Good old days

125 years ago, November 20, 1885

The case of Territory v. John Sutton, charged with setting fire to Sweeney & Montgomery’s sheep camp below Endicott, is being heard this week before Justice Shaw. Testimony of nine or ten witnesses is being reduced to writing.

John Petty of Guy received this week from the U.S. fish car, now at Portland, a couple of dozen young carp, with which he proposes to stock a pond. The scarcity of food fish in this region can only be overcome by the culture of carp, to which more attention should be paid.

Mr. Poe of Palouse City had his hen coop robbed of seventy of his chickens one night last week.

Messrs. Straton, Truax, and Kennedy, who went to Portland last week to confer with Manager Prescott of the O.R. & N. regarding the Farmington branch, returned Friday with positive assurance that the road will go direct to Farmington, no matter where the junction is made. From this, it would appear the point of junction is not definitely located, and it behooves Colfax to be up and doing.

Citizens of Pullman will engage in horse racing, wrestling and turkey shooting today and tomorrow.

100 years ago, November 18, 1910

The Knights of Pythias have decided to build a home of their own and in the spring will erect a large two-story building on the corner of Main and Rock, opposite the Ridgeway theatre.

Judge Pickrell has rendered a decision allowing the state a penalty of $1,000 to be paid by the O.R. & N. Co. for failing to erect a station in Hay within the time specified in an order served upon the company by the state railroad commission.

Almost daily there are families arriving in Tekoa from various parts of the United States to settle upon their homesteads on the Coeur d’Alene reservation. One school house and several dwellings have been built during the last four weeks.

A party of officials of the Northern Pacific and the Spokane & Inland Empire lines visited Colfax Tuesday, coming in a special train over the electric line.

75 years ago, November 22, 1935

With dirt and gravel taken from the river channels in flood control work here the park board is leveling and extending the Schmuck park athletic field northward a distance that will average about 100 feet.

Fines of $20 and costs were imposed upon S.L. Huffman, Clarkston, and J. Smith by Justice McCroskey Saturday morning, following their Friday evening arrests as they sat intoxicated in their automobile, which had gone into the ditch on the Pullman highway about seven miles south of here.

Alleged to have stolen once-used wheat sacks from the Garfield Farmers Union Warehouse company at Grinnell siding on the Great Northern between Garfield and Palouse, three young Spokane men are now in the county jail facing charges of second degree burglary.

Colfax branch of the Red Cross announced two first aid stations will be established on state highways at Steptoe and Dusty.

50 years ago, November 17, 1960

Two Army engineers and a pilot were killed Monday when their helicopter crashed into a 13,000 volt power on the Snake River at the mouth of Steptoe canyon. The Bell G-2 helicopter came down on the Whitman County side of the river near the railroad, hitting an area heavy with lava rock formations. The men, pilot Gary Garrett, 27, Sunnyside, and surveyors Cecil Dillard, 21, Bremerton, and Reynold Kennington, 26, Pasco, were surveying the river in connection with the proposed Lower Granite and Little Goose dams.

Dick’s Drug and the Oakesdale Grange were burglarized early Tuesday morning, but the thief, who entered from through the back doors by forcing them with a pinch bar, walked away with less than minimum wage. A total of thirty cents was missing, as the drug store register was empty and only change was left in the grange register.

George Ruston of Thornton lost a tilt with a 1,700-pound hereford bull that was standing too near the road Sunday. Ruston could not avoid the bull, which was standing near the right shoulder of the road, and the two collided. Damage to the Ruston car was $250. The bull suffered a bruised left shoulder.

25 years ago, November 21, 1985

Facing operating losses over several years, directors of Whitman Community Hospital voted last Wednesday to seek voter approval for a public hospital district. The district would levy tax income to cover the deficit now being sustained by the hospital.

Five inches of snow were recorded on the ground in Colfax Wednesday morning, the earliest heavy snow in seven years, according to volunteer weatherman Lem Long.

Palouse city council has sent a letter to residents and called a special town meeting to decide what to do about the West Main street levy that failed to get approval on the Nov. 6 vote.

Oakesdale stage band has been accepted to perform at Expo ‘86 in Vancouver, B.C., on the large European bandstand.

10 years ago, November 16, 2000

Whitman County has been receiving criticism for the negative tone in its brochure called “Pondering the Palouse,” with area realtors saying it focuses too much on the difficulties of living in the county.

Port of Whitman County Commissioner Dan Boone has been appointed a member of a group that will focus on finding ways to ease the burden on farmers facing field burning restrictions by finding new uses for straw and other agricultural residue. Such materials would be used to manufacture fiber products like strawboard.

Colfax fire and ambulance crews responded to Jennings Elementary about 8:45 a.m. Wednesday after smoke was reported in the hallway of the grade school. Students were evacuated to the high school gymnasium. Cause was determined to be a “malfunctioning” ventilation fan in a hallway.