The Six-Year Journey Home
A deer hound lost for half a decade miraculously swims back to his master at a Kelso shingle mill.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
An incident occurred in Kelso last Saturday illustrating the power of memory in our canine friends. Liman Burdick, who has charge of the Metcalf Shingle Co.’s big boom, once owned a large deer hound he was very fond of. Six years ago, the dog disappeared and no trace could be found. Last Saturday, while working on the boom, Mr. Burdick noticed a dog swimming toward him. When it reached the boom and was pulled aboard, it proved to be his long-lost hound. He has not yet discovered where the dog has been during the six years of his absence. The dog refuses to leave Mr. Burdick again.
“An incident occurred here last Saturday which well illustrates the affection and power of memory possessed by our canine friends.”
Stories of lost pets returning home occupy a permanent, sentimental space in local news, serving as a reminder of the deep, often mysterious bonds between humans and animals. This account from a Kelso shingle boom captures a brief moment of wonder in the industrial life of the early 20th century.
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