In this installment of A Look Back in Time, the Thursday, Sept. 20, 1945, edition of The Chronicle featured a story about American Legion members unanimously approving a resolution demanding former Centralia Police Chief Milton Jastram be reinstated as chief following his discharge from World War II service in the U.S. Navy — after a petition had been circulated advocating for interim Centralia Police Chief Otto Rucker to retain the role.
A formal dedication ceremony marking the completion of four new buildings at W.F. West High School in Chehalis was scheduled according to the Monday, Sept. 20, 1965, edition of The Chronicle.
And in the Saturday, Sept. 20, 1975, edition of The Chronicle, it was reported that a petition to change the name of the newly christened Davisson Lake in East Lewis County to Riffe Lake was gaining momentum.
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, Sept. 20, 1935
• Rebuilding of the Ceres Bridge, along with other road construction projects around Lewis County, were underway, The Chronicle reported. “Frank Pakar has begun reconstruction of the Ceres Bridge across the Chehalis River. Next week W.O. Salesky expects to start extensive reconstruction of the Claquato Bridge across the same stream. Hendricks and Company has the heavy course of crushed rock surfacing laid on the Vader-Wildwood Highway and it will not be possible to finish this even should rainy weather continue.” Surfacing work on Tauscher Road between the Logan Hill and Coal Creek districts was also being carried out to create a loop connecting to the Pacific Highway. Additionally, work was scheduled to connect Brockway and Jeffries roads with Bowman road. The cost of all of these projects involved “expenditures of several thousand dollars.”
• The City of Centralia received a check for $1,031.38 from the Washington State Liquor Control Board, which was the city’s share of the 1935 third quarter apportionment of liquor sales tax profits. “The liquor board earlier stated that this week’s distribution of profits would be the last under the statutory provisions splitting profits on a 50-50 basis. The next distribution, in December, will be made under a new law allotting 70% to the state general fund, mainly to cover old age pensions, and 30% to the counties and cities. The board declares, however, its December distribution will be considerably larger, and cities and counties will receive from their 30% share as much as they have been receiving under the 50% allotment.”
• Lewis County commissioners unveiled the county’s tentative budget for 1936, The Chronicle reported. “Total estimated county expenditures for 1936, according to the tentative budget as announced by the county commissioners, is $401,678.39. Hearings on the budget will begin Monday, Oct. 7, at 10 a.m.”
• A 1924 Buick sedan was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $35.
Thursday, Sept. 20, 1945
• Members of the American Legion Grant Hodge Post #17 in Centralia unanimously passed a resolution decrying a petition that had been going around town with the recommendation the Centralia City Commission retain Otto Rucker as the city’s police chief over rehiring former chief Milton Jastram, The Chronicle reported. Jastram had left the department to serve in the U.S. Navy during World War II, and had received an honorable discharge in August 1945 allowing him to return to Centralia. Rucker had been serving as interim police chief in Jastram’s absence. “In voicing opposition to the petitions, the Legionnaires declared the petitions do not publicly state the definite reason for their circulation; ‘The Post believes the general public has a right to know the reasons for such an action involving its public officials, and views the action as discrimination against not only the veteran in question, but against all veterans of all wars.’ … The petitions seeking the return of Patrolman Otto Rucker to the office of chief were first circulated in the business district, and during the past week have been taken to the residential areas for signatures. The total number of signers is not known and, although the petitions are directed to the city commission, they have not been presented to that body.” The federal Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act — which guarantees a service member is entitled to the same position, or a comparable one, at their old job prior to entering the service upon their discharge — was not signed into law until 1994.
• Mary MacDonald and her daughter Frances Davis stopped in Centralia for breakfast while on a 1,600 mile horseback ride from Seattle back to their home in Santa Cruz, California, The Chronicle reported. “The pair was in Centralia and Chehalis some weeks ago on the last leg of their jaunt northward to Seattle, where Mrs. MacDonald saw her only grandchild. The northward trip, started June 7, took 74 days, the mother and daughter arriving in Seattle on Aug. 14, the day before V-J (Victory in Japan) Day. They do not hurry, averaging from 15 to 20 miles a day on their two 16-year-old horses. They said that when they planned the venture they had sought younger horses on the basis of performance and ability to stand the trip, but had discovered the noisy highway traffic and the younger horses were an unsafe combination.”
• U.S. Army Private James Taylor was locked up in the Lewis County Jail after he was arrested in the county for allegedly driving a stolen car, The Chronicle reported. “He was picked up by the state patrol, who reported he was absent without leave from Camp Adair, Oregon, and was impersonating an army officer.” He was being held pending action by military authorities. “He was arrested by State Patrolman Marvin Paulson Tuesday evening on the Pacific Highway between Chehalis and Centralia.”
• A “modern” four-bedroom home with a full basement two blocks from downtown Chehalis was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $6,500.
Tuesday, Sept. 20, 1955
• Morton farmer Clifford Butts and his wife, Anna Butts, had been named the Lewis County Mr. and Mrs. Conservation Farmers of the Year for their work turning drained Davis Lake land into grazable dairy cattle pastures, The Chronicle reported. Davis Lake was originally drained in 1912, but some parts had reflooded until 1947 when a new tax levy was approved to fund cleaning the drainage line. “The Butts Farm on the east end of Davis Lake benefited with others in that area from the diversion of water. Butts went to work immediately on his dried out acres clearing and seeding. He now has 55 acres producing hay (and) silage, and pasture for 40 cows and 25 young stock … Butts can recall pioneer days in eastern Lewis County when horses and wagons were used to cross the numerous streams in this area. His parents settled in Bear Canyon seven miles west of Morton 37 years ago. He has five brothers, two of whom still live in Bear Canyon. Butts was married to Miss Anna Baldwin, daughter of state Sen. Charles M. Baldwin, of Pomeroy. The Butts have four children, two bows and two girls from 5 to 11 years old.”
• No changes in the medical condition of Centralia High School grid coach Harold Schrupp had been reported after he had contracted polio the previous weekend, The Chronicle reported. “The 26-year-old coach, the county’s 11th polio victim of the year, is in the Lewis County General Hospital. Because of his close contact with high school students, Centralia High School officials, as a safety measure to prevent over-exertion by students, have cancelled all physical education classes and football activities for a week.”
• Federal funding to rebuild the state highway between Randle and Packwood had been secured according to U.S. Rep. Russell Mack, The Chronicle reported. “The relocated highway will extend from Randle to the Cora Bridge, which spans the Cowlitz River. The state highway department has already surveyed the route which is along the valley, and the construction work is to be in charge of the Federal Bureau of Public Roads. Congressman Mack said the federal government is to pay one-half of the project cost.”
• A one-bedroom home on a “large lot” with a garden in Centralia was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $3,900. A three-bedroom unfurnished home in Centralia was listed for rent for $58 a month.
Monday, Sept. 20, 1965
• A formal dedication ceremony for four new additions to W.F. West High School in Chehalis was scheduled for Sept. 28 according to Chehalis School District Superintendent Chester Rhodes, The Chronicle reported. Construction on the four additions had begun the previous year. “The new facilities include an eight-room addition with (a) language lab, photo lab, physics room, restrooms and large lecture room with seating capacity for 196; two shop additions for the agriculture, woodworking, metal working, automotive and electronics classes; and a teachers’ center near (the) front office which includes (an) audio visual library and restrooms. The additions were financed by a $608,000 bond issue approved by school district patrons in May 1963. State matching funds provided the remainder of funds.”
• Chehalis youth Tom Martin led his dairy judging team to a first place win at the Western Washington Fair in Puyallup’s Future Farmers of America (FFA) dairy judging contest, The Chronicle reported. “Martin is the high point boy in the state and will head a state dairy judging team in competition at the National Dairy Congress next week at Waterloo, Iowa. Oscar Fagerness, W.F. West High School FFA chapter advisor, will be coach for the dairy judging team to leave next Monday for Iowa … The Chehalis FFA boys won first place in a competition with 52 other FFA chapters from throughout the state.”
• A “modern” home with two fireplaces, a recreation room, outbuildings and a guest cabin on six acres of land 15 minutes from Chehalis was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $17,500. A two-bedroom home in Chehalis near W.F. West High School was listed for rent for $85 a month.
Saturday, Sept. 20, 1975
• Following the construction of the Mossyrock Dam, a petition to change the name of the newly created reservoir originally called Davisson Lake to Riffe Lake, was gaining momentum, The Chronicle reported. The new lake had been originally named after former Tacoma City Light commissioner Ira Davisson. “Spearheaded by Lewis County historian Mrs. (Marjorie) Aldrich and Morton City Councilman Jim Marvin, who also edits the weekly Morton Journal, an area campaign to localize the name of the 23-mile reservoir behind Mossyrock Dam has proven to be a serious one which may receive approval in December.” Adlrich and Marvin wanted to change the name to Riffe Lake to honor both the now submerged town of Riffe and the Riffe family which the town was named after. “Further, they point out that the lake was named by Tacoma City Light without public hearings involving area residents. Also, a smaller lake near Morton, Davis Lake, causes confusion between the two bodies of water since Davis Lake is only three miles from Davisson Lake.” Lewis County officials had already met with members of the Washington state Board on Geographic Names in Seattle on the issue too. “Lewis County Commission Chair Harold Cooper, who spoke on behalf of Riffe proponents at the Seattle hearing, argued the change was not advocated with animosity toward Tacoma City Light, but rather because the lake should be named for the community it inundated.” The final decision on the lake’s name was set to be made in December.
• The Chronicle ran a feature story written by associate editor Hal D. Steward on Nino “Ciye” Cochise, a 101-year-old Willcox, Arizona resident “related by blood to two of America’s most historically famous Indian chieftains. For Nino Cochise is the grandson of Apache Chieftain Cochise and the nephew of the infamous Chiricahua warrior Geronimo. Today he lives here in southeastern Arizona only a short distance — about 40 miles — from Tombstone, -the town too tough to die.’ It was a year before silver miner Ed Schieffelin founded Tombstone that Nino Cochise, a two-year-old Apache boy, was exiled to Mexico with his mother to escape the U.S. Cavalry — that was in 1876, 99 years ago. So Nino wasn’t around on the afternoon of Oct. 26, 1881, to witness the legendary gunfight between Wyatt Earp, his brothers and Doc Holiday; and Ike Clanton, his son, Billy, and the Lowery brothers, Frank and Tom. But Tombstone, which was founded in 1877, sat on land once owned and lived upon by Nino’s people, the Chiricahua Apaches. Not long ago Nino was given a five-acre parcel of land not far from the Dragoon Mountains in southeastern Arizona, the old Cochise stronghold. It was all a publicity stunt by a land developer. Nevertheless, the land and the stronghold were once the home of Chief Cochise and his people, the fierce warriors who for years engaged in campaigns against the U.S. Army. ‘It has always been my dream to own a piece of land near the stronghold where I was born and to live out the rest of my days in the homeland of my people,’ Nino said.” The feature went on in detail about Nino’s past and the history of both the Chiricahua Apaches and the men involved in the infamous Tombstone shootout. “It is over the same ground on which Tombstone still stands today, one of Arizona’s biggest tourist attractions, that one roamed Nino Cochise’s people. Nino Cochise is America’s last man who can bridge with the living memory of those wild days of the western frontier. And today he’s here in Willcox ready to share his memories, and his 101 years of experience, with those who stop by to see him.”
• A three-bedroom home on 10 acres on the banks of the Chehalis River near the Rainbow Falls State Park was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $29,000. A one-bedroom apartment in Rochester was listed for rent for $139 a month.
