This Week in Clark County History for June 20, 2026

This week in Clark County history opens with a 1926 municipal move: Yacolt residents approved the town’s purchase of the Northern Clark County Light & Power Company on May 26, 1926, with $4,000 drawn from profits from the water system. Treasurer O.H. Hanson documented the transaction, marking a milestone in local utilities management and illustrating early efforts to consolidate essential services under town governance. The acquisition reflected a broader pattern of municipal action to control critical infrastructure, a theme that echoes in county records for decades. Fifty years ago Vancouver officials announced the Great Cruising Crackdown on June 16, 1976, installing signage on Main Street south of the Dairy Queen—no parking, no left turn, and no right turn—as patrols increased. Seventy-five years ago, the sheriff’s office reported several weekend thefts, including logging equipment, gasoline, and a swimmer’s wallet with $2.50 and a fishing license. Twenty-five years ago, in June 2001, the federal Fire Wise program allocated $75 million to help fireproof homes in rural Southwest Washington, as local officials prepared for wildfire risk amid drought. Katie Bush, public historian at the Clark County Historical Museum, provides context.