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
On June 12, 1923, Vancouver photographer E.F. Marcell enlarged a photo of the spot where the body of 11-year-old Anne Nosko of Battle Ground was found after a group of Portland spiritualists claimed they saw “17 ghostly faces peering from the rocks and trees” from an earlier newspaper photo. One of the 17 seen was purported to be a Russian mystic “fully dressed in … leather boots, blouse and all.” After the initial appearance of the apparitions, the mediums reported the spirits were no longer visible in the larger snapshot. Officials asked Marcell to produce “another and a larger enlargement” for the spiritualists.
- 75 years ago
State Department of Health Sanitary Engineer Robert Leaver discovered larva of anopheles mosquitoes, a type known for carrying malaria, in Woodland on June 13, 1948. Health officials detected the larva in water flowing beneath a bridge. Two days later, officials announced a “skeeter war,” which included spraying insecticide on the ground as well as from planes in the Woodland area. This was not the first time malaria-bearing mosquitoes were discovered in the area, with surveys conducted in Clark County uncovering small populations of the insect in 1943 and 1945.
- 50 years ago
Washington State Patrol began enforcement of the Model Litter Control Act in June 1973. Originally passed in 1971 and ratified the following the year, the law required Washington boaters and drivers to have a litter bag in all watercraft and motor vehicles — or face a $10 fine (about $68 today). Gas stations, driver-testing stations, Washington State Patrol offices and other locations distributed 5 million litter bags to drivers. The Department of Ecology announced it was able to drop $1 million from its annual litter-pickup budget in 1974.
