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 July 21, 1924, the Vancouver City Council again took on the “much debated fire equipment issue.” However, the councilors settled the matter with “considerable merriment,” unanimously adopting a resolution to “purchase a truck chassis and certain fire equipment for temporary use.” The total cost would be about $3,200.
- 75 years ago
Jack Reigel, World War I veteran and well-known band leader in Vancouver, introduced a new wheelchair design on July 22, 1949. Called the Reigel Stroller Chair, the lighter, more comfortable wheelchair took “more than three years of intensive research” to complete and had already been ordered by Walter Reed Army Hospital. Reigel, a disabled person, said traditional wheelchairs were uncomfortable, so he began thinking up ideas to make himself more comfortable. Though production was limited to what could be produced in a friend’s basement, negotiations for a building were underway to start full-scale production.
- 50 years ago
On July 24, 1974, Smith Tower got its annual “face-wash.” With more than 700 windows across the building’s 14 stories, it took more than 10 days to complete the task.
