Cathlamet Centennial - August 22-25 1846-1946 The Eagle 1846-1946 Special Centennial Edition Cathlamet, Wash., August 22, 1946 14 Pages Page 8 Charles Warrens Have Lived Here for Past 45 years A girl from a family that came to this Columbia river country to log big timber with oxen and teams, and a boy whose relatives had built and operated one of the early salmon canneries on the Columbia river-these are Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Warren, who have lived in Cathlamet since 892 when they came to build a new home on top of the hill east of town when theirs was virtually the only residence there. Mr. Warren is 88 years of age, his wife 81. Charles Warren came to Cathlamet in 1884 to work as fireman in the Warren Packing Company which his uncle Frank W. Warren had established in Cathlamet in 1869, a cannery that often packed 100 cases a day during the big salmon runs. Charles Warren went through all phases of the cannery business and finally became superintendent of the local cannery. His name is still mentioned up-and-down-river as running one of the cleanest and most efficient canneries on the Columbia-and there were many canneries then. Mr. Warren, born in Chelsea, Massachusetts, was a direct descendant of General Warren, of Revolutionary war times. Mrs. Warren was Lettie Smith, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank Smith of Ellsworth, Maine. The Smiths moved to the Columbia river country in 1876, where Mr. Smith was a pioneer logger on both sides of the river, at Knappa and Bugby's in Oregon, and Deep River and Stocks Point, Washington, logging with both bull teams and horses. She was living on the Oregon side of the river and came by boat to Cathlamet to visit a friend. Here she met Mr. Warren on the cannery dock, and in June 1892, they were married in Portland, moving directly to Cathlamet. Mr. Warren was mayor of Cathlamet for one term and served as treasurer for eight years after the town was incorporated. He has been serving as treasurer for the past six years. Mr. and Mrs. Warren are the surviving members of an original five who organized the Congregational church here. Besides them, there were her mother, Mrs. Frank Smith, Mrs. Margaret McMath and Mrs. A.S. Douglas. Prior to that Sunday school services had been held and services infrequently with a minister from Portland. Dr. Green also came down monthly from as far away as Seattle to conduct services. Mr. Warren is a long-time member of the Masonic lodge, was secretary of the local lodge for fourteen years and served a year as Master of the Lodge. (As transcribed by the Wahkiakum County Historical Society 2006 from original newspaper collection.)