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
The Ridgefield Light and Power Company illuminated Battle Ground on Aug. 18, 1923. After receiving a “franchise to furnish light and power” to Battle Ground at the end of July, the company made record progress. The company, which already provided energy to Ridgefield and La Center, continued extending service, moving on to Manor and Meadow Glade.
- 75 years ago
Vancouver police Officer Edward (Tommy) Thompson spotted an unidentified aquatic animal while on patrol at the shipyards on Aug. 25, 1948. Thompson saw it jump from the bank into the river, plunge and dive before swimming upstream. He speculated that the creature “might have been a sea lion.” James J. Padden solved the river riddle the following day when he identified the beast as “a huge grizzled beaver” measuring “at least four feet long.” Padden reported the animal swam within 15 feet of him while taking a dip in the Columbia River.
- 50 years ago
Overcrowding in Evergreen High School classrooms resulted in an inventive solution. On Aug. 21, 1973, the school district announced six school buses would be transformed into 14 classrooms while construction on a new school finished. The remodeled buses would be used until Sept. 28.
