In this installment of A Look Back in Time, the Saturday, July 10, 1926, edition of The Chronicle featured a story about Timber League baseball team Aberdeen Black Cats president Wallace Briggs trying to relocate the Kelso Timberwolves, another Timber League franchise, to Chehalis, with an announcement made the next day the franchise would move to the Mint City.
Skippy the dog gave his life to save his family from a house fire in McCleary, according to the Wednesday, July 11, 1956, edition of The Chronicle.
And in the Monday, July 11, 1966, edition of The Chronicle, it was reported that Mossyrock resident Earl Anderson conducted a citizen’s arrest on three men he had accused of petty theft for stealing cascara bark the previous day.
Some Sunday and holiday editions were not in the archives, so stories from the previous days’ editions have been featured instead. When The Chronicle was still a daily newspaper, Sunday editions were often reprints of Saturday editions, unless major breaking news needed to be reported.
A Look Back in Time is compiled using microfilm archives at The Chronicle, physical copies stored at the Lewis County Historical Museum — located at 599 NW Front St. in Chehalis — and digital archives on newspapers.com.
Saturday, July 10, 1926
• Aberdeen Black Cats president Wallace Briggs was in contact with baseball enthusiasts in Chehalis to make arrangements for Chehalis to be the new home of the Kelso Timberwolves, another baseball team alongside the Black Cats in the now-defunct Timber League, The Chronicle reported. The Timber League was an independent, semi-professional baseball league with teams throughout the region from the 1920s through the 1940s. “W.W. Briggs, president of the Aberdeen ball team, telephoned yesterday asking for a conference here with local ball enthusiasts, at which he expects to close arrangements for Chehalis to take over Kelso’s Timber League franchise. Manager (A.J.) Branscom of Kelso returned to Chehalis yesterday afternoon and discussed the subject further with local fans. The Federal Light & Traction Company, with which President Briggs is associated, has plans to begin a $15,000,000 hydro-electric industry in Mayfield Canyon near Chehalis shortly and he believes employees of the company would add sufficiently to local patronage to insure financial success of league baseball in Chehalis.” The next day it was announced the Mint City was awarded the franchise, to be known as the Chehalis Timberwolves with Joe Schuss being named the team’s new president, according to the Sunday, July 11, 1926, edition of The Tacoma Daily Ledger.
• A “modern,” furnished seven-room home “on highway at Grand Mound” was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for “$400 down.” Chinchilla rabbits were listed for sale for $5 for two-month old rabbits, $10 for four-month-olds and $15 for “bred does, all from registered stock.”
Saturday, July 11, 1936
• Just over a week after the sale of the Central Cheese Company to Jacob S. Griffiths of Seattle was announced as featured in last week’s Look Back, Griffiths himself sold the business to another cheese producer, The Chronicle reported. “Sale of the Central Cheese Company’s plant on Ninth Street to the Imperial Cheese Factory and Creamery Company of East Stanwood and Everson, was announced yesterday. John and Patrick Castrilli, operators, made the purchase from J.S. Griffiths, who purchased the plant two weeks ago from Emil Spahr and A.N. Thompson. Spahr is to remain as manager of the local plant. The new owners, who have operated their two other plants for the past four years, said today that they would manufacture butter, as well as cheese, at the local plant. Enlargements are to be made in the near future. The plant now employs eight persons at the present time. Two milk checks per month will be issued.”
• The Chronicle featured an Associated Press story about Chehalis Postmaster Lloyd Sullivan being selected to be president of the Washington state chapter of the new National Postmasters' Association at its convention in Yakima, where U.S. Postmaster General James Farley was endorsed by the Washington state postmasters and San Francisco Postmaster William H. McCarthy. “‘Farley is the most competent leader the post office has ever had and there never was a better American citizen than the Roosevelt campaign manager,’ declared McCarthy. Ben Sawyer, Olympia, offered the resolution of confidence in the postmaster general. The Washington chapter of the new National Postmasters’ Association elected Lloyd Sullivan, Chehalis, president; Gus Dahlsted, Anacortes, James C. Howarth, Parker, and Mrs. Alive Selbie, Carbonado, vice presidents; Vaughn Brown, Bellingham, secretary (re-elected) and Harold Kreidel, Cle Elum, treasurer. Oscar Foster, Hoquiam, was endorsed as state director of the national association. The executive committee will award the 1937 session to Wenatchee, Bellingham or Centralia, the three cities which have extended invitations.”
• Eight-week-old pullets were listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $0.50 each. “You pick them” pie cherries were listed for $0.02 a pound.
Thursday, July 11, 1946
• Arthur S. Cory, George R. Thompson and former Centralia Mayor Ray W. Sprague were all chosen by Lewis County Republican voters to be general election candidates for state representatives in the 1937 state Legislature during a primary election held on Tuesday, The Chronicle reported. They were among 15 candidates featured on the front page including candidates for other federal, state, judicial and county offices. “Cory and Thompson were renominated by the county’s Republican for state representative, and Sprague, former Centralia mayor, was their third selection.”
• The Chronicle featured an Associated Press story about three employees being injured after a “terrific gas blast that rocked the Longview-Kelso area during the early morning hours” at the Western Gas Company plant and nearby Ecco Frozen Foods Company plant. “Most seriously injured in the explosion was Ted Pare, who was burned about the head and body. Others hurt were William Allen, night foreman at the Ecco plant, and Maude Williamson, who was packing berries at the plant. Both sustained cuts from flying glass. (Longview) Fire Chief Harry H. Clarke said the blast apparently resulted from a leak in the gas plant equipment, sending up a huge flash of flame and spreading fire through the building. The impact also shattered the office building of the Ecco plant, some 150 feet distant, and ripped panels from doors and broke windows throughout the food processing plant. Some 50 women, employed in the berry packing operations, had a narrow escape from possible injuries, as they were about to go off shift and would have walked into the area where the impact was believed to be the heaviest.”
• A seven-room house which “needs repairs” with a small barn and timber on 280 acres of land “between Tenino and Offut Lake” was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $3,000.
Wednesday, July 11, 1956
• Skippy the dog gave his life to save his family, Olive “Louise” Sanders and her six children, from a house fire in McCleary, The Chronicle reported. “Skippy, the Clarence Sanders’ family dog, gave his life to save Mrs. Sanders and her six small children when the house on First Street was destroyed by fire. Crackling of the burning shingle roof woke the dog, who had been put outside for the night. He leaped inside through an open window, barking frantically. Mrs. Sanders awoke, got the children together and helped them out the window while the dog watched, quietly. But Skippy was forgotten in the hurry to get outside. Firemen found his body in a corner of the room.”
• Lewis County Sheriff’s Office deputies announced that the old safe inside the “abandoned” Ben Topelt jewelry store in Doty had been broken into sometime in the past two weeks, The Chronicle reported. “Sheriff’s Deputy Henry Brown, who investigated the break-in, said it was definitely an ‘amateur job.’ Brown said he believed the work on the safe had been on for some time, as indicated by the marks on the safe. Damage or loss, he said, was believed to be confined to the safe itself. Topelt reported there was nothing of value in the safe. Sheriff’s officers, who believed the safe was opened by neighborhood youngsters, are continuing their investigation.”
• A five-room “modern” home with a garage, barn, woodshed and large orchard on 20 acres of land in Dryad was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $3,200. A furnished two-room apartment at the LeMac Apartments on 106 E. First St. in Centralia was listed for rent for $35 a month.
Monday, July 11, 1966
• Mossyrock resident Earl Anderson carried out a citizen’s arrest on three men he had accused of petty theft the previous day, The Chronicle reported. “Three young men accused of stealing cascara bark were arrested Sunday by a Mossyrock citizen and charged with petit larceny. Held in custody in the Lewis County Jail Monday in lieu of $200 bail each are Charles G. Haller, Marion, Oregon, Edward Pearsall, 18, Project City, California, and Dale R. Ivy, also of California. Making the citizen’s arrest was Earl Anderson on the Birley Road. Trials are pending in the Morton Justice Court of Judge Sue Inglasbe.”
• A Kosmos logging sport athlete was among those who performed in London, England for the royal princess the previous week, The Chronicle reported. “Kelly Stanley, the Kosmos speedclimber, performed logging feats in London before Princess Margaret (Rose of York) last Thursday as part of a series of exhibitions in Great Britain. Stanley, writing from England, said he was scheduled to perform in the Royal Show of England last week. At the time he wrote, he said he had taken part in one show ‘and everything went okeh.’”
• A three-bedroom home listed as only two-and-a-half years old on one acre of land “two miles southwest (of) Randle” was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $12,500. A “house at 925 N. Tower” in Centralia was listed for rent for $35 a month for adults, or $40 a month for a family with children.
Monday, July 12, 1976
• Employees returned to work at the RWD Manufacturing Co. plant in Randle and the Tubafor Mill in Morton after the Association of Western Pulp and Paper Workers union reached a contract settlement with the Weyerhaeuser Company which also reopened Weyerhaeuser mills throughout Washington and Oregon, The Chronicle reported. “The six (Weyerhaeuser) plants were shut down June 24 when negotiations collapsed. The new pact, retroactive to March 15, calls for a 73.5-cent per hour raise for the first year and a 10.5% raise the second year. The contract also covers benefits, such as pension and shift differential provisions. Settlement of the strike, meanwhile, meant a return to work for employees of at least two Eastern Lewis County mills. RWD Manufacturing Co., Randle, hopes to resume full operations Tuesday, according to manager Jay Christiansen. Tubafor Mill at Morton restarted production Monday morning, said Jim Hatfield, manager. Both mills have been shut down, and part of the reason was that the mills sell chips to Weyerhaeuser facilities in Longview. With the Weyerhaeuser mills closed by the strike, there was no market for the chips. RWD Manufacturing’s 55 employees were on vacation last week, but they still lost a week’s work because of the lack of market for their chips. Hatfield said Tubafor Mill was shut down last week, but the strike was a secondary reason. The 70 employees took advantage of the situation to take vacation and paid holidays.”
• A series of five films were set to be screened at the White Pass High School in Randle on July 20 starting at 6:30 p.m., The Chronicle reported. “The free film program is sponsored by the Timberland Regional Library. ‘Olympic Elk’ is a Walt Disney True Life Adventure. The color film chronicles the yearly migration of the Olympic elk to and from their summer grazing grounds. Surfing skills are displayed in ‘Wet and Wild.’ The color film shows surfers and their foot work and body movements. The sports film is set to music. Greg Anderson performs during ‘The Stuntman.’ The film highlights the ways in which he performs his stunts and the reasons which led him to choose his profession. A cartoon about a little boy who discovers that his pet caterpillar will dance to his harmonica music is also scheduled to be shown. ‘Caterpillar’ is an animated film in color. ‘Whistle For Willie’ is an animated cartoon about a boy who tries hard to learn how to whistle for his dog.”
• A three-bedroom, four-year-old home with a two-car garage and creek access on one acre of land in Toledo was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $42,500. Two houses near the “Mellen Street Exchange” in Centralia were listed for rent for $145 and $165 a month.
