The Wahkiakum County Eagle - Established as The Skamokawa Eagle in 1891

NOT NICE--We certainly ended October in a wet and wild fashion, as the rains came down, the creeks went up and between the wind and the rain, most of the leaves that were left on the trees, came down into the fields and roadways; it was not nice! As November began on Sunday, there was a ray of hope as I saw a bit of sunshine, but that was quickly replaced with more heavy downpours, more blustery winds, and some thunder and lightning just for good measure! Seemed weird to have the sun come out, although it was fairly brief, but at any rate, it was sure a mixed bag weather day! As this week begins, we are happy to see the sunshine again but more rain is due by the time you read this, so keep your boots and umbrellas handy!

GOOD NEWS--Hoorah, the highway (SR 4) between Skamokawa and Cathlamet is now open, so I'm sure everyone is pleased about that! My last trip over the detour saw a large load that had shifted after rounding one of those sharp corners and was stuck in a fence, so I'm sure all those wide/oversized loads will be happy that they don't have to take the detour anymore either, and we won't have to worry about meeting one on one of the tight corners anymore! Of course, the folks who lived on the detour will be happiest of all I'm sure!

HAUNTED HOUSE RECAP--In spite of the weather, the Haunted House and carnival held at the fairgrounds last week were a huge hit, according to Jason Rainey, so that was good to hear. Jason had spent endless hours putting together the huge haunted house in the arena area, so I was happy to hear that all his hard work was appreciated by young and old alike. Jason was the one who got the huge donation of stacks of pallets and tarps to construct the passageways in the Haunted House from Swanson Bark and Wood Products of Longview, so that was terrific of him and awesome of Swanson's for lending us a hand in this fund raising event for our fair. Also on hand to help Jason was his wife, Jamie, along with Mike and Julie Iverson and Brian O'Connor, so a big thank you to them as well. Also a thank you to the rest of the folks who helped in some way via decorations and other donations, etc. and of course, the public, whose support is crucial in the effort to raise money for the fair.

ANOTHER FUND RAISER--Coming up in a couple of weeks, the fair has another fund raising event in the form of Turkey Bingo, so it will be time to have some fun and win some prizes and you might even win your turkey dinner for Thanksgiving on Nov. 20 at the Julius Wendt Elementary multi-purpose room. Hope to see you there!

Also, a month from now, there will be a big Flea Market at the fairgrounds on Dec. 5 so head this way for an array of vendors and gifts for the holidays. Contact Jean Beerbower at 849-4360 if you're interested in a table, or you can leave a message at the fairgrounds for Patty at 795-3480.

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays from Nov. 5-11 are Ginger Moonen, Anna Kuhn, Ryan Vincent, Kennan Linsey, Jessie Hoven, James Turner, Carol Carver, Greg Parke, Charlie McClain, Jordyn Kaattari, Nicole Kaatarri McKinley, Ray Lindsey, Joyce Hoven, Mark Helms, Mike Parker, Diane Tischer, Tiffany Tischer, Bill Schwarze, Lindsey Anderson, Patty Hosley Shanahan, Skip Irving, Dustin Johnson, Jeff Hedges, Jeanine Moore, Elizabeth Davison, Chris Bernard, Julianne Bell and James D. Pedersen.

Happy Anniversary wishes go out to Mr. and Mrs. Garland Budd, Mr. and Mrs. Bob Wegdahl and Mr. and Mrs. Tim Dickson. Enjoy your special days everybody!

REMEMBER THEM--This coming Wednesday, Nov. 11, is Veteran's Day. There is a nationwide effort to honor our veterans by replacing one of your light bulbs with a green bulb instead. Whether it's a front porch bulb or a light fixture that is visible through your window, let's see if we can show some Wahkiakum County support for all the military vets in every branch of the service by making the night skies glow green! Also, if you know someone who was in the service, or is still in the service, please tell them "thanks for your service. Hats off to all our young men and young women who proudly serve today and also to those who served in the past.

As just a little reminder, it was in 1954, under President Dwight D. Eisenhower, that the Veteran's Day committee was formed and from that came this national holiday to ensure that the services and sacrifices of those who stepped up to protect our country, were recognized.

MAKE/BUY LEFSE--Here's your chance to make some lefse and buy some as well, as the ladies of the Sons of Norway will be knee deep in dough as they roll out and make some of that tasty Hardanger lefse this Friday and Saturday. So, if you'd like to learn how to do all that, then head to the Norse Hall and take your turn at the rolling pin and lefse iron and see how you do! If you're not into making it, remember this will be a great time to be buying some of these tasty Norwegian treats for the holidays as well!

THIS SATURDAY--This is the Saturday to head to the Deep River Hall and enjoy a nice big breakfast put on by the American Legion. You can get "the works" for just $6 so you'll get full and the Legion will get some much needed support in order to keep on doing their good works in our community! You have from 8:30 to 11:30 a.m. to purchase and enjoy this tasty breakfast!

BUY TICKETS SOON--You only have until Nov. 19 at 4 p.m. to buy those great raffle tickets for that Seahawk pole made by Fred Hoven, which also comes with a nice reel. This combo has a value of $439 with tickets costing $5 each. They are available at Apello's Archive Center or the cafe there in Naselle, so pick some up today and maybe you'll be the lucky winner of this awesome pole made by a local person for a good cause!

NEXT SATURDAY--Don't forget the Lions Club food drive happening on Nov. 14, as that's just nine days away. Everything is needed, but there are some restrictions, like home canned items or fresh foods, but there's always a need for baby food or diapers, toothpaste and those kinds of things.

REDMEN HALL--Great gifts await you at Redmen Hall, so I hope you'll be stopping by soon to check out the gift and book shop. There are many craft items made by local folks, so from jewelry to aprons, from cards to scarves, from canned salmon to artwork, you can find it at the hall. Treat your special Christmas list people to a special gift from Skamokawa. Shop local and support Redmen Hall at the same time, as this historic building is an icon in our town!

OLD SCHOOL'S HERE--Speaking of Redmen Hall, I am guessing most of you know by now that it was once a school for the kids in Skamokawa, built in 1896 and called Central School. In its heyday, the library boasted of an order for 200 new books, which was certainly a big deal for those days! However, back then, there weren't any great roads and so that school was primarily for the "town" kids, while each valley had its own school with just 8-12 students. There was even one valley that had two schools; can you guess which one? Did you know that two valley schools still stand today as private residences?

In answer to the first question, it was East Valley that had two schools with one being out in "Missouri Flats" which is out towards the end of East Valley, but not as far as Lucky Mud. The other school that was out in East Valley is the current residence of the Pattersons, and prior to that, the Brockways lived there. The other school that is still standing, is the one out in Middle Valley, just to the left and across the road of the junction of Middle Valley Road and Peterson Road. That had been the newest of the valley schools and was built in 1903 and boasted of new desks and seats and a nice stove!

The school out here in West Valley was on the property now owned by the Rawls family, and so if you turn onto West Valley Road, the school would have been to your right in that property there. The school burned down so there is no sign of it today.

As the years went by and roadways improved along with everything else, all the schools were consolidated and a main school was built in 1926 in what is now Skamokawa Vista Park. However, that school was closed and all the kids went to Cathlamet in the 60's and the school itself was torn down in the 70's.

So, once upon a time, before decent roads and cars came into play, there were many schools here in this area. I'm sure the kids today would find conditions back then pretty horrific compared to today, with their log chunk seats and a board planed and painted black for a blackboard and students having to make long walks to school, as there were no buses, so I do hope they appreciate how far things have come since the good ole days!

OUT OF THE PAST--Back in the first couple weeks of November in 1960, the weather had been pretty decent but finally turned colder and it even hailed real heavily one day. Big news in the nation was that John Kennedy won the presidential election over Nixon. In the show biz world, the "King of the Movies" died when Clark Gable passed away on Nov. 14. Rosemary Wolverton from Klamath Falls came by the Everest home, along with Esther Wendell and Helen Keyser, who all enjoyed tea and cake and a nice visit together. The Cathlamet Mules beat their rivals, the Naselle Comets in their big football rivalry, 20 to 6. It was big news in the family when Ralph Pedersen started taking flying lessons and even took wife Peggy up. He was going to be taking more lessons down in Troutdale the folowing week and asked his grandparents if they wanted to go up as well. The answer to that was never revealed! This according to Grandma Elsie Everest's diary!