The Focus
On Wahkiakum Section B--A Special Edition Published by The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
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Cathlamet, Washington
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Š The Wahkiakum County Eagle
Inside On the river: Commercial fishers face variety of struggles ......................... Page B2 On the road: Hay supply enterprise leads to trucking company as business evolves .......................... Page B10 A Day in the Life What local photographers saw May 1 ..................... Page B14 Skamokawa Old town takes on a new look ..................... Page B18 Rosburg Three generations revive the store ............ Page B24 Calendar of events There's plenty to do! ..... Page B26
Gary Bergseng has fished the Sands drift outside his home on East Sunny Sands Road on Puget Island since 1973. He said he doesn’t want to travel much further these days. Story on Page 2. Photo for The Eagle by David Vik.
B 2 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
Focus on Wahkiakum 2011 The Wahkiakum County Eagle again presents The Focus on Wahkiakum, our fourth "visitors' guide" special edition. As a visitors' guide, The Focus presents the information visitors to the community need--what to see, where to go, when to be there, and what services are available. However, The Focus is more than that. Our feature stories show what it's like to make your living as a commercial fisherman or how an agricultural business had to adapt to stay alive and grow in the modern economy. Last year, we introduced the "A Day in the Life of Wahkiakum and Naselle" photo contest, and it's back this year with more entries. Local photographers have shared what they saw on May 1, and some won some prizes. Be sure to pack your camera around on May 1, 2012, so you can be part of the effort. And now: Enjoy Rick Nelson Publisher
Brian Stanley, right, and son Chase load nets and gear to be sent to Alaska for a summer fishery. Like most commercial fishers, Stanley goes up and down the coast according to what's in season.
Fishing industry seeks ways to survive Photos and story by Ruby Murray Abundant salmon runs were once a symbol of the Northwest and a magnet to immigrants who settled the lower Columbia River. Today, Wahkiakum County’s commercial fishermen are fighting for survival like the salmon they harvest. While local commercial fishers fight the sports industry over harvest allocations, other advocates like Kent Martin of Skamokawa, worry that without a commitment to water and habitat, salmon cannot survive. But at the same time that fishery experts worry that continued economic pressure will send productive fishing families to Alaska, the commercial fishing culture is still drawing people to the area.
Jerry and Nalene Johnson retired and moved to Puget
Island and settled on Welcome Slough. They had lived on Amook Island in Alaska, where they fished and ran a tender together. They rent moorage to Martin Kuller of Skamokawa, who’s been a commercial fisherman for 35 years. Kuller also moved to Skamokawa from Alaska. On a Sunday evening in late March, Kuller went to his boat at the Johnsons’ dock to test fish for the spring chinook season. Fishing seasons are set by the Columbia River Compact agencies of Oregon and Washington, using data from test fishing runs that show which salmon are in the river--wild or hatchery raised and how many. The goal is to harvest hatchery fish in areas where there will be little incidental take of upriver fish, which include wild upper Columbia and Snake River spring chinook stocks protected under the Endangered Species Act.
The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
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Above: Martin Kuller lays out the net on a test fishing run on the Sands drift. Below: Highly prized spring chinook. “They bring boats out of the blackberries for this one,” Kuller says.
Martin Kuller fields calls from other fishermen in Jerry Johnson’s shop on Welcome Slough. Kuller took Yakama tribal observer Roger Dick, Sr. and William Fleenor, a Washington Fish and Wildlife biologist with him. The men gathered in Johnson’s shop around a wood stove while Kuller waited for his battery to charge.
channel areas like Youngs Bay in the first 30 miles of the river. “The Coastal Conservation Association has come with a history of shutting down fisheries in the Gulf Coast, with goals of changing laws. They’re hiding under (the banner of) conservation. But a dead fish is a dead fish, uller is an advocate for commercial whether by net or pole,” Kuller said. fishing and wants people to understand “They’ve got this greed on their minds. I’m what’s at stake for the fish and the community. not against sport fishing. There are so many He talked about Oregon Senate Bill 736 that issues we could be working on together– would end commercial fishing on the main habitat and marine mammal control. In this stem of the Columbia during spring Chinook end game, no one wins,” Kuller said, as he season. fielded phone calls from other test fishers. “It’s a vicious effort to get rid of us. With 40 When the battery was charged, Kuller or 50 boats in the terminal areas, it would be headed out Welcome Slough upriver to the a corking match,” he said. Corking happens Sands drift he shares with Gary Bergseng. At when one person lays his net close down its peak the Sands supported over 20 stream of another. The terminal areas are off(Continued on following page)
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B 4 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011 boats. Kuller operates the boat himself, tossing the buoy at the end of the net, laying out quickly, the cork line disappearing into darkness. While the boat drifts downstream paralleling East Sunny Sands Road on Puget Island, Kuller reminisced about growing up in Alaska where “the commercial fishermen in Cook Inlet were the pillars of the community. They were people you looked up to. I strove to be like them.”
As times changed, Kuller realized he was hated for being a commercial fisherman. “To this day it still bothers me, I don’t understand it,” he said. “A fisherman is a fisherman,” said Roger Dick, Sr., a Yakama fish technician, who was along to observe. “If you don’t fish yourself, you buy fish. Trying to make a living providing for people is a labor worthy of hire. “There’s no animosity between us (Native and non-Native commercial fishermen). If there are lots of fish, there are lots. If there are very few, very few for everybody,” Dick said. The Yakama, the Nez Perce, the Umatilla, and the Warm Springs tribes have reserved the rights to harvest anadromous fish that were guaranteed in 1855 treaties with the United States. “If it wasn’t for the tribes, they would have let the salmon go extinct,” Kuller said, referring to the dams that blocked salmon’s passage to spawning grounds and back to the ocean. Like many fishermen, he can explain decades of federal law. “They appoint people to these commissions; you talk to them and try to explain,
and they just look at you,” he said. In 2010, Kuller was part of a pilot study to test alternative gear--five seiners, five beach seiners and a trap, worked for ten days with the goal of lowering fish mortality. “We caught salmon with a purse seine and the immediate mortality was 1/10th of one percent,” Kuller said. “That makes the 10 percent mortality of the sports fisherman look dirty.”
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uller began to reel in the net, announcing each fish he picked. Adipose fins have been removed from hatchery fish to distinguish them from wild salmon. “One for you,” he said to Dick. Some of the adipose fins on the hatchery fish were not completely removed. “I’ll say this is yours,” he said. Dick will take the wild fish home for ceremonial and subsistence use. “I’m just happy to see there are fish caught; that means they’re here,” Kuller said. Running his hands over a salmon, he pointed out scars that he thinks come from sea lice to Fleenor, the biologist, who measures the fish and takes scale samples of each. Kuller is hanging over the bow, picking the net, and then he’s struggling.
Kent Martin passes another gillnet boat in the Floozie on the Columbia River near Skamokawa. Gillnetters must often take Washington Fish and Wildlife observers along. “A sea lion almost kissed me coming through the horns,” he yells, holding up a salmon head. He lobs a firecracker into the water to scare it away. A few minutes before 11 p.m., Kuller is roaring upriver to start another drift. During the second drift, the men keep score, two and two; two wild and two hatchery fish. On the third drift, Kuller nets six fish; the tide is speeding up.
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uller is a fish buyer and a fish seller. He sold
directly at farmer’s markets for years, “but that got old,” he said. Salmon prices are between $8 and $10 per pound. “This is new money in the local economy. It’s like mining for gold,” Kuller said. He will make deliveries to buyers in Seattle, Portland and Eugene. With the test fishing data gathered, the compact held a hearing on a proposed
opening of four hours on March 29. Brian Stanley, Kuller and his partner, Jon McKinley, gathered at Kent Martin’s home in Skamokawa to support the opening. Wahkiakum fisherman Terry Ostling and others from Naselle also testified. “The compact meeting was as about as long as the opening,” McKinley complained.
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Shorter openings have put increased financial pressure on fishermen, who now receive 20 percent of the harvest while sports fishers receive 80 percent. During the hearing, sports fishermen requested the opening be postponed so they could fish longer. “We’re on the defensive in these meetings,” Kent Martin said. “People don’t understand we fish for the public,” Kuller said.
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Brian Stanley hangs net for Alaska in his garage on Puget Island, where he says he enjoys both hanging net and being at home.
hen Gary Bergseng, who fishes the Sands drift just outside his home on
The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011 East Sunny Sands Road, told retired commercial fisherman Art Vik that they had opening that allowed a take of six fish, Vik laughed. “I told him you can laugh. You’re not fishing any more,” said Bergseng, who has been fishing the Sands drift since 1973. Bergseng has always had a job on the river and fishing supplemented his income. If the states outlaw gillnetting in favor of seining, Bergseng, who is 63 years old, said he wouldn’t change over.
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“Going to seining would put a lot of guys out of work. Gillnetters can operate alone. With a seine you’d have to hire more people,” he said. “I wouldn’t get into it. It’s not what I want to do. But if it would keep the river open to fishing--” he shrugs.
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orty-two year-old Brian Stanley, on the other hand, calls himself “a fishing machine.” He started fishing when he was 21, with his adoptive father,
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B 6 The Wahkiakum County Eagle 26, 2011
Fred Stanley, in Alaska. Since then Stanley, who is Tsimshian, has learned that his biological father and uncles fish commercially. He has followed fisheries up and down the continent from the Berring Sea to fishing squid in Southern California. “And I eat everything I catch,” he said. Stanley bought the 27foot aluminum Silverado recently and is fishing the Three Tree Point drift downriver from Skamokawa for the first time. He arrives early at the Elochoman Slough Marina for the 7:3011:30 p.m. opening and squares away gear. Longtime friend Randy Coleman crews for him, arriving with coffee and egg salad sandwiches. As they head downriver for the drift in a gentle rain, the cabin fogs up.
On the way out of the marina, Stanley waves at a sports fisherman coming in. “Did he wave back?” Coleman asked. “What’s book on the tide?” Stanley asks. The men tinker with the radio, learning that there are no ships coming upriver out of Astoria until midnight, which is good news since the drift lies in the ship channel. Stanley connects water to the live recovery box. Running water bubbles through two cells in the box where wild fish caught in the tangle net are placed to recover before they’re released. The steep ridges of Three Tree Point are darkened with trees, the landscape is softened by rain as the remaining light fades, and the river is quiet.
“Isn’t this a beautiful way to make a living? I love it,” Stanley said. At 7:30, Coleman tosses the buoy to start the first drift. They lay out the net, touching it here and there as it passes from the reel for a 45 minute drift, to minimize the impact on fish caught in the tangle net. The first drift yields nothing, the second also comes up empty. “I’m not nervous yet,” Stanley says. With the third drift, there are fish in the net and the two men’s arms move quickly, picking the fish from the net. A fisherman upriver who hasn’t caught anything calls to ask how things are going. “Why don’t you come down here?” Stanley asks.
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t 11:10 the Silverado rolls as Stanley and
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Randy Colman, left, and Brian Stanley lay the net out on the Three Tree Point drift. Historian Irene Martin has written that the drift was first cleared in the early 1900s.
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Coleman are picking the net. Three Washington state Fish and Wildlife enforcement officers step on board as their small boat disappears into the darkness. Stanley finishes picking the net and shows them the live recovery box. They look inside the cabin and in the hold. They’re on board for an about 20 minutes–half the length of a drift, a long time in a four-hour opening. Stanley takes the visit in stride. When they ask about a small cooler in the cabin, he said, “It’s full of sandwiches, help yourself.” “No other business has policemen stopping in to oversee things,” Irene Martin said later. At midnight, the marina is a jumble of pickups and trailers getting to the water. Stanley sells his fish to Kuller. After the fast-paced drifts, the men have to come down off the adrenaline. “Fishing is a rush,” Coleman said. The next morning Kuller
reports that the high boat for the area was 20 fish.
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ommercial fishers have been traveling to Alaska, at least since the 1930s. In recent decades, with environmental pressure on Columbia River stocks, it has been important for fishers to have what Irene Martin calls a “portfolio of permits” to ensure adequate revenue and to spread the risk across fisheries. On the first Saturday in May, Stanley is packing gear for the Alaska season in the family’s garage. In an annual rhythm familiar to fishing families, the rush is on to get gear ready to be barged north. This year Stanley will delay his trip to Alaska for his son, Chase’s graduation from Wahkiakum High School in June. Stanley’s wife, Juanita, is helping Chase prepare for the prom. She’s picked up a corsage while Chase helps his father cram the remaining net into a bag, and pack net bags around
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B 8 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
Bergseng said he doesn’t see a future on the river, although his grandson, Kyle, would “love to get his hands on the boat and fish.” “It’s sad. Really sad, to think about this way of life going away,” Bergseng said. Kuller’s eighth-grade daughter, Whitney, fishes with him in Alaska for a half-share. Kent and Irene Martin’s daughter, Varsha, works butchering fish for her father. Chase plans to attend Seattle Pacific University in the fall, and he’s not interested in being a commercial fisherman. “I think it’s like gambling with nature,” he said, an assessment that drew a surprised look and agreement from his father. “I see the fish going into the hold and they’re dying in their own blood. You have to wonder if they suffer,” Chase said.
Martin Kuller hangs over the bow separating a branch from the net on the Sands drift. He and Gary Bergseng have spent $1500 on snag removal this year. Stanley is going to Lower Columbia College to study nursing and Stanley will stay home to be there for the younger children. “It’s a chance for him to be close to them,” she said.
Stanley’s daughter Maya said, “I wish you weren’t gone so much.”
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rene Martin has written about the social impacts of the decline of the fishery on
Sharon's
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State biologist Bill Fleenor measures salmon on a test fishing run with Martin Kuller on the Sands drift in late March. a locker in the bed of the pickup. Stanley has added insulation to the aluminum hatch covers for his hold on the Seaducer, a boat that he keeps in Alaska. “The kids think (the name) is retarded,” he said.
When fishers talk about the pressures they face from the sports fishing industry or the possibility of changing to alternative fishing methods like seining, they look forward to what the fishery will be for their children.
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ollowing the fisheries has often taken Stanley away from home. After the season in Bristol Bay, Stanley will move to Southeast Alaska or Kodiak for seining. He comes back to the Columbia at the end of August. Then it’s Puget Sound for sockeye (maybe) or either chum or pink salmon, he said. “The boat will be busy through Thanksgiving, either I’ll fish or have someone else run it for me.” This winter Juanita
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The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
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the health of fishers, their families and the community. Fishermen die an average of 10 years younger than (white) men in the general population, she said. As family members drive
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further and further for work, those who remain have little time to support the community, she observed, noting a lack of volunteers and community leadership. She fears that without
the Columbia River fishery to anchor families here, they may move to Alaska where they have more support. “They’re not ashamed of fishermen,” Kuller said. “They want us up there.”
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+D\ VXSSO\ EXVLQHVV ÀQGV WKH ZD\ WR HYROYH Story and photos by Rick Nelson What's the secret to following your dreams to own your own business? For Puget Island resident Kelly McMahon, the secret has been learning how to adapt to the challenges of social and economic change. Kelly and his wife, Teresa, own and operate K Bar T Ranch and Feed and K Bar T Trucking. One is a wholesale feed supply business, the other is a long distance trucking business. Kelly grew up on Puget Island. His parents, Pat and and Jim McMahon, founded the Dandy Digger post hole drilling equipment manufacturing firm in the shop at their farm, and Kelly grew up working with engines and machines.
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fter graduating from Wahkiakum high school, he started cutting his teeth, first as a truck driver for Jerry DeBriae Logging and then Burns Construction. He worked several years for Dandy Digger, which had relocated to its present location outside Cathlamet, and worked in sales. He learned to use computers and traveled the nation talking to customers and delivering machines. He eventually left Dandy Digger and went to work for Ohrberg Construction. Meanwhile, Teresa and a friend had started a small business selling hay, alfalfa and other feed and horse products. "The whole thing started because we couldn't get good hay," Kelly said. "They were selling to their horse owning friends. Pretty soon, other people wanted it." The McMahons took over the business and, because
A small feed store business just for friends has evolved into a combination wholesale feed supply and trucking enterprise for Puget Island resident Kelly McMahon, above, and his wife, Teresa. their retail sales market didn't grow, they decided to be wholesalers, selling hay by the ton. They developed a base of customers, most of whom live along the ocean coast. To meet the demand, they bought a small truck so that they could haul large loads of hay, mostly from farms across Oregon. "The Long Beach feed store was our first big wholesale customer," Kelly said. They now supply two feed stores, one in Longview and one in Kalama, two horse farms and many other semi-regular customers who buy a few tons at a time. Soon Kelly found himself working construction during the week and driving all over Oregon on the weekends to buy and deliver hay. He left the construction job and purchased a semi tractor and two trailers. With the two trailers, he can haul over 90,000 lbs. and is able to keep up with his customers' demand. "It was either close it down or make it into a business," he
said.
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he big truck is expensive to operate. Depending on the price of diesel, it costs $800 to fill the fuel tanks, and those 200 gallons will last just over one and a half days. "It costs 20 cents a mile to run the truck," Kelly said. "The increase in the price of diesel to over $4 per gallon adds another 20 cents per mile." To make it pay, Kelly runs loads of freight one way and picks up his hay on the return trip. For example, this spring he has hauled a couple of loads of lumber from a Willamette Valley mill to Bozeman, Mont. He stops in Umatilla, Ore., on the way back to load his feed. Another all-Oregon trip was hauling lumber from a mill in Rainier to Prineville and stopping in Madras on the way home to pick up the hay. He goes to the Internet to find his loads. An iPhone is his
The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011 customers for specific hauls of alfalfa when it's in season. One involves hauling alfalfa from Fairfield, Idaho, to a large dairy near Granger, Wash.
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he trucking business involves many side issues. For example, in wet weather, he can spend two hours tarping a load. His custom made hay tarps run $1,500 a set. "You need to take care of them," he said. The sharp edges of boards in a load of lumber
Above: One hand on the wheel as the other shifts gears, Kelly McMahon guides his tractor and two trailers along an Oregon highway. Right: gauges and controls let Kelly know what's going on at all times. mobile office. He uses four websites which host brokers who list loads to haul. He looks at the loads and destinations and picks those most likely to
help turn a profit. "Having the use of the Internet to figure that out is awesome," he said. "It's high tech. I have a com-
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puter, but I do most everything on the iPhone--finding loads, getting directions, and checking on the weather. I use the phone to keep mileage and for my log book." He also has established
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could rip them up if they aren't installed properly." He carries many sets of tire chains for snowy roads. Snow can hit almost any time, he said; he encountered a snow covered highway coming back across the Cascades from Madras in the first week of this May. And then there is the task of meeting state and federal laws regulating the trucking industry. Kelly is licensed to
B 12 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011 haul in Washington, Oregon, Montana and Utah "State laws--keeping up with them is a full-time job in itself," he said. "There are so many things that you have to do to be legal." Kelly said he has incorrectly loaded a load with too many pallets on the lead trailer and
been fined. The load wasn't overweight, just not loaded correctly. He's learned to make sure bales don't hang over the edge of trailers for that will make the load a wide load. He has to be careful on the height of loads so that they're not over height. The Federal
Transportation Commission has instituted a computerized national register of violations, and drivers can rack up violation points that can affect their ratings and ability to find customers. "The biggest thing I work with is to stay legal and keep a clean record," he said. "The regulations are different for
A Carlton, Orel, farmer loads bales of red clover while Kelly directs from the far side of the trailer. each state." Kelly qualifies as an independent owner/operator with his own trucking authority. He can haul for anybody. Drivers who lease equipment don't have the authority and the independence. He figures it costs about $8,000 to set up and qualify for his own trucking authority. Kelly does all the maintenance of the truck and most of the mechanical work "Everything works," he said. "All the gauges work. I work hard to keep it looking nice."
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final challenge is dealing with the other drivers on
Wet weather means tarping the loads. Kelly's hands slipped off last year, and he fell to the ground, badly breaking an arm.
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Kelly has been doing the combination long-haul and hay trips with the big rig for just over 18 months.
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the roads. A few realize trucks are big and need lots of room to turn, but many think trucks can stop on a dime. "If there's one thing lacking in the world, it's common sense," he said. "That's based on what I see while I'm driving. I see people with open bottles of beer; I seem them texting and reading books. "The next thing that is lacking is common courtesy for your fellow man. Drivers need to slow down and give each other some space."
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The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011 with a laugh.
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The whole load is visible in the rear view mirror as the truck heads through the hairpin turn on Cornelius Pass. He said he realizes he prefers the agricultural side of the business. "I'd rather haul hay or something from a farm than haul anything else," he said. "Farmers are so much nicer. The lumber mills are so much more of a hassle." For example, mills aren't always open to load trucks, and a driver can get stuck waiting hours for his load. "You can't make money that way," he said. Kelly said he can tell the economy is improving. A year ago, the load brokers were listing 12-13 loads at a time; now he can find nearly 300 listings.
he said, but the other is easier to back up. Thinking of costs, he was ready to go with the cheaper design. He recalled that Teresa told him, "You'd better not do
that because you're used to backing up." He listened and chose the second system and is glad he did. "Every time I back up, I want to thank her," he said
elly said he works hard to see that customers get good feed at good prices. He watches hay to see that it hasn't gotten wet and started to spoil. He stores it on pallets and tarps to keep it from molding "I try to set my prices so that the prices are stable for the feed stores, even if my costs go up," he said. Demand is trendy. Horse farmers will be influenced by a magazine article and buy just one kind of hay for a year. Then another expert touts another grass, and that becomes the favorite. Kelly said he used to recommend types of hay to address the nutritional needs of horses or cattle, but customers have shown a tendency to follow the trends. Kelly has been working with hay for over 14 years. "I've learned by experience," he said. The McMahons have erected a huge canvass covered barn to store their products.
Kelly said they chose that design because of the low cost and because the curved trusses rose high in the air and allow them to store high stacks of hay and alfalfa. He purchased a mobile squeeze box--a lifting device that can pinch around a stack of bales and lift them all at the same time. It was highway legal and could driven from job to job. However, he found he was hauling loads just to make payments and not getting any profit, so he sold it and purchased a smaller unit that can be hauled on a trailer.
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elly likes his job and sees its importance. "I've always liked driving trucks," he said. "I'm on the road four or five days and then I'm home for a few days. I like the variety of the job. I have a lot of time to think how to maximize loads and hauls. "And what do you have or eat that hasn't been on a truck sometime in its life?" he asks.
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elly tries to keep his long-haul trips scheduled for the weekdays and short delivery runs for the weekends. That keeps him close to home and Teresa, who, he said has been a big help. He recalled that when he bought the truck and set up the rig for the two trailers, she gave him invaluable advice. One system for connecting the trailers is much cheaper,
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B 14 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
e f i L e h T n i A Day e l l e s a N d n A m u k a i k h a Of W Presenting the Winners We at The Wahkiakum County Eagle are pleased to announce the winners of the Second Annaul A Day in The Life of Wahkiakum County and Naselle Photo Contest, cosponsored by TEAM Electronics, Cathlamet Pharmacy, the Lower Columbia Economic Development Council and The Eagle. We invited readers to shoot a photo on May 1, 2011, in the Wahkiakum County and Naselle areas. Four division winners were to be selected and earn $50 prizes, but we received entries in only the adult division, so prizes were revised. Winners were: Grand Prize: Deb Howie, The Cat Yawns, $75 prize. Honorable Mention: Frederic Carroll, Angela May; Virginia Welker, Morning at the Marina, and Ruth Doumit, Spring over Cathlamet, all $40 prizes. A wide sample of entries appears on Pages 14-17.
Honorable Mention: Frederic Carroll, Angela May.
General rules were * All photographs must be taken in Wahkiakum and Naselle and environs. * Participants must be residents living within that contest area. * Entries may be color prints or high-resolution digital images. We adjusted lighting and contrast levels slightly to take into account the effects of printing.
T
he sponors know you'll enjoy these photos and suggest you be ready for the next Day in the Life photo shoot on May 1, 2012.
Deb Howie, Tulips.
Grand Prize: Deb Howie, The Cat Yawns
The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
Honorable Mention: Ruth Doumit, Spring over Cathlamet.
Honorable Mention: Virginia Welker, Morning at the Marina.
Pam Hanson: Lambs
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B 16 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
Above: Justin Garrison, Early Morning Fog Right: Non-entr y exhibition: DanaFreeman, Feeding Llamas.
Jean Burnham, Wes Hanson.
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Above: Linda Hartung, Young Leaders Left: Marti Vavoudis, Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road? Ruth Doumit, Brooks Slough netrack
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B 18 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
A new look for Skamokawa Story and photos by Kay Chamberlain OLD STORE/NEW LOOK This new decade is starting out very well for the little hamlet that is Skamokawa. Located between Longview and Long Beach on the Columbia River, it has gone through some tough times recently and when the local store closed down, it meant an eight mile trip one way to get ones favorite beverage, be it milk or beer, or any other item one uses frequently. The tourists who came to stay at the local park were shocked to find they had no place to go to pick up hots dogs or buns or other snack items and it meant the park operators had to start making special trips throughout the day to take the tourists to Cathlamet. But now, in the center of Skamokawa, the General Store is opening for business once again, with a grand opening occurring on May 27 from 3 to 6 p.m. The owners, Don and Arlene Jester, have put a lot of work into the place and totally revamped the area. The main building now features a new porch, a side deck, fresh paint and signs and handicap access to both the new post office building and the store. With a newly paved and expanded parking lot, new curbing, a new rock wall, and an overall clean and neat appearance, it is a welcome sight for those who live in the area. Inside the store, the light colored walls are brighter due to all the lights from the massive wall coolers and new fixtures hanging from the ceiling. Off to the left, a Java coffee bar welcomes people as they come in, complete with juice/slush machines as well. Some quick, pre-cooked foods will be housed in that area as well, so for those on the go
people, like passing loggers, it will be a quick place to grab a bite to eat. The entire left hand wall beyond the coffee area is nothing but coolers and they are filled to the brim with everything under the sun, specialty coffee drinks, sport drinks, pop and a wide variety of "suds." The back is lined with more coolers to house milk, a variety of other dairy products, lunch meats, ready made items and for the quick and easy meal or those who are cooking challenged, some frozen entrees in the freezer section. Off to the right, those who like to fish will find fishing gear, and there's even some automotive things. On the middle aisles are a little of this and that, with a large array of snacks and chips for that afternoon barbecue with friends or to share around a campfire at the park. On the upper floor of the store is a hotel, with several newly refurbished rooms for rent. The two rooms with a view rent for $89 and the others are $79. The larger building on the property houses vacation rentals and prices vary from $169 for the smaller condo, $239 for the two bedroom, and the largest one, which is three bedrooms, is $300. The views from these rentals of the Columbia River are spectacular. Living on site and managing all this is Logan Britt with assistance from Michelle Collupy
The newly remodeled Skamokawa General Store will reopen May 27. and staff, including Theresa Carroll-Kuljis and Gretchen Meyer. Currently the store hours are set at 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. but could change if it's deemed necessary. You can contact the store at 795-0763.
is a separate building which houses the very popular Paddle Center, operated by Columbia River Kayaking. Kayaks and canoes are available to rent, and a multitude of classes and tours by expert paddlers are available. Mark PADDLE CENTER Whitaker, current manager, REMAINS OPEN asks that you check out the great line-up of things offered At the back of the General Store on their website: http://www.co-
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lumbiariverkayaking.com/calendar.html. or call their office number, which is 360-849-4016. You can also contact the Paddle Center number which has been changed to 360-747-1044. Until summer begins, the center is open Friday through Sunday, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Private or custom trips are also available so call the office or email info@ columbiariverkayaking.com.
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The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
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Top: Michelle Collupy was seen putting some finishing touches on the windows of the Paddle Center, as the new General Store and Hotel get ready to celebrate their grand opening on May 27. Lower left: The remodeled store boasts a new Java Coffee and juice bar.
SKAMOKAWA VISTA PARK HITS 30 When Wahkiakum Port #2 District Commissioner Kayrene Gilbertsen realized that Skamokawa Vista Park would be turning 30 this year, she felt it was time for a celebration for this jewel of a spot along the Columbia River. Phone calls and emails went out and soon a small band of people sat down inside the port district's office at the park and mulled over what could be done to celebrate this momentous occasion. Soon, a Vendors' Market idea emerged and with the hook of "turning 30 on the 30th", the plan was set in motion. On July 30, a multitude of local vendors will be setting up shop in the park, showcasing the wide array of talent that the people in the area have to offer. From wood carvings, to handmade cards, organic soaps, baked items and jewelry items to demonstrations, music and trolley rides, the day will be filled with something for everyone. This first time event will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and should be a wonderful place where people can come to shop, to eat, meet the new fair princesses while sampling their baked goods and looking over the many attractive elements of the park. The tennis courts have been
cleaned and fixed up and are ready for use and trails will be cleared to give guided tours on, and the beach area should provide the perfect place for kite demonstrations. The calm waters of the slough nearby will be the ideal spot for some kayak tours and the walking maps that are being handed out will entice folks to check out the nearby businesses, as well go up to see the historic Redmen Hall. Trolley rides will be available for those who
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opt out of the walk and would rather ride and will showcase our valley roads and our refuge area, which are great for that evening bike ride. The wooded area to the right of the entry way of the park houses several wonderful yurts, and they make a perfect camping spot for those who want to be out in the country camping, but aren't into sleeping on the ground in a tent. With a nice covered area nearby, complete with bathrooms and showers,
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B 20 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
it's a perfect setting. There are many trailer hook-ups near by as well. The park has recently undergone a massive clean up and repair program and is once again a shining jewel in this gem of a place called Skamokawa. For park reservations contact Janet Bryan at 795-8605 HISTORIC CENTERPIECES AND OTHER GREAT SPOTS Perched on the hillside above the highway in the middle of Skamokawa, is a magnificent landmark, known as Redmen Hall. The historic building was built in 1894 by Allen Riley. This Queen Anne style building was once filled with the children of the various valleys and was known as Central School. The school closed in 1926 when a new building was built in what is now, Skamokawa Vista Park. Contrary to some articles and posts on the internet about the hall, it was never "an old church." The improved "Order of Redmen" then bought the building and used it as their lodge and also a place to hold community doings until the 1950's, hence its name. The next quarter of a century saw the building as an apartment and then vacated and going into decline with
Skamokawa's post office and general store have been remodeled, and the store will have a grand opening May 27.
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Right: Port District 2 Commissioner Kayrene Gilbertsen and her committee of volunteers have been gathering the last few months to make plans for putting on the very first "Vista Market" which will be held to celebrate the Skamokawa Vista Park's 30th anniversary on the 30th of July. Left: Janet Bryan takes registrations from campers for Skamokawa Vista Park.
peeling paint and leaky roof. In 1986, a group called, Friends of Skamokawa was formed and in 1987, they bought the building and after a massive amount of work, opened it back up. Years later, they completed the transitions with the wonderful
'River Life Interpretive Center' located on the second floor. The hall is open Thursday through Sunday, from noon to 4 p.m. Call 795-3007 for more info. With its breathtaking view of the Columbia River, the Inn
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at Skamokawa Landing is the newest in the group of places to stay in the area. However, this one has a special historic significance, as this 1911 building, called the Skamokawa Landing is the only remaining steamboat landing on the Columbia River, as verified by the Deparment of Interior and listed in the National Register of Historic Places. This inn features three suites which are all named for steamboats that once landed here: The Lurline, The TJ Potter and The Undive. With their 14 feet high ceilings, the suites, which are all over 900 square feet, appear even bigger. An open house to celebrate the Skamokawa Landing's 100th birthday is scheduled on July 30 to coincide with the Skamokawa Vista Park's anniversary doings. You can check it all out at http://skamokawa. com/ or call 503-288-3803.
The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
The Wahkiakum County Fairgrounds located in Skamokawa, are home to the annual county fair, which occurs the third week of every August, Thursday through Saturday. The fair is in its 103rd year,
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which makes it historic, and with the help of new fair manager Becky Ledtke is looking better than ever. The fairgrounds is also home to the Rods and Reels Car Show and Sturgeon Derby which occurs annually
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SKAMOKAWA, WA Skamokawa Vista Park 13 Vista Park Road Skamokawa, WA 98647 360-795-8605 For more info or reservations skamokvistapark@centurytel.net Open Year Around Great for family reunions and group campouts Located on the Great Lower Columbia River
For other lodging, places of interest, and local events--www.wahkiakumchamber.com · Camping - RV's (Full hookups to dry camping) · Tent camping · Yurt camping · Picnic sites, tennis courts, basketball courts, group picnic shelters · Restrooms with showers · Columbia River beach access · Boat launch with Columbia River access · Within walking distance to local attractions: Redmen Hall Interpretive Center, kayak rentals, National Wildlife Refuge · Bicycling opportunities, kite flying, horseshoe pits, playgrounds · Bagged ice and firewood available
B 22 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011 the Saturday after Memorial weekend, which raises money for the Naselle and Wahkiakum high school graduates. The fairgrounds are using a new arena with horse enthusiasts who put on a Silver Buckle riding series, which takes place over the summer months, so it's a wonderful area for holding large events. This year the fair will take place on August 18-20 and will showcase the new entertainment stage area just inside the south gate. The fair manager can be reached by calling the fairgrounds at 7953480 and leave a message.
just on the other side of the road from Vista Park, and with its location on the slough and handy dock, it makes for easy access for those that enjoy the water. The B&B is unique in that it was actually two homes, joined together after an 11 foot center addition was added and one house was turned, a massive undertaking; however, with the hard wood floors gleaming and the antique furnishings, it's an exquisite addition to the neighborhood. Operators of this business are Stevan and Kathleen Morgain. Call 7953942 for reservations.
At the end of Middle Valley, BED AND BREAKFASTS IN tucked away around the curve THE SKAMOKAWA AREA off Oatfield Road, is The Inn at Crippen Creek. Operators The area boasts three won- Don and Kitty Speranza have derful bed and breakfasts, so opened their home to guests for a place that will treat you who not only love the peace and special, offer unique settings contentment of being out in the and fantastic food, you may country, but who love to dine on want to consider staying at one good food. The two are fantastic of them. in the kitchen and whip up fabuTwin Gables B & B is located lous meals for those who want
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to have a party but without the work. You may that is for rent, as well as the lovely rooms inchoose your meal, have them prepare it and sit house. Call 795-8770 for reservations. back and enjoy it and the camaraderie of your friends and the peacefulness of the valley. Call MORE... 795-0585 for reservations. If you're interested in sprucing up your yard and you need some flowers or shrubs, visit Danny The Inn at Lucky Mud is located toward the Silverman at Skamokawa Gardens Nursery very end of East Valley, and operated by Sunrise located on Steamboat Slough Road, a short disand Jessica Fletcher. The area is surrounded by tance from the Inn at Skamokawa Landing and fields and woods, and the lovely B&B makes for on the edge of the Julia Butler Hansen Wildlife a picturesque scene with its small pond nestled Refuge, 795-3382. just below the house. You can stroll throughout Want a unique gift? Call Gribskov Glassblowthe property while you play some disc golf, which ing at 795-8419, or Collupy Glass, 795-3663, for is certainly a unique feature of this hideaway, handblown glass items. Both of these businesses not to mention the fact the owners are musicians, can be checked out online and they each have who often entertain their guests while they are fabulous one of a kind pieces. Like the look there. The property also boasts a large cottage of handmade wooden bowls, wooden spoons,
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wooden cutting boards and more? Call Skamokawa Creek Enterprises at 795-8758 or check them out online or on Facebook, as they've got some beautiful wooden items with satin finishes. Becky Ledtke makes beautiful, one of a kind, heavy stone jewelry and her creations have been featured at the Broadway Gallery in Longview. Call 795-3434 to contact her about her items.
The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
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B 24 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
Family resurrects Rosburg Store Story and photos by Ruby Murray Last fall the Rosburg store reopened in its latest incarnation in a history that goes back to the early 1900’s. The store closed in May of 2010, two years after longtime owner Naselle realtor Mike Swanson sold it to outof-towners. When Louise and Norman Bolton bought it and reopened last September, the community was grateful. “People tell us how much they appreciate us all the time,” Norman Bolton said.
S
wanson ran the store for 25 years, using the old post office as his office. The intervening owners took out the walls to the former post office and the Boltons have made further improvements. Rosburg area residents have strong feelings about the store. “They told us we couldn’t replace the floor, but it was okay if we painted it. The knots and holes are still there,” Norm said. Christian Rosburg’s store which held the post office established in 1893, sat on the northeast bank of the Grays River about three and a half miles from its mouth. The moves started shortly after that, according to records in Washington state archives. August Byyny moved the post office a quarter mile downstream after he bought the Peter F. Brix place and started a store in the residence. Hjalmar Kandoll’s mother, Mathilda, bought the property and he became store manager and postmaster in 1907. Mathilda had owned a general store in Finland.
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rs. Elma Impola, of Menahga, MN, an 84-year old daughter of Hjalmar Kandoll remembered that they had the first phone in the area in 1909, which they used to call suppliers. The store sold general merchandise including shirts, tobacco, fabric, candy, flour, sugar, and ham. Customers either walked or came by boat to get their mail. At first, steamers from Astoria delivered the mail, including the Eclipse, the Wenona, the Butte and the launch, Queen. The road was built in 1937. Farmers transported milk cans by boat to the Rosburg Store where the cans were picked up by the milk truck. Basel Kainber bought the Kandoll store in 1919 and moved it one-half mile up river to the mouth of Malone Creek. In 1950 the building was moved to the site a few hundred feet north of the river, where it is located now.
Unlike the Kandolls, neither Norman nor Louise Bolton
Three generations of the Bolton family work together at the store, from left to right, Louise, Leslie and Cassie, who is 19 years old and lives in Ocean Park.
had run a business when they bought the Rosburg store, 15 years into retirement. The couple came to the Northwest from Southern California looking for someplace cool. They spent a month in Raymond to see what the winter was like, before they found Rosburg. “It was home,” said Norman, a former aerospace engineer. The family has always lived in rural areas surrounding the cities where Norm worked, Louise said. They have 60 acres, with trees, sheep and llamas on Altoona Road, two and a half miles from the store. Norman loves retirement, but he was willing to take on the challenge of a new business in retirement to provide employment for his daughter, Leslie, the store manager. The store hasn’t made a profit yet, Bolton said, but he’s giving it more time. “It’s been hectic,” said Louise, who spends between 20-30 hours a week at the store, with granddaughter Cassie who is under 21 years old and cannot sell alcohol.
R
ecently store manager Leslie Bolton began to open at 4:30 a.m. for loggers. A group of local men gather for coffee each morning around six a.m. as they have done since Mike Swanson’s time. One is hesitant to give his name to a reporter, others leave when they spot a
Store owner Leslie Bolton, who has a ready laugh, has added this boar to the store decoration.
reporter’s camera. They advise Leslie about her plans to stock ammunition–don’t, they say, people buy at Bob’s in Longview during
The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
Norman and Louise Bolton took on a challenge in retirement when they bought the Rosburg Store for their daughter Leslie to manage. Business is busy most afternoons. diesel to gas station and the summer sale. But do hot food and hot dogs are get regular size doughnuts, coming soon. “those little ones are nothing.” Store hours are 4:30 a.m. The Boltons try to to 7 p.m. Monday through respond to customer Thursday, Friday 4:30 a.m. requests. “We’ll try things to 9 p.m., Saturday 6 a.m. out, and see how it goes,” to 9 p.m. and Sundays from Norm said. 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Leslie said she’s added
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B 26 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
Calendar of Events Compiled by the Lower Columbia Economic Development Council May 28 - Armed Forces Day, Pancake Breakfast at Deep 17 - Wooden Boat Show at Elochoman Slough Marina in Cathlamet, WA Contact River Legion Hall, Contact: 360-465-2740 360-795-3501 Website: www.cathlametmarina.org June 4 - Rods & Reels Car Show at Wahkiakum Fairgrounds 30 - Day at the Park in Skamokawa at in Skamokawa, WA Contact 360-849-4257 Vista Park 30th Anniversary Celebration 4 - Sturgeon Derby at Wahkiakum Fairgrounds in Contaact 360-795-8605 or 355-4006 Skamokawa, WA Contact 360-849-4257 Visitors check out the craftsmanship at the Wooden Boat Show, August 24-26 — The Smoky Water Follies at Skamokawa 12-14 — Steam Engines at Elochoman Slough part of the July Bald Eagle festival. Grange in Skamokawa, WA Contact: 360-795-8770 Marina in Cathlamet, WA Contact: 360-795October 9996 E-mail: wchamber@cni.net 7 - Oktoberfest & Punkin Chunkin at Two Islands 24-26 - Puget Island Garage & Yard Sale on Puget 18-20 - Wahkiakum County Fair at Fairgrounds in Ska- Farm Market, Puget Island Contact: 369-795-9996, Island in Cathlamet, WA Contact 360-849-4253 E-mail: wchamber@cni.net mokawa, WA Contact: 360-795-3480 or 560-0371 July 9 — Kiwanis Golf Tournament at Skyline Golf Course 26-28 — Cathlamet Downhill Corral Longboard races 7 & 8 — Columbia River Country Days & Covered downtown Cathlamet, WA Contact: 360-795-9996, Bridge Dinner in Wahkiakum County, WA Contact: in Cathlamet, WA Contact 360-795-8052 360-795-3278 wchamber@cni.net 16 - Bald Eagle Festival on Main Street in Cathlamet, Website: www.cathlametcorral.com Oct. tba - Harvest Bazaar, Stew Luncheon & Bake Sale WA Contact 360-795-9996 E-mail: wchamber@cni. at Grays River United Methodist Church in Grays September net 3 - Buzzards Breath Chili Cook-Off at Elochoman River, WA . Contact: 360-465-2240 16 - Bald Eagle Run-Walk Challenge on Puget Island Marina in Cathlamet, WA Contact 360-795-9996 E28 - Neewollah Daze-Community Halloween Costume mail: wchamber@cni.net in Cathlamet, WA Contact: 360-849-4305 & Poster Contest on Main Street and Bank of the 16 — Kiwanis Club Breakfast at Elochoman Slough 10 - Wine Tasting & Silent Auction at Wahkiakum Fair- Pacific in Cathlamet, WA grounds in Skamokawa, WA Contact 360-795-8031 Contact 360-795-9996 E-mail: wchamber@cni.net Marina in Cathlamet, WA Contact: 360-795-3501
A skater heads down Broadway Street in the Cathlamet Down Hill Corral, which will run August 26-28 this year. Eagle file photo by Jennifer Hanigan.
Youngsters give apple bobbing their best shot on Kids' Day at the Wahkiakum County Fair. Eagle file photo.
The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011
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FKDPEHU RI FRPPHUFH At the Ides of March and again at the end of August, Cathlamet becomes a hot spot for salmon anglers. Eagle file photo.
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November 13 - Holiday Bazaar Day at Rosburg Community Hall in Rosburg, WA Contact 360-484-7723 18-19 - Holiday Bazaar at St. James Family Center in Cathlamet, WA Contact 360-849-4181 or 360-795-3332 26 - Christmas Lighting Festival & Festival of Trees on Main Street in Cathlamet, WA, Contact 360-795-9996 December Dec. tba - Holiday Open House at Redmen Hall in Skamokawa, WA Contact 360-795-3007 Dec. tba - Holiday Tour of Homes / Old Time Christmas Celebration at Deep River Church and Naselle, WA Contact: 360465-2234
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B 28 The Wahkiakum County Eagle May 26, 2011 To the coast
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The Wahkiakum County Eagle Established May 14, 1891, as The Skamokawa Eagle.
We've been here120 years to serve your needs  24-hour FAX sending/receiving service 795-3983  Classified ad market  Copy machine available
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And local coverage of the news in Wahkiakum County and Naselle (360) 795-3391 77 Main Street PO Box 368 Cathlamet WA 98612 ÂŁ www.waheagle.com
See The Eagle online at www.waheagle.com