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
By Sept. 3, 1924, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Second District, had dredged a channel 23 feet deep and 450 feet long in the Columbia River between Vancouver and the mouth of the Willamette River. According to project leader R. J. Bailey, dredging started Aug. 12 but had been impeded by “the large amount of pilings, chains, cable and other cast-off material laying at the bottom of the river.” Once complete, the new channel depth would allow any ship entering Portland’s harbor to access Vancouver’s docks.
- 75 years ago
Kids in Clark County were getting ready to head back to school on Sept. 5, 1949. School districts increased the number of bus routes from 23 to 28 to accommodate new students, plus deliver an extra load of kids to Lewis Elementary School. Students attended Lewis in two shifts while they waited for the new Minnehaha building to open on its scheduled date, Sept. 28.
- 50 years ago
The final touches were put on the classrooms at Vancouver’s new alternative school on Sept. 4, 1974, in anticipation of its opening in two weeks. Six students applied for classes at the new institution, awaiting an interview and screening process. School officials expected enrollment to reach about 90. Unofficially called “Pan Terra,” or “whole earth,” the school would receive its final name from the school board.
