Good old days - Sept. 24, 2009

125 years ago, Sept. 26, 1884

At the present time, money is very scarce in the Palouse country, and it is exceedingly difficult for our farmers to scrape three dollars together to pay a year’s subscription to the Gazette.

As there are many hundreds of dollars due us on subscription and as we must have our pay, we will receive wheat in sacks at forty cents per bushel in payment of all subscription accounts.

The Gazette has pursued a liberal credit policy toward its subscribers and never inconvenienced one of them; but matters have come to such a crisis that we must have our pay, and we hope our subscribers will not turn a deaf ear to our appeal for wheat.

When you come to town, throw a few sacks of wheat in your wagon and bring it to the printer.

100 years ago, Sept. 24, 1909

Three troops of cavalry, en route from Walla Walla to Spokane to act as guard of honor on the occasion of President Taft’s visit to that city next Tuesday, arrived in Colfax Wednesday at the noon hour and struck camp for the night on the north end on the old circus grounds. The cavalcade consisted of 150 men, outside of the commissary department. A pack train of mules carried tents and accoutrements.

In the early evening the regiment band played several selections at their place of encampment, which was greatly enjoyed by many citizens who had assembled. The band is a good one, and will be a feature in the parade at Spokane next Tuesday. Had our citizens known the band was to play they would have been out en masse to hear them. Many thought the soldier boys were coming to town to play, but in this they were disappointed.

The appearance of the soldiers in town created much interest.

Ernest Krause, a pioneer resident of Colfax, died on Monday, September 20, following an operation for obstruction of the bowels. The operation was performed on Sunday, September 12, and for several days it was hoped he would recover, but his strength was not sufficient. Mr. Krausse was 63 years of age and had been a citizen of Colfax for 25 years. He is survived by his wife and two daughters, Mrs. Richard Reid and Mrs. R. H. Lacey.

75 years ago, Sept. 28, 1934

Braving inclement weather, 187 youngsters Saturday morning entered their favorite pets in the parade held in connection with the Colfax Round Up. And what a parade it was- dogs, 98 of them ranging from little white wooly fellows to the large distinguished looking collies, cats and kittens, 27 of them, purring their favorite theme song, “I Hope That Dog Doesn’t Spy Me.” Thirteen ponies, proudly carrying their masters.

Then there were rabbits, goats, geese, chipmunks, chickens, banties, lizards, snakes, white rats, turtles, canaries, Guinea hens, pigs, ducks, a badger and a sour fly.

Many interesting characters were also portrayed in the parade. “Old Mother Goose,” “Tarzan,” “The Covered Wagon,” “The Little Pig That Went to Market,” “Puss in Boots,” “Old Dog Tray,” “Mickey Mouse,” and a host of others amused the crowd.

50 years ago, Sept. 24, 1959

Two Riparia boys had a hair-raising experience with a rattlesnake last week, but luckily the snake was the only one that came out the “worse for wear.”

Joe Swanda, 10, and Jerry Harrison, 7, were riding their bicycles along the road at Riparia when Norman Black, 11, yelled “there’s a rattlesnake.” The warning promptly caused the two bike riders to collide.

The Harrison boy fell off his bike and landed with his stomach over the snake, and young Swanda fell with his foot over the rattlesnake’s head.

Finally, the pair escaped from their predicament and the deadly snake, with six rattlers, started crawling away. A railroad section foreman, who had seen the entire affair, killed the snake.

“Naw, we weren’t scared,” was how the boys summed up their experience.

25 years ago, Sept. 27, 1984

Clif Workman will retire as manager of the Rainier Bank in Endicott Friday after serving as the first and only manager of the bank since it was purchased by the National Bank of Commerce in June of 1964. He has put in a total of 43 years in the banking business.

“Would you believe I started on May 1, 1941? It was in the town of Sheridan, Wyo., a town that’s 15 inches under snow today,” Workman said.

That same year he moved to Gillette, Wyo,, where he worked for the Stockman’s Bank. In 1957 he moved to the National Bank of Commerce in Seattle. His last stop before Endicott was a five-year hitch in Ellensberg with the National Bank of Commerce.

“Endicott is the smallest town we’ve ever lived in,” he said.

10 years ago, Sept. 23, 1999

Two moose-car accidents were reported Saturday night in Whitman County. The collisions left one of the animals dead, and one of the motorists injured.

A young bull moose died after it jumped into the path of a 1986 Ford Escort station wagon driven by Joel Greggain, 18, Clarkston. He was driving northbound at about 8:50 p.m. when the moose ran onto the highway about eight miles south of Pullman.

Next time the Washington State Patrol needs a little help nabbing speeders around Colfax, it might consider recruiting some of the students in Scott Raynor’s science class at Colfax High School.

His morning class set up their own speed trap in front of Jennings Elementary Thursday morning, using physics concepts to “catch” speeders heading up the Highway 195 grade outside of town.