Archive for the ‘Pacific County’ Category

I guess we still ARE the wild, wild west!

Tuesday, August 8th, 2023

According to the Washington State Legislature online site: RCW 36.28.025 dealing with Qualifications for the office of sheriff says:  A person who files a declaration of candidacy for the office of sheriff after September 1, 1979, shall have, within twelve months of assuming office, a certificate of completion of a basic law enforcement training program which complies with standards adopted by the criminal justice training commission pursuant to RCW 43.101.080 and * 43.101.160.

So, as I understand it, you or I, regardless of our training in law enforcement, could run for County Sheriff and hold that office for a year with NO (NADA, ZIP) knowledge of the law or of how to enforce it.  I’m not sure we all understood this when we elected our present sheriff last November.

And I doubt that any of us realized that if he was criticized or questioned by our local media, he would simply fold up his tent and say “no more interviews” claiming that he is being misinterpreted.  Bad enough that those of us on the Peninsula feel absolutely unnoticed by the sheriff’s department (as in when is the last time you saw a speeder or reckless driver pulled over on Sandridge Road?) but now our one and only “connection” with the Sheriff’s Department — our venerable Chinook Observer — has been stonewalled.

Wot the hell?  Teachers without training and credentials don’t get hired.  Attorneys without training and credentials don’t get to hang out their shingles.  Ditto doctors and nurses and  all manner of professionals.  Why are sheriffs the exception?

Kinda scary if you ask me.  Especially if the electorate (that’s us, folks) is basically uninformed or “assumes” the best of anyone wanting to run for that office.  Garcia claims he is not a “Constitutional Sheriff” in his interview with King 5.  (In case you don’t know — “The Constitutional Sheriffs and Peace Officers Association [CSPOA] is a political organization of local police officials in the United States who contend that federal and state government authorities are subordinate to the local authority of county sheriffs and police.}

Well, without the fourth estate in the picture, how do we really know WHAT Daniel Garcia is up to?  (In case you’ve forgotten  — While the Constitution established the executive, legislative and judicial branches, the phrase “Fourth Estate” reflects the unofficial but widely accepted role the news media play in providing citizens with information they can use to check government power.)

I don’t know about you, but the entire situation makes me nervous. I was glad to see that King 5 TV was paying attention and did a short interview with Editor Matt Winters yesterday as well as with Mr. Garcia.  Seeing it online, however, did not make me less nervous.

 

Gearing Up To Look Back On Our History!

Friday, July 28th, 2023

Oysterville Schoolhouse

Somehow it seems just right that we are beginning a new venture in Oysterville, Pacific County’s oldest extant settlement.  And… the “we” being a group of folks from Pacific County and beyond who are interested in the history of our county and intrigued with the possibilities of learning and sharing more about the way it was.  Which, of course, inevitably leads to how it is now — but we plan for that to take a while.

Oysterville Stagecoach

We are calling our endeavor “The History Forum” and, so far, we envision it this way:  on the first Wednesday of each month (September through May) anyone interested in Pacific County’s past may gather at the Oysterville Schoolhouse from 10:00 a.m. until noon.  They will comprise “The History Forum” — not always the same people, perhaps, but always people interested in Pacific County history.

There will be a topic each month which will be introduced/explored by a panel of two or three “experts” — folks who know enough to get us started by speaking for ten of fifteen minutes.  And then for the remainder of our two hours, the rest of us will ask our questions, suggest answers to one another if we have them, and generally put in our two bits worth about what we know or would like to find out.

H.A. Espy’s 1890 Diary

Among us there will undoubtedly be those who can suggest places to go for more definitive information or to research specifics.  There may be those  who have artifacts related to the topic-of-the-day to tell us about, perhaps even a treasured bit of correspondence or a diary entry appropriate to the day’s topic.

Abe Wing and James Johnson, early oystermen

Speaking of which — Our theme for our First Year will be the Pioneer Years (roughly 1840-1870) and our September topic will be “How We Got Here.”  (It may well be a continuing topic if interest and information is compelling!) To get us started, our first panelists will be three of our Pacific County neighbors whose roots here go back to pre-settlement times.

We are still in the early planning stages.  I urge you to mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 6th, 10:00 – 12 N. To make sure you get any notifications as we proceed, please send me your email address.  Anyone with an interest in Pacific County’s rich heritage is more than welcome to be a part of our History Forum!

I’m loving the Saints or Sinners feedback!

Friday, July 21st, 2023

Isaac Alonzo Clark’s story was in the May 24, 2023 Observer.

For all of you who have contacted me via email or text or through my blog… Thank you so much for your enthusiasm and interest in my current “Saints or Sinners?” series in the Observer. I’m having such fun researching and writing about these “characters” of Pacific County and I’m delighted that readers are enjoying them.

One comment, however, prompted me to go back and do a bit of counting up.  The writer expressed concern that I was dealing with more men than women.  That’s certainly true to date, but will tend to even out at time goes on.  Thus far, I’ve written 30 stories but, if my count is correct, only 18 of those have been published so far. (And there may well be more!) Those first 18 have featured 11 men, 4 women and several stories involving both a man and a woman.

Cecelia Jane Haguet Johnson Howard’s story was in the June 7, 2023 Observer.

Though I’ve not confined myself to a chronological order, I have leaned rather heavily on early “characters” of Pacific County, and a great preponderance of those — at least those who were written about — were men.  I guess the pioneer women were busy tending to the home fires and not as apt to have snippets of gossip or speculation written about them.  Certainly, they are harder to research!  But in the next weeks, more women will surface as “saints or sinners.”

And, by all means, if you have suggestions for me — especially if you can give me some reliable sources for factual information about them — do share!  I can be reached at sydneyofoysterville.com and am always interested in a good story about the characters of Pacific County!

 

Coming Soon — The PC* History Forum

Saturday, April 29th, 2023

Jim Sayce, Storyteller

*As in Pacific County — not as in politically correct (although it could be.)

I don’t think today was a “launch” exactly, but when Community Historians gathered for a little reunion prior to the CPHM Annual Meeting, I was given an opportunity to talk about a plan that is slowly hatching among a group of us Community Historian “alums” (Michael Lemeshko, Tucker Wachsmuth, Jim Sayce, David and Dayle Olson, Kathleen Davies, and me.)

Nancy Bell Anderson, Storyteller

Thus far, the plan is to hold monthly meetings — the 1st Wednesday of each month from 10 a.m. to noon, September through May — open to all members of the public who are interested in local (i.e. Pacific County) history.  The format will feature a  speaker on a specific topic for 1/2 hour to 45 minutes with the remaining time devoted to discussion about that topic or any other “historic” interest brought forward by the assembled group.

Mary Garvey, Storyteller

We are planning to focus on early jobs and industries in Pacific County for the first year and to solicit speakers with expertise or knowledge of the specific topic — hopefully some of the revered elders of our Pacific County community — perhaps singly or in group presentations.  We are looking at subjects such as early oystering, logging, farming, blacksmithing, storekeeping, fishing etc.  We are somewhat past the brainstorming stage but are very much interested in soliciting additional ideas for topics and/or speakers, so please feel free to respond to this blog with ideas you might wish to add.

Irene Martin, Storyteller

We will begin our History Forums at the Oysterville Schoolhouse which has been generously offered to us by the Oysterville Community Club at no charge — though we will have a donation box available to show our appreciation for their generosity.    If we find need of a larger venue, or if there is any other overriding reason for changing sites, we can cross that bridge later.

Tucker Wachsmuth, Storyteller

So… I hope those of you with questions/answers/concerns about local history will bear all this in mind and begin to spread the word.  And I would feel remiss in not giving a shout-out to Diane Buttrell who set the tone for talks of this sort at the Oysterville Schoolhouse several years ago — her focus on contemporary rather than historic concerns and minus the “forum” aspect.  Nevertheless, she was definitely inspirational in our vision of answering Jim Sayce’s question to me back in 2010:  “Sydney, when we are gone, who will tell the stories?”  We hope it will be you!

Early Morning Wake-up Call!

Saturday, January 15th, 2022

Undersea volcano eruption at the Pacific nation of Tonga Saturday, January 15, 2022.

5:45 a.m.  A telephone call from Pacific County Emergency Services told me (I think) that there had been a volcano in Tonga and that we should expect a three-foot (maybe less) tsunami wavc about 8:15 a.m. (I think.)  We were being given a warning to stay off the beaches but it would not be necessary to evacuate.

I hadn’t had my first sip of coffee yet, so those details coming to me over my landline are a bit foggy in my mind.  Ditto — foggy — outside our windows as it began to grow light and we tried to see what the bay was doing.  We  looked up the tide chart for Nahcotta (the closest port to us) and found that it would be a 10.46 ft high tide at 11:29 a.m.  Even had the times been coordinated, not much to worry about if our recent 12-foot king tides were any guide.

Sometimes it’s hard to tell where the sky ends and the bay begins…

I really didn’t think about it again until I was on my way out to the chickens about 9:00 a.m.  Foggy enough so I could barely make out the bay, still well within her banks, as far as I could see.  Later in the morning I looked again.  This time, there was water in the lane for a way but nothing in our yard.  Some tsunami…

For fun, I looked online to see what the latest word might be from the Pacific County .  Imagine my surprise (NOT!) to find this announcement from the Pacific County Sheriff’s Department: TSUNAMI WARNING ISSUED IN ERROR followed by this message:  South Bend Washington — The Pacific County Emergency Management Agency has learned that a tsunami Warning has been issued in error by AccuWeather (www.accuweather.com) a web and app based weather related program/company.  There is currently no Tsunami Warning in effect for the Long Beach Peninsula.  Questions may be directed to…

Perhaps the warning was downgraded to an advisory at this point.  I think we could have all had a few minutes extra shuteye had we known.  I mean who in the world really thinks that AccuWeather (or any other weatherman) might be accurate about tsunamis — much less about the weather?  In fact, what we usually say here in Oysterville is, if you want to know what the weather’s doing, look out your window.  Ditto the tsunami, I might say — at least if it’s a mini-tsunami like this one was.

Culture Areas – Pacific Islands

But, as much as I like to poke a little fun now and then, I must say I’m grateful for the alerts, advisories, and warnings and all that our Pacific County Emergency Management folks do.

And a shout-out to my friend Neil’s caregiver, Vianni, who is from Tonga.  I hope he and his family are safe.

 

 

A “proposal,” Mr. Walker? Not hardly!

Saturday, December 11th, 2021

After writing daily blogs and monthly Observer columns for a decade and more, I am still amazed at the readers who don’t quite “get” me.  Although I often write about fairly serious topics, I try to do so with a light hand and with my sense of whimsy fully visible.  Often the titles and headlines are a good indicator.  I mean how could anyone think that someone who writes articles called “I’d really rather be Captain Jack Sparrow” or “Buck Rogers, are you listening?” or even “Waiting for the third shoe to drop” could be altogether bound-and-determined about their subject?

So, it was with a bit of amazement that I noticed in Wednesday’s paper that our County Assessor, Bruce Walker, wrote an article in answer to my column of the previous week.  For those of you who missed my words of wisdom (ahem!) in “And the magic number is three! Or is it?” —  the column was primarily a lament that perhaps Pacific County has grown too fast and furiously since its formation in 1851 to continue under the leadership of only three county commissioners.

The column dealt with our county history, our population growth, the number of municipalities in the county, and a bit of information about how other counties — both larger and smaller — deal with their governance.  I suggested that perhaps a third municipality on the Peninsula, particularly if it were at the North End, might take some of the pressure off the county and suggested (apparently wrongly) that such a move might play havoc with the county budget. If anything besides entertainment value, the column was meant to elicit a bit of discussion among readers.

Well… no “discussion” so far, but a very serious (and to me, not quite understandable) response in this week’s paper from the aforementioned Mr. Walker.  Titled “Clarifying how proposed new city would affect taxes,” the article begins:  I just finished reading Sydney Steven Chinook Observer and would like to clarify a few things. 

Wow!  Mr. Walker goes on to explain (I think) how we are assessed whether we are in a municipality or not and refers twice more to “the proposed new city.”  Wow! again.  Just to be sure, I went back and re-read my column ever-so-carefully and nowhere do I see the word “proposed” or “proposal” or any of its many synonyms such as scheme, plan, project, program, manifesto, motion, bid, proposition. presentation, submission, approach, suggestion, overture, or draft!  Nor did I really understand Mr. Walker’s explanation — and, at this point, don’t really care.  My words were about an additional municipality were more a flight of fancy than anything more serious.

Although… it is interesting to wonder if perhaps my speculating hit a county nerve.  And just when this week’s front page headline read “County officials vote to bump up payscale.”  Hmmm.

Anyone else feeling vaguely “unwanted”?

Friday, December 18th, 2020

R.H. Espy, born 1826 in Allegheny County, PA – died 1918, a 64-year resident of Pacific County, WA

Somehow, Wednesday’s front page headline in the Observer — “Out-of-state seniors drive up county age” — was a bit unsettling.  As I read the article, I realized that the finger-pointing by the U.S. Census Bureau was specifically directed to a group of us old ducks that I don’t quite fit into.  Almost but not quite.  And I’m not at all sure why I care.

The article’s statistics specifically target an influx of older residents who were born in states other than Washington and who moved here between 2015 and 2019.  Well, I moved here permanently (check!) and was born in Massachusetts (check!) but that was in 1978 and I was still twenty-plus years shy of being a senior.  Even so, the tone of the article made me feel a bit uncomfortable about being old and born out-of-state.  And then I felt annoyed.  And then totally pissed off.

I dragged out my copy of the 1860 Pacific County Census and took a quick look.  As expected, the only residents listed as born in Washington Territory were under seven years old!  Duh! At a time when our indigenous people were not allowed to be counted in the U.S. Census and when Euro-American settlers were just beginning to arrive, ALL  adults who were counted in Pacific County had been born elsewhere.  Double duh!

The one exception to the 7-or-under pattern  was 16-year-old George Johnson who my great-grandfather, the census-taker, counted despite George’s Indian heritage.  Knowing what I do of Great-Grandpa R. H. Espy, he snuck in as many Indians as he could.  I’ve been told that he mostly preferred their company to many of the early “born-elsewhere” settlers.

Julia Jefferson Espy born 1851 in Marion County, OR – died 1901, a 31-year resident of Pacific County, WA

Granted, most of those listed in the 1860 count were not “seniors.”  Actually, make that “none” were seniors in the present-day understanding (65-and-over) of the term.  Settling the wilderness was not an occupation for old folks.  The oldest people listed were John Crellin, Sr. from the Isle of Man who was 60 and George Wills from Kentucky who was 58.  Both were farmers and came here with younger family members.

The total number of residents in Pacific County in 1860, according to my GG and the U.S. Census Bureau, was 470 — all born out of Washington Territory with the exceptions noted above.  The total number today is 21,668, 46.9% of whom were born out of state.

I don’t find these latest statistics very compelling.  As in so what?  What I’d much rather like to know from our present-day, newly arrived, born-out-of-state residents is this:  What brought you here and what, if any, “connection” do you have to our area?  I’ll bet the answers would be fascinating.  Much more interesting than the latest census analysis of our changing demographics.  Just sayin’…

 

 

Dan Driscoll: Into The Fray!

Sunday, July 12th, 2020

Dan Driscoll

My neighbor Dan Driscoll called yesterday and, in twenty minutes, he touched on more hot-button county topics than you could shake the proverbial stick at.  Fireworks, law enforcement, shoreline management, the freedom of information act, historic preservation, transparency in public meetings — you name it and it came rolling into the conversation.

He called to thank me for asking him some questions he couldn’t answer about fireworks.  That was Monday — less than a week ago.  Since then he’s “done his homework,” as they say.  He’s talked to people on all sides of the subject; he’s looked into laws and regulations; he’s caught up with the Peninsula’s history on the issues involved; and, best of all, he’s working on a plan!  It won’t necessarily be “the” answer to this very complex problem, but a first step toward some sort of change.  Something do-able.  It was SO refreshing to hear about what might be possible instead of all the reasons we’re stuck with the status quo!

It’s A Sign!

In case you haven’t heard, Dan is running for Pacific County Commissioner.  As far as I know, it’s his first involvement in politics.  But his knowledge of how this county works (and doesn’t work) is far-reaching.  If you’ve been a resident here for very long, you are aware of Dan’s legal battles with Pacific County and its well-entrenched “old-boy” mentality.  It took Dan two or three years, but he eventually won his suit.  It set back his business and his efforts to restore the historic cannery in which his Oysterville Sea Farms is headquartered.  And it probably put him tens of thousands of dollars in debt.

On the plus side, though, is that Dan has had a good look around the underbelly (if counties have bellies) and knows where the bodies are buried.  (Yuck!  Terrible metaphors but, in my mind, totally appropriate.)  And, in addition to attending to the arduous work of re-building his business, he wants to be part of making some changes — changes that should, ultimately, make a big difference to all of us.

“Oysterville Sea Farms” Painting by Pat Fagerland

This is a hell of a time to break into politics — zoom meetings and telephone conversations and social media contacts don’t take the place of public get-togethers and face-to-face, in-person discussions.  But if anyone can make that work, I think Dan can.

I hope that people with questions and concerns and pertinent information about county concerns will reach out to him.  Whether or not you are in his District and can vote for him in November, with only three commissioners in the county, the actions of each one affect us all.  If you aren’t able to vote for Dan, tell someone who can.  But, don’t take my word for it.  Talk to him, yourself.  He’s very approachable!  And, besides that, he’s a nice guy and worth knowing.

Not Quite Like Today

Sunday, February 10th, 2019

Steamers Shamrock and Reliable

Well, it wasn’t the 10th of February like today.  It was the 5th.  And the snow hadn’t completely disappeared from Oysterville like today.  It was slushy.  But it was a Sunday like today. Most of the Oysterville residents were in church – not like today.  According to John Morehead who served as County Commissioner from 1893 to 1897, this is what happened on that long-ago Sunday morning:

On a slushy Sunday in February of 1893, two steamers were seen coming up the channel from the lower bay. When they were opposite Oysterville, one was seen to turn off over the flats in front of that town and the other proceeded on to Sealand where upwards of fifty men clambered onto the deck.

Sealand-Nahcotta 1890s

We had been watching them, and Jim Morrison said, “They are after the court house, and now for some fun.” He grabbed up his shotgun, marched out on the deck with a military stride, and took up a beat from one side of the wharf to the other.

When the oncoming horde saw that the wharf was guarded by an armed man, they stopped and held a consultation among themselves. Finally, three or four of the bravest ones were detailed to go forward and hold a parley with the supposed representative of the enemy. The only terms on which Jim would allow them to pass was that they take a round of drinks in his saloon before proceeding on to Oysterville.

They took a couple of teams, one of which was mine. I was censured by the Oystervillians for allowing my team to engage in such unholy work, but as I was engaged in teaming between the two towns, I considered that my business, as it was agreeable with the driver to do the work and union prices were not followed that day. The driver of the other team was none other than my old friend, Judge Kayler, now of Long Beach.

Arriving at the court house in Oysterville, the two parties went into a huddle to talk over their method of procedure. Finally, an egotistical tailor and taxidermist named John Hudson, who afterward was an exhibit at Chicago World’s Fair from Pacific County, stepped forward and after rolling up his sleeves, so as to show his well-developed biceps, assumed an attitude and kicked in the door of the court house. The mob swarmed in and seemed to be more intent on satisfying their curiosity than in carrying away the contents of the offices.

Phil D. Barney, Oysterville Courthouse c. 1890

The county auditor, Phil D. Barney, had not taken much interest in the proceedings until he sauntered into his office and discovered that they had broken into a private drawer in his desk and were scattering his private papers about the room. Immediately there was something doing in the Auditor’s office of Pacific County. Barney grabbed up a chair leg and the execution he did with it on the heads of those South Benders would have put Samson of old to shame as he spread carnage among the Philistines with the jawbone of an ass.

After quiet was partially restored, an official from South Bend posted himself at one of the doors and proposed to admit only those hand-picked individuals that suited his fancy. Yours truly was refused admission by him, but such a forcible argument was presented that he gladly deserted his post.

They took away some of the records and furniture with them, on their departure, and in due time the contents of the court house were removed over to South Bend by the usual method of transportation. The county officials at this time were Phil D. Barney, County Auditor; Sumner F. Lockwood, former Mayor of Ilwaco, County Treasurer; Thomas Roney, Sheriff; Anthony Bowen, Clerk of the Court; Marion D. Egbert, Prosecuting Attorney; Charles Foster of South Bend, W.D. Whealdon of Ilwaco, and J.A. Morehead constituting the board of County Commissioners.

County Courthouse in Oysterville 1875-1893

To show that there was no demand at that time for nerve tonic in the booming city on the banks of the Willapa, bills were presented to the Commissioners for services rendered to the county while looting its property. It is unnecessary to say that those bills were disallowed by the board without a debate, by a two to one vote.

Periodically, I read Morehead’s account to remind myself of how far we’ve come in County politics.  Or have we?

Shrapnel, Nepotism and Other Weird Stuff

Saturday, November 10th, 2018

Sheriff Scott Johnson

Sometimes I really wish I could get inside another person’s head to get an idea of how in the world they think.   But mostly, I don’t.  Certainly not in the case of our recently defeated Pacific County Sheriff, Scott Johnson.  I am totally content to let his actions speak for themselves and to keep a seemly distance from him and from the fallout that will surely occur from his most recent behavior. At least, I hope there is fallout.

And, if you don’t know what I’m talking about, stop reading this and go directly to http://www.chinookobserver.com/article/20181108/ARTICLE/181109910?fbclid=IwAR2YnULR1-1lzXvwglt_d7GppapcIQq6YqINS2PSzpUfqm8XbxTJ8Oxk6GI.  You will see a “developing news story” from the Chinook Observer with this headline:  “Outgoing sheriff appoints his dad to be undersheriff.”  The article goes on to say that Johnson’s 80-year-old-father is a retired county road-crew worker and, at this point, his qualifications for the job are unclear.

Screen Shot 2018-11-09 at 8:15 a.m.

Also unclear is whether or not our county has an anti-nepotism policy.  (Were I a betting woman, I’d bet not.)  According to the article, Washington state law says little about nepotism, but many cities and counties “allow staffers to supervise, or be supervised, by a close relative.”  So, perhaps, Sheriff Johnson hasn’t fallen completely down that rabbit hole.  Perhaps.

My own take on decision-making by Sheriff Johnson is (and has always been) extremely tentative.  After all, my understanding is that he still has shrapnel in his head from that 2010 shooting he was involved in back when he was a State Trooper. (See the story in the February 13, 2010 issue of the Observer: http://www.chinookobserver.com/20100216/-ive-been-shot-in-the-head-slideshow.)    I’ve always wondered what might happen if one of those fragments got loose.

Just sayin’…