Thankfully for the staff of "Our Hometowns: A historical photo album of Greater Lewis County," the Ray Landes family has some marvelous photos of bridges at Mayfield, the Tilton River and Harmony.
According to a family history, compiled in 1976 by Ted Landes (Ray's dad), the first bridge was built across the Cowlitz at Mayfield in the winter of 1879-80. The following is based on that history:
"After the bridge was built many homesteaders who were called 'brush settlers' because they took claims out in the brush or timber, came. Among these were James and Clay Swigert, J.L. McKibbon, C.T. Landes (Ray's great-grandfather) and Robert Davis."
"When the so-called wagon road was built one of these old settlers remarked that 'hit was a purty good road because there was only one mud hole — that began at Mossyrock and ended at the Chehalis depot!' "
The first classes at Mossyrock's one-room log schoolhouse were taught in three-month terms during the summer. Teachers in those days received $20 to $25 per month and boarded around. The first schoolhouse also served as a post office and church.
"The first Fourth of July was held in a grove south of the 'Crockett Allison' place in the year 1881. President Garfield was shot on the second of July, 1881 and the news reached Mossyrock on the evening of the Fourth just as the people were ready to celebrate.
"The mail carrier rode out of his way down to the grove to tell the startling news which had been telegraphed to Winlock and relayed to Cowlitz Prairie on horseback and so on to Mossyrock."
By reading on, we learn there was "nothing uncommon for the head of the family to roll a pack of blankets, grub, coffee pot and frying pan and start out afoot to look for work."
By working this way for three or four months of the year, a man could make "a few dollars which enabled him to buy the necessary food and clothing for the balance of the year."
Back to the bridges: A second one was built at Mayfield in the early 1900s followed by a third, sturdier one. Then there was the Tilton River Bridge "just past where the Cowlitz and Tilton rivers meet," built sometime in the early 1900s.
In 1897 Ray's grandfather, George Harvey Landes, a Mossyrock homesteader, got the contract to build the first Bear Canyon Bridge at Cinebar.
The structure was built of materials from the surrounding woods, including the old growth tree that had been trimmed 100 feet from the ground and used as a support. That tree remained to help stabilize the bridge during the life of the structure.
Lastly there is the Harmony Bridge built in Mossyrock in the 1900s.
Pat Jones is The Chronicle's lifestyle editor. She may be reached by e-mail at pjones@chronline.com, or by telephoning 807-8226.
