In this installment of A Look Back in Time, the Tuesday, Jan. 17, 1956, edition of The Chronicle featured a story about a pair of runaways from Chehalis who had been caught after stealing a tractor from Dennis Hamilton, who saw the boys driving the tractor on a rural road but “did not realize it was his.”
A retirement party was in the works in Packwood to honor the East Lewis County community’s U.S. postmaster, Sherman Combs, who retired after a 42-year career, according to the Monday, Jan. 17, 1966, edition of The Chronicle.
And in the Saturday, Jan. 17, 1976, edition of The Chronicle, it was reported that the A and K Railroad Materials, Inc., of Clear Field, Utah, which purchased a decommissioned rail line running through Doty to dismantle it, was debating destroying the last remaining part of that line — believed to be the last covered railroad bridge in the state — and offering it for sale for $1,500 to anyone who wanted to try to preserve it.
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, Jan. 17, 1936
• Centralia Public Library librarian Bessie Beal Barton revealed the library’s 1935 circulation numbers, showing a continued decline since 1932 when the Great Depression was at its worst, The Chronicle reported. “Depressions are good for one thing, anyway — more people read books during them than at any other time. That was brought out by Mrs. Bessie Beal Barton, librarian, today when she presented the annual report of the public library.” The report showed the circulation total for 1935 was 67,019, almost 20,000 book checkouts less than the peak in 1932, 86,202. Adult fiction was the section where librarians saw the biggest decline in check outs. “‘The heavy loss in adult fiction is probably explained by the fact that during the years of heavy reading, fiction was the most popular,’ Mrs. Barton said. ‘Another reason for the loss in adult reading may be because of the development of a very good high school library, making it unnecessary for students to use the public library.’ A phenomenal gain of 3,264 in juvenile book circulation was registered, showing that juvenile America does not care whether the country is in a depression or not when it comes to interfering with reading.”
• A Chehalis construction company had been awarded a Washington state Director of Highway contract to build a road going eastward from Tenino, The Chronicle reported. “A contract for the building of 1.3 miles of road from the Tenino city limits eastward to the Neylon Crossing was let Tuesday to Graham Brothers and Medley of Chehalis. The bid was for $21,177, and covers clearing, grading and surfacing the route parallel to the Northern Pacific track, and the construction of a 30-foot reinforced concrete T-beam bridge. Work is expected to start soon. The contract was awarded, along with 13 others, by Lacey Murrow, director of highways … The new road will affect a considerable saving, and will eliminate several bad curves between Tenino and Rainier. It forms a continuous line to connect the new paving and route of the Sussex Street extension.”
• A 1932 Ford Coach with a V8 engine was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $415.
Thursday, Jan. 17, 1946
• Centralia police assisted the FBI in a National Motor Vehicle Theft Act of 1919 violation case when they arrested Ignatious Mandala, a 22-year-old California resident, after initially arresting three Camas youths caught in a car they claimed Mandala let them borrow, The Chronicle reported. The National Motor Vehicle Theft Act, also known as the Dyer Act, made it a federal crime to steal a car and drive it across state or international borders. “(Centralia) Police Chief Milton Jastram said the three prisoners all claimed the car was borrowed from a friend, Ignatious Mandala, of Vanport, Washington, but a check of stolen car reports disclosed it had been stolen in Culver City, California, Jan. 5. The FBI was called into the case to investigate (a) violation of the Dyer Act, but neither of the authorities could locate Mandala, nor could they shake the story of the three Camas youths.” Eventually, the police allowed the Camas youths to contact their home to explain the situation and to say they were about to be released. “No sooner had the Camas trio departed, than into the police station walked the stepfather of one of the former prisoners, and with him was Mandala, who informed officers he was the owner of the car and had loaned it to the youths. Mandala was promptly jailed and the Camas man (was) informed his stepson had been released and was on his way home. Under questioning, Jastram said, Mandala admitted the theft of the car. He also told officers he had been convicted three times of auto theft. He remains in the city jail pending his release to FBI authorities.”
• Henry H. Scribner, an Camden, Ohio, pioneer born in 1856 who settled in Chehalis in 1887 and became a well-known Mint City business man, passed away at the age of 89, The Chronicle reported. “Mr. Scribner opened a harness shop in Chehalis when he arrived here, and at the time of his retirement in 1944 he had operated a business in Chehalis longer than any other man. He was a member of the Episcopal church. The only survivor is his wife, Isabel.” In addition to running a harness shop, making and repairing saddles, bridles and other leather items, Scribner was also heavily involved with the Chehalis Chamber of Commerce and served a stint on the Chehalis City Commission, according to the Friday, July 15, 1932 edition of The Chehalis Bee-Nugget.
• The Chehalis Chamber of Commerce published a letter with a call to local landlords to stop steep rent increases and improve housing conditions, The Chronicle reported. The chamber’s letter was prompted after a Chehalis resident who had been renting the same house for five years suddenly saw his rent go up by 40%, “on a house that is barely liveable, with practically no conveniences and badly in need of repairs. ‘This man has two children,’ says a Chamber statement. ‘He is on a fixed salary which was not subject to raises due to war conditions. He cannot buy because he is subject to transfer, because of his occupation. He is a good citizen; has a good reputation in various other cities in the state, and considers Chehalis a friendly city; likes to live here, and likes the people here. He is in danger of going sour on Chehalis, if subjected to what he considers an unjust advantage being taken of him and his family.’” The Chamber’s statement claimed others in similar situations had also come forward to them, and feared Chehalis’ reputation might be damaged if this trend continued. “It is true that rentals prior to war conditions were very low in Chehalis, and a reasonable raise was justified. But a jump from $20 to $30 rental to $50 to $75 is hardly justifiable. Because of conditions such as mentioned, the Chamber is hoping greedy landlords will curb their unholy desires and help the rest of us make Chehalis the kind of a city that is desirable in every way in which to live.”
• A six-bedroom, two-story home with a library, large living room, dining room and more on a “large lot, very finely landscaped” three blocks from downtown Centralia was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $15,000.
Tuesday, Jan. 17, 1956
• A pair of runaway Chehalis boys had been caught by the Lewis County Sheriff’s Office and admitted to stealing a “$1,000 tractor” for a joyride the previous Saturday, The Chronicle reported. “(Lewis County) Sheriff Earl Hilton said the tractor was the property of Dennis Hamilton, and that Hamilton had seen the youngsters driving it on a rural road but did not realize it was his. The boys took the machines from the barn on the farm, leaving it near Napavine, where they pointed it out to officers. One boy remains in custody while the other has been released to his home, officers said.”
• A recent East Lewis County March of Dimes polio fundraiser event had been successful in Mossyrock on Saturday, The Chronicle reported. “Mrs. Cleo Bryant, chairman of the Eastern Lewis County March of Dimes, said $120 had been turned over to the polio drive following a benefit dance held Saturday evening in the community. Most of the restaurants in Eastern Lewis County held a ‘Coffee Day’ Monday and turned over proceeds for java sales to the March of Dimes drive. Mrs. Marie Ensley, operator of the Recreation Center at Mossyrock, announced she would hold a special ‘Coffee Day’ Wednesday, which is also the date of her birthday. Mrs. Ensley has already turned over $20 to the drive from contributions taken in at the center.”
• Aberdeen police officers were still on the hunt for suspects they believed to be “car-borne, teenage vandals” who they suspected were responsible for knocking down seven stop signs in the Grays Harbor County community over the weekend, among other crimes, The Chronicle reported. “Police were seeking one or more autos they think were used to smash down the signs. This latest foray continues vandalism which broke down stop signs just after the Thanksgiving football game, and has rutted lawns of residences with tire tracks recently.”
• A two-bedroom home with a small barn and a “nice stream through place” on five acres of land near Centralia was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $4,500. A three-room duplex on M Street in Centralia was listed for rent for $32.50 a month.
Monday, Jan. 17, 1966
• A retirement party was being planned in Packwood to honor the East Lewis County community’s U.S. postmaster, Sherman Combs, The Chronicle reported. “Packwood people will be turning out this Saturday evening to honor their veteran postmaster, Sherman Combs, who has just retired after 42 years on the job. Gen Tapscott and Violet Smith, who head the retirement party committee, said it will be a potluck dinner affair at the community hall. It will be open at 7 p.m. and there will be entertainment. The chairman said the entire community is invited.”
• Icy roads caused at least six accidents in East Lewis County on Sunday, including two with Cispus Jobs Corps buses resulting in seven passengers being injured, The Chronicle reported. “The state patrol said the buses, en route to Randle, skidded on glare ice a mile north of Morton on (state) Highway 7. Hospital attendants at Morton said no one was hurt seriously. The availability of seat belts in the buses was credited with prevention of fatalities and dangerous injuries. Both buses were heading toward camp with Corps workers returning from weekends in Sumner and Tacoma and the two accidents were only minutes apart. One bus left the road and overturned several times. The other merely tipped on its side after the skid.” Six other individuals were injured in four other accidents in East Lewis County on that Sunday, the Washington State Patrol added.
• A four-bedroom “Colonial” two-story home located at 802 N. Pearl St. in Centralia was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $9,500. A one-bedroom cottage with a fireplace in Toledo was listed for rent for $65 a month.
Saturday, Jan. 17, 1976
• Debates were being held as to whether to demolish or preserve what was believed to be the last covered railroad bridge left in Washington state near Doty as a historic landmark, The Chronicle reported. “Another symbol of a bygone era may soon vanish from the Lewis County scene … The covered bridge, built in 1926 by the Chicago, Milwaukee, St. Paul and Pacific Railroad, spans the Chehalis River one-quarter mile west of Doty on a section of rail called the Raymond line. The line went out of service in 1973, and the Milwaukee Railroad sold the bridge and the rail line to A and K Railroad Materials, Inc., of Clear Field, Utah.” While A and K had removed the track between Raymond and Dryad, except at the bridge crossing in Doty, the company was debating leaving it, if they could find someone willing to be a caretaker of it. “If an individual or organization wished to preserve the bridge, the company would sell it for $1,500.” However, the Weyerhaeuser Company had purchased the right of way from the Milwaukee Railroad, and according to Weyerhaeuser official Bob Manning, the company wanted the bridge, which was 150 feet long, demolished. “Weyerhaeuser is legally responsible if children playing on the bridge are injured. ‘We consider the old bridge a liability,’ Manning said. ‘As far as we’re concerned, A and K Materials is supposed to remove it.’”
• Classes were set to continue in the Battle Ground and Hockinson school districts despite a bus driver strike, The Chronicle reported. “The drivers voted 32-4 Thursday to reject the contract offered by the Associated Bus Co. of Van Nuys, California, and 34-2 to strike today, said spokesman Gerald Monett. The company employs 46 regular drivers and 10 substitutes. The drivers are seeking wages of $5.10 an hour while the company is offering $4.70. No agreement was reached on job descriptions, employee rights, overtime, vacation and other fringe benefits when talks reached an impasse Wednesday night, said Herb Hawkins, Public School Employees Cooperative No. 1 representative. ‘This may be a long strike and a hard one,’ he said.”
• A “newly remodeled” home with a covered patio, two-car garage and other outbuildings on 20 acres of land near Winlock was listed for sale in The Chronicle’s classifieds for $42,000. A two-bedroom home in Onalaska was listed for rent for $160 a month.
