Arthur St. John Helped Lewis County Usher in the 'Era of the Auto,' Flight

If ever there was a physical embodiment of the “Roaring 20s,” Arthur St. John would be it. Beginning in the early 1900s, this Chehalis businessman kept Lewis County at the very forefront of modernity and innovation. His contributions to this area’s economic growth cannot be denied. When he helped a friend financially, he ended up building his own automobile empire. He started an air service and forever linked Lewis County with Charles Lindbergh. He fed the Twin Cities’ movie mania and their rage for radio. As a member of multiple civic and fraternal clubs, his dedication and energy helped Chehalis and Centralia grow from bustling pioneer towns to the thriving Twin Cities.

Born October 9, 1869, in Carmel, California, St. John came to Adna in 1880 as a child. In 1888 he moved to Chehalis where he lived a full and rewarding life. He died on December 18, 1947 of bronchial pneumonia at St. Helen Hospital. He was survived by his second wife, Mary, and children Harold and Bernice from his first wife, Laura, who preceded him in death.

As owner of Twin City Automobile Co., St. John helped Lewis County usher in the era of the auto. According to the Chehalis Bee-Nugget 1915 Historical Edition, the Twin City Automobile Co. began as a line of accessories and supplies placed by St. John in the Frank Everett & Co. mercantile store. St. John’s Garage & Ford Dealership on Market Street was established in 1907, and was the first in an automobile empire that grew to include not only the Chehalis location, but also the St. John & Titus Garage in Centralia, and St. John’s Garage in Morton. The Chehalis Bee-Nugget called them “exceptional facilities” where vehicles were both assembled and repaired. The company offered rental cars, chauffeured cars — even a “distress” car equipped to perform minor repairs on-site for stranded motorists. In 1914, the Chehalis shop custom-built two cars using only the engines, chassis and wheels from the factory. One of those was a “racer” that wowed citizens at that year’s Lewis County Fair when it blazed through a mile in one minute and 17 seconds. In addition to being an agent for Ford and Overland, St. John could special-order vehicles from other manufacturers, and carried supplies and accessories for all makes and models.

In the mid-1920s, airplane fever swept across the country. Charles Lindbergh’s historic trans-Atlantic flight began May 20, 1927, when his plane, the Spirit of St. Louis, took off from Long Island, New York, and ended May 21, 1927, when the wheels touched down in Paris, France. That same month, Chehalis’ own airport, Donahoe Field, was dedicated. After selling 44 acres of former farmland to the city, Paul Donahoe erected a building for both hangar and office, and cleared a grass runway. St. John organized St. John Air Service, and forever linked Lewis County to Charles Lindbergh. On March 17, 1928, many county officials and several hundred citizens greeted the Ryan Brougham airship as it touched down on Donahoe Field after being picked up at the San Diego factory. Flown by St. John Air Service’s head pilot, Vernon Bookwalter, and containing passengers St. John, his son Harold and Mayor John West, the plane circled over Centralia before its arrival in Chehalis. An “improvement” over its sister, the Spirit of St. Louis, this model had hydraulic brakes in larger wheels, a starter, and the latest model Wright whirlwind motor. A contemporary Chehalis Bee-Nugget account detailed a huge celebration at the airfield featuring planes from as far away as Tacoma, with festivities capped by an evening ball at the Civic Auditorium. The St. John Air Service went on to own a fleet of passenger and commercial planes, and operate a flying school. According to a 1928 advertisement, the school offered a full ground and flying course, and — for an additional fee — gave pilots the 50 hours of fly-time to get a commercial license. From 1928 to the mid-1930s, the city of Chehalis commissioned St. John Air Service to manage the airport. As early as 1928, airplane magazines hailed the Chehalis airfield as one of the “best in the west.”

On May 12, 1923, the St. Helen’s Theater, designed by local architect Jack DeForest Griffin, opened on Market Street in Chehalis in the former location of St. John’s Garage. As president of Twin City Theater Company, St. John controlled a total of six movie houses in Chehalis and Centralia: St. Helens, Liberty and Dream theaters in Chehalis and Liberty, Grand and Rialto theaters in Centralia. In 1926, he turned over control of the company to North American Theaters Co., but retained an interest. When the Fox Theatre in Centralia opened in 1930, both this and the Fox St. Helen’s Theatre in Chehalis were under his ownership.

As the first president of the Central Broadcasting Corporation, St. John was also instrumental in bringing KELA radio to the airwaves in 1937.

The accomplishments listed in the Christmas 1947 obituary of St. John deserve mention in their entirety. This was a tireless man whose dedication to the Twin Cities brought them to the very forefront of the 20th century’s major innovations. At one time or another, he served as President of the following: Twin Cities Automobile Co., Twin City Theatres Co., St. John Investment Co., was first president of the Central Broadcasting Corp. and first president of the Chehalis Chamber of Commerce. He owned and operated the first auto dealership in Chehalis — St. John’s Garage. He owned and operated St. John’s Air Service and Flying School and managed the municipal airport. He was Lewis County treasurer for three years and on the Chehalis City Council for four years. He was first partner with, then part-owner of Frank Everett & Co. mercantile store in Chehalis, and was one of the directors of Coffman-Dobson Bank. As if all of that wasn’t enough, he was also past president and charter member of the Chehalis Rotary Club, president of the Chehalis Gun Club, a charter member of the Elks Lodge, past commodore of the Olympia Yacht Club, and a member of the Chehalis Golf & Country Club.

Through his life St. John used his dedication and passion to bring enormous changes to Lewis County.