The Last Night at the Winston Hotel
A hotel lessee in Satsop was severely burned while attempting to rescue his belongings from a fire that left the town without lodging.
Defying flames in his efforts to save money and furniture in the Winston Hotel at Satsop, Charles Potter, lessee of the place, was badly burned about the head and barely escaped with his life. Even after this experience, Potter attempted to return to the building, bystanders finally restraining him. The building was burned to the ground and by its destruction, Satsop is left without hotel accommodations.
“Even after this experience, Potter attempted to return to the building, bystanders finally restraining him.”
The loss of a town's only hotel was a devastating blow to a small community's infrastructure in 1909. Today, such a loss would be felt as a crisis of housing and tourism, highlighting the fragility of rural hospitality businesses.
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