Tragedy on the Chehalis River
A severe storm claims the life of a pioneer resident.
Michael McClosky, who lived on the Chehalis river above Montesano, was killed during the late storm by a tree crashing through the roof of his house, a limb of which struck him on the head, fracturing his skull. The deceased was 65 years of age, a native of Ohio, and was well known and highly esteemed in this section. He leaves a wife and six children.
“The deceased was 65 years of age, a native of Ohio, and was well known and highly esteemed in this section.”
Then · 1892134 years apartNow · 2026
Storms and falling timber remain a perennial danger in Grays Harbor County. McClosky’s death captures the precarious nature of life for homesteaders along the river in the 1890s.
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