Good old days 7/7/11

125 years ago

July 2, 1886

A wandering hand organ grinder is the newest thing on the streets of Colfax. We believe he is the first to visit this town.

Some citizens of Colfax want, and have proposed making an effort to secure, the location of the new territorial insane asylum at or near this place.

As we went to press last evening, a young man named Reynolds was undergoing examination before Justice Shaw on a charge of furnishing liquor to an Indian. He was found in a thicket near I.B. Doolittle’s residence in the south end, seated beside a siwash and a half-empty bottle of whiskey.

Additional caps and belts have been ordered for the fire company, upon receipt of which will allow the boys to turn out uniformed some 40 strong.

The most amusing thing on the 4th was a fat man’s race at Almota, participated in by Marr. Johnson, Capt. Hungate and Alex. Hickman, all noted heavy weights. The prize was carried off by Hickman.

July 7, 1911

From one end to the other the city of Colfax is agog over the next move in the matter of paving. A remonstrance to the action of the council is being circulated. An anonymyous letter attacking the position of the council has been mailed to many taxpayers and part of the council. Representatives of different companies have been in town the past week. Bitulithic, Hassan and concrete are on the tongues of everyone on the street. Next Monday night is the time set by the council for hearing protest on the declaration of intention to improve Main, Mill and the cross streets in the business section with bitulithic paving.

So much controversy has arisen that the Gazette has deemed it timely to publish a statement from the mayor and members of the council setting forth their personal views concerning the paving question.

While coming in from his farm Thursday morning driving a four horse team James Strevy met an automobile just as he started down the grade into town. The horses became frightened and started to run. At the Livingston spring house they turned up over the bank and Strevy was thrown out and received a bad bruise on his left leg near the knee and a slight bruise on the face.

Everyone is urged to visit Ripley’s drug store July 7 and drink at the soda fountain or eat ice cream for the benefit of the park fund.

75 years ago

The first arrest of the season under the city fireworks ordinance was that of Howard Sorrell, 19, who fired a torpedo from an automobile Sunday at the corner of Main and Canyon. He was arrested by Officer W.R. Baker and held in jail for an hour under $10 bond.

The highest honor to be conferred by the Washington State Pharmaceutical Association was conferred upon M.J. Grady at the state convention at Walla Walla.

A large light to flood the center of the horseshoe courts was installed at Schmuck Park Saturday. This is in addition to the six lights which cast their illumination on both ends of the three courts.

After Charles H Obaldwin had been given a hair cut at the Adams shop in Pullman Friday, he helped himself to an electric hair drier and an electric vibrator which were modern 10 years ago, a pair of pants which looked to be that old and a belt of somewhat better quality. With his loot he slipped out the back door but was apprehended by the police. He was given 30 days in the county jail.

A new egg candling lamp, for which the light is intensified by a reflector, has been installed by the Colfax creamery. Equipped with as small a lamp as a 50-watt, the new device is more powerful than the one replaced.

50 years ago

Harvesting of barley is underway in much of the lower country of Whitman County with warehousmen reporting low test weights but good yields. The mid-June heat wave was blamed for pinching the kernels on much of the winter barley and cutting the test weight.

Colfax merchants polled by the Gazette are not too worried over the new state mimimum wage law, which took effect Friday, mainly because most of them are already paying at least $1.15 an hour, the new minimum.

St. John volunteer fire department answered an alarm Monday at 6 a.m. at the Howard Trunkey farm, where the barn was on fire. The barn was a total loss, but other buildings were saved.

Breaking down the rear door of the Avon Tavern in Colfax last Thursday netted a thief about $60 in cash and a few bottles of beer.

Increased power service to the Dusty elevator and to farms along the route will result from the installation of a new line now being constructed by Inland Power in the north hill area.

25 years ago

July 3, 1986

An estimated 100 acres of grassland in the La Crosse area was damaged in a fire touched off by a Union Pacific train that went through about 4 p.m. First fire was near the airport and another was touched off between the airport and town. The next one was at the northern city limits.

Slippery Gulch Players will hit the boards three times during the Fourth of July after a town show Wednesday. The show is called “Farmers’ Airline Presents Slippery Gulch Players Around the World.” Members are Gerald Fletcher, Edgar Johnson, Beth Middleton, Marta Kammerzell, Cathy Wall, Bob Beitz, Sue Middleton, Salli Heaton, Hillary Lawson and Mary Ellen Wall.

Endicott High School’s class of 1976 had their 10-year reunion at the Ridpath Hotel in Spokane last week.

10 years ago

Frederick D. Russell, 22, the Pullman man facing three counts of vehicular homicide and three counts of vehicular assault stemming from the June 4 accident on SR-270 that killed three people, has lost all driving privileges, faces a curfew, and must submit to random drug and alcohol testing. Russell appeared in Whitman County Superior Court on Thursday. In a hearing set to modify Russell’s conditions of release, Superior Court Judge David Frazier ruled to terminate all of Russell’s driving privileges and imposed a curfew of 9 p.m. to 5 a.m.

A fire Friday night destroyed the contents of the Oakesdale City Hall brick building. Charred house plants and the city council’s clock still trying to tick beneath a bubbled face could be seen after the fire. The fire itself was confined to the furnace room, closet and a little bit of the police room and was starting to breach out into the hallway. Brandi Brown of Oakesdale called in the fire report at approximately 10:20 p.m. Friday.

Colfax city council members Monday night voted to check out a new Spokane city law after receiving another complaint about dog droppings in town. The new Spokane ordinance requires residents who are walking dogs to have a plastic bag with them. They are required to use the bags to pick up the droppings.