Good old days 5/12/11

125 years ago - May 14, 1886

Madame Lorow’s troupe of Bohemian glass blowers exhibited in the Opera hall Saturday afternoon and evening. Attendees are of the opinion that the glass blowing operations are carried on at too great a distance from the audience to be very entertaining, the scheme worked by clever fakirs, seeming to be to charge 25 cents to get in and four or eight times as much to get out.

Rumor has it Mr. Schultheis has secured the services of a good cheese maker from Wisconsin and will open a cheese factory at Colton about the middle of the month.

Several dwellings in the north end are being moved, preparatory to the commencement of work on the Farmington branch of the O.R. & N.

Tommy, son of S.S. Benton, is now numbered among our business men, being proprietor of a nobby little cigar stand opened this week in one of the front corners of the Delta Saloon building.

A young man named Foster, whose home is on Alkili Flat, attempted to board a moving train at Marshall on Friday last. He slipped and fell, his left arm going under the wheels and being crushed so badly as to necessitate amputation.

A.E. Buck has been appointed constable of the south Colfax precinct, No. 18, to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Geo. R. Schofer.

100 years ago - May 19, 1911

The interlocking switch in the north end, where the tracks of the O.W.-R. & N. Co. and Inland Empire cross each other, is in working order, it being put to use for the first time Sunday morning of last week. It will be remembered that the interlocking system was put in a year ago, but just before being ready for use it was wrecked by the flood waters.

The case against certain women of Palouse for keeping a house of ill fame was dismissed by Justice Doolittle in Colfax Monday, the costs being taxed to the city of Palouse. Counsel for the women contended the change of venue should have been taken to the nearest justice. Farmington, Garfield, Elberton, Albion and Pullman are justice precincts nearer to Palouse than Colfax.

The cornerstone of the new M.E. church will be put in place next Sunday afternoon at 2:30 o’clock. Dr. E.C. Gibson of Spokane will be here to lay the corner stone.

Prisoners confined in the county jail have been engaged in quarrying rock west of town and putting it through the crusher owned by the county for use on the highways hereabouts.

75 years ago - May 8, 1936

Placed in escrow at the Farmers National Bank Wednesday morning was a deed to the state of Washington for 40 acres of land at the summit of Steptoe Butte and a 60-foot road right-of-way through a quarter section of land. The purchase price of the land set forth in the deed is $500 which will be the principal item in a fund to be raised by a Committee of the Chamber of Commerce, in confidence that the butte will become part of the state park system as a scenic observation point.

Fourteen two-man crews were sent into the fields in various parts of the county this week from the wheat allotment office for the purpose of checking up on winter wheat seedings where farmers may be entitled to a “moral obligation” payment. About 1,500 farmers in the county have made claim for these payments.

The truck driven by Jake Hearth, 43, Endicott, was struck by the Moscow train at the south Main crossing early Saturday morning, as a result of what Hearth claimed was his failure to see the wigwag signal or hear the engine whistle. To onlookers, it appeared Hearth had attempted to beat the train.

Colfax City Council ordered a street light be installed at the intersection of the alley behind the city jail and the stub end of Canyon street. This should cut down on the number of prisoners attempting to evade capture after they escape from the jail.

50 years ago - May 11, 1961

Highway 7-C, the Palouse Empire’s new short route to the Coast, probably won’t be completed from Washtucna to Othello until 1966, but by midsummer of this year motorists will have an oiled road all the way to Seattle.

Mrs. Carrie Milne of Thornton had word from her son, James L Milne, that he was one of the crew of the carrier and recovery ship Lake Champlain on which Allen B. Shepard Jr., the man shot into outer space, was placed after being picked up by helicopter.

Roy Giles, Garfield oil distributor, escaped with a minor laceration on his leg after he drove into the side of a Great Northern freight train about four miles south of Oakesdale at a crossing on an access road to the Hobart Huggins farm. Giles was thrown from the cab and landed between two bulk tanks after his truck struck the locomotive, turned around and was thrown into the ditch.

Three youngsters will be promoted from the eighth grade at Hay school this year, Principal Ray. A. Smith announced today. They are Norman Aune, Monty Carlston and Christi Curtis.

25 years ago - May 8, 1986

State officials threatened to cancel a contract for care of five mental health patients at Palouse Care Center in Colfax if the department of social and health services can not be convinced patients will be more closely supervised. Three patients have disappeared from the facility in less than a year and two died before they could be located.

A third walked away from the center last week and was found alive Friday at the Risbeck elevators.

Three LaCrosse bowling teams were in Spokane Saturday and Sunday to compete in the Washington Women’s Bowling Association tournament.

Rosalia Ministerial Association sponsored the World Day of Prayer May 2 at noon in front of City Hall with around 40 people in attendance. Rev. Norman Thomas of the Assembly of God church brought the message emphasizing the important key parts that God and government play in our lives. Music was by Mrs. Bentien and the Men’s Quartet.

10 years ago - May 10, 2001

A Colfax move to relocate speed zones on the north and south entrances to town bogged down for a second time. The proposal, packaged in separate ordinances for each end of town, failed to get a vote by the council after several residents said they favored moving the 25 mph limits closer to the city.

Application of a coating of preservative was applied to the top of the Codger Pole. The new Colfax ladder truck was used to get to the top of the pole and Chief Jim Krouse, assisted by Capt. Ralph Walter, used a pressure sprayer to apply the preservative.

County residents will get a chance to view the new public works complex at Mockonema during an open house. Equipment is currently being moved from the Morton Street site to the new shop facility.