Reprinted with permission of The Chronicle (online edition here)
D.J. Delk, 18, Oakville, a member of the Black Hills Gold 4-H club, rides past the makeshift Oakville State Bank with loot in hand during the Independence Day celebration in Oakville Saturday morning. Kathy Warren and Cindy Gotcher scream for help as the bank tellers.
At right, the Harris family, who first came to Oakville in 1871, added a little pirate flavor to the Independence Day parade in Oakville Saturday morning. Robbery Highlight of Oakville Parade |
Erik Olson, County Government and Environment reporter
July 9 - OAKVILLE - For one day in Oakville, the outlaw triumphed with no lawman in sight.
The east Grays Harbor County town held its annual Independence Day celebration Saturday morning, complete with parade and the traditional staged bank robbery on horseback.
The former Oakville State Bank is the site of the last known horseback robbery of a bank in Washington state history. The bank is now Sterling Savings Bank, but a wooden facade is built to replicate what it used to look like.
No one knows exactly when this famous robbery took place, nor the identity of the masked bandit. The last recorded robbery at the bank occurred in the late 1930s or early '40s, and a shootout between the town handyman (who was later named town marshal for his bravery) and the robbery left a hole in the bank building that's still visible today.
So, as announcer Randy Caverly said, people are left to interpret how they thought the robbery might have taken place.
A group of horse riders from the Appaloosa Club offered the most entertaining version, as judged by the applause of the circle of a few hundred onlookers. After the initial theft, Pat Prankard of Oakville took it upon himself to relieve his fellow robber of the loot, then he vaulted upon his steed, Bear, and raced to safety.
Before the robbery, the parade entertained the hundreds lining both sides of U.S. Highway 12. Along with floats emblazoned with red, white and blue led by grand marshals Avis and Clifton Curfman, some unusual entries drove through the parade.
The Chehalis tribe took the canoe they're planning to float later this month along with other tribes throughout Washington for the Paddle to Lummi. It's the first year the Chehalis tribe is participating in the event, tribal member Gail Big Eagle said.
The Harris family, a longtime institution in Oakville, opted for a pirate theme with an Oakville twist. The Black Acorn, the high school's mascot, was the name of the ship in the parade. Two mermaids, Whittney Harris and Lilly Hoffman, sat atop the mast, tossing candy to the children down below.
Jay Harris said the family first came to Oakville in 1871, and the Independence Day parade has become a tradition for them.
"It's to support the town as much as we can," Harris said.
Erik Olson covers county government and environmental affairs for The Chronicle. He may be reached at 807-8239, or by e-mail at eolson@chronline.com. Check out his "County Chat" blog at www.chronline.com under Newsroom Blogs.
