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“Historical Museum
holding program Sunday”
from
THE DAILY NEWS
Longview, Washington
March 22, 2007
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September 23, 2006 – Mr. Long Statue Dedicated |

A Long Time Coming |
It was a bright and warm day on
September 23 in Longview, Washington, during the dedication of a statue
to timber baron, Robert A. Long. For 60 years, residents there have
been trying to erect a full size statue of the timber baron, Mr. Long,
but the Depression curtailed the initial effort. But now a bronze
figure of the man rests on a bronze bench, reaching out to accept a
flower from a bronze little girl.
The new statue was dedicated in a
public ceremony on the main street running through the town. Kurt Anagnostou, the mayor pro-tem, presented the key to the city to a
citizen portraying Long, Dr. Travis Cavens. “Mr. Long” congratulated
the artist, Jim Demetro, who has done many other works of sculpture in
the United States and is now creating a piece for a resort in Mexico.

Dr.
Cavens impersonating Mr. Long
at Statue Dedication |
Bill Kasch, the man who had spearheaded the drive to bring the dream of
honoring Long, was also recognized along with John Chilson, a primary
supporter of the project.
Impersonator “Mr. Long” came to the ceremony riding in a 1920’s vintage
Model A Ford. Other Model A’s carried women of the “23 Club.” This is
an organization composed primarily of descendents of the people who
first populated Longview in 1923, at the beginning of Longview and of
the world’s largest lumber mill.
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Long-Bell Saw Mill,
Longview, Washington |
Long Bell Lumber Mills,
Longview, Washington |
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Port, Dock and Long-Bell Mill,
Longview, Washington |
Partial View of Long-Bell Lumber
Plants, Longview, Washington |

Another view of Long Bell Mill,
Longview, Washington |
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Airplane View of Long-Bell Mill,
Longview, Washington |
International Bridge &
Longview Mill,
Longview, Washington |

Timber along the Pacific Highway near Longview, Washington
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Long-Bell Building,
Commerce Avenue,
Longview, Washington |
Hotel Monticello,
Longview, Washington |
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Longview, Washington, ca. 1928.
Looking west on Broadway toward the Hotel Monticello |
Longview, Washington. View from
the roof of the Hotel Monticello, looking east toward the Cowlitz
River and the passenger depot at the foot of Broadway, ca. 1928 |
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Longview, Washington’s Historic
Columbia Theatre

“With the
completion of the Columbia,
Longview will become a ‘great city.’
The Columbia will become an integral part of the city’s growth.”
1925
Cowlitz Historical Quarterly
In the early 1920’s as the world’s
largest lumber mill was being built, R. A. Long and his company
officers took on the simultaneous challenge of creating a completely
preplanned city. They named it Longview, Washington. It had paved
streets, utilities, stores, churches, a school, and a special
attraction – the ornate Columbia Theatre. It was there that the new
citizens of Longview came to be entertained by vaudeville acts,
silent movies, plus celebrities like Clark Gable and Ginger Rogers.

Drs.
Travis & wife Phyllis Cavens (as R. A. Long & wife Ella).
Taken during fund-raising event for
remodeling effort of the Columbia Theatre.
Longview, Washington
Over the ensuing decades the Columbia
Theatre began to fade. In fact, it was scheduled to be torn down in
1980, but was saved, by all things, a volcano. On May 18, 1980
nearby Mount St. Helens exploded, killing 57 people and creating a
devastated landscape for miles. The contractor who was hired to
demolish the theatre was called away to help with clearing the
volcano’s destruction, giving time for concerned citizens to save
the theatre.

Original
theatre, April 4, 1925, seated 1,000.
New city population was approximately 4,000.
Today an $11.3 million dollar
restoration and expansion is in progress that will make an 800 seat,
state of the art performance hall, keeping alive this historic
building that is part of the legacy of Mr. Long.
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