Institution

Unity (Early Ilwaco)The community of Ilwaco was formerly known as Unity. It was the most southwesterly post office in the state of Washington on Baker Bay when it was established on May 11, 1868. Initially called Unity in celebration of the conclusion of the Civil War, the town was known commonly as Ilwaco after Elowahka's Jim, son-in-law of hereditary Chinook Chief Comcomly (1760s?-1830). Comcomly had exchanged gifts with Captain Robert Gray in 1792 and met Lewis and Clark in 1805. The town plat, filed in 1876, used the name Ilwaco, and at that time the post office was also renamed. Ilwaco was incorporated on December 2, 1890.The first donation land claim in what is now known as Ilwaco was taken up by Captain James Johnson, a Columbia River Bar pilot who arrived there in 1845. In 1850, he built a house and lived there with his family, until he, unfortunately, drowned while crossing the river.In 1859, Isaac Whealdon and his family arrived and bought the Johnson land claim. Another settler with a donation land claim near Ilwaco was J.D. Holman. Holman had been the proprietor of the Holman House, a hotel located at Pacific City. When the Government took over Pacific City in 1852 to establish Fort Canby, many residents moved to Unity (Ilwaco). Holman saw the potential in Ilwaco and went to work to develop it as a tourist and settlement destination. He platted the town, became its first Postmaster, and promoted both it and the fishing. Many settlers began to move into the town and surrounding area. There were jobs and opportunities for hard-working people.

Lake Street, Ilwaco. Picturing the Methodist Episcopal Church.

Colbert House with people on porch, Ilwaco. 

As you walk along Myrtle Street to Lake Street, you will be on one of the many residential streets in town. There were two churches and many wonderful homes located here. Wooden sidewalks made walking easier especially in the winter when the streets turned to mud.

Residential Ilwaco ca. 1910

Coming Home - A Tour of Ilwaco 

Director

The Founding of TUThe story of the Telephone Utilities begins in 1903 when J.A. 'Andy' Howerton strung a phone line between two crank telephones to help his brother-in-law maintain contact with his fish-buying scow. When the experiment worked, he connected their homes as well. When other community members became interested in telephone service, the Ilwaco Telephone and Telegraph Company was born.By 1955, customers had grown to 400, and Norm Howerton began expanding. Selective acquisition of small, mostly rural phone companies began. Within a few years, a patchwork of telephone companies in Oregon and Washington had been amassed. In the mid-1960s the company needed a larger building for its headquarters. Architect Donald S. Avery of Olympia was engaged to design the new building, which was constructed by Perrott-Kaufman Steel Building Company, also of Olympia. New Building on Lake StreetInside the building were vacuum-tube main-frame computers, plus air-conditioning to keep them cool and functional. Companies that were overseen from this location when the building was completed included: Ilwaco Telephone Company; Island Empire Telephone Company (Kitsap Co., WA); Evergreen Telephone Company (Lewis Co., WA); Knappa Telephone Company (Knappa, OR); Rose Valley Phone Company (Scappoose, OR); Inland Empire Telephone Company (Spangle, WA); Orting Telephone Company (Orting, WA); Columbia Basin Telephone Company (Eastern WA); Lopez Telephone Company (Lopez Island, WA); Puget Island Telephone Company (Cathlamet, WA); Deschutes Telephone Company (Maupin, OR); and Sound Telephone Company (Lakebay, WA).Telephone Utilities was sold to Pacific Telecomm who eventually moved operations to Vancouver leaving the building to the City of Ilwaco.Now a MuseumIn the early 1980s the building was leased to the fledgling Ilwaco Heritage Foundation to start a museum. Today’s Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum began with brainstorming sessions headed by City Council member Noreen Robinson. These sessions were held over breakfast at Red’s Café in Ilwaco. A few persistent phone calls to the Smithsonian Institution were made by Noreen. They led her to get an intern from the University of Washington museum studies program, who traveled to Ilwaco to instruct the museum’s all-volunteer staff in the basics of museum management.In the early days, Noreen literally ran the museum finances out of her purse. When there wasn’t enough money to do what needed to be done, she paid for it herself. She bought tables and chairs. She bought adjoining property. She bought all kinds of things. But, most importantly, she also bought a hot dog cart. Noreen sold hot dogs at high school sports events and town gatherings – anywhere there might be an opportunity to raise a few dollars. Never shy about poking a little fun at propriety, she delighted in calling the cart her “wiener wagon.” Her persistence, sense of humor and community spirit served the Museum well.

The Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum explores the history of the region where the Columbia River meets the Pacific Ocean. Founded in the early 1980s, it holds 23,000 artifacts dating from the time the Chinook people inhabited the area through the 20th century. Museum exhibits cover Chinook life ways, early settlements, natural resource industries, life saving and early railroad history. Here you can visit an intact freight depot as well as an early Pullman passenger coach train car. The museum offers various events such as lectures, concerts and educational programs as well. The Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum is housed in the former Ilwaco Telephone Utilities (TU) building, built in the mid-1960s.

Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum (Ilwaco Telephone Utilities Building 1960s-1980s)

Port of IlwacoIn 1911, the Washington Legislature, reacting against private railroad companies' domination of docks and harbors, authorized local voters to create publicly owned and managed port districts. Since then, Washington public ports have spurred economic growth by enabling local communities to acquire and manage resources that promote trade and commerce.On March 4, 1928, the Port of Ilwaco was created by popular vote. In 1946 the Port petitioned the United States Corps of Engineers to build a mooring basin. Among the reasons cited for the expansion was "The tourist business is rapidly becoming one of the major sources of revenue to the Long Beach peninsula. Every year an increasing number of peoples come to this playground area in pleasure craft where they have sports fishing in the Columbia River and the Ocean and the beach resorts all within a radius of a few miles.”The Port of Ilwaco has continued to expand and improve the mooring basin. Today the port has an 800-slip marina that serves both recreational boaters and commercial fishermen alike. There is guest moorage available year-round, as well as a back-in launch, two small boat hoists, and two fuel docks. Additionally, the Port of Ilwaco has a 50-ton travelift, a self/full-service work yard, and dry boat storage facilities. Kola BoathouseJohn (Juho) Kola arrived in Ilwaco in 1891. He had emigrated from Kaustinen, Finland, with his wife Briita Lena Winturi. They spent some time in Astoria and he worked two years at the Knappton lumber mill before settling here permanently. John Kola began his fishing career on the Columbia in a sailing vessel, later he was the first Ilwaco fisherman to use a gas-powered gillnet boat. He was well-known as a boat builder and construction carpenter in Ilwaco. His boat-building skills were held in high esteem throughout the fishing community, leaving him no shortage of work. At first, he concentrated on gillnet boats, for which there was a steady demand, especially after the introduction of gas engines. Sailing gillnetters needed conversion to power, and new designs for powerboats demanded innovations. When trolling began in the early 20th century, gillnetters raised the height of their boats and took them across the bar. It soon became evident that entirely new designs needed to be developed. John Kola, Sr. and his sons Otto and John, Jr. became widely known for their seaworthy, Finn-built trollers, and the high quality of their workmanship. When John, Sr. retired, Otto and John, Jr.John, Jr., and Otto continued the boat-building business and tradition started by their father.John Kola passed away in January 1947. He was a member of the Finnish Congregational Church in Naselle. Rev. Ellis Koven officiated his service and burial in the family plot in the Ilwaco cemetery.The Gerttula Boat YardThe Gerttula Boat Yard in Ilwaco didn’t just service the fishing industry. In its heyday, the Gerttula Yard also built working watercraft for other industries. Well through the mid-1980s, most timber-related facilities in the Pacific Northwest depended on boomed logs to feed the mills. At one time, the operation of booming yards required crews of skilled workers in calk boots (studded logging boots) to skid logs with pike poles in hand, in order to maneuver raw materials from the booming yard to the mill race. It was an extremely dangerous occupation; one where a single misstep or a simple miscalculation could result in sudden death. With the introduction of the boom boat, one man from the safety of a stoutly-built little boat could do the work of a dozen men. It was a significant advance in protecting the lives of one of the timber industry's most at-risk working groups. The working know-how of the shipwright's craft in such facilities as Ilwaco’s Gerttula Boat Yard is what made that advance in worker safety possible. The Gerttula Boat Yard is a fine example of how hands-on working knowledge and craftsmanship made a difference in our regional economy.

Historically, the area along Baker's Bay was waterfront up to where you are standing on Main Street. Along the shoreline there were a number of boathouses where boats were constructed and repaired, including the Kola boat house which sits near Williams Street behind the port of Ilwaco parking lot. It still exists today. To see a video created by local students about the history of the Kola Boathouse, click the link below.

Original Waterfront of Baker's Bay (Main Street) 1880

In 1903, the Ilwaco Mill and Lumber Company was organized with $5,000 by a group of local businessmen. George Colwell was designated as President, Orin W. Heath, Vice President, Charles F. Rogers, Secretary and Manager, and Ed A. Woods, Treasurer. Their goal was to build a sawmill, planing, and shingle mill, and install a dynamo to light both the mill and the Town of Ilwaco. The new mill was to be located at the end of First Street next to the railroad dock on Baker’s Bay.The Ilwaco Mill employed up to 25 people and in the beginning, operated a 12-hour shift. In order to have enough light to operate long hours year round, they wanted to install a large dynamo to provide electricity to the mill. They also wanted to sell electricity to the town of Ilwaco and provide power to those businesses and homes that wanted it. The dynamo was finally installed in 1908 allowing the mill to stay open after dark. Even after the mill had electricity, much of the equipment continued to be operated by the steam boilers fueled by sawdust and leftover cuts. Fir and Spruce logs were brought in by railroad from around the bay through Nahcotta and in log rafts pulled to the mill from upriver by tugs. The tugs would haul them as far as McGowan’s Ilwaco Cannery then a smaller boat would pull the rafts over the shallow water to the mill. Customers could also bring their own logs to be cut. This was done on a 50/50 basis. The customer would get 50% of the lumber and the mill would retain 50%, which they could then sell to other customers. The Ilwaco Mill continued to operate until the death of Charles Rogers in 1936. Large corporations were buying up timberland, the railroad was gone, and the economics of operating the mill was difficult. The site became the location of the Ilwaco Boat Works and is currently part of the Port of Ilwaco boat storage and operations.

The Ilwaco Mill and Lumber Company was founded in 1903 and was once a primary business in Ilwaco. Logs were floated across Shoalwater (Willapa) Bay to Nahcotta and brought into the mill by the local IR&amp;N Railroad. The mill closed in 1936, after the death of one of its founders Charles Rogers. At that point, large companies were buying up timberland and the railroad was gone, making the mill financially obsolete.

Ilwaco Mill and Lumber Company 1903

Dennis Harrison Kimbrough, known around here as “Kim,” was born in Laurel, Mississippi in 1896. During WWI he served in the Army as part of the 65th Pioneer Infantry and was honorably discharged in 1918. He came to Ilwaco and set up business as a cobbler in 1926. The shoe repair shop was on First Street, just south of Lake Street, on the east side of the street. His shop was adjacent to what is now the Museum’s parking lot. Mr. Kimbrough was the peninsula’s only cobbler for 33 years. He was forced to retire in 1959 when he was stricken with muscular dystrophy. He entered the State Soldier’s Home and Colony at Orting, WA, and two months later was transferred to Vancouver for special hospital care. He passed away in January of 1960. He is still remembered today for his friendly personality and his community involvement.

Located on First Street South of Lake, was Dennis Kimbrough's shoe repair shop. He was the only cobbler on the Peninsula until he retired in 1959. As an active member of the community, he was a member of the American Legion, served with the volunteer Ilwaco Fire Department for 21 years, and was involved with the Ilwaco Chamber of Commerce and Presbyterian Church.

Kimbrough's Cobbler Shop 1926-1959

The story of transportation on the peninsula begins with Lewis Alfred Loomis. Loomis was born in Ithaca, NY. His first trip here in 1855 was to visit his brother Edwin G. Loomis at Pacific City. Later that year, Lewis Loomis fought in the battle of Walla Walla during the Indian Wars and was a commissioned second lieutenant, Company B, 1st Regiment Oregon Volunteers. Returning to the east coast in 1857 he spent several years caring for family before going South in 1864. It was there that he had charge of a construction company building and repairing railroads for army movement during the Civil War.Loomis returned to the Pacific Northwest in 1872, arriving in Oysterville in the spring. That same year he bought his home located at Loomis Station, south of present day Klipsan, and went into the sheep business with his brother Edwin. As Sydney Stevens writes in Legendary Locals, “An unfortunate wool-wetting experience between shore and boat convinced him to build a dock at Ilwaco.” Together with his brother and other investors, the Ilwaco Wharf Company was formed. Soon he received the mail contract between Olympia and Astoria. He bought stagecoaches to carry the mail from Oysterville to Ilwaco along the weather beach. In 1875, he and his partners formed the Ilwaco Steam Navigation Company. They purchased the General Canby to traverse the Columbia between Ilwaco and Astoria and built steamboats in South Bend to cross Shoalwater Bay at the northern end of the peninsula.A contemporary account of Loomis’s life by his friend Isaac Whealdon states, “It is not easy to give an idea at this late date of the magnitude of L .A. Loomis' business at that time, but suffice to say he was getting rich very fast. His stage line was at that time the best paying business in our county, but there was an ever-growing demand for something better, and in the years from 1875 to 1885 we heard continuously of the contemplated building of a railroad into Pacific County. It remained for Mr. Loomis to again organize a company to build a railway and this he did, knowing very well that it would be the ruination of his private business. Mr. Loomis made this remark to the writer of this article in the summer of 1886. So in 1887 the Ilwaco Steam Navigation Company became known as the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company. In 1888 they had five miles of railroad in operation from the town of Ilwaco north, built the steamer General Miles, and bought the Dolphin and the Ocean Wave. This gave them in the summer season, a daily service between Astoria and Ilwaco, and thrice a week service by Ocean Wave from Portland to Ilwaco.”By July 1888, the tracks for the Ilwaco Railroad, as it was known then, reached north from Ilwaco to Tinkerville, now known as Long Beach. The Ilwaco railroad had been built as far as Tinker’s Hotel, a distance of about five miles. The road cost about $30,000. It is estimated that the receipts of the company for the first six weeks were nearly $40,000, according to the Astoria Pioneer. The Ilwaco railroad was carrying a thousand passengers every day. The reason it wasn’t carrying more, was because there were not yet enough cars. Work on the rest of the track to the north didn’t start until the visitors were gone for the season. It wasn’t until the following year that it was connected to the dock at Nahcotta. On July 19, a grand celebration was held to commemorate the occasion. A special train was set up to carry riders the total distance of the tracks. Four flat cars, which had been used for hauling everything from sixty-pound rails to horses and cows, were fitted with plank seats, side rails, and colorful canopies to shield riders from the sun. Locomotive #1, driven by engineer George Jennings, hauled the cars, which were filled to the last seat with riders. At each end of the line a banquet was held, complete with “the usual speeches. Some orators let their imaginations produce the railroad line following the Pacific shore from Puget Sound to San Francisco.”By 1889 the Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company had expanded and completed its route from Ilwaco to Nahcotta. It became a vital part of the our history as it transported tourists and locals up and down the North Beach peninsula and took our local goods (lumber, oysters, and cranberries) to market. The railway opened the way for expanded settlement of the Peninsula.

The railroad turntable was located on the west side of First Street near Lake Street. The railroad line originally ran from Ilwaco to Nahcotta and had a turntable on each end. Businesses and homes were located nearby. The IR&amp;N was an important part of the history of the peninsula and transported tourists and locals, as well as goods such as lumber and oysters. One of the original passenger cars of the IR&amp;N, the Pullman built Railcar NAHCOTTA is located at the Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum in Ilwaco.To view a youth created video interview with local railroad expert Mark Clemmens, click the link below under Additional Information.

IR&N Railroad Turntable 1888

Many restaurants have come and gone on the Long Beach Peninsula. Some were easily forgotten and some like Red’s live long in the community’s memory. Red and Helen ‘Smokey’ O’Connell moved to the Long Beach Peninsula in 1939, opening a small sandwich shop in Long Beach. After the war, they expanded the business. In 1950, they took advantage of an opportunity to buy an ice cream parlor in Ilwaco, which was the cornerstone of what would become known as Red’s Café. In 1957, Red and Smokey purchased the adjoining businesses of Hebo the Tailor, Pesco’s Pool Hall, and Lusk’s Hardware.By 1967, Red’s was complete. Red’s Restaurant and Flame Room Lounge had a 42-foot long Chuck Wagon Buffet, several meeting rooms, a 15-foot x 16-foot dance floor and room for live music. When finished, Red’s had room for 350 people within its various rooms.Red’s was one of the most popular places to eat for locals, sport fishermen and a very popular place for Ilwaco High School students to get a Coke and fries. Both Red and Smokey were well-liked and great employers and friends to the many people who worked and ate at Red’s.By the 1970s, fishing seasons were increasingly restricted, which took a heavy toll on the local economy. Bowing to the inevitable, Red and Smokey decided to retire in 1981. Red's Cafe was put up for sale and closed for business.In 1986, Dick and Betty Lundquist and Gerald and Lucille Fritts purchased the business. The building was remodeled and Red’s reopened under the same name on May 23, 1986. Later that year, the Lundquists became sole proprietors. In the 1990s, the building became an antique mall until it burned down.

Red’s Corner Café , which later became Red’s Restaurant and Flame Room was located on the west side of First Street between Spruce and Lake. Red’s became a very popular place to go. On busy weekends, bands would play in the lounge and people would crowd the restaurant. After becoming an antique mall in the 1990s, the building was burned in a fire.

Reds Corner Café ca. 1953

The Rise of Recreational FishingThough angling developed centuries ago, the rise of recreational fishing as a popular pursuit took on a new dimension in the years after World War II. Towns such as Ilwaco, Chinook, Astoria, and Warrenton began to see new potential in recreational salmon fishing as an opportunity for business development. Salmon derbies were begun as a way to exploit this rising interest. In the early years, commercial fishermen took sport-fishing customers out in their boats. Eventually knowledgeable fishermen took advantage of this expanding opportunity by offering charter services. Thus emerged the charter-boat fishing industry, which has been a mainstay of the business landscape of Ilwaco for decades.In the 1950s and early 1960s, the salmon derby in Ilwaco was “big doings. The town and the marina were "plug-loaded" with tourists here for the derby. That became the push to redevelop the marina at the Port of Ilwaco in the late 1950s. Up until that point, the harbor had largely been devoted to commercial fishing vessels. Mayor Norman Howerton's grand plan to enlarge the marina capacity allowed more space in the harbor devoted to recreational fishing craft rather than to commercial fishing vessels. The development was a boon to those businesses catering to sport fishermen, but proved a detriment to some of those serving the commercial fleet.Good times don’t last forever. In the 1970s, salmon fishing became increasingly restricted, and the derby lost much of its luster. The marina began to look increasingly empty. It would take a number of years to develop an interest in recreational fishing for other species, such as sturgeon, halibut and bottom-fish. By the 1990s, some local charter operators were telling their customers, salmon fishing's over, but we’ve got great sturgeon and halibut fishing. By then, improved ocean conditions, following the flood years of 1996 and 1998, brought back the large salmon runs to the Columbia River. Run-sizes between 2002 and 2004, were among the highest seen since record-keeping began at Bonneville dam in 1938. Once again, the marina was packed. The derby was back! New restrictions have since been put into place on coho and fall Chinook. What will the future bring?William Brumbach - BarberWilliam Cullen Brumbach was born in 1877 in Butler, Missouri, and came to Ilwaco with his parents when he was 10. His father, Jeremiah, was a pioneer judge and city official. After graduating from Ilwaco, he went to Whitworth College, where he finished a business course.He worked on the Sand Island seining grounds for several years and then took off for Alaska during the gold rush. On his return, he joined the Coast Guard at Cape Disappointment and was on the lifeboat drill team that performed daily at the Alaska-Yukon Exposition in Seattle. While at the Cape, he met his wife, who was living at Fort Canby with her family. They were married in 1905.He opened up his barbershop, one door north of the corner of First and Lake in Ilwaco in 1910, and continued in the same location until his retirement in 1960. At that time, it was the oldest continuous business enterprise in Ilwaco.He put in 30 years of service to his adopted town, seven terms as Mayor, and 18 years as Town Clerk. He passed away in 1965 and is buried in the Ilwaco Cemetery.W. B. Hawkins - Meat Market and WagonWilliam Borthwick Hawkins was born in New Zealand in 1864 and came to Ilwaco with his parents in 1870. One of eleven children, he worked as a fisherman in Astoria, and later went into business with his brothers operating a very successful transfer station in Ilwaco. However, Hawkins was perhaps best known for his meat market and delivery service. The Sandborn Map indicates that the market was located on First St., right in the middle of Lake and Main, on the east side. We know that by 1891, a visitor’s brochure states, “he has a first-class meat market, and does a large business.” His advertising states that he was a wholesale and retail dealer in all kinds of meats; poultry, fish, clams, and all types of game. During the summer season, he would take orders along the beach and deliver to seaside visitors and cottages.One of his brothers, Benjamin, went on to open a meat market in Vancouver, while another, Edgar, continued with the transfer station, ran a taxi service, and a contracting business here in Ilwaco. Later he sold the transfer station to Allan Goulter.William Hawkins was a resident of Ilwaco for 60 years before going to live with his daughter during the last decade of his life. At the time, he was one of the oldest members of the Occident Lodge No. 99 (Masons), holding an honorary membership at the time of his death in 1944. He was buried in the Mountain View Cemetery in Ashland, OR., alongside his wife Alice Luzana (Zanie) née Hall of Chinook. She ran the Chinook Hotel for a time, and later a restaurant in the Baseel Building.James L. Nott – Jim’s GroceryJames Nott, a lifetime resident of Ilwaco was born in 1897, his father Harvey was a pioneer barber in town. While still in high-school, Jim started working at Kerlee’s Aberdeen Store as a delivery boy and then a clerk. After taking a course at the Astoria Business College, he became the bookkeeper.After serving in the army during WWI, he returned to Ilwaco and worked for Max Wise’s grocery store (located on the west side of First St. and north of Lake) where a year later he met James Heckman who had just started working there. The two men formed a partnership in 1919 and bought out Mr. Wise.In 1923, Jim Nott married Helen Hansen of Chinook, they had one daughter, Janet (Morrison).In 1935, the two James’ (Heckman and Nott) bought the lot across the street from their store, tore down the old three-story building, and replaced it with a modern concrete building. This is where Azure is located today. After Mr. Heckman passed away in 1952, Mr. Nott continued to run the business on his own.Jim’s Cash Grocery served Ilwaco for 50 years.Jim Nott also served Ilwaco for many years as a city councilman. He was mayor for one term and was acting mayor on two other occasions. He was also on the fire department during WWII when the fire station was manned day and night. He was also a charter member of the American Legion and the Kiwanis Club and was active in other fraternal organizations. He died in 1970 and is buried in the Ilwaco Cemetery. Movie Theaters on the Peninsula“Ed Saunders has the first moving picture show in Ilwaco, which he called the Bell Theatre. It was situated about where (Olde Town Coffee Shop on 1st and Spruce) is today. It was established about 1914…. At the same time the (Walter) Strauhals operated a picture show in a tent in Long Beach (about where the Long Beach Pharmacy is today.) during the summer months and Jack O’Bryan showed films in Seaview… In 1923 Doupe and Rogers put up a regular theater building with a sloping floor and stage. The Sea Hag Tavern occupie(d) this space and it was later owned by Charles Strauhal. In 1926 my brother-in-law Curtis Hoare and I purchased both the Ilwaco and Long Beach Theaters. We ran one show per night, 35 cents for adults, 10 cents for children were the going rates in nearly all small towns. When a “Gone with the Winds,” or some other big production came along we upped the tariff to 50 cents….The theater was sort of a glamorous place to work and help was always plentiful if not overpaid. The projectionist was the top employee receiving $2 per night for around 2 ½ hours of work. I only paid the cashier 50 cents a night at first….The ushers were high school girls who worked for nothing just to see the show. For music, the Long Beach theater had player piano with Bessie Whitten at the keyboard… the Ilwaco theater has more class where a mechanical pipe organ coasting some $5000 was operated by Oscar Koski. It had many sound attachments which Oscar used with good effect to embellish the action on the screen.For heat we used wood stoves made out of empty gasoline drums made by Oscar Nyberg. The drums would take cord wood stick…I would go down during the show, open the stove door and fire up. Couldn’t help but get a lot of light and some smoke into the auditorium but no one seemed to mind. During the winter months, before Long Beach had any drainage, water would often come into the theater about up to the first three or four rows of seats and maybe four to five inches deep. During those periods I always kept a pair of boots near the first dry row and would slip them on before wading to the big stove to put in more wood. The fire light on the water when the stove door opened produced a nice effect not many theaters could boast of.”

Ilwaco was a bustling town in the early to mid- twentieth century. Much of the Peninsula shopping and banking was done in Ilwaco. It was the fishing center and as such, employed many people in the canneries as well as in the commercial and sport fishing industry. The fishing industry continues to be a major employer in Ilwaco. There were many different commercial buildings in this area of 1st Street over the years. Businesses included a grocer, pool hall, barber shop, bank, department store and more. Learn about some of their stories below.

First Street Between Lake and Spruce 1930's-1950's 

The Southwestern Washington Bank of Ilwaco ScandalIn 1923, a banking scandal centered in Ilwaco rocked the state of Washington’s business and political world. The Southwestern Washington Bank of Ilwaco was located at the corner of First and Spruce in the first floor of the Odd Fellows building. The Commercial and Financial Chronicler reported on the story.“According to press dispatches from Olympia and South Bend, Wash., under date of Sept. 5 and 6, appearing in Seattle and Portland papers, Myron F. Sinclair, formerly Vice President and Cashier of the Southwestern Washington Bank of Ilwaco., a small institution, on Sept. 6 pleaded guilty to the embezzlement of $49,900 of the bank’s funds and was sentenced by Judge Hewen in the Superior Court at South Bend on the same day to from 4 to 15 years with hard labor in the penitentiary at Walla Walla. State Senator Percy L. Sinclair, the former president of the bank and father of the convicted man, it was said, had surrendered himself on the same date to the prosecuting attorney in South Bend and was in the custody of the Sheriff. Definite charges in his case, it was said, awaited further investigation by the State Superintendent of Banking. The Bank was closed, it was said, on September 4 by the State Banking Department.”The trial of State Senator Percy L. Sinclair took place in January 1924 in Chehalis and centered on his knowledge of the Bank’s financial condition and his responsibility for reporting it. The “New Review” of Rosberg, Oregon reported on the trial with the headline: “Sinclair Takes Witness Stand – Blames Son Myron – Declares That He Did Not Know He Had Overdrawn His Account or That He Had Information.”  The trial focused on whether Percy Sinclair was active in the bank’s day-to-day operations. Many well-known Ilwaco businessmen were called to testify that Sinclair was often seen at the bank and signed many documents. R.A. Hawkins, Manager of the Columbia River Packers Association; C.H. McKinney, Assistant Superintendent of the Ilwaco division of Union Pacific; J.B. Woods, a cranberry grower; Lynn Purdin, publisher of the Ilwaco Tribune; and Norman Howerton, who had worked at the Bank for 2 years before it was closed all testified before the court. Percy’s son Myron was brought from the Walla Walla penitentiary as a witness. He was unable to explain the alleged fictitious credits to his father’s account. When asked if his father had access to the Bank's books at all times, young Sinclair replied, "Not when I could beat him to it."On January 28, 1924, State Senator Percy L. Sinclair was sentenced in Lewis County Superior Court to 18 months to 3 years in the penitentiary for making a false report of the condition of the Southwestern Washington Bank at Ilwaco of which he was President. It was reported that the Judge said “You are now past 60 years of age and have not many more years over your head. It is the view of the court quite punishment enough, so far as you are concerned, that you were convicted at all. But public policy requires that penalty should be imposed.” The paper went on to report that “Sinclair wept as sentencing was imposed, his attorneys comforting him.”Henry Woodruff ConfectionaryIn the mid-1980s Joan Mann interviewed Ilwaco “old timer” John (Jack) G. Williams. This is his recollection of Henry Woodruff (1857-1920).“Henry Woodruff ran a place down there next to Doupe’s. There was a store in front where he sold crackers, cookies, cheese, soda water, ice cream and peanuts. Then you could go into a kind of back room where he had pool tables and card tables. He could cook you something to eat there too. We had a doctor in Ilwaco who was Russian. He always claimed he’d been around the world a good deal, but he found Henry Woodruff’s a very expensive place to eat, because he had to have three drinks of whiskey to get nerve enough to eat there. And then he had three drinks afterward to cut the grease out of his throat. Henry had a wooden leg and one eye that kind of watered. My wife Julia told of how one time she went into the shoemaker’s down there, and Henry had his wooden leg on, and this fellow was tacking his sock up it. Julia didn’t know anything about wooden legs, she was only a girl. She was greatly taken aback with the shoemaker driving tacks into Henrys leg.Henry’s was a kind of hangout for the younger generation from thirteen to about twenty years old. They didn’t have anywhere else to go, and they could get soda water there and something to eat. My brother Lew told this story: He was going to Portland Academy (that was like high school) and he had gotten all smarted up pretty good. He came rolling back on vacation and he went into Henry’s, and was going to question Henry on business ethics. And he asked him, ‘How do you figure percentage?’ Henry said he didn’t know too much about figuring percentage, but he did know that if he bought something for two bits and sold it for four bits, he wasn’t losing anything. Henry was a fine fellow. He lived up over the store.”

Looking north on First Street in the early 1900’s, one would have been able to see the Opera House, Post Office, Train Depot, Odd Fellows Hall, Aberdeen Store, as well as cafés, grocery stores and a bank. The railroad was in operation and riding the train or driving up the hill to the north would lead you to Seaview and Long Beach.

First and Spruce ca. 1900

Dan Markham HousesThe Aberdeen Packing Company building, popularly known today as the Doupé building, has been an imposing presence in Ilwaco for many years. For so many years, many people did not know that it was not the first structure that stood on that lot. That story begins with Dan Markham.The Dan Markham family arrived in Ilwaco in 1879, having traveled west from Kansas in a covered wagon. Dan Markham built the first hotel in Ilwaco, the Kansas House, which later became the Central Hotel. Markham also worked as a fish trap foreman for well-known Ilwaco businessman B.A. Seaborg. After a couple of years in the hotel business, Mr. Markham decided that he would rather devote his time to fishing. On August 25, 1886, he bought the lot at First Ave. and Spruce Streets for $400 from Rachel Holman. In 1889 or ’90, the Markhams built a house on the property that has been described as “quite grand” with several fireplaces. On the night before the family was to move into the new house, it was destroyed by a fire.Undaunted, in 1894 the Markhams built a second, more modest home on the lot. At some point in time, the second home was moved on skids just a bit more east on Spruce. Seaborg took possession of the corner lot and constructed a great brick building, operating it as the Aberdeen Mercantile. This is the building we see today at the corner of First Ave. and Spruce Street. During the infamous Columbus Day windstorm of 1962, the second Markham house was blown off of its foundation. The house was beyond saving and in the end, was demolished.The view from the turntable is East facing, c1890. On the left side of this photo, on the far side of the tracks, is the first Markham house, where the Doupé building now stands. Note the second school building on the hill behind it. That is Spruce Street. The train is on First St. crossing Lake St. The Kansas House was the first hotel in Ilwaco, was built by Dan Markham, and is the building on the right of this photo on the far side of the tracks. The large house visible behind the Kansas House is the Holman home on Main St. It was torn down when the TU extended its buildings and is where the Museum’s Collection building now stands.Doupé Brothers StoreB.A. Seaborg, the founder of the Aberdeen Packing Company in Ilwaco, built the Seaborg building on the SE corner of 1st and Spruce in Ilwaco. It was constructed sometime before the turn of the 20th century and operated as the Aberdeen Store. In 1903, he sold the business to C.E. Kerlee and R.A. Hawkins. In 1905, Joe Doupé, an Irish immigrant, answered an ad in the Portland Oregonian for the position of bookkeeper. In 1909, he married Margaret Rogers, the daughter of Charles Rogers, owner of the Ilwaco Mill &amp; Lumber Co.In 1910, Joe Doupé and Charles Rogers opened a hardware store on the west side of 1st and Lake St., where the IR&amp;N turntable had formerly been. The Kerlee Store was closed in 1916 and all remaining inventory was sold. The building remained vacant until 1919, when Joe Doupé and his brother Harry bought the building, forming the Doupé Brothers Hardware Store. Joe ran the hardware section, while Harry managed the ready-to-wear and dry goods department.Joe and Margaret had four children: Florice, Charles, Isabelle, and Marshall. In 1946, the elder Doupé brothers retired, turning the business over to the next generation.  Joe Doupé’s sons Charles and Marshall, along with their cousin William operated the store. The business expanded across the street in 1967 with the addition of a furniture store and women’s apparel store, bringing a modern shopping center to Ilwaco.The bronze cash register at the museum was made by the National Cash Register Company. Made in 1915, it was one of the top models that could be purchased at that time. Notice the large oak cabinet where records, supplies, and receipts could be stored. The Doupé Brothers used this cash register in their store until it closed in 1982. Hardware Store Cash RegisterIt is hard to imagine a modern business operating without a cash register. Yet prior to their invention in 1879 by saloonkeeper, James Ritty, nothing of its kind existed. Business owners relied on the pen, paper, or other less accurate methods of tracking commercial transactions, often leaving them to wonder if they actually operated at a profit or loss for the day. Finally, shop owners were presented with an information processing system that tracked individual sales. The machines became so popular, that between 1884 and 1916, more than 1.5 million were sold.The leading company producing these coveted machines was the National Cash Register Company (NCR). Founded by John Patterson, a general store owner from Ohio, NCR was the first and dominating manufacturer of cash registers. Between 1888 and 1915 NCR was responsible for 95% of the cast-bronze encased registers that dominated the market and lead to the classification of that period as the “Brass Era.”The Columbia Pacific Heritage Museum is home to one of the stateliest of these devices and it helps tell the story of Ilwaco’s heyday. Standing at 5 feet 5 inches tall and weighing approximately 300 pounds, this series 500 cash register is a floor model, with an attached eight-drawer oak cabinet, ornate bronze work, and a marble sill. It served most of its active life at the center of Ilwaco commerce, the Doupe Brothers Hardware Store. You can see it in this photograph on the left.Looking at an early 20th-century photograph, it is easy to imagine Ilwaco as it once was, a bustling fishing and timber community made prosperous by its active tourism and commercial trades. The Doupe Brothers Hardware Store was ideally located at the main intersection of town and it thrived. Its founders Joe and Harry Doupe became so prosperous over the years that they expanded several times to keep up with the growing community, creating the 1st modern department store in Ilwaco. A prosperous business deserves the best amenities, including this imposing cash register. The bustling business is gone now, the railroad disbanded and the tracks pulled up, and the steamers no longer bring boatloads of tourists into town. The Doupe Brother Hardware store, like so many other businesses, shut down, but the register still stands in the Museum as a significant reminder of those historically prosperous times and the importance of Ilwaco as the historic center of commerce for South Pacific County.

The building was built by Aksel Seaborg as the Aberdeen Packing Company. In 1903, the building was purchased by C.E. Kerlee and R.A. Hawkins. It was sold again and later became Doupé Brothers Hardware in 1919. To view a video with more info, click the link below in Additional Information.

Aberdeen Packing Company 1896/ Doupé Brothers Hardware 

Doupé Brothers StoreB.A. Seaborg, the founder of the Aberdeen Packing Company in Ilwaco, built the Seaborg building on the SE corner of 1st and Spruce in Ilwaco. It was constructed sometime before the turn of the 20th century and operated as the Aberdeen Store. In 1903, he sold the business to C.E. Kerlee and R.A. Hawkins. In 1905, Joe Doupé, an Irish immigrant, answered an ad in the Portland Oregonian for the position of bookkeeper. In 1909, he married Margaret Rogers, the daughter of Charles Rogers, owner of the Ilwaco Mill &amp; Lumber Co.In 1910, Joe Doupé and Charles Rogers opened a hardware store on the west side of 1st and Lake St., where the IR&amp;N turntable had formerly been. The Kerlee Store was closed in 1916 and all remaining inventory was sold. The building remained vacant until 1919, when Joe Doupé and his brother Harry bought the building, forming the Doupé Brothers Hardware Store. Joe ran the hardware section, while Harry managed the ready-to-wear and dry goods department.Joe and Margaret had four children: Florice, Charles, Isabelle, and Marshall. In 1946, the elder Doupé brothers retired, turning the business over to the next generation.  Joe Doupé’s sons Charles and Marshall, along with their cousin William operated the store. The business expanded across the street in 1967 with the addition of a furniture store and women’s apparel store, bringing a modern shopping center to Ilwaco.The bronze cash register to your left was made by the National Cash Register Company. Made in 1915, it was one of the top models that could be purchased at that time. Notice the large oak cabinet where records, supplies, and receipts could be stored. The Doupé Brothers used this cash register in their store until it closed in 1982.

In 1967, a furniture annex and in 1968 a clothing store were both built across Spruce street fromthe Doupé Department Store building.

Doupé Brothers Annex Buildings 1967-68

Ilwaco School and the Wood HouseThis impressive house was owned by Edward and Gertrude Wood. Ed was the engineering partner in the Ilwaco Mill and Lumber Company. He along with Charles Rogers, sales manager; George Colwell, carpenter; and Orin Heath, sawyer partner; incorporated the business in 1903.Behind the Wood home is the second of Ilwaco’s schoolhouses. In 1892 the school directors were S.A. Seaborg, Dan Markham and L.D. Williams. That year the district was bonded for $7000 to buy a new site and erect the building. The first public school serving Ilwaco was built in 1882 and was described as “a typical country schoolhouse, except for its setting. It was built on the flats, bounded by a pool of stagnant water on the north, a barn on the south, two saloons on the west, and a pig pen on the east.” The site chosen for this new school was just north of Spruce Street (the Inn at Harbor Village now sits on the site.) It housed ten grades, but always had problems as it was too small and not particularly well built. In 1915 J.A. Howerton wrote in the Ilwaco Tribune “…only a few years ago the directors were compelled to build an addition on the north side of the present school building to prevent it from blowing down, and every few days school was dismissed and the children sent home in order not to endanger their lives by the unsafe condition of the building at that time.”In 1914 school crowding was the issue. Three districts had consolidated to form District 25 and 224 students attended the Ilwaco school. That year the second and third graders met in the Ben Wise store while the other grades crowded into the main school. Plans were underway to purchase a new school site and to build a new school for the growing town of Ilwaco.Ilwaco School Fire of 1936In the early morning hours of February 26, 1936, a fire of unknown origin broke out in the upper floors of the Ilwaco High School. The fire was first spotted by Sylvester Simmons who lived nearby. The fire bell was rung, and despite the early hour it was not long before a crowd gathered, ready to fight the blaze. As flames leaped from the roof, it became clear that the fire was too big for the community to battle. The move was made to save items from the ground floor, such as the furniture, school records, and “the books of the small, but valuable, library.” A stiff breeze from the south made fighting the fire difficult, but the concrete walls of the building helped keep the blaze contained and away from neighboring structures, including the school gymnasium. At nine o’clock, the busses rolled up loaded with kids from Oysterville and Naselle who were unaware of what had happened. The school board decided there would be no classes until March 2, when the high school students “will be assembled in the Presbyterian church in Ilwaco, and the grade school students will go to work in the two gymnasiums and the three portable buildings on the school grounds.”After much discussion and a lengthy search for funds, the decision was made to rebuild. A bigger and better school would be built on the site of the old school. Insurance money, federal funds from the Public Works Administration, and money from the state of Washington covered part of the cost, and a special levy was overwhelmingly approved by Ilwaco voters. Enough money was raised to add a new auditorium to the school. Students were able to begin classes in their new school in January, 1937.

The second of Ilwaco’s schoolhouses was built around 1892 and was located on the hill where the old Ilwaco Presbyterian Church was later built. The old schoolhouse was replaced by one made of masonry, located at Hilltop in 1915. That school burned in 1936 and was replaced by the current building.

The Second Ilwaco School 1892

Ilwaco Fire Department, “Mankiller”The Ilwaco Hook and Ladder Company was formed in 1887. This early volunteer Fire Department began with one cart that carried all of the fire equipment consisting of a 75-gallon chemical tank, hose, ladders and water buckets. Using this equipment made it difficult to fight extremely large fires such as the Seaborg Cannery fire of August 1898.  After that devastating fire, Jack Wilson who had been a soldier, remembered the old Army pumper located at Fort Canby. The huge pumper had worked well against the Astoria fire of 1883. It had been loaded aboard the steamer Washington that was tied up at the fort dock, taken across the river and assisted in saving a few of the remaining Astoria buildings. A year later, in 1899, Jack Wilson was able to purchase the pumper for the Hook and Ladder Company for $15.00.This massive piece of equipment, an 1846 Jefferson Squirrel Tail Hand Pumper, was dubbed the “Mankiller” by those who operated it. It was built in New York, where it was used until after the Civil War. It then came to the west coast on a sailing ship around Cape Horn to serve at Fort Canby. The horse-drawn pumper was a plunger-type having four-inch suction and two and a half-inch discharge hose. It took sixteen men (eight on each side) to pump and operate it. It pumped by pushing up and down one handle at a time pushing the water from the source through the hose.The City of Ilwaco dug three cisterns to allow the pumper access to water for fighting fires. These cisterns along with various creeks provided a good water supply for the town. The last time the “Mankiller” was used was in 1920 when the Ilwaco Light and Power Company building caught fire. The fire was put out using water from Seaborg Creek. The old “Mankiller” pumper said to be the oldest of its kind in the Pacific Northwest, can still be seen at the Ilwaco Fire Department.

Located at the SE corner of Spruce and Myrtle, the Ilwaco Volunteer Fire Department has had three buildings that have served the community for over 135 years. The first building was torn down and a new building erected that also housed the City Hall. That building burned in 2006. The building you see now was built after the fire.

Ilwaco Hook and Ladder Company Organized in 1887

Columbia Hall aka Finn Hall &amp; Temperance HallColumbia Hall was a simple building located on Second Street in Ilwaco. It was also known as Finn Hall and Temperance Hall. Merle Reinekka writes in “Ilwaco’s Early Finns”:“The late 19th century was a raucous time in Ilwaco. With the fishing fleet and canneries flourishing, bars and dance halls also flourished. The heavy use of alcohol by Finnish-Americans was a cause of concern among the more conservative and image-conscious members of Ilwaco's Finn population. As a result, they embraced the Temperance movement and formed the Benevolent Society of Ilwaco. The group met regularly in Columbia Hall. The building was also used for benefits, lectures, dances, musical programs, and wedding receptions. No liquor was allowed.In the years 1906-1914, the socialist labor movement began to establish a foothold among Finnish immigrants. An Ilwaco chapter was founded in 1911, calling itself the Finnish Socialist Club. It’s membership, including wives, numbered about 70.  Receptivity to left-wing political leanings is thought to come from the fact that Finns had migrated from a rigorous uncertain home life in poverty….It was not so much an antipathy toward law and order, as much as it was a protest against labor oppression which was all too prevalent at the time. A large number of the Socialists Club members were members of the Benevolent Society, who they sought to convert Columbia Hall to the meeting place for the socialists. A three-year legal battle ensued, which was settled by the State Supreme Court in 1914, with judgment favoring the Benevolent Society.”The Socialists Club was finally able to build its own hall called the Work Temple on Lake Street in 1915. … The Socialist movement gained strength among Finns in the U.S., but as long as local group activities took place in the privacy of home or hall, most local residents tolerated it. When the Bolshevik revolution began in 1917, followed by Finland's declaration of independence and civil war in 1918-1919, a renewed attention was focused on socialist Finns in America.  The question of patriotism among immigrant Finns, more than any suspicion of subversive activities, became the over-riding concern. Most of Ilwaco’s Finns had come directly from a traditional and conservative folk society and were supportive of “anti-Red” movements. When the United States entered World War I in 1917, many of Ilwaco’s Finnish men were called to serve. Three of the Don R. Grable Post 48 charter members were Henry Sankela, Wayne Suomela, and Irvin Saari, all Ilwaco Finns.The Work TempleFor a time, Ilwaco was home to two Finnish Halls. In 1911 the Ilwaco chapter of the Finnish Socialist Club was founded. They met in Columbia Hall on 2nd Street along with their fellow Finnish organization the Benevolent Society. A split in beliefs soon had them at odds over their meeting place. After a court battle granted the use of Columbia Hall to the Benevolent Society, the Finnish Socialist Club built a grand new hall on Lake Street and named it the Workers Temple. It opened in 1915.The Great Depression of the late 1920s and early 30s saw a decline in the membership of the Socialist Club. As members dropped out and moved away, it reached the point that the organization’s expenses exceeded their income. So, it became necessary to sell the Worker’s Union Hall. The buyer was Lodge No. 26 of the United Kaleva Brothers and Sisters, the local chapter of a benevolent and fraternal order of West Coast Finns. The group of about 50 local residents had been renting space in the Worker’s Union Hall since the Ilwaco chapter formed in 1926. They purchased the Hall for $2,000 in 1932.Hard times continued to prevail, and membership diminished, as did lodge functions. The lodge was commandeered during World War II and used to billet soldiers for the radar station at Bear Mountain. After WWII the United Kaleva Brothers and Sisters sold the Lodge to the American Legion. The Don R. Grable Post 48 of the American Legion welcomed WWII veterans home with a lively facility that included the addition of a bar where Vets could meet and tell war stories. The Legion Hall on Lake Street was home for almost 70 years when it was sold to River City Arts in 2004. The building was sold again in 2010 and is now home to the Peninsula Players, a local theater group.Don R. GrableDon Raymond Grable was born in Ilwaco on November 25, 1893, the son of Jerome and Catherine Ann Grable. Jerome Grable was a Civil War Veteran, although his name does not appear on any Army records. This is due to the fact that during the Civil War if a man who has been drafted had the money, he could pay another man to go in his place. Jerome Grable was such a hired replacement.Don Grable grew to manhood in Ilwaco and was a fisherman and logger. He never married. Don R. Grable was inducted into the Army in 1918 and was a member of Company D, First Battalion, 361st Infantry. He was killed in battle on the morning of September 26, 1918, at the very beginning of the Argonne offensive, and was one of the first men of his company to die on the field of battle.The body of Don R. Grable was brought from France and he was buried in a solemn funeral here on Sunday, August 21, 1921.“The final honors, meager indeed for the sacrifice he has made, were paid to Don R. Grable, Ilwaco soldier boy who gave his life that the spirit of Liberty might be kept alive on an earth ridden with greed and corruption, Sunday afternoon when his friends, comrades and family, with sorrowing tread followed his body over Wallicut Hill and lovingly placed it in its last resting place in the Ilwaco cemetery.No funeral so impressive was ever held here before. No procession so sincerely mourning the passing of a loved one ever passed over that road, where as a barefoot boy Don Grable had run and played – little thinking of the price that he would some day pay for the privilege of those few hours of freedom.The funeral oration by the Reverend Dr. LaViolette, of Bremerton, was an impressive story of the suffering of the boys who went ‘over there’ and told by a man who had been there…Full military honors were accorded the dead soldier boy – whose body has been shipped thousands of miles that it may rest where his grave will be ever kept fresh and green by his loved ones – and where his life may be held up to coming generations as a crowning example of sacrifice and unselfishness.”Pall bearers selected from the local American Legion Post were Ervin Saari, Fay Provo, James Nott, William Lugnet, Wayne Suomela and Charles Strauhal. A firing squad and bugler were sent over from Ft. Stevens. “God Keep and Bless You, Don Grable.”When a group of World War I veterans got together to form a Legion Post, there could be only one name for it – Don R. Grable. The Post was Chartered October 2, 1919, with 15 charter members.Description from Ilwaco Tribune - August 26, 1921.

At one time there were two Finn Halls in Ilwaco, the first was located on second street in Ilwaco. Having split with the Finnish Benevolent Society, the Finnish Socialist Club built a hall on the south side of Lake Street in 1915 and named it the Worker’s Temple. In 1932, it was purchased by Lodge 26 of the United Kaleva Brothers and Sisters. The building was used to house soldiers during WWII and then was purchased by the American Legion.

Finn Hall/American Legion Hall

Oscar Nyberg was born in 1885 in Finland, he came to Naselle in 1909 and married Hila Maria Wirkkanen in 1916 at the Naselle Lutheran Church. He and Hila moved to Ilwaco in 1926 when he bought a building for $500.00 from Walter Jennings. He opened the Nyberg Blacksmith Shop in that building, located across from the present-day Museum, and served as the Peninsula's blacksmith until shortly before his death at 85 in 1973. The shop fell into a demise after his death and was razed in the 1980s."He was a blacksmith of the old school who learned the art of shoeing horses in his native Finland. He scoffed at modern horse-shoeing techniques stating, "Every horse has its own peculiar gait. Some kick their front hooves with the hind ones or the left ones with the right ones. So when a shoe is made for a horse, it has to be precisely weighted so that when the horse walks or runs, the offending hoof will be pulled away from the hoof that is striking the other one."Oscar shakes his head when he talks about the present-day shoers of horses. "Why they get a little trailer and go from place to place slapping shoes on horses that do not fit. Instead of fitting the shoe to the hoof, they fit the hoof to the shoe by cutting down the hoof and for that, they get $14.00. I always carefully made the shoe so that it would exactly fit the hoof, and for this, I got $2.50, and $3.00 if the horse was mean." He remembered one $3.00 horse in particular. This was the horse of young Martha Turner (Mrs. Dick Murfin) whose horse had the annoying habit of nipping him on the posterior every time he bent over to shoe the horse. "By golly, people knew when Martha's horse was in the shop because I had some words for that horse."'

Oscar Nyberg operated his blacksmith shop from this location on the north side of Lake Street from 1926 until 1973. He was born in Finland and came to Naselle in 1909. He specialized in horseshoeing and custom blacksmithing for fishermen, loggers and Peninsula locals. He was the only blacksmith on the Peninsula during this time.

Coming Home - A Tour of Ilwaco

Residential Ilwaco ca. 1910

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources