Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891
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American Legion Crab & Oyster Feed Saturday evening was quite a delight for the supporters of the annual American Legion crab and oyster dinner. Some of those who live on the east side of KM were not aware that as of approximately four p.m., Friday the highway was open to single lane traffic. They took the ferry to Westport then on to Astoria to cross the bridge to come back to Rosburg. That is a two hour drive one way. Fortunately they had a shorter ride back over KM. Dale Rose informed me that...
SR 4 to Open As of Sunday afternoon SR 4 was still closed, yet a single lane had been prepared for traffic with the automatic signal light at each side of the slide area. A worker on site informed me that the road may be open this week, but not to quote him. Celeste Dimichina from the WSDOT southwest office in Vancouver informed me on Monday morning that as far as she knew the highway would still be closed indefinitely. By the time readers get this story the road could be open, but with more rain expected, only God really knows. Dimichina sent...
GRAYS RIVER (Jan. 27) -- Washington State Department of Transportation (WSDOT) has indicated to those who travel State Route 4 near West Fork Creek on the east side of KM Mountain should plan ahead for a prolonged closure. Last Thursday, a good sized portion of an adjacent hillside slid carrying rocks, mud and trees onto the roadway at mile point 25.5. On Friday, WSDOT personnel at the site said the hillside is actively moving and too unstable and saturated from heavy rainfall to safely clear an...
Flooding in Grays River Every year the rains bring the chance of flooding to the Grays River watershed along with landslides. This is the beginning of a new year and we have had both. It is one thing to be isolated because of the flooding, but the major landslide on SR 4 blocked everyone from going east. I was not able to travel anywhere and I live near the Methodist Church in Grays River. Adam Storm sent me a pic from his cannabis store with the intention for me to come down and see it for...
Woodworker Extraordinaire Nobody at the Art Show at the Grange would have any idea the impact that the show would have on me. After talking with the artists and others, it occurred to me that there is so much talent in the Westend that it fathoms the imagination. The genius that is in the Westend has been hidden in plain sight. When all those around you can do generously amazing things with their talents, it goes unnoticed because it is so common. One of those talented woodworkers extraordinaire...
First freshet brings opportunity Every once in a while the Grays River overflows its banks and sends thousands of cubic feet of water and debris downstream. The first freshet of 2020 brought not only flooding to the Westend, but an opportunity for a few to pull things from Grays River that has value. About 30 yards west of Duffy's on Friday afternoon I saw Wes Ware and Nick Hummer on a very large cedar log near the bank on the river. Their opportunity was to get this valuable cedar out of the...
Navy Boxing Team Hawaii 1940 When I was six years old, my brother and I got a Christmas present we would never forget, two pairs of boxing gloves. These red gloves had a white face on the front with the picture of Gene Tunney on one glove and Jack Dempsey on the other. I had no idea at the time that these men were ex-boxing champions and no idea what the gloves were for. We found out real quick. My dad brought all the boys in the neighborhood to try to box each other. It sure was an odd way to...
Civilian Conservation Corps in Washington The New Deal was a series of programs and projects established during the Great Depression by President Franklin D. Roosevelt that intended to return prosperity to the American people. During the first eight years of the Roosevelt administration, the government instituted a series of New Deal projects and programs, such as the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The Civilian Conservation Corps was a national public work relief program that operated from 1933-1942 to provide jobs for many Americans....
Smalley Family Legacy Part III Who was Frank Smalley and why was he so important to this community? The census records up to 1920 state that he was only a farmer. He was more than just a farmer. Newspaper records tell a different story. From The Daily Astorian, Nov. 15, 1907: Frank Smalley, the Frankfort logger disposed of his Young's River interests and will devote himself to the operation of his north shore properties for the future. From the Oregonian, April 5, 1919, for sale: Cafeteria with...
It is that time of year again and Grays River Grange #124 held their annual Christmas potluck with caroling, gift exchanges, numerous raffle drawings, and a visit from Santa. The food was sensational as well as a large variety of desserts. The Grange wasn't filled to capacity, but there would have been more food anyway even if the Grange was filled to capacity. No one person went away hungry. Grange Master Krist Novoselic was a great host who kept the evening lively even though the crowd was...
Smalley Family Legacy Part II When the Smalley family left for Oregon in 1865 with three small children and Martha pregnant, most wagon trains leaving Missouri for Oregon left in April because if they left in March, they would get some winter weather which would stall them in the beginning. They would want to leave as early as possible so they would get very little winter at the end. It normally took four to six months to cross the length of the Oregon Trail with wagons pulled by oxen. Before...
When I first arrived at the Appelo Archives Museum my thoughts were to get photos of Santa and the children and write a few words about the event in Downriver Dispatches and that would be the end of it. As I listened to Anita Raistakka tell the true story of this incredible woman, Santa Lucia, I realized that she was the real story and the celebration of her was like the icing on a wonderful cake. The custom of Santa Lucia originated in Sweden and is celebrated in Nordic countries, although...
Smalley Family Legacy, Part I This is by no means a complete story of this strong pioneer family, but will serve to illustrate the depths of love this family endured never knowing that their name would echo in history. This story has its roots in England and Ireland, yet continues this day in Wahkiakum County. I would like to say a specific thanks to Bonnie LaDoe, an 82 year old native Portlander and Grays River wannabe, who provided me with many photos and information that helped me in...
Altoona In the 1830's the Altoona site was used by the Hudson's Bay Company as a fish receiving station and saltery, an establishment in which fish are salted for market. William Hume, a long-time fish entrepreneur, and his brothers George, Joseph, and Robert, opened a fish receiving station. William Hume established the first salmon cannery on the Columbia River at Eagle Cliff in 1866. The Hume brothers would go on to own half of the 35 canneries on the Columbia River. By the end of 1867 more...
From Crooked Creek to Eden For the early pioneers coming into Wahkiakum County, the perspective of paradise was to be found in the land. This was to be their little piece of heaven. Around 1875, the only people living on Crooked Creek were Matt Lamby and his brother Joab with his family. Joab cleared the land at the mouth of Crooked Creek all the way to the landing. He was the first to do hand logging. The Foster family was the next early pioneers to move into Crooked Creek and made a trail to...
Wahkiakum County and Pacific County in the past were mainly connected by the waterways. It would not be until the late 1930s that Longview would be connected to the coast. River life would slowly disintegrate to the present state that the only craft going up these creeks and rivers are small boats, jet skis, canoes, kayaks, and homemade rafts. The waterways are no longer dredged for commercial service to the community. Trucks for the most part do all the necessary deliveries to the community as...
As I walked down the hallway at Naselle High School to their gymnasium last Friday, I was focused only on where to get the best pictures without disturbing their ceremony. As I was approaching the entrance to the gym, it suddenly hit me that it had been 50 years since I was drafted into the United States Army. As I took many pictures of the veterans and heard their stories, I was almost overcome with a multitude of diverse emotions. Like many veterans from the Vietnam War era, I never received...
A Historical Synopsis of Thanksgiving Everyone looks at Thanksgiving from a different perspective. To me it comes down to what are we really thankful for. For others it takes on a reverent religious meaning. Today Thanksgiving is our national holiday and occurs this year on Thursday, Nov. 28. In 1621, the Plymouth colonists and Wampanoag Indians shared an autumn harvest feast that is recognized by most as the first Thanksgiving. For over two centuries, Thanksgiving was celebrated by individual...
Halloween in the Westend The ancient Celtic festival of Samhain (pronounced sow-in) is the origin of Halloween nearly 2,000 years ago in the area that is now Ireland, the United Kingdom and northern France. They celebrated their new year on November 1. This was the day that marked the end of summer and harvest and the beginning of the dark, cold winter. It was a time of year that was often associated with human death. The Celts believed that the night before the New Year, the border between the...
Volunteers in a Little Piece of Heaven It is really hard to put into writing or words to describe how living in this county with so many wonderful people has brought so many changes to this community as well as to my life. I include those that I have met from Pacific County as well. Although I came from a small community in the Pacific Northwest, I spent a good part of my life living in large cities such as Los Angeles, Chicago, and Tulsa. Every large city comes with its assets and liabilities,...
The war in Vietnam was no different than any other war with the exception that when these veterans returned home, there was not a welcoming with a throng of people waving flags and a brass band playing. This happened to thousands upon thousands of men and women who proudly served our country with honor and distinction. Many of these honorable people went to their graves without ever really getting the recognition they deserved. Thanks to Puget Sound Honor Flight that has changed for some. I was...
Appelo Archives Harvest Auction Karl Arthur Appelö (he changed his name to Carl) was born on February 17, 1890 in the parish of Sideby on the western coast of Finland into a Swedish-Finn family. Although the farm was located on a small island before the coastal land rose to its current level to the coast of Sweden, the word "Appelö" means "Apple Island" in Swedish. A mixture of circumstances in Finland a century ago forced many of its people to leave their native land. This happened to Carl A...
Invasive Species My late father was an outdoorsman typical of many who live in the Pacific Northwest. He loved to hunt and fish or just go hiking in the woods. As a child he made me very aware of the plants around us and their various uses. He would tell me what could be eaten and what certain plants such as poison oak would do to you if you used it as a toiletry item. Such knowledge stayed with me through my brief military career which further enhanced my curiosity about plants. I never became...
The Berries that Changed History We live in an area that appears to remain unchanged as we go about our daily activities traveling the area. We have a tendency to take for granted what we see around us. Did you ever wonder how certain plants got here that you know were not indigenous to the area? Some blackberries are native to the area and some are from foreign sources. In Wahkiakum and Pacific counties blackberries are as much a part of the view as the Columbia River, these twisting brambles a...
Ghosts of Grays River: The Jesse Baker Jr. Saga, Part II Grays River has been home to some of the most illustrious people who for the most part have become unknown to but a few. This all changed for me, a relative newcomer who by nature is curious. Finding the Walker home's partial history led to the discovery of the abandoned Walker Cemetery and the lost graves of the Baker family who became the ghosts of Grays River. It is almost impossible to understand what goes through the mind of a man...
