Columbia River Reader / July 15, 2022

Sue’s Views

The World’s Best Summer Job

The biggest. The best. Ripley’s Believe It or Not. The Top Ten List. Face it, we’re all drawn to superlatives, and Longview is no exception. I approached my summer job with some trepidation. Equipped with my white hard hat, green jacket, and a bullhorn, I walked across the parking lot in the shadow of surely one of the world’s biggest billboards, proclaiming

Welcome to Weyerhaeuser…Home of the World’s Largest Sawmill.

As a fledgling tour guide, I was part of a rich tradition, whether I knew it or not. If R.A. Long and the founders had charged per head for all those tours they probably would have improved the balance sheet substantially. Chambers of Commerce, real estate agents, and developers by the busload. And later, in my day, tourists who’d visited Boeing up north and Trees of Mystery in the Redwoods down south (probably with a stop at the Tillamook Cheese Factory in between, too) would queue up to witness the spectacle of the mighty sawmill. And try to hear me over the noise.

At right: Tour guide leading a tour of the Long-Bell mill, smoke stacks in the background. Below: Queen Marie of Romania came through town and toured the mill in 1926.

Photos courtesy of Longview Public Library

Oh, by the way, that’s Queen Marie of Romania taking the tour in 1926, accompanied by Long-Bell manager S.M. Morris. In her memoir, she recalled: “In the mill we saw giant trees lifted as though they were pencils, stripped of their bark and split into huge planks and beams as though they had not greater resistance than butter.” It was the Industrial Age, and it lay the basis for our economy, our livelihoods, our pride, and, surely, the world’s greatest summer job. “Good morning, my name is Sue. I’ll be your guide today. Can you hear me OK?” I hope you’re enjoying our Centennial series, “People+Place Then and Now,” and having a lovely summer. Sue Piper

Columbia River Reader ... Helping you discover and enjoy the good life in the Columbia River Region, at home and on the road.

Publisher/Editor: Susan P. Piper

Columnists and contributors: Tracy Beard Carol Boudreau Hal Calbom Alice Dietz Brad Dutz Joseph Govednik Jim McLeod Michael Perry Ned Piper Philip Portwood Robert Michael Pyle Marc Roland Alan Rose Alice Slusher Greg Smith Debra Tweedy Judy VanderMaten Editorial/Proofreading Assistants: Merrilee Bauman, Michael Perry, Marilyn Perry, Tiffany Dickinson, Debra Tweedy Advertising Manager: Ned Piper, 360-749-2632 Columbia River Reader, LLc 1333 14th Ave Longview, WA 98632 P.O. Box 1643 • Rainier, OR 97048 Office Hours: M-W-F • 11–3* *Other times by chance or appointment E-mail: publisher@crreader.com Phone: 360-749-1021 ON THE COVER

City of Longview Urban Forestry crew at work at the Civic Circle, left to right: Danny Olson, Blaine Winter, and Peter Brickey. In the overhead bucket: Kevin Beaty.

Photo by hal Calbom

Columbia River Reader is published monthly, with 15,000 copies distributed in the Lower Columbia region. Entire contents copyrighted; No reproduction of any kind allowed without express written permission of Columbia River Reader, LLC. Opinions expressed herein, whether in editorial content or paid ad space, belong to the writers and advertisers and are not necessarily shared or endorsed by the Reader. Submission guidelines: page 37. General Ad info: page 37. Ad Manager: Ned Piper 360-749-2632.

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In this Issue

2 CRR Collectors Club 4 Letter to the Editor 4 Civilized Living: Miss Manners 5 Dispatches from the Discovery Trail ~ Episode 15 8 Where to Find the Reader 11 A Different Way of Seeing ~ The Tidewater Reach 12 Out & About ~ Willow Grove Bike Ride & Picnic 13 Provisions Along the Trail 15 Museum Magic: The Bush Cabin at Cowlitz County Fair 16 Quips & Quotes 17–26 The Long View: People + Place Then and Now ~ Chapter 2 27 The Long View Partner Spotlights 27 Longview Centennial Calendar 28 Lower Columbia Dining Guide 29 Where Do You Read the Reader? 30 Art in the Park 31 Astronomy / The Sky Report: July 15–August 15 32 Roland on Wine 33 Me & My Piano: Good Vibes for Life, by Brad Dutz 34 Besides CRR What Else Are You Reading? 35 Cover to Cover ~ Book Review / Bestsellers List 36–37 Submissions Guidelines / Performing Arts / Outings & Events 38 Northwest Gardening: Tips for Gardening Enjoyment! 42 The Spectator: Our Foster Tree 42 Plugged In to Cowlitz PUD: Considering Solar?