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
Construction on a new ice cream factory at 20th and Main streets began March 7, 1924. The plant, which represented an investment of $50,000 (about $882,000 today), could churn out “20 tons of ice a day and 3000 gallons of ice cream daily.”
75 years ago
Light aircraft pilot Emmet E. Flier walked away from a plane crash in Camas on March 2, 1949. Flier, “who gets a thrill out of zooming around in the wild blue wonder,” was attempting to land his plane in a field. While coming in for the landing, Flier “noticed that the field was extremely rough” and tried to raise the plane back into the air, but “the left wing struck the branch of a tree nearby and the plane flipped over on its nose.” Remarkably, Flier was unhurt. The plane, however, was badly damaged.
50 years ago
Thieves made off with two tons of bundled newsprint on March 4, 1974. Part of a Fort Vancouver Lions Club volunteer project “to raise money for the club’s continuing sight conservation work,” the paper was stored in a van parked in front of Bill Fulton’s store, Grand Avenue Market. Left open to ensure anyone could donate, “it was no surprise when a youngster entered the store… to tell a clerk,” someone was taking what was inside the van, which amounted to about $50 for the Lion’s charity drive.
