It used to be pretty common to see folks with a missing finger. Logging, farming and other types of manual labor were dangerous—especially to digits.
This article appeared August, 1947:
Loses Finger
Lynn Dick, employed with Christensen Motors, lost a finger last week while at work. He jumped down form something he was standing on and held onto something with one hand when he jumped. He wore a ring on the finger and the ring caught somehow and when he jumped all the flesh on the finger was torn off. The finger was amputated and Lynn is back at work—not wearing a ring.
Don Rick remembers the details, “He was working on a car up on the hoist and when he jumped down his wedding ring caught on the framework of the hoist and ripped the finger off. He always kept the ring and it was twisted into an unbelievable shape from the accident.”
For those who want a few more details about what became of Christensen Motors, David Beane explains, “My Dad bought the Dealership in 1959, and changed the name to Mashell Motors in the early 60s. It was just as it is in this picture. By 1965 Dad had built the new dealership at Center and Washington. After that, Christensens revamped the Dealership building, thus expanding their department store.”
Eatonville To Rainier 