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Dave Jamesand t
n the summer of
11935, 25-year—old
Dave James came
to Shelton to edit the
Shelton Independent,
the “only Democratic
newspaper on the West
Coast — or maybe in
the world.” This story
is adapted from a sto-
ry James wrote for a
1985 Shelton centen—
nial supplement to the
Shelton—Mason County
Journal.
A. J. Chitty had started the
weekly Shelton. Independent in 1927,
much to the annoyance of Grant
Angle, who had been publishing the
Shelton-Mason County Journal since
1886. According to James, “Chitty
was a deeply—saturated Democrat
and Angle stood slightly to the right
of Herbert Hoover. Their editorial
friction kept the home fires burning.”
When President Franklin Roo-
sevelt appointed Chitty as US.
marshal in Tacoma, Grant Angle
and his son, Eber, bought the strug-
gling Independent. They reasoned
that keeping the Independent alive
would discourage stronger competi‘
tion from entering Shelton. When
the Angles hired Dave James to be
editor, “Eber told me I was to run
the paper as profitably as possible,
and keep it Democratic. The Angles
let it be known that they owned both
weeklies, but the Independent would
hoe its own row and admire the New
Deal.”
In 1935, Shelton was an isolated
community ofless than 3,000 resi-
dents. James soon learned that many
outsiders thought of it as Little Chi—
cago. “Hal Lyman, state editor of the
Tacoma News Tribune, wanted me
to be his Shelton correspondent, be-
cause he believed that Shelton was
a pretty good town for strange mur—
ders and maybe I could dig one up
shortly.”
A subscription to the paper cost $1
per year; single copies could be had
for 5 cents. “People had little money
and many a subscription was granted
to farmers who came in with eggs or
canned fruit.”
Shelton had its share of interest-
ing characters in 1935. Before nam—
ing them, however, James cautioned
that “newcomers to Shelton quickly
learned to guard their tongues when
talking about people. Blood relation-
ships among Shelton’s older families
covered the town like a spider web.
Any indiscreet remark, no matter
how innocently expressed, might rub
raw as an unintended slur against a
relative.”
Walter Elliot, head of the
We deliver
“hast
i
Earring a121, fir-i;in Hatter,
951 W. KAMILGHE [ME IN SHELTIIN
“37,
HISTORY
AT A GLANCE
Lu mbermen’s Mer-
cantile store, “ran the
L-M like an overlord.
The store’s slogan
was ‘Everything from
a Needle to a Loco—
motive.’ Walt was a
big man who knew
the value of personal
service. He taught
his clerks to greet
customers as if they
were long-lost cous-
ins. Lumbermen’s
t full-page ads kept the
Independent solvent, and whenever I
wanted news about who had come to
town, I went to see Walt Elliot.”
Among James’ favorites were four
women who had found their way into
what was still very much a man’s
world. “Postmistress Jessie Knight
was a daughter of Mary M. Knight,
an early superintendent ofMason
County Schools. Susie Pauley as-
sisted County Auditor Harry Deyette
and knew everybody in the county.
County Clerk Clair Engelsen was so
pretty that admiring reporters would
often return to her office four times a
day under the pretense of forgetting
things. Dora Fredson, of the pioneer
Fredson family, was responsible for
helping Shelton School Superinten—
dent Enzo Loop fill the skulls of Shel-
ton’s pupils with worldly knowledge.”
Tony Fonzo’s tavern, Merv Getty’s
cigar store, Mac’s Corner tavern,
and Smith’s Cigar Store were favor-
ite haunts of the loggers who “came
to town sober on Saturdays and re-
turned to camp Sunday night singing
of home and mother.”
Service club meetings were held in
the Shelton Hotel, with Ed Faubert
in command. Faubert’s father had
thrown the front door key away when
he opened the hotel for business 40
years earlier. Kiwanians sang their
hearts out to the piano-pounding of
Realtor Neil Zintheo. Visitors who
wanted to see something big in Shel—
ton were shown the enormous bath—
tub that had been built especially for
Alfred H. Anderson in an upper floor
room of the hotel. Anderson, once
a partner in the Simpson Logging
Company, had stood 6 feet 8 inches
tall and weighed nearly 300 pounds. _
The Shelton that James came to
know in 1935 “revolved around Rail-
road Avenue. The Peninsular Rail—
way, later known as the Simpson
Line, was the lifeline between town
and the camps. As their lokies pulled
logs through town to the bay, engi-
neers such as Frank Wandell, War-
ren Earl, Frank Brown, and others
would wave at friends the length of
the avenue. When logging returned
each spring after winter shutdowns,
’ziciiic, iiwwisn and We Counties
uwnncmum
he Shelton!
Thursday, Sept. 14, 2023 — Shelton—Mason County Journal Page 7
"dependent
Dave James, date unknown. Photo courtesy of Mason County Historical Museum
the town barbers, Realtors, grocers,
and insurance agents would line the
sidewalks to greet the trains and
thank their Maker for the return of
prosperity.” Since both local papers
were published only on Thursday,
undertaker Bill Witsiers made use of
shop windows on Railroad Avenue to
post funeral announcements.
In June, 1936, Dave James left
Shelton to work for the Tacoma
News Tribune. In 1947, he returned
to Shelton to handle media relations
for the Simpson Logging Company.
In 1960, the company transferred
him to Seattle to serve as public re-
lations director. He wrote two books
for the Mason County Historical So—
ciety: “Grisdale, Last oft/2e Logging
Camps” and “Big Trees and Steam
Lokies.” When he died in 1995, Jour—
nal editor Charles Gay wrote a two—
column obituary, which included the
comment that "His wit, attention to
detail and ability to turn a phrase
were legend, and he loved to write
about characters he had known.” The
Mason County Historical Museum
is fortunate to haVe several boxes of
Dave James’ letters, research, per-
sonal and professional correspon-
dence, and photographs.
(When Grant Angle retired and
sold his newspapers in 1937', the
Shelton Independent was consolidat-
ed with the Journal.)
I Jan Parker is a researcher for
the Mason County Historical Mu-
seum. She can be reached at parkerjfif
hctc.com. Membership in the Mason
County Historical Society is $25 per
year. For a limited time, new mem-
bers will receive a free copy of the
book “Shelton, the F irst Century Plus
Ten.” ‘
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