The Sou'wester
of the Pacific County Historical Society and Museum
Winter 2006 & Spring 2007, Volume XLII, Number 4 & XLIII, Number 1
Last modified on January 2nd, 2008 / Contact the Museum / Web editing done by Brian Davis at bridavis@gte.net .
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Volume XLII, Number 4 & Volume XLIII 1                            Winter 2006 & Spring 2007
Celebrating Raymond's Centennial
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A quarterly publication of the Pacific County Historical Society
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The
     Sou'wester
ISSN #0038-4984
     Copyright, 2007, by the Pacific County Historical Society.  No portion of this publication may be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the Society's Editorial Board.

    The Sou'wester is a quarterly publication of the Pacific County Historical Society and Museum.  The Pacific County Historical Society is a non-profit 501(C)(3) organization, located in South Bend, Washington.
       1008 Robert Bush Drive
       P. 0. Box P
       South Bend, WA 98586-0039
       Website:  www.pacificcohistory.org
       E-mail:  museum@willapabay.org

     In addition to the Sou'wester, the Society publishes a quarterly newsletter for its members and operates the Pacific County Historical Society Museum in South Bend, Washington.

  • Annual membership fees include Society membership and a subscription to The Sou'wester:
    • Single                                        $25
    • Family and foreign memberships $35
    • International                              $40
    • Contributing                              $50
    • Corporate                                 $100
    • Benefactor                                $200
  • Pacific County Historical Society Board of Directors:
    • Karen Clements
    • Ken Karch
    • Don Corcoran
    • Sue Pattillo
    • Stuart Freese
  • Pacific County Historical Society Officers:
    • Steve Rogers, President
    • Robert Gerwig, Vice President
    • Vincent Shaudys, Secretary
    • Bud Cuffel, Treasurer
    The Pacific County Historical Society welcomes contributions of articles and/or photographs relating to Pacific County history and culture.  Although care will be taken in handling all submitted materials, we assume no legal liability or responsibility for loss or damage.  Materials accepted for publication may be edited for grammar, clarity, and/or length.
Special Thanks
     Well, here’s the “single” issue we promised after the last one.  It is not easy to rein in author Doug Allen so we’re presenting another big magazine.  Actually, I so enjoy working with Doug and admire his skills and hard work that this issue is truly a labor of love.  Doug lives outside Seattle and made numerous trips to South Bend to go over photos and help make tough editing decisions.  It’s no mean feat for him to do so much work.  He dug up many of the photos for this issue.  Thank goodness for e-mail.
     The history of Raymond is rich with great stories and we’ve only scratched the proverbial surface.  Early Raymond was such an intriguing melting pot of immigrants and cultures that there is ample material for at least another Sou’wester, at the very least.
     We’re still behind with our publications in spite of producing three double (more like triple) publications in a row.  There’s another in the works for fall featuring South County history and we’re working hard to catch up and stay on track with 16 to 24 page quarterly issues.
     We have received considerable feedback about the railroad issue.  Your comments and, yes, corrections are appreciated and it’s rewarding to know that our work is read.
     My wife, Denise, has once again provided an invaluable service for us by relentlessly proofreading and cleaning things up and Doug and I are both grateful for her work.
Steve Rogers, PCHS president
Cover Photo:  Louie Kochopulos was a respected early Raymond businessman who owned several establishments throughout town.  A special thanks to his daughter, Cheryl for providing this great photo.
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Celebrating Raymond's Centennial
  1. Stewart Holbrook’s Raymond: Page 2
  2. “A Howling Wilderness”: Page 4
  3. First Street 1907-1957: Page 7
  4. Raymond’s First 55 Years: Page 15
  5. Fred Norman, United States Representative: Page 35
  6. George Reizner, Theatre Man: Page 37
  7. The Guglomo Family, An American Story: Page 38
  8. Gus Asplund, The Mission Club & Raymond Baseball: Page 42
  9. Valma Antilla Koven - A Daughter’s Story: Page 46
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A bird's eye view of Raymond. (PCHS photo) Larger Image
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This photo depicts the early prosperous days of the mill industry in Raymond.  The mill on the left is the Olympic Hardwood mill and the mill with the burner is on the “island” behind what is now Everybody’s Supermarket.  The photo demonstrates just how much steam and smoke there was in the early days. (PCHS #93.22.5) Larger Image
I.  Stewart Holbrook’s Raymond
     In 2000, on the website of the Oregon Cultural Heritage Commission, founder Brian Booth wrote of one of the Pacific Northwest’s finest writers: Stewart Holbrook (1893-1964).  Booth, a lawyer and a literary advocate, described the writer who he considered a combination of Will Rogers, Mark Twain, and H. L. Mencken.
     “By the time of his death, the former logger had become an almost legendary figure for anyone in the Pacific Northwest with an interest in writing, journalism, history, current affairs, or the area’s leading industry, forest products.  His byline in magazines and newspapers, including the Oregonian for 36 years, was known to readers across the country.  Author of three dozen books and one of the nation’s most popular historians and commentators, he taught at Harvard, lectured at Reed College, and was known as the “Lumberjack Boswell.”  He was the nation’s leading spokesperson for what he called the “Far Corner” – Oregon, Washington, and Idaho.  As one scholar recently wrote, “he single-handedly put the region on the literary map in the mid-20th century.”
     Here, from Holbrook’s book Far Corner:  A Personal View of the Pacific Northwest, are his words about Raymond during the depression years ca. 1935.
     Where the railroad that came to tidewater was once a city of five thousand, all of it built either on pilings or on dredged-in land.  Its business district contained several new concrete buildings, but also block on block structures straight out of Western or Yukon fiction; false-front establishments, many with fearsome architectural embellishments, called pool rooms, card rooms, tobacco stores, clothing stores, hotels, rooming houses, sports centers, restaurants, and what not.  A big business on First Street was the retailing of moonshine and homemade beers and wines, all illegal in the days of Prohibition.  The upstairs of many of these places were made into rooms for transients, and there was generally believed to be a chambermaid for every room.
     The juke box had not penetrated Pacific County, but the electric player piano was wellsettled, and the insistent beat of a dozen of these hurdy-gurdies made an evening on First Street memorable, while the tides washed and gurgled underneath the shacks and brought rich aromas to the guests and the customers.  The Raymond sea gulls never slept.  Busy all day, they held convention in the evening, wheeling and darting, screaming high and eerily above the pounding bass of Dardanella, fighting for scraps of food, lighting on window sills to glare at the people inside.
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Looking over Ellis Slough towards Riverdale this aerial photo appears to have been taken in the mid-50’s.  The new Raymond High School gym and Ninth Street Elementary are visible in the center of the photo. (Antilla Collection photo courtesy ARC Photography) Larger Image
     The sidewalks and some of the streets were planks set on stringers supported by piling.  At low tide they were about ten feet above water; and
during the June and December tides they either sank out of sight, or floated off.  They rattled and thumped much of the night as lumber carriers moved over them.  The town was none too well lighted, but it was never really dark; the hot red eyes of the sawdust burners at the mills blinked, then flared and smoked, twenty-four hours a day.  Great seagoing ships steamed in to dock and await cargo.  Two railroads shunted cars the night long in order that siding and flooring and shingles might be loaded next morning.
     …Pioneer smells yet lingered.  Any stranger in the West Side sections of the Northwest, thirty years ago, noted at once the pleasant aroma of wood that permeated most homes.  This came from the fir slabs that were brought in four-foot lengths and piled between sidewalk and street to dry until fall when an army of itinerant power saw men appeared as suddenly and as mysteriously as so many locusts, to cut the slabs into fuel for stove and furnace.  Its mild pungency struck me as a sort of aromatic hospitality.  Nor was the aroma lost when the sawdust burners came into use.  But it disappeared with the newer oil burners.  As with almost all improvements, something was lost as well as gained.  In this case, it was the perfume of the Douglas fir, one of the most comforting smells I know of.
     The whole place was throbbing, fairly bursting with the energy and the urgency I came quickly to associate with pioneering—even sixty years after the covered wagons had ceased to roll.  Raymond, and many another Northwest towns, did not remind me of anything I had known in New England.  I found the rawness and the spirit new and wonderful.
From Stewart Holbrook’s Far Corner. (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1952. pp. 13-14.)
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With the Raymond General Hospital on the left and the Hotel Wakefield on the right, this very early First Street photo is notable for the absence of vehicles and the hole in the plank street in the foreground.  There appears to be a workman’s cart with planks near the hole.  A sign in the street on the right says “E.Abbott Jeweler—Eyes Tested Free.  A vertical “Meat Market” sign is on the left about half way down the block.  (PCHS #8-20-70-2) Larger Image
II.  “A Howling Wilderness”
     Years ago, Pacific County deputy sheriff Ray Wheaton referred to Raymond’s First Street as a “howling wilderness.”  That it may have been, but it was also home, office, and dining room for many of the city’s residents.
     The street has never been more than four and a half blocks in length, and in its heyday it could, at times, exude an urban, eclectic aura.  In its heyday, it was a place with a rich ethnic mix of characters: Finns, Poles, Swedes, Swede Finns, Chinese, Lebanese, Lithuanians, Jews, Ossetians (a part of Russia), Latvians, Germans, Austrians, Norwegians, and more.  It was a busy place, cosmopolitan in character, and in its earliest days the social and business center of Raymond.
     Imagine a weekday morning walk down woodplanked First Street in 1920.  There would have been the aroma of fresh baked breads and pastries wafting from the Finn and Greek bakeries, and of the coffee from the Greek coffee house.  Further along, an early bird restaurateur would be picking up special cuts at one of the meat markets.  To be ready for the lunch crowd, the roasts would have to be in the ovens soon.
     The early morning street was a busy place, and in the background, the din of the nearby mill machinery accompanied the chatter of merchants opening their shops, and of Finnish or Lithuanian mill workers making their way from the rooming houses to their jobs at one of the several sawmills.
* * * * * * *
     This writer was born at the South Bend General Hospital in 1935, but I lived my first four years in an upstairs apartment on the corner of First and Duryea in downtown Raymond.  My mother often had to come find her wandering three and four year old, as I had discovered a larger world, down the stairs to the street, to the candy store, butcher shop, or barber shop.  Those fellows always looked out for the kids.  Beside, barber Roy Porter’s second chair, Bill Cash, was the funniest character I knew when I was four years old.  And the butcher would occasionally treat me to a raw hotdog.
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Raymond Trust Co., the town’s first bank on the west side of First between Duryea and Commercial Streets.  The business was later moved to the Hotel Willapa building.  (PCHS #7-31-70-1 from LV Raymond Estate) Larger Image
     Many mill workers would lunch at one of the several cafes on the street, typically featuring their blue plate specials.  Today’s oldest citizens, who were youngsters in the late 1920s and 1930s, might recall the hectic lunchtime at places like the
Royal Grill, Eagle Café, Moose Café, or the Sunday dinners at the Lincoln Hotel.
     Forget the myth that First Street was nothing more than a skid row, as it was nothing of the sort in its early days.  Granted, the block between Commercial and Alder Streets was the “bowery” part of town, but the remaining three blocks included the heart of the city.
     During the 1910s and 1920s First Street housed the city hall, two banks, law offices, groceries, meat markets, labor temples, women and men’s clothing shops, fraternal organizations, a mortuary, a variety of other family businesses, and close to a dozen cafes.  For entertainment and relaxation, there was a movie theatre, a Finnish sauna, Russian bath house, a piano and sheet music shop, confectionary shops, ice cream parlors, and for a short time, a small gymnasium.
     There were several rooming houses and hotels.  And yes, between Commercial and Alder streets, in small upstairs hotels and private rooms, sailors and loggers visited the “ladies of the night.”  Willapa Bay was a favorite stop for seamen on the cargo ships making regular visits to the sawmills, and it was known that Raymond endured a worldwide reputation among the sailors of the international merchant fleet.
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Looking down First Street ca 1915 towards what is now the Weyerhaeuser mill.  The Raymond Lumber Co. is at the far end of the street.  The Hotel Palace on the left is advertising rooms.  The horse-drawn vehicle coming down the street is an interesting juxtaposition with the “modern” automobiles.  Signage includes “Painless Dentists—Open Day & Night”.  (PCHS #11-18-87-1) Larger Image
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This 1940’s photo shows some of the 1st Street transition beginning to take place.  Pederson’s Chrysler dealership is at the end of the block on the left and the Hotel Wakefield is gone.  (Photo courtesy of Dave Wolfenbarger.) Larger Image
     Prior to the First World War there were more retail businesses on First Street and its neighboring side streets than in all of modern day Raymond.  In those days there were at least a dozen saloons, squeezed into the single city block, on the street’s south end, between Commercial and Alder.  As late as the 1930s, shopkeepers on the north end (the other three blocks) would warn customers and families to stay away from “that part of town.”
     A series of anti-beer and liquor laws, dating from 1913, and lasting until 1933, began to affect the saloon owners and shopkeepers, especially the European-born.  The prohibition era, combined with the movement of Raymond’s commercial district toward Third Street and beyond, led to significant changes in the 1930s and 1940s, which is more recognizable in the memories of today’s group of senior citizens.
     The days of Prohibition in Raymond, South Bend, and the Willapa Valley is a story unto itself but Raymond’s saloons managed to stay in business as pool halls and “social clubs.” Bootleggers and police were kept busy.  At least one dairy farmer supplemented his income by delivering milk bottles painted white, filled with the product of a secret still.
     The youngsters who grew up between World War II and the Vietnam War recall a different First Street.  By then it was a collection of beer parlors, card rooms, aging rooming houses, and a few fading grocery stores and cafes.  Two or three houses of prostitution, historically tolerated by the city and police, continued to operate, but a corrosive political climate had turned against the “old days.”  People growing up during those years have their own memories of the area, and some may have been told by parents to stay away from “that street.”
     Searching back before the ‘forties, to the period of time between 1903 and 1930, the amateur sleuth can discover a street that had been the city’s focal place of business and social life.  Even in the years immediately following World War II, through the 1950s, First Street clung to its former character, its businesses and social gatherings still reflecting a vibrant role in the life of the city.
     The First Street of Raymond’s early years is a dimming memory; Ray Wheaton’s “Howling Wilderness” is gone.  The few older buildings still standing are the lamentable relics of a more glorious, or possibly infamous, past.  The Cedar Tavern finally closed just a few years ago, a crumbling reminder of what once was.  And as for the glory years, an accurate communal memory threatens to fade and disappear, as the men and women who recall the area’s youthful exuberance grow old and pass on.
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Two teams of horses are standing in a flooded First St. at high tide.  This photo is from the same perspective as the one on the previous page.  Built on tidelands and sloughs, winter water has always been a big challenge for the community.  (PCHS #94-83-29) Larger Image
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Mayor Alexander C. Little
(Photo courtesy Raymond Elks.)
III.  FIRST STREET 1903-1970
  1. CITY INFRASTRUCTURE
    1. City Hall:  In the early years the city hall was located on First Street, between Commercial and Duryea streets.  During this time, Raymond founder A. C. Little was mayor for several years.  Longest reign as mayor was William Gurr, from 1939 to 1955.
    2. Police Department:  The earliest police station and jail was on Commercial, just off First, but for most of this period it was a small structure at the foot of Duryea.  In Raymond lore, longtime Chief Frank Dick stands out.  It was said that nothing happened that Frank Dick didn’t have a finger in or on - good or bad.
    3. U. S. Post Office:  Located on First Street, between Ellis and Duryea.  L. V. Raymond was the first postmaster, but by 1908 he was replaced by F. B. Sturgis.
    4. Ellis Street School: The grade school was located a block from First, on Ellis and Second Streets.
  2. HOSPITALS
    1. Gruwell’s Raymond Hospital:  First Street.  Operated between 1905 and 1907.  Owned by Dr. William Gruwell, who had another small hospital in South Bend.  Dr. Gruwell brought in Dr. O. R. Nevitt of Minnesota to be a resident physician.  Gruwell closed the Raymond hospital after only 18 months, but continued his practice in South Bend.  Dr. Nevitt became known as the pioneer Raymond physician.
    2. Raymond General Hospital:  North side of First at the Ellis intersection.  Operated for only six years, between 1907 and 1913.  Dr. George Overmeyer, who had first come to South Bend, built the South Bend General Hospital, then the Raymond General Hospital.  In 1904, Overmeyer took in Dr. George Tripp as a partner.  In 1914, he sold the Raymond hospital to Mr. and Mrs. George Dickinson, who renovated it into a rooming house and named it the Lincoln Hotel.  It was later sold to John and Tekkla Antilla.
  3. HOTELS AND ROOMING HOUSES
    1. Nix Hotel:  At the corner of First and Alder.  Very early building, the site later became the Washington Hotel.  The Washington Hotel had many owners and managers.  In 1925 the owners were Mr. and Mrs. L. Krueger.  Meals were served family style, and the rooms were 50¢ per day or $1.50 a week.  In the 1940s one of the last proprietors was the Linder family.  Son was Cliff Linder.  In 1908 the building was used as a meeting hall, with almost all the fraternal organizations using the facility:
      1. Eagles
      2. Odd Fellows
      3. Knights of Pythias
      4. Masonic Lodge, etc.
    2. Willapa House:  Off of First Street, closer to Mill Street and the mills.  It was operated by John and Tekkla Antilla.  As with other rooming houses, mill workers lived here.  The Antillas owned the Lincoln Hotel for a much longer period of time.  See the story featured in this issue.
    3. Wakefield Hotel:  Early hotel at First and Ellis.
    4. Hebish Apartments:  Formerly the Windsor Hotel.  I was told that it was mostly rented to single working men and that a lot of “Okies” lived there.  (Okies was a term used to describe people from the middle west and southwest states.)
    5. Kero Hotel:  Hilda and Matt Kero, proprietors.  It was said that Hilda ran the business.  Their daughter was Elsie Hogansen.  It was formerly the Kettner Hotel.
    6. Pacific Hotel:  Later called the Hurd Hotel.

Long-time Chief of Police Frank Dick (on the right) was regarded by many as “The Godfather of Raymond”.  Maurice Thorpe is identified as the man next to him.  (PCHS # 94.75.1)
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Theatre owner George Reizner is shown in front of his Lyric Theatre on First Street.  He later built the Raymond and South Bend Tokay Theatres.  (PCHS #3-24-64-149 from Mrs. Pete Zambas 7/10/70) Larger Image
  1. INSURANCE, TAXES, AND REAL ESTATE
    1. Floyd Lewis Insurance and Real Estate:
    2. Lewis and Reed Real Estate:  415 First.
    3. Eichner’s Insurance:  First and Duryea.
  2. MORTUARY
    1. Albro Dickinson Mortuary:  At the rear of the furniture store.
  3. MOVIE, & VAUDEVILLE THEATRES
    1. Peoples Theatre:  George Reizner, owner and manager.
    2. Lyric Theatre:  Located on First, between Ellis and Duryea.  The flamboyant George Reizner was owner and manager.  He later built the Tokay Theatre.
    3. New Lyric Theatre:  Same location, same ownership.
  4. GROCERY STORES AND MEAT MARKETS
    1. Hanges’ Grocery:  328 First Street.  The George Carlos Grocery replaced Hanges.
    2. The California Grocery:  Owned by Bill Platen, replaced George Carlos.
    3. J. D. McNeill Grocery Store:  C. O. Swanson Grocery (bought out McNeill’s).
    4. Pete’s California House:  Pete Lapinski, proprietor.
    5. Carsten’s Meats:  Later sold to Pete Rose.
    6. Rose Brothers’ Butcher Shop:  Became the Boyd Keller’s Butcher Shop—it was purchased in 1946.
    7. Raymond Meat Company and Sausage Factory:
    8. Pacific Dairy and Grocery:  Later the location of Tony Swanson’s Grocery.  Others were:
      1. Owen’s Grocery
      2. Garrett’s Grocery
      3. Martin Huter Grocery
      4. Mannering Grocery
      5. Bobby Burns’ Grocery (one of the early ones).
  5. DRUG STORES
    1. Owl Drug Store:  348 First.  Pete Paulsen, proprietor.  First & Duryea.
    2. Paulsen’s Pharmacy:  Corner of First and Duryea.  Dunsmoor’s Drug Store, same location.
  6. BAKERIES AND CONFECTIONARY SHOPS
    1. City Bakery and Coffee House:  An old Greek establishment, early years.
    2. Smith’s Raymond Bakery:  Others included The Parrot Confectionary, Stark Confections, and the Hedden’s Confectionary and Newstand.
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The Garrett’s Grocery delivery truck.  Note the “Main 28” phone number on the side.  (PCHS # 95-57-19) Larger Image
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Stella and Mike Nowogroski owned a clothing store and a jewelry store on First Street although the store in this photo is on Third Street next to Dunsmoor’s Rexall Drug.  (PCHS # 94-8.61) Larger Image
  1. JEWELRY STORES
    1. Wahlen Jewelry:
      1. Sold to Nowogroskis in 1943, Mike and Stella Nowogroski, proprietors.
      2. Another was M. J. Scudder.  There were more, but names are unknown.
  2. CLOTHING, & SHOE STORES
    1. Women’s shops on First Street included:
      1. The Fashion Shop
      2. Mrs. Schwartz’ Home Made Clothing
      3. Mrs. Snyder’s Millinery
      4. Mrs. Wilder’s Millinery
      5. Miss C. L. Bernier’s Millinery Emporium.
    2. LaVogue Department Store:  Men’s and Women’s. Bitar, prop.
    3. Powelson & Basore Clothing:  First & Duryea, bankrupt in 1915.
    4. Dracobly’s Golden Rule:  Dracobly’s later moved to Duryea Street.
    5. W. H. Martin Co.:  Sold the business to the Toggery in 1921.  The Toggery later moved to Duryea Street.
    6. Huotari Clothing:  Then sold to John T. Pulli Clothing.
    7. Other clothing stores were:
      1. Asief & Bitar Clothing
      2. Heglom-Martell & Company
      3. Basil Dry Goods
      4. Frank Cram Men’s Clothing
      5. Nowogroski’s Clothing Store
      6. Huter & Nowogroski Men’s and Boy’s Store
      7. C. A. Van Natter Clothing.
    8. Two known shoe stores were:
      1. Yorgensen’s Shoe Store
      2. Economy Shoe Store.
  3. TAILORS, CLEANERS, SHOE REPAIR
    1. Tailors:  M. Johnson, Tailor, and another, not named, was just off First, on Duryea.
    2. Cleaners included:
      1. Pope and Son, which was sold to Paramount Cleaners, Arlie Pochel and Ray Murdock, proprietors.
      2. Another was Paul Olsen Cleaning.
    3. Shoe repair:  One known business was George The Shoe Doctor, but there were at least two others.
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W.F. Burnett at Dunsmoor’s Drug Store on First Street.  (PCHS #9-22-80-4-18 gift from W.F. Burnett Estate) Larger Image
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Note the two dapper lads posing in the foreground in this 1907 photo of First Street.  (PCHS #94-8-31) Larger Image
  1. BARBER SHOPS, STEAM BATHS
    1. James The Barber:  James Gotsis, proprietor.  307 First.  James died in August, 1935, at the age of 50, of complications from an auto accident.  He was born in Itos, Greece in 1884 and came to Raymond in 1918.
    2. Cady’s Barber Shop:  Sold and became Dudley’s Barber Shop.
    3. Raymond Barber Shop:  Medak, prop., 314 First.
    4. John Gotsis Barber Shop:  330 First.  John Gotsis was a bonafide character.  Besides being a barber, Gotsis was also a justice of the peace, and was known to have fined his own customers while holding court in the barber shop.  This information was offered by the late Bob Bailey.  Some customers took a real dislike to this treatment and quit coming for haircuts.  John may have been married three times.  Paul Willis, who worked as a night clerk at the Commercial Hotel, said that one time John showed up at the hotel and complained “My wife is nuts, she wants to kill me.”  After crying on Paul’s shoulder, Gotsis finally gathered up enough nerve to return home.
    5. Gould Barber and Baths:  422 First.
    6. Roy Porter Barber Shop:  A few doors off First, on Duryea.  A popular place.
    7. Crystal Steam Baths:  1/2 block off First.
    8. Russian Baths:  A few steps north of First.
    9. A. Padgett, Barber:  445 First, plus another, not named, in the same block.
  2. POOL HALLS, CARD ROOMS, SPORTS CLUBS:  During prohibition, 1920-1933, former taverns attempting to stay in business competed with the pool halls, card rooms, etc. in order to survive.  Gus Asplund, Jr. insisted that his father never served alcohol during prohibition, but almost every businessman of this type would have known where their customers could get a drink.
    1. Smoke Shop:  Jim Long, Jim Weathers. The Smoke Shop served great milkshakes.  A popular card room, lots of pan played here.  (Panginngay, a.k.a. Pan, is a form of rummy, played with 310 cards; a popular gambling card game.)  An earlier and older place operated by Jim Long and Jim Weathers’ was The Old Corner.
    2. Raymond Club:  Remodeled in 1932, it was purchased by Morris Thorpe from the Andy Willis estate, and had a little 12 pipe organ.  Lots of hunting displays.  The club served alcohol and in 1940 Charles Busse was in charge of the bar.
    3. Pastime Club:  Dave Dennis, proprietor.
    4. Todd’s Place:  Jim Bennos, proprietor.  Operated during prohibition years.
    5. Adam Rubstello Pool Hall:  On West Ellis, just off First Street.
    6. Ward’s Pool Room:  The Mission Club (see Asplund story).
    7. Kroges Pool Hall: See photo.
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Pete and Catherine Kroges are shown in their pool hall and confectionary in this circa 1910 photo.  The business opened in 1910.  (PCHS #4-6-87-3-2) Larger Image
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Proprietor George DeMir is ready for business at his popular Eagle Café which was located on the corner of 1st and Duryea.  Note the portrait of FDR behind the counter in this photo from the 30’s. (PCHS 94-8-24) Larger Image
  1. RESTAURANTS
    1. The larger, long lasting restaurants:
      1. Shasta Café, Ella and Glen Storey, proprietors.  It is said that bootleggers lived above the café.  (Which was not unique during the Prohibition era, 1920-1933.)
      2. Royal Grill, 425 First Street.  Bill and Jim Bennos, proprietors.  Jim eventually returned to Greece.  Bill closed the business ca. 1950 and moved to Lebam, where he owned and operated the Lebam Tavern until ca. 1980.  Bill’s son Paul Bennos visited Jim Bennos in Greece at least three times.  Bessie Holten worked at the Royal Grill.
      3. Lincoln Hotel Dining Room (see Antilla story on page 42.)
      4. Eagle Café, 323 First Street.  A popular and successful business for several years.  George DeMir, proprietor.
    2. The smaller restaurants or lunch counters, usually lasting only a few years:
      1. Moose Café, George John, proprietor.  The Moose Café was a very successful business, but owner John was murdered while working at his café in 1931.  His brother attempted to continue the business, but he gave up after a few months.  George John was born in 1886 in Galime, Greece, on the island of Marmara, which was controlled by Turkey.  He came to the U. S. in 1917 and first settled in Tacoma.  He was survived by his three children, Margaret, Greg, and Marie.
      2. Carson’s Café, aka Monogram Café.  Early business, it was near the Washington Hotel.
      3. Reed’s Grill, early days of Raymond, the café was located on First Street, next to the Lyric Theatre.
    3. There were many other cafes.  Here are a few:
      1. Delmonte Café
      2. Golden Gate Café
      3. Y Not Eat Café
      4. Palace Café
      5. Hank’s Café
      6. Coney Island Café
      7. Kelley’s Café
      8. Anchor Café
      9. Hen House Café
      10. Dick’s Place
      11. Mary’s Café (owner Mary Michaelson)
      12. Nelson’s (later the Smoke Shop)
      13. Maxine’s Lunch (owner Maxine Biggs)
  2. CIGARS, TOBACCO
    1. Reader’s Cigar Store and Factory. See Photo.
    2. Fred Norman Cigar and Tobacco Shop (see story page 35).
    3. Lamme Cigar Shop
    4. Mortensen’s, owner Carl Mortensen.  This shop had a variety of goods.
Click for a larger image
This 1909 photo was taken at Reader’s Cigar Factory on 1st St.  Notice the cigars on the table in front of the gentlemen.  The lady is identified as Mary Burt, daughter of Mr. & Mrs. Frank Burt.  One of the fellows is Jess Reader but there is no indication which one.  (PCHS # 8-27-80-2 Gift from Margaret Jones.) Larger Image
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The Shephard and Dennis Company at First & Commercial, circa 1929.  (Photo from Spring/Summer 2005 Pacific County Historical Society Sou’wester.)
  1. HARDWARE, PAINT
    1. Cady Paint & Wallpaper, 241 First.  Formerly Cady & Eyer.
    2. Huston’s Wallpaper & Paint Company, 443 First.
  2. FURNITURE
    1. Twin City Furniture.  Baker and Jensen.  Early business.  They later joined forces again as the Jensen-Baker Company, and parted again.
    2. Square Deal Furniture and Second Hand Store
    3. Jensen’s Furniture, Howard Jensen.  A few steps off First, on Duryea.
    4. Albro Dickinson Furniture and Mortuary
    5. The Bee Hive, Furniture and Appliances.  Howard Jensen
    6. Hayman-Kaufman Company
    7. Hanley & Kuhn Furniture
  3. DELIVERY, FOUNDRY, MACHINE SHOP, AUTO REPAIR & STORAGE
    1. Delivery Companies:
      1. Shepard & Dennis Transfer Company, 125 Commercial Street.  The older location later became Sittko Taxi and Auto Storage.  P. W. Shepard started the company, with S. L. Dennis joining him in 1907.
      2. Shepard and Dennis Co., predecessor of today’s Dennis Company.
    2. Foundries:
      1. Lollar Foundry
      2. Lamb Foundry
      3. Raymond Foundry and Machine Shop, Ralph Gerber, mgr and J. E. Doncaster, President.  Motto: “Our specialty: Ship forgings, castings, and fittings.”
    3. Motor companies:
      1. Pacific Motor Company and Auto Storage, near Alder Street
      2. Pederson Motors, on First and Ellis
      3. Raymond Overland Automobile
    4. Two more businesses:
      1. Pattern Shop and Storage
      2. Raymond Boiler Shop
  4. TAXI SERVICE
    1. Sittko Taxi and Auto Storage.  Louie Sittko, proprietor.  Louie also had an ambulance and a wrecker.  Louie was known to be quite a rounder.  He once took a call from the Smoke Shop to help a fellow get his car out of a dead end logging road.
    2. Larry’s Taxi, Larry Bridges, owner and operator, First and Duryea.
  5. BANKS
    1. Two early banks:
      1. Raymond Trust
      2. Willapa Harbor State Bank
  6. GENERAL/CONVENIENCE STORES, or JUNK STORES
    1. Eagle Co-Op Store, 1903.  First store in Raymond.
    2. Army-Navy Store,
    3. Carl’s Handy Corner
    4. Willapa Harbor Trading Post, Joe Rome proprietor
    5. Also the previously mentioned Mortensen’s.
  7. LONGSHOREMEN
    1. Stevedoring:
      1. Willapa Harbor Stevedoring
      2. Grays Harbor Stevedoring
    2. ILWU Union Shop for Longshoremen
  8. ELECTRICIANS, PLUMBERS
    1. Electricians:
      1. Chesney Electric Company;
      2. W. K. Terrill, electrician.  Also handled motorcycles.
    2. Radio:
      1. Jack’s Radio & Electric
      2. Baker Radio Appliance
    3. Plumbing:
      1. Baker Plumbing
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Guglomo’s Venetian Gardens tavern was one of the most popular and successful of many First Street drinking establishments.  Owner Charley Guglomo and his family were one of many immigrant families that came to Willapa Harbor and established themselves in business.  (Photo courtesy Richard Guglomo & Doug Allen). Larger Image
  1. BARS AND SALOONS
    1. In Raymond’s early years, all of the saloons, bars, and “houses” of prostitution were located between Alder and Commercial Streets.  The bars were on the street level, with many of the upstairs rooms used by prostitutes.  (The two businesses were not necessarily connected.)  The women sometimes operated alone, while a few worked in small groups, with a “madam” as their boss.  There may have been three main businesses until the end of the era, ca. 1960s, namely the Star Rooms, Northern Rooms, and one called the New Deal.  It is said that nearly every sailor who came into port knew of these establishments, as did the barkeepers, taxi drivers, and police officers.

    2.      After prohibition was lifted in 1933, there was a big change, and beer parlors and bars were located in various parts of town.  Here is an incomplete list of the saloons and bars between the years 1904 and 1920:
      1. Kuehner’s Tavern
      2. The Russell Bar
      3. The Astoria Bar
      4. Owl Bar
      5. Palm Bar
      6. Portland Beer Hall
      7. Office Bar
      8. Doctor Bar
      9. Combination Bar

This is a pretty serious group posing in front of the Astoria Bar on 1st.  It seems all of them held still for the photo except the ghostly figure in the doorway.  Note the violin and accordion on the left and the Olympia Beer signs.  (PCHS photo 95-39-8)
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A ghostly Cedar Tavern is pretty much all that is left of the once-robust 1st Street businesses.  (Photo by Nicole Rogers.)
    1. Although not complete, here is the expanded list of saloons, taverns, and bars that were located on First Street (or within a half block), to ca. 1970.
      1. Guglomo’s Venetian Gardens tavern, Charley Guglomo, original proprietor (see story on page 38).
      2. Pioneer Tavern, aka Mike’s, owned and operated by M. B. “Mike” Asieff, aka Shorty Asieff.  Mike came from the same European homeland as the Betrozoffs.
      3. Raymond Tavern.  Owned and operated by Mr. and Mrs. Fernando Dirico.  The Dirico’s son Leo studied science and music in Boston and became a successful musician.  There’s a story of Mrs. Dirico rushing into the street after a 1930s earthquake, still holding four glasses of beer.
      4. Spike’s.  Haskell “Spike” and Elvira Booth were the proprietors.  Elvira’s maiden name was Barber, and she was born in Rexfort, Idaho.  Elvira and Glenn Barber were sister and brother.  Spike, who was a French Canadian from Vermont, had been raised by a grandmother.  He had once been a Safeway manager.  He was known to love the ladies, and the tavern was long known as one of Raymond’s “hot spots.”  Yes, folks, Raymond once had a very vibrant night life!  Spike’s place attracted the ladies, loggers, sailors, and hometown folks.  The dancers at Spike’s played a dance tag game called “broomtag”.
      5. Lapinski’s Tavern.  Owned and operated by Mike Lapinski, who was Pete’s father.
      6. Louie’s Tavern. See Photo.  Louie Kochopulos owned at least three taverns at one time or another, and all were on First Street.  Louie had worked in a shingle mill, shined shoes (which turned into a real business) and became one of Raymond’s most successful businessmen.  The first tavern opened after Prohibition was Louie’s Willapa Harbor Tavern.  Another name for that business was the Anchor Tavern.
      7. The Corner Tavern.  Louie Kochopulos’s last and biggest business, was located on the corner of First and Duryea during the late 1940s and 1950s.
      8. Cedar Tavern.  One of the old time places, it lasted longer than most of the others.  It’s still standing, but barely. See photo.  In the old days it was owned and operated by Ed Zambara.
      9. Washington Tavern
      10. The Olympic Club
Click for a larger image
A walking beer keg advertising Louie Kochopulos’ Willapa Harbor Tavern amused the throng along Duryea Street headed towards First at the All Nation’s Day parade July 4, 1934.  Standing next to the Navy ship officer parade judges are AG Basil and his daughter Doumina.  (Ken Bales photo courtesy of Heidi Bales.) Larger Image
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Raymond’s first mill began operation in 1903 but this undated photo appears to have been taken later because of the structures in the background including the old elementary school and The Dennis Company.  (PCHS photo scanned courtesy ARC Photography.) Larger Image
IV.  RAYMOND’S FIRST 55 YEARS 1902-1957

     It was all about timber, and three years prior to the building of the Siler-Cram mill, the Willapa Harbor Pilot printed the following:

         A conservative estimate suggested that there was in excess of 1,200 million board feet of timber known about in the local area: Half Moon Creek and a smaller creek nearby--550 million feet; Smith Creek — 100 million feet; Fairchild Creek—300 million feet; South Fork—150 million feet; North River and Naselle River—unknown, but the guess in 1899 was hundreds of millions, maybe jillions.
     
  • 1902
    1. The Birth of Raymond: Jacob Siler and Winfield Cram arranged to have major portions of the old Sunshine Mill (Naselle River) moved to Johnson’s Island, where they had negotiated an agreement for a mill site with L. V. Raymond and A. C. Little. (Johnson’s Island later became known as the Island neighborhood of Raymond.)  Siler was the experienced mill operator, while Cram was on the business side of the operation.  Years later, Cram, who was also a member of the Raymond Land and Improvement Company, went back to the wholesale fish business.
    2. Raymond would not graduate a senior until 1912.  The area’s high school students would have attended South Bend HS at this time.
    3. SBHS graduated 7, all girls.
  • 1903
    1. The Siler Mill began its operation.  Nearby there were two small shingle mills, Willapa Shingle and Shore Shingle.
    2. The first boat used to taxi passengers and goods between South Bend and Raymond was the Daphne.  It was operated by two immigrant fellows, hence, Stella Raymond dubbed it “the Lithuanian ferry.”
    3. Raymond’s first elevated sidewalk was built to connect the Siler Mill with the intersection of First Street and then south to Commercial Street.
    4. Raymond’s first post office was established in the small general store operated by August Rugger. L. V. Raymond was the first postmaster.
    5. Raymond’s first store was the Eagle Co-Op Company, built by Dick Pugsley.  The store was managed by P. M. Owen. Several years later the same building was named the Eagle Café, which would be operated by George Demir.
    6. SBHS graduated 0.
  • 1904
    1. First survey made for Raymond.  Plat of Raymond filed on October 4.
    2. On April 6, A. C. Little and others submitted a petition to name their new town “Raymond.”
    3. West Coast Veneer was built by A. C. Little.
    4. A liquor license was issued to Issac “Ike” Anderson, who was the key saloon owner in Raymond’s infancy and known for his “dens of iniquity.”
    5. SBHS graduated 0.
  • 1905
    1. On January 6, the first church, Methodist, was organized by Rev. W. E. Cox, with six charter members:  Jacob, Mary, and Harriet Siler; Mrs. Cox, Mrs. H. J. Owens, and Mrs. Ruth Blake.
    2. Napoleon de Grace Dijon drew the blueprints for the new city of Raymond in the office of the Raymond Land and Improvement Company.
    3. E.E. Case bought out Turney & Martin and opened his first shingle mill.
    4. P. W. Shepard began his transfer work which included hauling wood.
    5. On June 2 the Methodist Church was dedicated.
    6. The Raymond Herald was first published by J. J. Heath.
    7. Five students from Raymond attended school at South Bend: Elsie and Ruby Monohon, Queenie Swanson, Gertrude Leach, and Maggie Owens.
    8. SBHS graduated 0.
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This 1907 photo and shows the old South Fork wooden railroad bridge which was replaced by the one standing open today.  The ships on the right are moored at the “island” currently slated for development behind Everybody’s store.  (PCHS photo scanned courtesy ARC Photo.) Larger Image
  • 1906
    1. The Creech brothers, who were established Grays Harbor residents and business operators, disposed of GH Logging and moved to Willapa Harbor to build a mill in Raymond.
    2. S. L. Dennis joined A. Shore as a partner in the Shore Shingle Company mill.
    3. Kalb-Glibbert Co. removed rock from Narrows for their Raymond mill foundation.
    4. Plans were activated to build road between Raymond and South Bend along the river.
    5. Late in the year the Raymond Trust Company Bank was opened on the corner of First and Commercial.  Bank president J. J. Haggerty owned the first automobile in Raymond—a Stanley Steamer.
    6. Raymond saloons, 1906-1907:
        1. Kuehner Saloon.
        2. Russell Bar, owned and operated by George and John Russell.  The Russell bar had started in 1905, and had clever slogans and advertisements, such as: “Entertains gentlemen free from annoyance and rowdyism,” and “An air of cordiality and good cheer.”
        3. The Office, owned by Mitchell and Potts, had an area of 30 by 90 feet, and a slogan that claimed “decorated in a style not to be surpassed by any saloon.”  Mitchell and Potts also operated three other Raymond saloons,
          1. the Palm,
          2. the Owl,
          3. the Combination.
      1. The Astoria Bar, owned by Suomela and one of the Peterson brothers.  Charles Gammal was a partner for a few years.
      2. Doctor’s Bar, later became known as Zambaras’ Bar.
      3. Olympic Club, owned by Floyd L. Lewis.
        • Issac Anderson, and Beer Hall partner A. Hakvist were the owners of:
          1. Portland Beer Hall
          2. Concert Hall
    7. SBHS graduated 5.
  • 1907
    1. The vessels Daphne and Fearless made the 20 minute run between Raymond and South Bend.  The boats were owned by Captain Thomas Bell’s Pacific Transportation Company.  The Fearless was still operating in the 1930s.
    2. Claude House came to Raymond 1907 to work for the Raymond Land and Improvement Company.  Born in Greenville, Michigan in 1876, the senior House died in 1950.
    3. Beginning in 1907, the NP Railway initiated a new passenger train service: 2 trains departed Chehalis for Raymond and South Bend each day.
    4. Raymond incorporated, July 10, 1907.  Initial city council meeting was in August, with the following city officials presiding:
      1. A. C. Little, mayor, plus these councilmen:
        1. C. F. Cathcart
        2. W. S. Cram
        3. T. H. Donovan
        4. Floyd Lewis
        5. Charles Myers
        6. L. V. Raymond
        7. W. G. Shumway
    5. Mayor Little’s first term was from 1907 to January 1912.
    6. Economic downturn in 1907.  Mills and logging operations had a difficult time, but the situation turned for the better in the following years.
    7. First electric lights turned on in the town.
    8. S. L. Dennis joins with P. W. Shepard in his transfer business.  Predecessor of The Dennis Company.
    9. Raymond’s first shipyard, Dickie & Sons, was established.  Dickie moved to Willapa Harbor from San Francisco Bay, but went out of business after one year.  The first ship produced was The Willapa, 195 feet in length, with a 38 foot width. The Willapa was built for Sudden and Christenson, and had a capacity of 800,000 board feet of lumber.
    10. SBHS graduated 2.
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     Note that the street planks run sidewalk to sidewalk rather than up and down the street as shown in other photos.  It was said that the planked roads lasted only about three years because of their exposure to the elements, including the ubiquitous Raymond flooding.
     The Russell Bar is on the front left and the Owl Bar on the right.  Raymond’s first bank, The Raymond Trust Co. is down the street on the left . (PCHS photo from LV Raymond Estate) Larger Image
  • 1908
    1. Unofficial population of Raymond, after its first 5 years = 2,500.
    2. John Bullard announced that the Fern Hill Cemetery Association was organized.
    3. Raymond’s Masonic Lodge No. 170 held its first meeting above a livery stable, which was the upper floor of the Raymond Transfer and Cold Storage Company building, on the corner of Alder and First streets.
    4. E. Bucher, Raymond druggist, was arrested for illegally selling liquor at his drug store.  Judge John O’Phelan fined him $75 and court costs.
    5. Local newspapers announced that mass meetings were held to devise a plan to rid Raymond of Greek workers.
    6. The First Baptist Church was dedicated at 9th and Duryea.
    7. The Willapa Harbor State Bank of Raymond was organized during the spring of the year by H. W. MacPhail, formerly of Ludington, Michigan. (Ludington was also the hometown of George Cartier, the manager of the South Bend Mills and Timber Company.)  The bank was started with a capital of $42,881.  By 1913 the bank reported a capital of $717,836.  The company’s first officers were:
      1. C. S. Gilchrist, president
      2. R. L. McCormick, vice-president
      3. H. W. MacPhail, cashier
      4. C. W. Reed, assistant cashier.
    8. New liquor licenses: R. J. Owens, Charley Potts.
    9. SBHS graduated 0.
  • 1909
    1. It was reported that in August the St. Paul and Riverview water system was worked on.  On August 9, the Raymond Herald reported that “Greeks were paid $1 each for hauling.”
    2. A bond issue was passed in Raymond to build two bridges.
    3. Until 1909, Raymond’s telephones were operated through the South Bend exchange.  During the year, the Willapa Harbor Telephone Company was established, and purchased the South Bend exchange and started a separate exchange in Raymond.  This arrangement continued until 1915.
    4. The tiny Baleville Telephone Company began operation.
    5. SBHS graduated 3.

     Steamships and sailing vessels called on Raymond in the early part of century to supply the west coast’s voracious appetite for wood products.  (PCHS # 7-12-91-3)
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     Note the “Dodge Brothers Motor Vehicles” signs in the window of the Commercial Hotel in this very early photo.  (Photo courtesy Paul Willis & Doug Allen.) Larger Image
  • 1910
    1. Federal census population = 2,540.
    2. The Raymond Water and Light Company drew up plans to bring water into the city from South Fork.  It was estimated that about $85,000 would be raised from bonds, and that a pumping station would be built just above the Howard Gamage place.
    3. The Raymond Cougars baseball team was part of the six-member Class D Washington State League.
    4. Val Heath bought the Raymond Herald from his brother Jason in 1910.
    5. The first Riverdale bridge replaced Jorgensen’s ferry service.
    6. A new newspaper, the Raymond Press, with L. A. Lemere as editor and publisher.
    7. SBHS graduated 6.
  • 1911
    1. Huge growth in the city’s population, more than doubled during 1911 and 1912.
    2. IWW troubles.
    3. The Class D Washington State League was reduced to four teams, from Chehalis, Centralia, Raymond, and South Bend.  Raymond’s 1911 entry was called the Venetians, while South Bend’s team was called the River Rats.
    4. The lavishly furnished 96-room Hotel Raymond opened for business in October.
    5. Raymond’s first public library was opened in October of 1911.  It was located in the Methodist Young Peoples Building, where the Hogansen Apartments were later built.
    6. Organized in 1911, the Tuesday Club was the oldest women’s study club in Raymond.
    7. The Willapa Harbor Telephone Company was organized with H. W. MacPhail as the chief executive.  The office was at 108 Duryea.
    8. SBHS graduated 5.
  • 1912
    1. Raymond’s Ninth Street school was constructed.
    2. E. E. Case became Raymond’s second mayor, serving for one year.  He was murdered while in office.
    3. Around this time logging companies began topping spar trees and rigging up high lead systems.
    4. The Commercial Hotel opened.  One of the early managers was B. F. Ladue.  The hotel boasted, “Steam heat, hot and cold water in every room, up-to-date café in connection, 1½ blocks from railway stations.”  The hotel was permanently closed ca. 1973.
    5. In early April, Greek and Finn workers were forcibly removed from Raymond.  More than fifty Finnish people and 150 Greek people were forced out at gunpoint.
    6. The Raymond Elks Lodge was chartered.  One thousand men attended the first meeting, with many of the out-of-town members arriving in Raymond in three special Pullman railroad cars.  The meeting was held on the second floor of what later became the Dennis Company store.
    7. RHS graduated 6 (First year that Raymond had high school graduates.)
    8. SBHS graduated 6.

     The Tokay Theatre advertising “The Red Stain” which was released January , 1917.  (Photo courtesy Dave Wolfenbarger.)
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     There is certainly no shortage of great Raymond flood photos.  This Duryea St. pic is no exception. (PCHS #3-24-64-22) Larger Image
  • 1913
    1. The city claimed an unofficial population of 6,000.  Probably inflated numbers.
    2. A. C. Little was returned as mayor, and he remained in office until January, 1918.
    3. Raymond’s new Polish Hall was opened on January 3.
    4. A new shipyard was begun by Andrew Peterson, and was located on the site of the old Dickie yard.  The first Peterson-built ship launched was the Solano.
    5. A. C. Little started a new newspaper, the Raymond Review, to provide a voice for the Democratic Party.  South Bend Journal editor and publisher Hazeltine called the paper the “Reprint,” indicating that the Review had nothing original to say.
    6. A new newspaper Pacific County Times was begun in August, 1913.  The Times claimed that it was the only paper that truly represented the area’s Democratic Party.  Unfortunately, the paper did not have the support to survive more than two years.
    7. First stretch of “modern roadway” opened between South Bend and Raymond; it was known as the “Boulevard.”
    8. The Riverview Clinic Hospital was first opened on February 1, 1913.
    9. The Chicago, Milwaukee, & St. Paul RR bought out the local Pacific & Eastern Logging RR.  New tracks were constructed, bringing the new line into downtown Raymond.
    10. Menlo HS graduated 2.
    11. RHS graduated 6.
    12. SBHS graduated 6.
Click for a larger image
The perspective’s a bit confusing on this rough photo, but it shows Duryea St. under construction looking towards town from the “island” area. (PCHS # 93.87.4) Larger Image
  • 1914
    1. Passenger service on the Milwaukee Road was announced.  Work on the Milwaukee’s new Raymond depot was begun.
    2. A new property development, called the Menlo Gardens, was established, but the lots were slow to sell.  The plan was to extend the trolley tracks to Menlo, but it failed.
    3. The State Federation of Labor held its 13th annual convention in Raymond on January 13.  Mayor A.C. Little delivered the welcoming address.  More than 250 delegates were in attendance.
    4. 1914 was shaky for Willapa Harbor banking.  Two banks closed in September, the Raymond Trust and Lebam’s Fisher Brothers and Steiner Bank.  The Lebam bank closed after a rush to withdraw funds.  Thought to be in good standing, it did not have enough cash to withstand the panic.  It was also thought that the Raymond Trust brought on the problems in Lebam.  When the doors of the Raymond Trust were closed, it was discovered that it would go into the hands of a receivership.  Deposits amounted to $150,000.  The big losers were the City of Raymond and the Willapa Harbor Oil Company.  Stella Raymond was quoted as saying, “The trust had been taken out of the Raymond Trust.”  J. J. Haggerty, bank president and principal stockholder, was arrested in October by Pacific County sheriff T. H. Bell.  Crushed under the weight of financial and personal troubles, Haggerty was sentenced to two years in prison at Walla Walla.
    5. Menlo HS graduated 0.
    6. RHS graduated 7.
    7. SBHS graduated 8.
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Titled “Street Scene, Free Delivery” this photo shows the necessary elevated sidewalks in the early days.  (PCHS #93.87.1) Larger Image
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Old Mill “R” was built in 1905, destroyed by fire in 1919, rebuilt in 1929 and torn down after the last night shift of November 24, 1948. (PCHS 96.45.4) Larger Image
  • 1915
    1. In January, it was announced that B. A. Bullard would operate a jitney bus service between Raymond and East Raymond.  Patrons paid ten cents for a one-way ticket.
    2. The Milwaukee Road opened its new line in November, between Maytown and Raymond and beyond.  The company had combined several small logging lines to create the route.
    3. Willapa Lumber purchased a large two-ton truck for use in its lumber yard.  The truck replaced two horses.
    4. Powelson & Basore Clothing Store held a bankruptcy sale.  They were located on 1st and Duryea.
    5. The Pacific Telephone and Telegraph Company bought out the Willapa Harbor Telephone Company.  At the time of the purchase, South Bend had approximately 400 telephones, while Raymond had 700.
    6. As of September, there were 13 sawmills in Raymond, and also shingle mills and other woodworking plants—all within the city limits.
    7. Lebam HS graduated 2.
    8. Menlo HS graduated 0.
    9. RHS graduated 6.
    10. SBHS graduated 9.
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The tugs “Raymond” and “Fearless” struggle to turn the lumber ship “Liverpool” with its 5 million board feet of lumber capacity in this ca 1915 photo. (PCHS 12-14-83-1320) Larger Image
  • 1916
    1. On March 8, Huotari & Co. (men’s clothing) moved to a new location on the corner of 1st and Commercial.
    2. At the end of April the county track meet was held at Tokeland.  Raymond’s Tom Owens was high point man for the Gulls.
    3. Lumber strike: 200 loggers of Sunset Logging walked out of the woods (from Camp 11 and Camp 12). In a peaceful demonstration, the workers demanded a ten-percent wage increase.
    4. RHS graduated 16.
    5. SBHS graduated 12.
    6. Menlo HS graduated 0.
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This undated photo shows the construction of the Central Block along Duryea St. Raymond Drug, Dracobly’s, Penney’s, and Meredith’s were the primary occupants for many years.  (PCHS 12-14-83-91.) Larger Image
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“Christining (sp) the ‘Willapa’.  The first vessel ever built at Raymond, Wash. J.W. Dickey & Sons Builders” is the note on this photo.  The yard was located just above the Riverdale bridge.  (PCHS #12-14-83-19)
  • 1917
    1. The graveled Raymond to Chehalis road, now SR6, was opened for automobile traffic.
    2. Clifford Beall and J. M. Tadlock bought the Raymond Herald.  A few years later Beall owned the paper outright.  Letter to the Mayor of Raymond:
    3. March 5, 1917
      To the Hon. Mayor & City Council:
           The bridge over Ellis Lagoon to the veneer plant is in a dangerous condition and should be replaced with a new one as soon as possible to avoid a heavy damage lawsuit to the city.  In my judgment it has passed the time when it is possible to make repairs to make it safe.
           At the intersection of Ellis and First Street where the old timbers were left and a new deck put on top is also in dangerous condition.
           The alley between Ellis and Duryea Street should also be rebuilt, as it runs into the slough behind the Lyric Theatre.
      (signed) Ray Wheaton
      Raymond Street Superintendent.
    4. Raymond boomed as new labor crowded the town:  Sanderson & Porter Shipyard announced that 1,000 men were needed at their Raymond plant.
    5. In October, it was announced that Raymond had 6 sawmills, 2 veneer plants, a box factory, one shipyard, 5 shingle mills, one woodworking plant, 2 railroads, one streetcar line, 13 miles of waterfront, and a monthly payroll of $250,000.
    6. Menlo HS graduated 1.
    7. RHS graduated 8.
    8. SBHS graduated 12.
  • 1918
    1. E.E. Lawler became the city’s third mayor, serving until January, 1924.  The Lawlers had three children, all graduated from RHS. Daughter Marcella, RHS Class of 1926, later earned a Ph.D. and taught at Columbia University (New York) for 24 years.
    2. E. J. Dunsmoor purchased the drugstore on First and Duryea from L. E. Morris.
    3. Mills in Raymond in 1918:  Willapa Lumber, Hanify, Quinault, Siler, Raymond Lumber, Southwest Shingle, Coates Shingle, Case Shingle.
    4. The Sanderson and Porter shipyard produced “Ferris-type” hulls that were designed to be Liberty ships during the First World War.  When the war ended in November the yard was closed.
    5. The town was full of military contracts and workers:  2,100 “limited service” men served under the direction of Capt. Wallis Hindlekoper.
    6. Fred Norman, Republican, was elected to the State House of Representatives.
    7. Menlo HS graduated 1.
    8. RHS graduated 21.
    9. SBHS graduated 9.

These nattily-attired citizens appear to be waiting for the train to Centralia at the Raymond NP depot.  (PCHS photo)
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The sign reads, “The 75 frames of this Ferris Ship were built, set & plumbed in the record time of 37 hours & 15 minutes (4 consecutive working days).  Built by this gang at Sanderson, Porter Ship Yard. Raymond, Washington.  (PCHS photo) Larger Image
  • 1919
    1. By the end of World War I the army’s Spruce Division had lost 18 men who had served at the Willapa Bay substation.  The causes of death included drowning and logging accidents.
    2. P. W. Shepard leaves the Shepard-Dennis Company.
    3. In December, the Toggery was established by Mike and Dave Ackerman.
    4. Bitar’s Store was established by S. A. Bitar.
    5. Menlo HS graduated 2.
    6. RHS graduated 23.
    7. SBHS graduated 9.
  • 1920
    1. Federal census population = 4,447.
    2. The Raymond Herald staff: C. S. Beall, owner; E.M. Connelly, editor; O.E. Kennedy, linotype and job foreman; James Heath and A.S. Johnston, printers.
    3. Prohibition was in effect:  The Herald reported “Italian gamblers caught in Windsor Hotel.”
    4. Loggers go deeper into the hills:  Beginning at this time, power shovels began cutting grades along steep hills, as the new logging areas were often too steep for trucks and track equipment.  The crews began placing rigging higher in the trees to yard logs across steep hills and ravines.
    5. Shephard & Dennis became the Dennis Company in May, 1920.
    6. George Reizner’s Tokay Theatre, with a seating capacity of 1,200 and a 2/4 Wurlitzer theatre organ, opened on October 4th.  The feature on opening night was the comic opera, “Robin Hood.”  The organ was sold in 1947, and was moved to St. Paul’s Evangelical Church (now St. Paul’s United Church of Christ) in Ballard (Seattle), where it remains today, in about 75% of its original condition.  Head usher was:
      1. Mildred Sandell, with
      2. Winifred Graham,
      3. Evelyn Keeley,
      4. Gladys Evavold,
      5. Margaret Mulvaney,
      6. Enid Shumway,
      7. Ethel Brady, and
      8. Cassie Nedeau,
      9. Vivian Jackson.
    7. There were many liquor and prostitution arrests during the year.  A big feature about moonshine appeared in the July 2 Raymond Herald.
    8. Menlo HS graduated 0.
    9. RHS graduated 19.
    10. SBHS graduated 9.
  • 1921
    1. Elmer Smith and the IWW were blasted by the Raymond Herald.
    2. Nupp and Porter established the Auto Service & Garage Company.
    3. The older W. H. Martin Clothing Company was succeeded by the Toggery, which became a popular Raymond men’s clothing store.
    4. A new business was begun:  the Lamme Auto Service and Cab Company.  Motto was “Careful drivers, good cars.”
    5. Raymond had several popular candy shops.  The new Cooney’s Confectionary was established at 226 Third Street.
    6. Fred Dracobly took in a partner, his brother-in-law, Charles Bardawil.  The business was called the Dracobly & Bardawil Golden Rule Store.
    7. In an April 1 article, the Herald reported that a windjammer was in port.
    8. Menlo HS graduated 1.
    9. RHS graduated 26.
    10. SBHS graduated 13.
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These young ladies and locals appear to be enjoying another celebratory parade along First Street.  This undated photo shows the prosperity of the era.  (PCHS # 94-104-339) Larger Image
  • 1922
    1. Dracobly & Bardawil Store fire:  the business suffered losses, although the fire fighters used as little water as possible to hold down the water damage.
    2. Fred Norman entered the wholesale and retail tobacco business.
    3. Lutherans established their church in a converted store at 5th and Ellis.  It was destroyed by fire on March 29, 1953.
    4. Raymond’s “Little Gym” was built for a total cost of $700.
    5. Lebam HS graduated 1.
    6. Menlo HS graduated 5.
    7. RHS graduated 22.
    8. SBHS graduated 16.
  • 1923
    1. A proposal to consolidate the Willapa and Raymond school districts failed in May.
    2. Frank A. Cram opened up his new men’s store on the corner of First and Duryea.
    3. Lebam HS graduated 1.
    4. Menlo HS graduated 8.
    5. RHS graduated 24.
    6. SBHS graduated 20.
  • 1924
    1. E. J. Doncaster was elected mayor.  He remained in office for three years, until December 1927.
    2. Cargo shipments from Willapa Harbor more than doubled in June, proof of the improvement in the lumber market.  In June there were 13 vessels loaded for California, carrying more than a million pieces of shingle and more than 10 million board feet of lumber and lath.  Two other vessels were loaded for the Atlantic Coast, carrying over five million pieces of shingle and two and a half million board feet of lumber.  Charters scheduled for August included cargoes for California, the Atlantic Coast, and Australia.
    3. New grade schools opened in Riverview and Garden Tracts.
    4. Raymond’s outstanding high school football team enjoyed a very successful year, which included a 13-3 victory over the visiting Roosevelt High School team of Portland.  The winning schedule included victories over:
      1. Hoquiam, 7-3;
      2. Tenino, 55-0;
      3. Winlock, 77-0;
      4. Willamette Univ. Frosh, 31-0;
      5. South Bend, 44-0; and
      6. Elma, 44-0.
        1. The team was invited to play a “state championship” match at Arlington High School, north of Everett.  The Gulls lost the Thanksgiving Day game 9-6, with only field goals scored.  Stars of the team were:
          1. Ed Cram,
          2. Jack Cram,
          3. Paul Schwegler,
          4. Monte Guglomo,
          5. Ed Tenoski, and others.
    5. Lebam HS graduated 1.
    6. Menlo HS graduated 1.
    7. RHS graduated 23.
    8. SBHS graduated 20.
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This early 20’s photo shows the elementary school with the high school in the background.  The high school appears to be still under construction. (photo courtesy of Paul Willis via Doug Allen.) Larger Image
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Judging by the age of the vehicles, this photo was probably taken soon after Basil’s Raymond Theatre was opened in the late 20’s.  Today the lady has been restored to her old grand beauty and is the showpiece of downtown Raymond playing host to first-run movies and a variety of live entertainment. (Ken Bale collection photo courtesy of Heidi Bale.) Larger Image
  • 1925
    1. A boisterous First Street New Year’s celebration resulted in a telephone outage when gunshots pierced a cable in front of the City Bakery.
    2. Andy Willis announced that he would build a new two story building on Third Street, adjoining the Basil Building.  Fred Dracobly announced that he would open a South Bend store that would be operated by his cousin Said Dracobly.
    3. The old Riverdale Bridge was struck by a freighter, the Anne Hanify.  The ship wiped out about 16 piles in the bridge’s dolphin.
    4. Fred Norman was elected to the state senate, a seat he would hold until 1935.
    5. A funeral was held for 15-year old Ray Guglomo, twin brother of Al Guglomo, who had been accidentally shot by his youngest brother, Freddie, while hunting at Tokeland.
    6. The new Raymond High School building was opened.
    7. In June, federal agents confiscated a “booze barge” containing about $100,000 worth of whiskey.  According to the late Joe Krupa, adults and teenagers dove into the river for many days to recover bottles that had not been broken by the Feds.
    8. In August, the Bullard Ranch was considered for a private golf course, but eventually a South Fork property was chosen.  Walter Frovargue, a nationally-known golf architect from Aberdeen was chosen to design the course.
    9. A car ferry service was begun between Tokeland and South Bend.  Operated by Capt. M. Hoven, the service consisted of two daily trips that connected with motor stages at both ends.
    10. Lebam HS graduated 0.
    11. Menlo HS graduated 13.
    12. RHS graduated 34.
    13. SBHS graduated 30.
  • 1926
    1. Raymond Federal Savings & Loan made its first loan on January 11, 1926.  It was for $1,200.
    2. The big Quinault Lumber Company mill burned to the ground.
    3. Creditors closed the Sheldon Auto Company, owned by C. S. Sheldon.
    4. One of Raymond and South Bend’s most memorable characters, Fletcher “Fletch” Gorman, a longtime driver of the horse-drawn carriages, from the railroad stations to the hotels died.
    5. The modern, “up-to-date” Crystal Steam Baths opened for business in June.  The first owners were Mr. and Mrs. William Tynkila, formerly of Aberdeen.
    6. Basil’s new dry goods store at Third and Duryea was opened for business.
    7. In August, the Willapa Harbor Golf Course was finally opened for play.  It was noted that caretaker Alex Thompson had done a splendid job in preparing the course.
    8. The Raymond Fire Department moved into its Second and Commercial location in late summer.
    9. Lebam HS graduated 10.
    10. Menlo HS graduated 0.
    11. RHS graduated 40.
    12. SBHS graduated 26.
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The 1926 Quinault Mill fire must have been quite a sight in the Raymond night sky.  (PCHS #12-14-83-178) Larger Image
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This very early view looking towards town from the hill above Riverdale shows just how smoky things were with all the early mills operating.  The Riverdale School is the tall building in the back, right.  (PCHS #94-83-16) Larger Image
  • 1927
    1. Henry Boyer was elected mayor, and served until December 1930.
    2. Local movie mogul George Reizner, 47, died.
    3. In December, John O’Phelan received an appointment to become a judge.
    4. Raymond High’s basketball team won the Southwest Washington League championship, by defeating Hoquiam 25 to 15.  Coach Dimick’s top players were:
      1. Sinko,
      2. Campbell,
      3. Schwegler,
      4. Ellis,
      5. Pope,
      6. Guglomo, and
      7. Haynes.
        1. A Hoquiam Washingtonian sportswriter wrote that “Raymond’s trio, Campbell, Sinko, and Ellis played rings around the Grizzlies, while Schwegler controlled the boards.”
    5. The new Jensen Furniture Store was established by combining the Bee Hive store and the Kaufman-Leonard store.
    6. Lebam HS graduated 3.
    7. Menlo HS graduated 3.
    8. RHS graduated 59.
    9. SBHS graduated 38.

Raymond celebrations were not limited to First St. as this Third St. July 4 photo from 1926 demonstrates.  (PCHS 93-22-4)
  • 1928
    1. On January 1, South Bend claimed 522 telephones, while Raymond had 1,214.
    2. Willapa and Menlo school districts combined.  From this point the high school was called “Valley High School.”
    3. The Port of Willapa Harbor was established on May 1.  Roy Whitcomb served 34 years as a port commissioner, until 1952.
    4. Adrian Foote announced that his Canary Cottage complex, complete with gas pump, was under construction, and due to open late summer.  It was located along the Raymond-South Bend boulevard.
    5. In February, O. Helstrom purchased Owen’s Grocery, one of Raymond’s oldest businesses.  Helstrom expanded the store and named Tony Swanson his manager.
    6. A. G. Basil’s new Raymond Theatre opened for the first time on October 20, 1928.  The feature was Al Jolson in “The Jazz Singer.”  The theatre had a 2/5 Wurlitzer organ.
    7. The Port of Willapa Harbor was authorized and established, with its first meeting held on May 1, 1928.  J. W. Mason was the chairman, and the other two members were Howard Jensen and N. R. Whitcomb.  One eventual acquisition was the Baleville land that would become the local airport.
    8. LHS graduated 9.
    9. RHS graduated 56.
    10. SBHS graduated 35.
    11. VHS graduated 8.

The dredge “Oregon” is moored at a local dock.  Dredging of the river and harbor was an ongoing project to enable large vessels to arrive and haul their lumber cargo.  ( Ken Bale photo courtesy of Heidi Bale.)
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This classic photo shows Raymond police chief Pete Maloney (l) and Jesse Simmons in front of some recently rounded-up illegal booze.  (PCHS photo from Antilla collection scanned courtesy of ARC Photo.) Larger Image
  • 1929
    1. The Raymond Post Office’s first rural delivery service was inaugurated on January 16, 1929.  It was a 51.45 mile route.
    2. Raymond’s new Public Library was opened.
    3. Stock Market crash.
    4. LHS graduated 2.
    5. RHS graduated 41.
    6. SBHS graduated 26.
    7. VHS graduated 19.
  • 1930
    1. Federal census population = 4,271
    2. Raymond businessman and mill owner Charles L. Lewis was elected mayor and served until December 1933.
    3. On January 10, the Raymond Veneer Company, operated by S. A. Sizer since 1918, was permanently closed.  The mill was moved to Tacoma.
    4. Clarence Garrett took over as the new owner and manager of the Riverview Grocery.  Earlier, he had been associated with Ed Trentham there for three years.
    5. The LaBelle Beauty Shop was opened, with Mrs. Ila Weaver in charge.
    6. At Raymond High, Al Guglomo was voted most popular, while Billy Zambas was elected student body president.
    7. The Raymond-Aberdeen road was opened October 3 with a car caravan and a ribbon cutting ceremony.
    8. On Tuesday, July 8, the Raymond-South Bend streetcar was permanently shut down.  Buses replaced the streetcar, and the electric line was discarded after 18 years of use.
    9. Willapa Harbor Country Club president for 1930-1931 was Clarence Johns.
    10. L. D. Williams Jr. became the manager of the Port of Willapa Harbor, a position he would hold until 1954.
    11. Paul Schwegler, a tackle for the University of Washington football team, was named as a first team All-American.  Schwegler was a RHS graduate, class of 1927.
    12. LHS graduated 2.
    13. RHS graduated 57.
    14. SBHS graduated 36.
    15. VHS graduated 9.
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The Raymond Auto Company was one of several automobile dealerships located in downtown Raymond. Considering the age of the car this photo is circa 1935. (PCHS 94-8-11) Larger Image
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