Old Time Notes from The Beacon

130 Years Ago Sept. 20, 1890

• On last Saturday night the home of J. J. Ward, of Westport, was discovered in flames and before the fire could be got under control the building was burned to the ground with most of the contents. Mr. Ward left Saturday afternoon for Mendocino, where he was to meet his wife, who had been sojourning for some time at Orr’s Hot Springs for her health, and on Monday he learned the sad news of the destruction of his property.

• The herring being caught in our bay is an excellent bait for bear, as was proved Thursday by C. H. Joy, who succeeded in trapping a black one on Wm. Heeser’s orchard, that was induced to get his foot in an unsafe place for a few mouthfuls of the delicious fish.

• T. H. Cramer has purchased the barber shop in Main street. This last purchase gives him a monopoly of the barber business in Mendocino.

• Owing to the absence of wind, water in many of the tanks in town is getting low.

• Mr. Hoak, of Comptche, has put on the road a new peddling wagon. It was built by Jacob Stauer and is just the thing for the business.

105 Years Ago Sept. 18, 1915

• George Boyd departed Tuesday for San Francisco, where he will pay a visit to the Fair, after which he will depart for his old home in Canada, where he goes to visit his mother, who is well advanced in years, and other relatives. Mr. Boyd has not been home for 25 years. He expects to be absent from Mendocino for some time.

• Justin Packard and family arrived from their home in Maine this week for a visit with Mr. Packard’s brother, C. O. Packard, and family. They came the entire way by auto and had a very pleasant trip.

• A party of young people composed of the Misses Eunice Daniels, Bertha Seaman, Hildur Tannlund, Kathryn and Bud Boyle departed on the Sea Foam Saturday for San Jose, where they go to take up their studies at the Normal School.

• The wheel on the Presbyterian church bell is broken and the bell cannot be rung as usual tomorrow. The regular services will be held tomorrow, however.

80 Years Ago Sept. 14, 1940

• Practically a complete business block of Fort Bragg business section has been wiped out by fire. With the exception of the C. Louis Wood service station and the Penitenti service station, the west side of Main Street between Redwood Avenue and Alder Street is in either ruins or ashes. The post office building is completely gutted, and post office facilities have been temporarily set up in the old Sport Shop building on Main Street.

• Miss Augusta Bedell has returned to San Jose to resume her studies at San Jose State Teachers College. Mr. and Mrs. Walter Reid and son have returned to their home in New York after spending several months visiting Mrs. Reid’s mother, Mrs. Harold Bedell, Sr. and other members of the family.

• Merrill Cameron, son of Mrs. Robert Stayton of Mendocino, was injured Monday while working as a chokerman in Ten Mile Woods, the choker catching and badly bruising his ankle.

• Joe Silvia and sister, Miss Annie Silvia, returned to Mendocino Thursday after spending several weeks visiting relatives and friends in San Francisco and other points in the bay section.

55 Years Ago Sept. 17, 1965

• Deer hunters discovered the scattered wreckage of a Comanche 250 single-engine aircraft last weekend in the rugged country of Douglas County, Oregon. The plane proved to be the one owned and piloted by James B. Rogers, 44, late president of Aborigine Lumber Co., missing since he left Fort Bragg on May 12, 1962, on a flight to his home in Longview, Washington. Officials said the plane had topped three or four trees before slamming into a big tree at the base. Also found were Rogers’ wallet, brief case and other personal belongings.

• The date of the Littleriver Post Office Centennial is set for November 20th. First postmaster was Isaiah Stevens, who was appointed on November 20, 1865.

• At Littleriver airport 42 arrivals and departures were logged for the week. Recently, movie company planes have been operating every day in and out at the airport. On Monday morning, Mrs. Norman Jewison and party took off in a Twin Beach from Empire Airways. Mr. Jewison is director of the picture, according to word received.

• Mendocino Study Club meeting on Sept. 10, was well attended and reports of committee chairman showed that although meetings were discontinued for the summer, club work was carried on as usual. Mrs. Oliver Granville and Mrs. Geo. Miles poured.

30 Years Ago Sept. 20, 1990

• Rachel Binah returned last Sunday from Washington, D.C., after a week of lobbying congressional leadership, regarding the need to phase out oil and move to develop alternative sources of energy. She also joined members of the National Outer Continental Shelf (OCS) Coalition who had gathered for a meeting in Washington, D.C. Binah is the chair of the Environmental Caucus of the California Democratic Party and a member of the Ocean Sanctuary Coordinating Committee.

• Reno H. Bartolomie died at the Ukiah Valley Medical Center on Sept. 10, 1990, at age 74 of natural causes. Bartolomie was born in Fort Bragg. He was a sheriff for 38 years, and served as Sheriff of Mendocino County for 20 years from 1955 to 1975.