Good old days - March 31, 2011

125 years ago, April 2, 1886

A discussion about changing the name of Washington Territory, in case of its admission to statehood, has brought up the almost forgotten fact that the name “Washington” belongs only to the post-office of the capital, the city not being chartered with the appellation.

The second monthly sale of livestock under the auspices of the Whitman County Stock Sale Association occurs tomorrow.

The offerings on this occasion will not be as large as at the first meeting, from which the casual observer might infer that interest in the scheme is on the wane. But this state of affairs is doubtless due to the fact that farmers are busily engaged in putting in their crops and cannot spare the time to attend the sale. It is manifestly to the interest of every citizen of the county to keep the wheels of this association in motion until such time as it will demonstrate itself to be a “long felt want.”

100 years ago, March 31, 1911

The horse show announced to take place on Saturday, April 8, will be the magnet to draw a large number of people to Colfax at that time. This is the fifth annual event. In honor of the man who first suggested that we have a horse show each year and who was the controlling spirit of the first three events- the late I. B. Harris- the affair has become known as the I. B., Horse show.

A. J. Davis addressed the council in behalf of certain ladies in regard to ground for a park to be purchased by them and given to the city, provided the city improve and care for the same in the future. The ladies referred to above proposal to buy the Congregational church property, consisting of two lots, 100 by 170 feet, bounded on the north by North street, on the east by Railroad avenue and on the west by West street.

75 years ago, March 27, 1936

Tons of brick and mortar from the second story rear wall of Smith’s bakery building fell with a terrific crash late Monday afternoon when two 1,100 pound iron girders, lacking sufficient support, gave way.

Several workmen, engaged in remodeling the rear room for the installation of new equipment, and a few onlookers, narrowly escaped injury or death as the avalanche of debris descended. John Schroeder missed death by inches and seconds as he had just stepped away from his work of plastering above the girders when the crash came.

Fenders and running boards were damaged Wednesday afternoon when a truck, driven by Henry Marti and a sedan, with Oscar Gustaffson, Kendrick, at the wheel, were in a collision in the intersection of Main and Wall Streets. As Marti came out of Wall, Gustaffson, 20 feet distant, was unable to stop, although he produced a garage receipt showing that his brakes had been adjusted that day.

50 years ago, March 30, 1961

Twenty-two Pathfinder club boys and girls with their officers hiked 10 miles Sunday. They are earning their MV honor badge. Another hike is scheduled within a month to complete their project.

Ladies club met Thursday afternoon with 20 answering roll call. Plans were made and committees appointed for the tea and book review Thursday afternoon April 13 in the Grange Hall. Mrs. Davenport will review the book “The Apple Sauce Needs Sugar.” The Red Cross collectors were also named.

Randall Felton was hit in the forehead with a baseball bat Tuesday and it took five stitches to close the wound.

Harold Stueckle, Clear Creek farmer and vice president of the newly-organized Washington Association of Dry Pea and Lentil Producers, will leave in mid-April on a four-week trip to Europe aimed at increasing American exports of dry peas and lentils.

He will be one of a party of five or six representatives of producers and processors who will make the trip under direction of the foreign agricultural service of the Department of Agriculture. They will meet with importers in leading European countries and also with government officials.

25 years ago, March 27, 1986

Brown and Holter Chevrolet, last of the Colfax auto agencies, will close its doors Friday after 47 years in business. The company will close approximately a week before Chipman and Brown Chevrolet and Oldsmobile, opens its new agency in Pullman.

A $400,000 special levy proposal to finance construction of a new fair grandstand will go on the Sept. 16 primary election ballot. The plan was designed to replace the present wooden grandstand which was condemned last year.

Unless the number of exhibitors was up significantly, agricultural fairs, such as Palouse Empire fair, can expect smaller allocations from pari-mutuel betting funds than in past years. That was the situation in state funding of agricultural fairs as discussed by members of the state fair commission last week in Yakima. Participating in the state commission deliberations was Whitman County Agent Clint Luce, who is serving the first year of his second three-year term on the state fair commission.

Amount of money to be divided among the fairs is down because the proceeds from betting at pari-mutuel horse racing tracks was off by about 10 percent last year. By state law, one and half percent of the money that is bet in pari-mutuel racing goes into a fund that is divided among 82 fairs. This includes county and community fairs, youth shows, FFA and 4H state shows.

10 years ago, March 29, 2001

The verbal boxing match between Whitman County Commissioners and Auditor Dave Repp over control of departmental budget and staff legal and financial repercussions concerning the auditor’s choice not to comply with the board’s authority, has come to a legal battle. As of Monday, the county will be represented by Chief Deputy Prosecutor Ron Shirley and Repp will be represented, at taxpayer’s expense, by an attorney of his choosing.

The circuitous road to the latest impasse came after Repp approached Shirley last week requesting appointment of an attorney to aid him in the dispute. Shirley noted it would be a conflict of interest for any prosecutor from the county to represent Repp because of their obligation to the commissioners but acknowledged the auditor was entitled to legal representation as an elected official.

“I think the issue is going to come to a head very soon,” said Shirley.

Plans for a new roof and a coat of paint are in the works for the historic Perkins House in Colfax. Replacing the roof was given a top priority after an inspection earlier in the year, according to Kathy Meyer, president of the Whitman County Historical Society.

Meyer said water was found on the floor of the upstairs nursery room and that led to an inspection of the roof and a decision to replace it. A cedar shake roof was applied to the house during its restoration and is now approaching 30 years of age.

In addition to its antique furnishings and fixtures, the rooms in the Perkins House also feature custom wall papers which were ordered as part of the restoration. These features make it imperative that the roof on the house be kept free of leaks, Meyer said.