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

Norman Anderson has stepped down from his stewardship of the Grays River Grange Cemetery. Norman, along with Merlin Durrah, have done an incredible job for over twenty four years in maintaining the grounds and keeping accurate cemetery records. With Norman stepping down, the Grange will reorganize the Cemetery Committee and appoint a Granger to assist Merlin in his cemetery sexton duties. Merlin has accumulated a lot of records. During his term he’s kept every obituary from the newspaper regarding individuals buried in Grays River.

In the late 1970s, Lenore Sorenson compiled information on those interred at the cemetery. These records go back to 1915 – when the cemetery was founded. Along with data like birth and death, there’s a brief description of family relationships. Some descriptions even mention the deceased’s occupation or how they died. Another interesting aspect of this document is the “lost art” of mechanical typewriter skills.

All of this information is currently being digitized and the Grange is considering what format to present it in. We’re happy to hear from families and those interested in local history and genealogy. We can expand on the data and also include things like photographs of the deceased. The nature of digital information makes it easy to distribute and the point is to create records that last in perpetuity.

For years, Merlin has kept the Grays River Grange Cemetery, Meserve Park, and Grange hall areas mowed and looking good. Merlin is unyielding in keeping those areas up. The Grays River Grange would like to publicly thank Merlin for his efforts. And a big thank you to Norman Anderson for all of his commitment.

The Washington State Department of Natural Resources will hold a meeting today (Thursday), from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m at the Grange Hall to discuss the Tunerville Camp Grounds located in upper Salmon Creek. If you have an interest in Tunerville, you may consider attending.

On November 23, the Grange will elect officers for 2011. If you are a member in good standing and are interested in holding an office, please be in attendance or let a fellow Granger know of your interest.

The Grange Christmas Party will be held on December 14, beginning at 6 p.m., at Johnson Park. In a past Eagle the time noted was 7 p.m.

Upcoming Events: November 23 – Dinner at 6:30 - Regular Grange with elections meeting at 7:30 p.m. December 14 – Christmas Party at Johnson Park 6 p.m. December 28 – Dinner at 6:30 p.m. - Exemplification of the 4th Degree at 7:30 p.m. Email the grange at grange@wwest.net or go to http://graysriver.grange.wahkiakum.info/.