the courthouse, by John Close of the Schafer family.

The group explored the immaculate old home from top to bottom, marveling at the fine detail work of fireplaces, banisters, ornate wallpaper, beautiful bathroom fixtures, a spacious book-lined study and huge basement rumpus room, complete with a unique myrtle wood bar.

Which way to best utilize the property now presents a real dilemma for the county commissioners and their advisory group. “It would certainly seem a shame to tear it all down,” commented one visitor.

March 23, 1966

A program designed to orient Harbor youngsters with the fundamentals of wrestling gets off the ground Saturday with the first of a series of classes slated for Sam Benn Gym.

Sponsored by the Grays Harbor Junior Chamber of Commerce, the “Kid Wrestling” program will be offered free of charge to youngsters in the third through the ninth grade.

Providing instruction will be Dewey Van Dinter, Curtis Byrnes and Gary Frey, head coaches respectively at Aberdeen and Hoquiam High Schools and Grays Harbor College.

March 24, 1966

Emerson PTA’s annual carnival, a gala occasion for both children and adults, will be an event of tomorrow night at the school, Principal W. G. Grekow and PTA President Rolf Espedal have announced.

The event will include the balloon dart game, rollo game, baseball throw, wheel of fortune, cake walk, duck dip, egg roll, money tree ring toss and pound a nail.

March 25, 1966

A “Pat Boone Celebrity” golf tournament has been scheduled for Jun 24-26 at the Ocean Shores course and will attract a planeload of entertainment stars, tourney director Bud Higgins announced Friday. The invitation list includes such stars as Bob Hope, Phil Harris, Jackie Gleason, James Garner and Joe DiMaggio. Higgins said “most of these guys are nuts about golf and will be here if they can.”

March 26, 1966

William (Bill) Meyer, a former Grizzly athlete, has resigned as head basketball coach at Hoquiam High School, Supt. William F. Bohrnsen announced yesterday afternoon.

Meyer, who guided the Hoquiam cage fortunes for four years winning one Northern Division championship, resigned to concentrate his efforts at the junior high teaching level in recognition of a pending school district program striving to have all high school coaches teach at the upper level.

In his four years as head coach, Meyer’s Grizzlies placed first, second, third and fourth in the Northern Division race.

35 YEARS AGO

March 22, 1991

Hoquiam High School’s “Tribute to the American Patriot” is set for 7 p.m. Sunday at the 7th Street Theatre. All Harborites are invited to the free event, one of a variety of activities scheduled during the city’s “Welcome Home” celebration for the troops of Operation Desert Storm. The choir has joined forces with Channel Point Village and some Vietnam veterans in a day-long victory celebration. The events will include a rally and the re-decoration of Riverside Dike.

March 23, 1991

Two Aberdeen businessmen with a yen for yachting and an eye for opportunity have launched a boat-building experiment on the east bank of the Wishkah River.

Dick Houghton, the Texaco distributor on Grays Harbor, and John Shaw, a former commodities trader, have formed Shaw Boats Inc.

They’re tinkering with computer modeling and vacuum clamping in what could be a breakthrough in wooden boat building.

Dennis “Swede” Pratt knows how to go more than the extra mile. Friday he completed a 65-mile walk to help a little boy in need.

But the bone-tired Pratt expressed disappointment Friday afternoon after sore kneecaps and “blisters on my blisters” cut his 76-mile odyssey short.

Still, Pratt’s sixth annual walk to raise money for a child with medical problems beat last year’s record by five miles.

“I’m hurting. I’m really hurting … It was cold. It hailed on us,” he related after riding in a car the last few miles to the Ocean Spray plant at Markham.

But when he spied 3-year-old Marshal Jones, a smile quickly brightened his face.

Jamie and Gail Jones’ blonde son was recently diagnosed with cystic fibrosis and Pratt’s walk was to raise money for future medical expenses. Late Friday afternoon, $2,654 had come in for the Wishkah Valley boy.

March 24, 1991

• Hopeful of launching a new lease on life for the Grays Harbor Historical Seaport, the crew of the Lady Washington cast off Saturday morning for a 100-day voyage to Puget Sound and Vancouver Island.

A handful of well-wishers, including the Aberdeen High School band, were on hand to wish bon voyage to the vessel, which is making its first voyage out of the Harbor since 1989.

The vessel, which cast off with some 25 Tacoma teachers bound for a day of whale watching, was to dock at Westport last night. It was to resume the trip early this morning.

March 25, 1991

His shrapnel wounds are healing, but the emotional scars from the Persian Gulf War run deep with Corporal Calvin D. Clark of Axford Prairie.

Clark was wounded last month in a skirmish with Iraqi soldiers. His left arm bears a huge purple scar from his wrist to his elbow.

Still, it’s the emotional wounds that hurt the worst, and there’s few things that can soothe that sort of pain, says Clark, a tall, husky man who’s feeling a lot older than his 21 years lately.

But the Hoquiam High School Choir and the audience that filled the 7th Street Theatre Sunday night were a reminder that the folks back home were solidly behind him.

Corporal Clark, along with Airman 1st Class Jon Smith of Wishkah and Navy Petty Officer 2nd Class Steven Dayton of Hoquiam, stood proudly on stage as the packed house rose enthusiastically to its feet. The three were presented with sweatshirts from Operation Support as the choir sang” Candle on the Water.”

“It was tremendous,” Clark said afterward.

March 26, 1991

Responding to a challenge by the Hoquiam Police Officers’ Association, Mayor Phyllis Shrauger said Monday night that the city has determined that it did not, in fact, strictly follow Civil Service guidelines in hiring a new police chief.

The mayor’s appointment last week of Lt. J. Scott Finlayson of Logan, Utah, is therefore technically invalid according to Hoquiam’s new city attorney.

But the City Council last night unanimously adopted an ordinance that removes the chief’s position from the Civil Service system and gives a mayor the power to appoint a chief with the advice and consent of the council.

Allowing a 5-day waiting period for the ordinance to take effect, Mrs. Shrauger has called a special council meeting for next Monday night and intends to reappoint Finlayson without undertaking a new interview process.

March 27, 1991

If it’s March, there must be hummingbirds near. Each year about this time the first of the hummingbirds arrive on the Harbor from their wintering grounds in Central and South America.

The truth is, hummers prefer flowers over sugar water feeders and if your garden is not hummingbird friendly with lots of flowers, you probably won’t have much luck attracting them. They are known to prefer fuchsias, honeysuckles, foxgloves and most flowering bushes.

Andy Kaiyala doubled home the winning run in the seventh inning Tuesday as Hoquiam came from behind to take a 5-4 Black Hills League basketball victory over Capital.

Walks to Rick Curtis, Rick Manwell and Larry Paladin loaded the bases and Curtis tallied on a wild pitch. Kaiyala then doubled home Manwell with the winning marker.

The sterling relief of Shane Brown and a big stick wielded by Don Marbut lifted Aberdeen to an 8-5 Black Hills League baseball win over Elma Tuesday in the frigid sunshine of Pioneer Park.

Brown came on in relief of starter and winner Chris Eisele with the bases loaded in the fifth inning, nobody out and the Cats leading 8-4. The senior lefthander got out of that pickle with only one more run scoring, then set the side down in order in the sixth and seventh. He finished with five strikeouts and gave up just one walk in his three innings pitched.

Compiled from the archives of The Daily World by Karen Barkstrom, Editorial Assistant at The Daily World. You can contact her at karen.barkstrom@thedailyworld.com or call her at 360-537-3925.