In this installment of A Look Back in Time, the Friday, Nov. 22, 1935, edition of The Chronicle featured a story about members of the Centralia Chamber of Commerce Retail Trade Committee preparing the Hub City’s third annual Turkey Day event, which included a giveaway of 100 live turkeys for Thanksgiving dinners.
The Winlock School District spelling bee team took first place at the 10th annual Lewis County Spelling Meet held at the Chehalis High School the previous day, according to the Tuesday, Nov. 22, 1955, edition of The Chronicle.
And in the Monday, Nov. 22, 1965, edition of The Chronicle, it was reported that thieves had successfully broken into the Oakes Pontiac-Oldsmobile Garage in Centralia’s safe for the second time in just over a month.
A Look Back in Time is compiled using Chronicle archives stored at the Lewis County Historical Museum — located at 599 NW Front St. in Chehalis — along with digital archives on newspapers.com.
Friday, Nov. 22, 1935
• Centralia Chamber of Commerce members were putting the final touches on the Hub City’s third annual Turkey Day celebration the next day, preparing to give away live turkeys in downtown Centralia for Thanksgiving dinners, The Chronicle reported. “Awaiting home folks and visitors are 100 turkey toms, the biggest and best the market affords, all alive and anxious to grace dinner tables on Thanksgiving Day. Turks will be awarded at 11 a.m., 2 p.m., 5 p.m. and 7:30 p.m., with a special community drawing at 2 p.m. in the city park following the regular drawing set for that hour. More than 100 Centralia merchants and professional men are sponsoring Turkey Day, led by the (Chamber) Retail Trade Committee, of which Jack McNiven is chairman. Turkey Day last year drew the biggest single-day shopping crowd Centralia has seen in years. Even bigger crowds are anticipated tomorrow.”
• Chehalis Senior High School Girls’ League members held their monthly program assembly inside the high school the previous day and celebrated Thanksgiving, The Chronicle reported. “The program was composed of a tap dance by Frances Aust, a Thanksgiving reading by Vivian Shorey, violin solo by Connie Quick accompanied by Barbara Quick, piano solo by Georgia Bright, tap dance by Betty Warneke and a saxophone solo by Fern Sorenson. Plans have been made for the Girls’ League Christmas Mixer to be given at the Cascade Gym Dec. 17. Parents of the girls will be invited to take part in the party.”
• Tenino-area tree farms were preparing to ship off Christmas trees within the next two weeks for the holiday next month, The Chronicle reported. “In addition to J.H. Hoffert and Son, the National Green Sales Company is now in the Tenino territory with an offer of four cents a bale increase over the price of previous years. The company is endeavoring to secure a minimum of ten cars, and perhaps 20, according to Irving H. Scott, field buyer. Mr. Scott, whose headquarters is at Puyallup, has had nine years of experience in the business, and is contracting cutters in the section. ‘Tenino and tributary country has produced some of the finest trees offered on the market,’ he states.”
• A used Ford Coupe “in good condition” with new tires, a new battery and new paint was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $50.
Thursday, Nov. 22, 1945
• With World War II finally over, Twin Cities residents were preparing to celebrate the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday by being thankful for peace, The Chronicle reported. “The first peacetime Thanksgiving Day in three years will be observed Thursday in the Twin Cities, where family gatherings before traditionally heavily-laden tables will highlight the annual occasion. Many family groups will be exceptionally bright with sons and fathers home from the armed forces, and, while others still await loved ones, the spirit of a peaceful day of gratefulness and thanks will be general.”
• A U.S. Army truck transporting both American soldiers and Nazi prisoners got in a roll-over wreck near Chehalis, The Chronicle reported. “An Army truck carrying three soldiers and four German prisoners of war overturned on the Pacific Highway a mile south of Chehalis Wednesday morning, but no one was injured, according to a report (from) the state patrol. The driver of the truck, Phillip J. Lynch, 26, of Fort Lewis, reported it skidded on a curve, veered off the highway and overturned in a ditch. None of the prisoners escaped.”
• Lewis County Extension Agent A.W. Holland announced plans were in the works for local cattle ranchers to be a part of the new Artificial Breeding Association for Dairy Cattle of Southwest Washington Counties, following a meeting in Chehalis, The Chronicle reported. “The association will consist of one large co-operative organization, with 11 counties being served and each acting as a unit of the organization. The site at which the bulls are to be kept has not yet been selected, but the dairymen at the Chehalis meeting chose a central committee which will soon make recommendations for the site, draw up by-laws and articles of incorporation and make plans for the functioning of the organization.”
• A six-room “modern home” with a “100 capacity hen house” and a “barn for four cows” on five and a half acres of “Chehalis river bottom” land was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $4,000.
Tuesday, Nov. 22, 1955
• The Winlock School District spelling bee team took first place at the 10th annual Lewis County Spelling Meet held at the Chehalis High School on Monday, The Chronicle reported. “Winlock spellers won the first place team trophy award, as well as the Pollie J. Smith trophy for the team showing the greatest improvement. Members of the winning Winlock Team were Janet Day, Carol Kusturin and Marcia Nordquist.” Students from throughout the rest of the county took home individual spelling awards too. “The first place gold medal award went to Dea Reimann, of Mossyrock High School. The correct spelling of “diptheria” and “kibitzer” was the deciding factor which gave the victory to Dea Heimann over second place winner Nancy Kiser, of Boistfort, who received a silver medal. Other winners included Jeanie Dipola, Napavine, third place bronze medal; Bruce Cottrell, Centralia, fourth place honorable mention, and Joan Baisley, Adna, fifth place honorable mention. Chehalis School Superintendent Chester V. Rhodes presented the awards.”
• The trial for Chehalis resident Horatio White — one of 10 people arrested in a recent federal law enforcement-led crackdown on bootleggers in Lewis County — had been delayed according to Chehalis Justice Court Judge James A. Vanderstoep, The Chronicle reported. “White, 62, is charged with possession of liquor with intent to sell, with sale of liquor by the bottle, and sale of liquor by the drink. He was one of 10 persons arrested Aug. 28 by county, state and federal authorities. Continuance of the trial of Fritz Fluckiger, 30, Route 2, Winlock, has also been extended until Dec. 20 or later, with no definite date set as yet, Vanderstoep said. Fluckiger, also arrested Aug. 28, is charged with two counts of sale of liquor by the bottle. Frank Evans, Chehalis, another bootlegging defendant in the trial series, has had no date set for his trial. He operates a Centralia tavern.”
• A three-bedroom home on Ninth Street in Chehalis was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $7,000. A two-bedroom furnished duplex with a garage in Centralia was listed for rent for $60 a month.
Monday, Nov. 22, 1965
• A Centralia dealership and service center had been targeted a second time in just over a month by thieves, The Chronicle reported. “Safe-crackers struck the Oakes Pontiac-Oldsmobile Garage in Centralia for the second time in a little over a month early Sunday morning, the intruders burning their way into the auto firm’s safe with an acetylene torch and leaving with an undetermined amount of cash. Centralia police and Lewis County sheriff’s deputies said the safe burglary was almost identical to a previous one Oct. 19 in which $1,800 in currency was taken. Officers said the building was entered through a broken window in the rear. An acetylene torch from the firm’s repair department was used to burn a hole in the safe. It was the same safe entered in the earlier break-in and which had been repaired since. A small amount of cash was taken, but no checks were stolen, police said. They added they are not certain how many persons are involved.”
• White Pass saw its first heavy snowfall of the season, The Chronicle reported. “The first real pre-winter snow hit White Pass Monday morning with state troopers reporting a temperature at 30 degrees with heavy snow continuing. Officers said there was nine inches of new snow on the highway Monday morning. The highway was bare Sunday afternoon.”
• Seedlings and seeds were being planted throughout East Lewis County by multiple entities around both Randle and Packwood, The Chronicle reported. “Snow Reforestation Co. of Portland is planting fir seedlings on 613 screws of the Randle Ranger District, under a contract with the U.S. Forest Service. Earlier, 188 acres were planted by a helicopter from Columbia Helicopters, Portland. The seed was spread at the rate of one-half pound per acre … Cispus Job Corps Center enrollees, who collected Noble fir seed earlier this fall, are now planting the seed in the Packwood Ranger District, according to John Czemerys, resource assistant. Corpsmen have ‘planted 80 acres with Noble and Douglas fir seed, and hope to plant another 80 acres.’”
• A “nice, older home” with a new roof and a “big back yard” on St. Helens Avenue in Chehalis was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $7,000. A one-bedroom furnished home in Chehalis was listed for rent for $60 a month.
Saturday, Nov. 22, 1975
• Voters in the Twin Cities approved the creation of both a new public bus system and a tax to fund it, The Chronicle reported. “It’s official. Voters in Chehalis and Centralia favor a bus system and a monthly utility tax to help pay for it. The final results of an advisory vote on a transportation system, on the November election ballot, were released late this week by the county canvassing board. Twin Cities and county officials plan to meet early next year to discuss the possibility of a transportation system between Centralia and Chehalis. The county would be involved in such a project as such a system would involve crossing county property.” The new transportation system’s wheels would officially get rolling in 1977 as Twin Transit, which was just rebranded as the Lewis County Transit in 2024, as previously reported by The Chronicle.
• The Chronicle featured an Associated Press story about a reward being offered for information leading to the recovery from a number of weapons stolen from the Ft. Lewis Military Museum two weeks prior. “Among the 23 items taken during the theft Nov. 7 or 8 was the 9mm Canadian Browning automatic pistol used during World War II by retired (U.S.) Army Chief of Staff General William Westmoreland. A spokesman said a $250 reward was being offered. Sixteen pistols, four submachine guns, two inactivated hand grenades and a German uniform with a dress sword and dagger were stolen. Westmoreland donated his pistol to the museum after he visited Ft. Lewis in 1972 to reactivate his old wartime unit, the 9th Infantry Division.”
• A four-bedroom home on four lots of property in Toledo with “lots of fruit and nut trees” and a small barn was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $22,500. A two-bedroom duplex on Long-Bell Road in Mossyrock was listed for rent for $125 a month.
