Looking Back: City’s first mayor calls town council meeting

Published 5:00 am Wednesday, May 13, 2015

100 years ago

The first mayor of Oak Harbor, Jerome Ely, called a meeting of the newly elected town council for Saturday evening, May 15, in the office of J.T. Rogers, and for the purpose of organization and the appointment by the mayor of the various officers provided for by the state law. The meetings of a town council were always public and it was encouraging to see citizens generally take enough interest in municipal affairs to be in attendance.

Mr. Forbes, who concluded to put in a regular ferry boat of 80 horsepower in capacity at Stewart’s Landing, arrived Tuesday and was engaged in securing the necessary material to commence immediate construction of the slips on both sides.

Twelve hundred persons lost their lives, the British admiralty estimated, when the Cunard line steamship Lusitania was torpedoed off Old Head, Kinsdale, on the Irish coast. The ship was sunk without warning by a German submarine.

75 years ago

The Whidby Dairy Products Company announced it would hold its formal opening and open house celebration. Farmers particularly were invited. The plant had been in operation for months, but directors wished to wait until all equipment was installed and everything in readiness before making their invitation to the public.

“Wanted, horses!” was the cry of the committee in charge of that branch of the Holland Days Festivities to be held June 14-15. The committee lined up a program of horsey events for the two days and had a nice allotment of $80 for prize money. As a consequence, they wanted horses, and lots of them, to be entered by their owners in the various competitive classes.

The May 23 edition of the Farm Bureau News was the Whidby Dairy Edition.

50 years ago

Oak Harbor High School’s students came up with a corny way of celebrating the town’s golden anniversary. They planned to walk a mile for each year of incorporation.

A special ceremony to honor city employees was held on Oak Harbor’s golden anniversary May 15. Pins for 10, 15 and 20 years of service were given in a small ceremony. The city council also held an open house for the public.

25 years ago

For the second time that year, voters rejected the Oak Harbor School District’s proposed two-year $4 million school levy.

In a blow to the Coupeville Planning Commission, the town council rejected a sweeping moratorium on building permits. But Mayor Bette Coyne said she may have a compromise. Coyne said she could not accept a moratorium on all building permits but was willing to support one on new subdivisions and short plats until it was determined the town had an adequate water supply.

Looking Back is compiled from the Whidbey News-Times’ archives as the newspaper celebrates 125 years in business and the City of Oak Harbor its 100th anniversary of incorporation.