A weekly look back compiled by the Clark County Historical Museum from The Columbian archives available at columbian.newspapers.com or at the museum.
100 years ago
Police Chief R.E. McCrite announced on July 16, 1923, that state highway traffic officers planned “to stop all automobiles after August 5 and see that the drivers are equipped with the operator license” by order of Fred J. Dibble, state director of licenses. About 10 percent of operator license applications were illegible, lacked signatures or were left completely blank.
75 years ago
An early morning fire at Meadows High School on July 21, 1948, not only caused “major educational disruptions” but also “virtually destroyed the $200,000 building erected during the wartime emergency.” The Vancouver Fire Department was notified of the blaze around 4:40 a.m. and went on to fight the fire for the next three hours. While the cause of the conflagration had yet to be determined, “the question of spontaneous combustion was not being overlooked” as “the gymnasium floor had been freshly oiled and much of the paint in the building was still not entirely dry.”
50 years ago
Controversy erupted in the Vancouver City Council early in July 1973 after Councilor Art Jolin accused Vancouver City Manager Alan Harvey of “questionable practices.” Jolin’s charges centered on a letter sent by Harvey soliciting contributions from local firms doing business with the city for the 1972 parks bond campaigns. Harvey asked for donations of “at least $500” for the campaign, which, if passed, would result in the scheduling of “some $7,500,000 worth of architectural, engineering, and construction projects.” As a result of his letters, the campaign received $3,100 from 13 firms. In subsequent weeks, other city council members indicated “they felt the manager had made a mistake, along with others, and that the matter should be dropped.” Alan Harvey stayed on as city manager until 1980.
