100 years ago
Louis Sholseth of Brush Prairie announced on Dec. 13, 1923, that he received his first “carload” of a sodatol for use among farmers in the area. A mixture of TNT and sodium nitrate, the U.S. government pushed the new explosive for use by farmers. Distributed in coordination with Washington State College (now Washington State University), farmers could use the explosive to alter their surroundings into farmland.
75 years ago
On Dec. 10, 1948, the state health department approved a Clark County milk ordinance that would go into effect “at once.” The new law required milk to be sold with bottle caps listing its grade. Additionally, the ordinance outlined regulations for raw milk and pasteurization. Local producers and distributors would have a year to “improve their dairies and bring them up to specifications” laid out in the new rules.
50 years ago
Judge C. Dean LaRowe of Clark County District Court upheld the conviction of developer Robert Perrault on Dec. 11, 1973. Perrault pleaded guilty to illegally subdividing a 120-acre tract in Battle Ground the previous year, the only person ever convicted on the charge in Clark County. Later in the month, Superior Court Judge John Skimas dismissed all charges against Perrault.
25 years ago
On Dec. 10, 1998, 400 people gathered at the Double Tree Hotel at the Quay to celebrate the life of Don Campbell. For over 30 years, Campbell managed operations at Clark County’s newspaper of record. The litany of stories proffered by the celebrants chronicled a life of a “newspaper industry pacesetter,” civic leader and “good man to work for.”
— Katie Bush is public historian at the Clark County Historical Museum
