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Monument honoring The Girls dedicated in Chehalis

UPDATE: Here are some photos from the Nov. 1 dedication ceremony:


CHEHALIS — The Stand recently shared the story of The Girls, eight young women killed in the 1911 Imperial Powder Company explosion just outside of Chehalis, which included a call for contributions to build a monument at the unmarked grave of the victims of this horrific workplace tragedy.

Thanks in part to your generous contributions, that memorial monument is now complete and will be formally unveiled and dedicated at a special ceremony at 2000 S. Market Blvd. at 4 p.m. on Tuesday, Nov. 1, the 100-year anniversary of the Imperial Powder Co. tragedy. It is about 100 yards up the hill to the gravesite and attendees will be asked to walk the distance to duplicate the original funeral service 100 years ago.

The 30-minute ceremony will include a history of The Girls by Terry Walker and comments about the tragedy’s impact on Washington’s work safety laws by Judy Schurke, Director of the state Department of Labor and Industries.

Free parking is available at the Eagles Club parking lot across the street from the cemetery. The attendees are invited to the Eagles meeting room after the event for coffee and cookies supplied by the Thurston-Lewis-Mason Central Labor Council. For more information, contact TLMCLC President Bob Guenther at 360-520-9575.

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