What Happened Years Ago?

Grab a cup of coffee (or tea, if that’s your thing) and take a trip into the past with us.

Hotel Arlington., The Rocky Mountain Echo (Pincher Creek, Alberta, Canada) April 9, 1906

With the great Rocky Mountains to the West and the flat, lonesome plains to the East, Pincher Creek, Alberta was officially incorporated as a town in 1906. Pincher Creek had many hotels to cater to visitors, boarding house for the single young men about town, and new homesteaders, until they found a place to call home. This advertisement is from 1906 and proudly exclaims that the hotel has “flush toliets”! Sadly, the Hotel Arlington no longer stands, but it stood strong for more than 50 years.

Vanport, Oregon Still Under Water, The Wahoo Wasp (Wahoo, Nebraska), June 29, 1948

Vanport, Oregon, was located in 1948 between Portland and the Columbia River. The townsite is now located in Portland city limits. It was a small city that was built for wartime public housing and by 1948, was still inhabited by some wartime workers and World War II veterans. On May 30, 1948, with a large snowpack from the previous winter and intense rainstorms, a 200-foot section of a railroad berm holding back the Columbia River collapsed, sending a 10-foot wall of water straight into Vanport. Fifteen people lost their lives that day. The city of Vanport was a complete loss. A golf course and the Portland International Raceway cover most of the city site now.

Mount Saint Helens Explodes, The Gettysburg Times (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania), July 23, 1980

On May 18, 1980, Mount Saint Helens (Located in Skamania County, Washington) erupted, sending a massive plume of hot ash into the air. When she was done erupting on that Spring day, 57 people had perished and over 230 square miles of vegetation (Well, just about everything standing and/or growing) was flattened by a pyroclastic flow and lahars. For this reason, the May 18, 1980 eruption of Mount Saint Helens remains the deadliest and most economically destructive volcanic event in United States history.

Sleighs! Sleighs! Sleighs!, The New Era (Lancaster, Pennsylvania), January 1, 1910

Edward Edgerley was born September 13, 1837 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania to Gideon and Elizabeth (Keller) Edgerley. He built carriages for at least 40 years. He also served in the Union Army during the Civil War, mustering out with the rank of Captain. He passed away from pneumonia on April 21, 1915 in Lancaster, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. He was 77 years old. He is buried in Lancaster. The site of his workshop and stables is a parking lot now..

Fatal Quarrel In Ohio, Perrysburg Journal (Perrysburg, Ohio), August 8, 1896

Quarreled over a cow and a woman? Oh come on! Grow up!

George Albert Miles was born on March 7, 1877, in Porter County, Indiana to Thomas and Ellen (Morrical) Miles. He was murdered by gunshot on August 6, 1896, in Findlay, Hancock County, Ohio. He is buried in Findlay, Ohio. Amos J. Decker was born March 10, 1878, in Hancock County, Ohio to Jesse George and Lydia Jane (Perse) Decker. After shooting George, Amos briefly went on the run from a quickly assembled lynch mob. He was finally captured by police and was hidden from the lynch mob. Ultimately, he was found guilty of murder (though it’s unclear what degree. He was charged with first degree) and sentenced to 20 years imprisonment in the Ohio State Penitentiary. His time of release and whereabouts after prison are unknown at this time.

Best Foods Mayonnaise ad, The Long Beach Sun (Long Beach, California), July 24, 1934

Wow, Best Foods Mayonnaise has been around for a really long time. At the time of this advertisement in 1934, Best Foods (Under the Hellmann’s moniker) had been producing mayonnaise for 21 years! To avoid confusion, it should be noted that Hellmann’s is known as Best Foods west of the Rockies and Best Foods is known as Hellmann’s east of the Rockies, per the company website.

Impure Milk Kills 24 Babies, The Daily Star Mirror (Moscow, Idaho), September 29, 1911

In 1911, milk was basically an unregulated commodity. Many babies lost their lives the world over for this reason. The Portland, Oregon Board of Health operated an infant milk station and free dispensary from 1911 to 1918, to encourage mothers to feed their children “safe” milk. After a short time, all over the world, milk began to be recognized as a source of disease. It wasn’t until pasteurization took a strong foothold that milk began to be deemed as “sterile” and “disease-free”.

Fresh Elberta Peaches, The Daily Sentinel Tribune (Bowling Green, Ohio), September 12, 1910

To be clear, all of us here at the office believe that Elberta peaches are the best tasting peaches ever produced. Especially fresh. That is all.

The Day Is Here, Fall River Daily Evening News (Fall River, Massachusetts), June 5, 1893

Lizzie finally gets her day in court. Although she was acquitted of murder, some believe that she was actually guilty. Our office pool on this one is 50/50. What do you think?

Bennett Opera House, The Missoulian (Missoula, Montana), February 12, 1894

After a cursory search, I can’t find anything on Ole Olson, other than many reproductions of a very creepy 1890 handbill of Olson’s. That said, I can confirm that this is not they same guy as the Vaudevillian John “Ole” Olson. I did find out that Mark Twain once lectured at the Bennett Opera House in Missoula, Montana. The Bennett Opera House was razed long ago.

Schlitz Beer ad, The Long Beach Sun (Long Beach, California), July 24, 1934

Schlitz Beer is still around, right? I don’t drink a lot, so I’m not the best to ask these questions (The internets tell me that Schlitz beer is still produced today and is a sentimental favorite in the U.S. Midwest). Not bad for a product that was developed in 1849 (Although I’m sure it tastes much different than today’s version).

Executed, Lancaster Gazette (Lancaster, Ohio), February 23, 1849

I can’t imagine what kind of depraved person it takes to tear down a fence to watch someone be murdered. I know what people will say about closure etc., but it still sends shivers up my spine. It doesn’t matter if you are pro-capital punishment or if it is a heinous crime or not, executions are not for public consumption, hence the banning of public executions.

OK, we leave this post on a low note. Apologies for that. We will try not to do that again on one of these posts. Until next time, have fun and stay safe!

During our genealogical research, CMS Research & Genealogy comes across many stories that have nothing to do with our current project. We have tons of them and will be sharing them all with you on this blog. All the more reason to come back and visit us again!

May 22, 2003

CMS Research and Genealogy

CMS Research & Genealogy