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
Questions regarding the legal age of adulthood for Washington women bubbled to the surface in June 1923. The Washington Legislature passed the “Age of Majority” law on Feb. 2, 1923, fixing it at 21 years for women. In Clark County, questions quickly arose about the ability of women between the ages of 18 and 21 to marry or sell property. State legal officials commented on the situation, announcing that an 18-year-old woman could marry “with or without the consent of her parents, just as she could prior to the new state law.” However, if a woman under 21 wanted to sell property, she was still considered a minor and needed to “secure consent of her parents and guardian” before any sale.
75 years ago
Proposed updates to Ridgefield’s zoning ordinance dominated a June 17, 1948, city council meeting. City Attorney Earl Jackson read the nearly 20-page ordinance, which included “three districts, residential, commercial and manufacturing, with almost countless limitations.” After a discussion of the proposed ordinance in which city councilors expressed opinions that it was “too restrictive in its application,” sponsors H.C. Cornell, councilor, and William Hall, Realtor, opted to table to measure.
50 years ago
In late June 1973, a committee convened by Clark County commissioners questioned aspects of Washington’s newly passed involuntary commitment act. The law “greatly expand(ed) the rights of persons facing civil commitment because of mental illness,” with greater emphasis on local treatment and tighter controls on grounds for commitment. Clark County commissioners expressed reticence at “speedy and interim hearings” for individuals and the associated “time and money the law (might) cost communities.” In 1972, Clark and Skamania counties committed 108 people to Western State Hospital for treatment, slightly under half of whom were involuntarily committed.
