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

BEEN NICE--I think the last part of last week and the weekend were definitely mood boosters, as the sun was shining and the birds were chirping and some flowers, like my snowdrops were blooming and it was just great to see the sunshine for more than a day at a time, so it was most enjoyable for sure! I guess I could have done without the wind, which made things a little chillier, but hey, at least we weren't wading through flood waters or digging out of snowbanks like some of the rest of the country was doing. If you happened to be up late on Monday night, you would have been able to look outside at midnight and think it was daytime, as the moon was shining so bright you could see everything perfectly clear; very nice, but very cold out there as temperatures were below freezing out here in West Valley. It seems it's supposed to warm up, which means clouding up and that means some rain probably, but let's hope it doesn't last long, as we've all taken a liking to these sun breaks.

THIS IS IT--Yes indeed, this is the weekend that the annual Valentine Diamond Dinner will be taking place at the Skamokawa Grange Hall. Beginning at 6 p.m. There's been an addition to the grand prize, as not only will the lucky ticket holder win the beautiful diamond necklace, but they'll receive a bottle of champagne so they can celebrate their win, a box of chocolates to share with their special someone, a romantic movie to watch later on and a $25 gas card, in case they'd like to travel somewhere for Valentine's Day next week, so this is a nice little package deal! There will also be a couple of other prizes to win, so we hope you'll be buying your extra raffle tickets prior to the drawing later that evening for just a dollar apiece. Every dinner ticket includes a glass of wine but if you'd like a second glass or a beer, they will be three dollars and a pop will cost a dollar. We hope you've gotten your tickets; if not, head to the Bank of Pacific right away and we'll see you on Saturday! All volunteers should be at the grange hall by 5 p.m. please!

SPECIAL DAYS--Those celebrating birthdays this week from February 9-15 are Reese Gullickson, Mandee Moore, Derrill Corbin, Ronnie W. Cothren, Ethan Havens, Lucas Havens, Austin Havens, Bob Wegdahl Sr., George Hanigan, Tony Setera, Pride Canady, James Hoven, Brandon Souvenir, Connie Shrum, John Thompson, Sherry McCormmack, Mykall Stensland, Derek Phipps, Hailey Blain, Blake Hess and 67'er, Pam Below Lazor.

Those celebrating their anniversaries this week are Joyce and Bill Ower, Julie and David Black, the Jerry DeBraies and the Danny Poes. here's to wonderful celebrations for all of you on our special days this coming week.

CRAB FEEDS--There'll be some oyster shucking and crab crackin' going on in our county next month, when the crab feed on the West end in Rosburg takes place on March 3 at the RosbAurg Hall, which is put on by the American Legion Deep River Post, and then the following week on Puget Island at the Norse Hall, when the Wahkiakum Chamber puts theirs on. Both are great causes and raise money for various good works. We hope you'll be able to attend at least one of these fun filled evenings, as you gather with friends and neighbors and enjoy the food, the music and the prizes!

VENDOR'S MARKET--I'm hearing rumblings that people are already inquiring about the Vendor's Market at Skamokawa Vista Park in July, and that's really great to hear. Last year we asked the vendors if they would come back this year, even if it cost them ten dollars per site, and they said they would. Please contact me at 795-3425 if you'd like to reserve a spot or Janet Bryan said she'd be willing to have applications available at the Vista Park soon. Please mark July 28 on your calendars.

GET BETTER--We'd like to send our thoughts and good wishes to Hoby Thacker who is dealing with some mobility issues right now, so we hope he gets back on his feet soon. Thoughts and prayers are being sent to Larry Quigley who I heard is hospitalized. John Lindsey is still recuperating from surgery and may have to have more, so we send our get well wishes to him as well.

SYMPATHIES--We'd like to extend our sympathies to the family of Gary Gilbertsen who passed away on January 28, which includes his wife Kayrene and children Karlin, Bjorn and Gabrielle, brother Neal and sister Nadine and all their families. A Celebration of Life service will be held this Spring.

GAS STATIONS--I got a call from Jean Kenner who got a call from Leroy Wika who wanted me to be sure and mention a couple of other gas stations that were on Puget Island, back in the day! How many of you remember the station that was just south of Our Saviors Lutheran Church to the right of the Al Kehrli home? The station part is still there today but at one time, the pumps stood where the trailer is there today, at least that's what I'm told. Then there were pumps on North Welcome Slough Road at one time, when the Prestegard building was a store and run by Irv Wood abd there were pumps across the street from it. Beings that was next door to where I grew up, you'd think I'd know that, but I'm guessing that was before I was old enough to remember any of it. It's great to continue to receive more news about all the gas stations around our small county!

Cliff Garrison told me that he believes the Madden's station here in Skamokawa had been a Union 76, Signal Oil, Esso and Exxon station at one time, and once again, this is his opinion and his memory of things, so if you've got a differing story, let me know and I'll print yours! He also believes the station that sat where the present day Cathlamet Pharmacy sits was a Signal Oil company station, but I only remember it as being a Shell Station operated by Oliver Bacon. Anybody else remember it being a Signal Oil station at one time?

I had a great amount of information from Gaye Richards on the Hedrick family and their station at Oak Point, including a letter that was written by Patti Hedrick Flaks, daughter of Gid and Peggy Hedrick. They had three other children besides Patti and they were Peggy, Worth and Steve. The family moved this way from Arkansas in 1931 when Gid's brother, Ira asked them to come out and run the store he had built at Oak Point, which sat out over the water, had rooms upstairs and also held a Post Office. The two brothers wound up having some issues between them, so Gid and Peggy moved out and lived up Mill Creek. However, they wound up running the Post Office after it was moved out of Ira's building, and into an old chicken house that had been moved to a location east of Ira's place. A lot of folks thought they should build a store to go along with Post Office, and so a bunch of them went together and bought a barge load of the left over trimmings from Japanese squares, and soon the Hedrick store came to be in 1932, complete with living quarters. The store was built out over the river and at first, planks had to be used from the land to the store until such time that fill could be put in. The Hedrick store wound up having two gas pumps, which you would have to pump up and fill to ten gallons, then put in the vehicle and then fill up the pump to ten gallons again and empty again. Patti said she could remember doing this from a very early age and asked if anyone realized just how many trips she had to make up and down from those logging trucks to get them filled up? The sign flying over the pumps read, Chevron. Gid and Peggy sold the store in 1967 to the Dept. of Highways, and by that time all the kids had long been gone from home and the couple retired and moved to Port Townsend.

It was great to read about the stories that Patti had to tell about growing up in the Oak Point area and her work at the store and such, and really terrific that someone took the time to write their memories down, as it helps to keep these places of the past alive and brings back our own memories of these places that no longer exist.