Methodist Church 1872-1921

Late last night I got my-first ever look at an entire front page of The Pacific Journal, our county’s earliest newspaper which was established in Oysterville by Alf Bowen in 1883. It was published here for five or six years before it moved to Nahcotta and eventually to Ilwaco where it merged with the Advance (later called the North Beach Tribune.)

The Journal page was delivered to me via a PDF file from Mike Lemeshko, a Community Historian colleague. In the accompanying email Mike wrote: “I spent most of the day in Olympia and scored … over 300 pages worth of the Pacific Tribune, Ilwaco Advance and Long Beach Tribune.” And he’s sending me copies on a thumb drive!

No. 38 “Dan Rodway’s Bar”

Prior to this windfall from Mike, I have run across the occasional article from the Journal, carefully clipped out and tucked into a book or saved along with a handful of other ‘important’ papers. But I’d never had a look at a complete page. I owe Mike big-time.

This particular page is from Vol. IV and the dateline is Oysterville, W.T., Friday, January 21, 1887. There are seven tightly printed columns, three of which on the left-hand side are small display ads. There is also a list of subscription rates ($2.00 a year) and advertising rates (one inch per month, $2.00) and an “Official Directory” which lists county officers including my great-grandfather, R.H. Espy, a Justice of the Peace in Oysterville (along with M.S. Griswold).

Pacific Journal 1887

But what is of most interest to me is the advertisement that reads: Temperance Billiard Hall, Oysterville, W.T., Daniel A Rodaway, Proprietor. Public treatment, good entertainment and your money’s worth at the Temperance Billiard Hall. Fine Cigars and Tobaccos. For the thirsty Soda Water, Sarsaparilla, Ginger Ale and Lemonade.

I think I owe Dan an apology. First of all, I have always thought his name was “Rodway” not “Rodaway.” So I double-checked in the 1880 census where I find him listed as a 31-year-old grocer named Daniel Roadway. No doubt Mr. Bowen got a couple of letters transposed while hand-setting what appears to be about six or eight point type – which, as I remember from a long-ago History of Journalism class, had to be done backwards.  But I’m not sure what Charles Fitzpatrick’s excuse was when he listed him as “Dan Rodway” on the composite map of Historic Oysterville.

But more importantly, I’ve always thought from my Great Aunt Dora’s story about the two “saloons” across from the Methodist Church – one owned by Carruthers and the other by Rodway [sic] – that Dan sold spirits in his establishment. Aunt Dora went on to say that periodically the saloon proprietors would go to church and be “saved” whereupon they would give up demon drink… for a while.

Ad from 1887 Pacific Journal

Come to think of it, although she talked about both saloons, it was only Carruthers who she mentioned by name when it came to the saving and backsliding parts. Perhaps I’ve been doing old Dan a disservice all these years.       Or perhaps the advertisement was placed during one of his “saved” periods and he was no longer offering the hard stuff for sale right then.

I’m hoping that I’ll learn a bit more about the situation when that thumb drive arrives. In fact, with 300 issues to peruse, there’s no telling what will come to light. I really can hardly wait!