May 11, 1903 – 120 Years Ago
Centerville is one of the thriving towns on the CR&N Railroad. On the direct line of the Columbia River and Northern Railroad, 36 miles by rail from the terminus on the Columbia River at Lyle and seven miles from Goldendale, lies the town of Centerville, with a present population of about 260. There are at present in Centerville two general merchandise stores, two hotels, three blacksmith shops, one barber shop, two drug stores, one hardware store, one billiard hall, two telephone exchanges, two livery stables, one butcher shop, three churches (Methodist, Christian, and Catholic), a graded public school, one real-estate office, a weekly newspaper, one shoemaker, and two chopping and planning mills. There are openings here for a furniture store, a men’s furnishing goods store, a bank, a harness shop, a photography gallery, a brickyard, a dentist, a lumber yard, a flouring mill, and perhaps a lawyer. A system of water works is now in the course of construction.
May 10, 1913 – 110 Years Ago
The postal inspector, who was in Goldendale last week, has recommended that the government secure a brick building lease for the post office in this city. He says more room is required than the present building gives. When this room was first secured there were no rural carriers, and since then the parcel post has come on, and the inspector insists on more space to work in. The inspector examined the McCully brick and will recommend the leasing.
May 13, 1913 – 110 Years Ago
D. Wilder, a Goldendale contractor, has begun the erection of a 600,000-gallon concrete reservoir on the farm of the Inadale Fruit Farm Company, at Maryhill. The water supply from large springs on the premises will be conserved for irrigation purposes, and it is expected that enough water will be obtained to irrigate 160 acres of fruit and alfalfa. The holdings of the Inadale company adjoin the 5,000-acre farm of Samuel Hill and were formerly known as the Trask Ranch.
May 11, 1940 – 83 Years Ago
Garver Castle, a Lyle stockman, disposed of his stock last week in Toppenish, which had been fed over the winter in Yakima Valley, as part of an experiment to test the use of squash as a fattening ration for stock.
May 15, 1945 – 78 Years Ago
Here is a fish story that is hard to believe, yet, according to Bert Beyerlin, it did happen. Fishing on the Big Klickitat near the “Dad” Leidl ranch last Saturday with Beyerlin, Jess Bradstreet hooked a big fish that broke his leader. Jess, somewhat disgusted, added another leader and hook and started fishing again. In less than five minutes, Jess had another big one on and after landing the fish found that it was the same one that broke his tackle. The fish measured 19 inches. That is what we could call cooperation on the part of the fish during war time when fishing tackle is hard to obtain.
May 12, 1983 – 40 Years Ago
The Muttonhead 4-H Club, which has just honored leader Roberta Hoctor for 20 years of service to the organization, has scheduled a community service project for Saturday, May 23. On that date, the Muttonheads will meet at the primary school parking lot and journey to the Pleasant Valley Cemetery. The day will be spent cleaning the cemetery grounds.
—Richard Lefever
Klickitat County Historical Society