A weekly look back compiled by the Clark County Historical Museum from The Columbian archives available at columbian.newspapers.com or at the museum.
75 years ago
On Oct. 2, 1947, Vancouver city officials announced tentative plans to widen a 10-block stretch of East Reserve Street and Grand Avenue. At the time, the street was a gravel road, just wide enough for two cars to pass. Acting Mayor Vern Anderson led a meeting with property owners, who would foot the bill for the 30-foot widening.
50 years ago
The Port of Portland on Oct. 2, 1972, released an environmental impact statement assessing expansion of Portland International Airport. Port officials, concerned about inadequate runway room, began discussing expansion in the mid-1960s. Some Clark County residents, however, were unmoved by the report and expressed their opposition toward the proposal. At a Federal Aviation Administration hearing on the issue, one Vancouver resident shouted that officials “are pawns in the airlines’ pockets.”
25 years ago
In 1997, Skyview High School opened in Salmon Creek. The new campus welcomed 1,758 students to the school, 1,258 of whom were freshmen. The large ninth grade class was due to the temporary closure of Hudson’s Bay and Fort Vancouver high schools, both of which were being remodeled to update the buildings and accommodate more students. The Bay and Fort students would attend Skyview for about a year before returning to their updated high schools.
