Good old days - March 18, 2010

125 years ago

March 20, 1885

Tuesday was St. Patrick’s day, and all the Colfax dudes came out with green ribbons in their button holes.

It is estimated that from five thousand and ten thousand dollars per week will be brought to Palouse City as soon as mining at Hoodoo opens up in full blast.

Oranges only fifty cents a dozen in Colfax. They are cheap enough to eat at that figure.

L.B. Harris has an incubator at work on his farm just north of town. He expects to raise three thousand chickens this summer.

Eclipse Monday. Everybody and their smoked glasses were out to see it.

The old boys, such as Doc. Miller, Livingstone and Dr. Smith, have been putting in considerable time this week in playing marbles. The would play leap frog, but Doc. Miller can’t jump.

100 years ago

March 18, 1910

City council Monday evening decided to allow the saloons to keep open from 6 a.m. to 11 p.m. during the next 30 days.

The police department as instructed to notify all owners of basements to clean out the same without further delay.

A special permit was issued J.R. Good & Co. to erect a two-story corrugated iron building, 82 1/2 feet wide and 100 feet deep, on the site of their factory which was wrecked by the flood.

The temporary wagon bridge across Cooper lake was completed Tuesday evening. It is a strong structure, built on piles, and will meet all temporary requirements.

Alfred Coolidge was down from Spokane this week on business. He says that all kinds of exaggerated reports regarding the destruction by the flood in Colfax were current in Spokane.

75 years ago

March 22, 1935

The fire truck, untouched by (paint) brush since it was purchased in 1921, is to receive a new coat of paint and the firemen’s headquarters is to be cleaned up in anticipation of a stop here by members on their way to the state firemen’s convention in Spokane.

Pearl (Pat) Staffason, beautician, will give demonstrations in genuine steam waving, the final word in permanents, at the A.G. Greer home for one week. This work, which took international grand prizes at New York style shows the past several years, is offered at an exceptional low price.

Moving pictures of the Grand Coulee dam site will be shown at the North & South Palouse Grange hall Friday evening.

50 years ago

March 17, 1960

Construction of the new rural library building in Colfax has been postponed by the library board pending a decision on whether to include a basement in the $82,000 structure.

Three young men, escapees from a forest camp south of Olympia, were apprehended by the state patrol after stealing the 1957 sedan owned by LeRoy Rehman of LaCrosse.

Bishop Bernard Topel of Spokane and other Catholic church dignitaries will take part in the official cornerstone-laying ceremony at the new St. Patrick’s church in Colfax this afternoon.

10 years ago

March 16, 2000

Motorists are seeing fuel prices going up, paying 10 to 14 cents per gallon more at the pump. At most service stations in the area, fuel prices have topped $1.50 per gallon for unleaded gasoline, and the premium grades are $1.70 and higher.

A large painting of the Steptoe school and grounds along with a bus has been featured recently at the Spokane Regional Business Center. The painting was done by former students of Margaret Kernkamp. Now 10th graders, the students painted the 3 x 7 mural when they were in sixth grade at Stepote.