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In this installment of A Look Back in Time, the Thursday, March 21, 1946, edition of The Chronicle featured a story about Puget Sound Power and Light Company employees preparing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of providing electricity to the region.
Young Chehalins had made what was “said to be the largest cross of its kind in the state” to celebrate the upcoming Easter holiday, according to the Wednesday, March 21, 1956, edition of The Chronicle.
And in the Monday, March 21, 1966, edition of The Chronicle, it was reported that Chehalis police were asking for tips after McQueen’s Southgate Food Center was broken into over the weekend and its safe cracked, leading to the theft of over $1,500.
The Sunday, March 21, 1976, edition of The Chronicle was not in the archives, so stories from the Saturday, March 20, 1976, edition have been featured instead.
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.
Saturday, March 21, 1936
• Charles H. Paul, an attorney for the Carlisle Lumber Company in Onalaska, announced he was submitting an appeal on behalf of the company to the Washington Court of Appeals following a ruling in a labor negotiation dispute against them in a district court, The Chronicle reported. “The company planned an immediate appeal to the Circuit Court of Appeals from District Judge Edward E. Cushman’s ruling two days ago in a labor relations board case. ‘Judge Cushman’s decision merely held that his court did not have jurisdiction,’ he said. The labor relations board sought an ‘unfair labor practices’ hearing. A branch of the Sawmill and Timber Workers’ union contends the company refused to recognize it for collective bargaining purposes last April. Judge Cushman granted the government’s motion to dismiss a bill of complaint filed by the company, which asked that the labor relations board be enjoined from holding further hearings in the case.”
• The Chronicle featured an Associated Press story about Washington state Gov. Clarence Martin commuted the death sentences of Merritt Hunter Jr., 21, of Olympia, and Carl Patterson, 20, of Yakima, to life-in-prison sentences. “The youths were to have been hanged in state prison at Walla Walla, Hunter for shooting to death, in a jealous rage, his former sweetheart, Lillian Kanda, a pretty Japanese-American girl. Patterson killed William Simpson, a Yakima farmer, during an attempted robbery. ‘I have given most careful study and consideration to these cases,’ said the governor’s announcement, ‘and I have discussed their crimes with many responsible citizens. Yet I cannot bring myself to believe that the people of this state demand the spectacle of the hanging of two immature youths. Therefore, I am commuting their sentences from death to life imprisonment.’ This means the two youths must spend the remainder of their lives in prison. Authorities here said the commutations make a pardon by the governor or the reduction of the sentence by the parole board impossible.” While The Chronicle was unable to find any subsequent stories about Patterson, Hunter in fact did end up eventually being released on parole, only to kill again. He was released on parole in 1951 and got married upon his release — only to end up shooting his wife Elayne in the head while she slept just before putting the gun in his own mouth and pulling the trigger just hours after leaving a New Year’s party early in the morning of Jan. 2, 1955. He was originally imprisoned for Kanda’s murder, which occurred on Nov. 25, 1934, after the 19-year-old attempted to break up her romance with Hunter, which began when the two were students at Olympia High School.
• A four-room home with a garage, a barn, two hen houses, two brooding houses and a woodshed on “10 acres (of) good fertile soil” in a “good location” was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $1,200. Another four-room home with a barn and hen house on two-and-a-half acres of land with a “family orchard” was listed for sale for $600.
Thursday, March 21, 1946
• Puget Sound Power and Light Company employees were preparing to celebrate the 60th anniversary of providing electricity to the region on Friday, The Chronicle reported. “The date marks the advent of electrical illumination in this area. Lights came on for the first time during an exhibition of the Seattle Electric Light Company, a Puget Power predecessor, which was staged at the company’s headquarters at Second and Occidental (avenues). Approximately 300 persons of the then flourishing community of 10,000 were on hand for the demonstration and witnessed the igniting of eleven 10-candle power lamps in the room and one 30-candle power lamp over the entrance on the street. This demonstration took place seven years after Thomas A. Edison invented the first incandescent lamp. History indicates the Northwest, despite it being frontier country, was one of the first areas in the nation to start a program of providing electric lights for its citizens. The reporter assigned to cover the exhibition rushed back to the editorial rooms of his paper and wrote in part; ‘When the dynamo was started, instantly the room was made brilliant with a clear, white light.’ Soon afterwards the streets of Seattle and other neighboring towns were illuminated with electricity, and in the homes of those pioneer residents lamps, lanterns, gas and candles gave way to the new magic — electric lights. Today, six decades later, the Puget Sound Power and Light Company serves more than 250,000 customers in western and central Washington."
• Centralia City Commissioner John Raught announced Hub City residents would be able to get sidewalk repairs, though it wouldn’t be free, The Chronicle reported. The exact cost, however, was not mentioned. “A crew of men has already been assigned the job of repair, and persons needing the work done should apply at the city hall,” Raught stated. A dangerous condition exists in many instances throughout the city, where the root of trees have broken the sidewalks or have raised them above the level, creating a hazard to pedestrians, the commissioner said.
• A four-room home “sheltered by lovely shade trees” with a barn, hen house and other outbuildings on 40 acres of land near Mossyrock was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $3,600.
Wednesday, March 21, 1956
• Young Chehalins had made what was “said to be the largest cross of its kind in the state,” to celebrate the upcoming Easter holiday, The Chronicle reported. “It was erected this week by members of the Chehalis Junior Chamber of Commerce on the hill directly east of the civic center and is visible for miles. The lighted cross, which will remain up for the Easter season, is 45 feet tall with a 30-foot crossarm. In (the) above photo, Adrian Otten, lights chairman, is shown on a ladder receiving some wire from Dale Calkins, overall project chairman, while Bob Newgard, JC president, holds the ladder firmly in place.”
• Oakville city staff were getting ready to test a new well to provide water to residents upon its completion, The Chronicle reported. “Tests were slated to be run Wednesday on a new well drilled to the 100-foot level south of the city limits that will provide this community with a new water supply. The well is being drilled by Charles King and Sons of Rochester. Drilling on the new well started last week. Victor Duval, mayor of Oakville, said the city obtains its present supply of water through a gravity system fed by a water source in nearby hills. Drilling for a new water source became necessary when the old system was found to be inadequate and water fell below accepted health standards.”
• A two-story, nine-room home with two fireplaces, a large recreation room, mahogany woodwork, attached two-car garage and a half-basement in Centralia’s Edison District was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $17,500.
Monday, March 21, 1966
• Chehalis police were asking for tips after McQueen’s Southgate Food Center was broken into over the weekend and its safe cracked, The Chronicle reported. “McQueen’s Southgate Food Center, 1796 Market St., Chehalis, was burglarized sometime Saturday night and $1,506 in cash taken, Chehalis police reported. Entry was made by forcing a rear basement door. The cash was taken from the safe and three cash register drawers. Investigation continued Monday into the matter. Police added they believed the entry was the work of professional burglars.”
• The Chronicle featured an Associated Press story about U.S. military forces widening operations in Vietnam after six more U.S. aircraft were reported lost, with two pilots captured and two still missing, according to a U.S. Department of Defense spokesperson. “While U.S. planes roared through the skies above and below the 17th Parallel, South Vietnamese forces reported killing more than 225 Viet Cong in two actions, and more than 1,000 U.S. Marines battled the Communists 400 miles north of Saigon. The Marines reported at least 34 Viet Cong killed in the early stages of the battle … Two of the American planes lost Sunday over North Vietnam were supersonic (McDonnell Douglas F-4) Phantoms from the nuclear-powered carrier (USS) Enterprise. The pilot of one F-4 Phantom was seen taken prisoner after he bailed out 16 miles southeast of Vinh. Another Phantom went down along the coast 28 miles southeast of Vinh. The pilot was picked up by a rescue craft but his radarman splashed down among some Communist sampans and was captured, the spokesman said. The Navy gave up hope for a two-engine (Douglas F3D) Skyknight, used as an electronic jammer, and its two-man crew. The plane, the first of its kind lost over North Vietnam, was hit Friday 50 miles southwest of Thanh Hos, and search efforts have been fruitless since, a spokesman said. Over South Vietnam, a light spotter plane was hit by ground fire this morning 100 miles northeast of Saigon, killing the pilot. An Air Force (Douglas) A1E Skyraider took Communist fire while supporting an operation at Buon Brieng, in the central highlands, and the pilot was hurt but managed a wheels-up landing. A Navy (Douglas) A4C Skyhawk failed to pull out of a bombing dive Sunday in Go Cong Province, south of Saigon, and the pilot was killed.”
• A three-bedroom “ranch type” home with an attached garage, large shop building and a barn on two acres of land “near Chehalis” was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $22,500. A two-bedroom home in Centralia’s Washington School District was listed for rent for $35 a month.
Saturday, March 20, 1976
• A new five-classroom addition was being built at the Adna High School, with plans for two general classrooms, two business education classrooms and a music room, The Chronicle reported. An additional two classrooms were being added to the adjacent elementary school. “Concrete footings for the foundation were poured this week. Form work on footings for the high school addition were started this week. The school principals are keeping close watch on construction progress. John Green is the high school principal. Jim Hill is the grade school boss. Hill said the new elementary school addition will house a kindergarten classroom and a special education resource center. Gene Pyles, school superintendent, said district patrons provided the local financing for the building improvements by approving a $225,000 bond issue last May. Overall cost of the improvements, including remodeling and equipment, will be $388,000, Pyles said, which includes $153,614 in state tax matching funds.”
• Lewis County Commissioner Hamlet Hilpert said the county had obtained one of two final permits they needed in order to grant approval to National Hang Gliding Championship organizers to hold their competition that year at Dog Mountain at Riffe Lake in the spring, The Chronicle reported. “The property on which the event will be held is owned by U.S. Plywood Corp. and the City of Tacoma. Under an agreement, the two property owners would issue permits to use the property to the county, and the county in turn would issue permits to the hang gliding associations. The county has received one of the two permits, from U.S. Plywood, which was signed by the county Thursday. Following the receipt of the Tacoma permit, Hilpert said, the county will make the proper arrangements with the hang gliding groups sponsoring the event. The national championships are scheduled from May 29 through June 6 at Dog Mountain.”
• A three-bedroom home with access to the Newaukum River on two and a half acres of land near Chehalis was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $55,900. An unfurnished two-bedroom home in Centralia was listed for rent for $145 a month.
