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The Goldendale Sentinel, Goldendale, WA., March 24, 1960, section 2, page 1
Includes photographs

BLOCKHOUSE STORE TELLS HISTORICAL TALE; INDIAN BEADS TO HIGH COLLARS TO PHONES

Stock dating back 40 years had been gathering dust on the shelves of the old Blockhouse General Store when Mr. and Mrs. Archie Kendall bought the store in February.
Rummaging through the musty shelves and papers, the Kendalls kept uncovering little bits of county history.
When the store was started back about 1880 by "Grandma" and "Grandpa" Kayser they did a thriving business with the Yakima and Klickitat Indians who used to hold pow-wows just across the creek. Sometimes there would be over 300 Indians gathered in the clearing.
The Kendalls found hidden in a back corner, cards with scores of beads that "Grandma" used as samples to order for her Indian clientele. There also was an aged Indian beaded hat band.

BUSINESS WITH TRAVELERS

The Blockhouse did a good business with travelers in the county because it was on the old military road from the fort at The Dalles to Fort Simcoe. The store got its name from the old blockhouse that was built to protect travelers on the road from Indian attack.
When Benjamin Temple (Slim) Bowen and his wife took over the business about 1917, he replaced a lot of Grandma's old stock because it just wasn't suitable for his more modern customers. Left over from Slim's old stock are some stiff linen collars, ladies' mitts with the fingers out to make it easier to drive a team, some lengths of yellow lace' for high collars, a tortoise-shell comb and some high-fashion hat pins.

CIGAR CUTTER FOUND

Hidden in the dark recesses were some lovely fringed and beaded neckpiece. And Slim never got a customer for his new-fangled cigar cutter.
Slim didn't believe in cleaning the store too often because every spring the wind just covered everything with dust. So the cases of knitting needles, thread and sewing supplies are still lined with newspapers dated 1917. He also never threw away any of the papers that came to the old post office in the corner, and the cubby-holes were crammed with papers dating back to the time he bought the store.
The story is told that once when Slim was away for a week, Mrs. Bowen had the whole store painted with nice bright aluminum paint. When Slim got back he declared that he couldn't sleep because of the glare and promptly started a big fire with plenty of pitch in it to try to dim the glare a little.

CUSTOMERS A BOTHER

After Mrs. Bowen died, he just lost interest in the business. Every afternoon he used to take a short nap on a couch in the store. If a customer wanted something and it was on a top shelf, sometimes Slim wouldn't bother to get it down.
The new style phones came to town, but Slim was attached to the old one, and it's still there. The old rusty stove looks as if it had been there since he bought the store.
Slim died last December, and the Kendalls bought the historic store. They have gotten a permit to remodel and plan to install fluorescent lights and new linoleum, along with a completely modern stock of goods.
Slim and Grandma's old stock will sit in honored display in a glass case near the door.