Sheriff Shoots Raccoons on Thanksgiving in 1908

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During Thanksgiving day in 1908, Sheriff Deggeller and Deputy King bagged four fat raccoons.

The officers were walking down the railroad track, whether after criminals or not, they decline to say, The Chehalis Bee-Nugget wrote. At any rate, they happened to see a coon stick his head out of a hollow stump, and all thoughts of criminals left their minds. Being Thanksgiving day, their minds were attuned to higher things anyway, and they felt pretty well disposed, even towards criminals that morning. With undignified haste they scrambled over to the hollow stump and succeeded in shooting the four coons. They strung them on a pole and brought them to Chehalis where they had a photograph taken of their kill to be used as evidence of their skill as huntsmen, should their coon story ever be disputed.

Band Boys Eat at Mr. Binkleys

120 years ago, in 1888

The Rev. C.D. Spencer, the Band Boys, and friends had a sumptuous dinner at Mr. Binkleys on Thanksgiving.

Treat the Family at the Lewis-Clark Hotel

75 years ago, in 1933

On Thanksgiving day from noon to 9 p.m., the Lewis-Clark Hotel in Centralia would serve dinner. A dance, sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce, would be from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m..

The prices were: dinner and dance, $1 per person; dinner without dance, 75 cents; dance without dinner, $1; and childrens dinner, 50 cents.

Restaurants Offer Family Thanksgiving Dinners

50 years ago, in 1958

The Lewis-Clark Hotel in Centralia offered a six-course Thanksgiving dinner for $2.50, with children paying $1.25.

Halgrens, 1001 S. Gold St., across from Howard Hutchins, offered a Thanksgiving dinner for 99 cents, with children under 6 years paying 49 cents.

Harolds Packwood Café offered a Thanksgiving dinner for $1.50, with a childrens plate costing 90 cents. Harold Blanton was the owner.

Rectors Foods, 1501 S. Gold St., Centralia, offered a Thanksgiving dinner featuring snowflake potatoes.



St. Helens Inn and Roys Offer Feasts

25 years ago, in 1983

Roys Western Buffet, Chehalis, offered a Thanksgiving Feast for $4.74, with children thru 10 paying 35 cents per year.

The Thanksgiving buffet at the St. Helens Inn was $6.95 for adults; 0-5, free; and ages 6 to 10, $3.50. For dinner with champagne, the cost was $7.95.

Turkeys Sold for Loss

10 years ago, in 1998

Area grocery stores sold turkeys at a loss, in order to draw customers to their store for other shopping. This was a practice done west of the Rockies, as the East and Midwest stores sold turkeys for a profit. Nationally the price per pound was 86 cents, whereas in Lewis County, turkeys sold for as low as 29 cents a pound.

Local restaurants saw Thanksgiving differently. Mary McCranks, although requiring reservations, called Thanksgiving pretty average. According to Tina Allegre, the restaurant manager, Mothers Day was their biggest day of the year.

Centralias Country Cousin targeted the Thanksgiving travelers, as they closed the doors at noon.

Send the fellas out of the kitchen the Kit Carson advertisement in The Chronicle read. Kits was open 6 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thanksgiving day.

Thanksgiving Dinner Marks End for Mineral School

Five years ago, in 2003

The Mineral Elementary School marked its closure by a Thanksgiving dinner. After the holiday break, the four kindergartners, three third-graders, and five fifth-graders attended Morton Elementary.

In 1929, June Kroiczyk was a first-grader at Mineral in a different building. In 1944, the school was burned down by a 9-year-old who didnt like his teachers. Then they had school in the gym, and then he burned that down, Kroiczyk said. The boy was later sent to military school.