Good Old Days 7/14/11

125 years ago

There are several hot mineral springs on the west side of the Stampede pass. The water is pronounced of a similar quality to that of Medical Lake, in Spokane county, possessing valuable remedial properties. The springs have been located by pre emptors and somewhat improved. As they are near the railroad, they are considered very valuable.

Washington territory is represented to have over 18,000,000 acres of land adapted to wheat culture, which is aside from that to be included with the annexation of northern Idaho. And it will not be long ere the greater part of the grain production of the territory will go to market via Puget Sound, if obstructionists do not stop the building of the Cascades division.

Two prisoners broke jail last week at Walla Walla. One was a man named Close, who was to be sent to the penitentiary for killing two Indians at Wallula; the other, who was held to answer before the grand jury on the charge of grand larceny. The escape was made through a hole in the roof of the cell and the adjoining floor of the court room above. They are supposed to have had outside help.

The president’s wholesale slaughter of pension bills is certainly not adding to his popularity with either party. That his course was purely for political effect cannot be questioned. The continued sarcasm and ridicule hurled at the two houses is considered unbecoming in the executive and makes bad feeling. It is asserted that the president wrote with his own hand thirty-two veto messages in a single day. This feat leads an eastern paper to remark that “physically, Mr. Cleveland is the most intellectual man who ever occupied the White House.” He would make a good lawyer’s clerk, but in comprehensive statesmanship he is a decided failure.

100 years ago

R.H. Southerland of Winona has taken the Gazette ever since 1877, the year the paper was founded. He has been a faithful reader of the leading county paper all these 34 years until now he has grown so feeble that he can not read and has asked to have the paper discontinued.

With more than half of a 90 days sentence yet to serve James MacKay was released on parole by Judge Neill last Friday. The young man was arrested some time ago on the charge of stealing several bottles of whiskey from the Whitman Hotel bar. He entered a plea of guilty to petit larceny. In granting the parole the judge gave MacKay a little talk on the opportunity it afforded the young man to make something of himself.

More than 1900 teachers took the examination in May, which is a larger number than ever before applied for certificates according to the report just made by the state superintendent of public instruction, which shows that 72 per cent of the teachers who took the examination were successful. Many of these wrote for grades and higher marks but excluding these, 63 percent per cent passed, which is slightly below the mark set a year ago.

75 years ago

Petitions asking the county auditor to place on the ballot to be voted in the general election the question whether or not liquor shall be sold in the towns and rural precincts of Whitman County are in circulation by the dry forces.

Returning to a butcher shop in Malden at a late hour Thursday night of last week to see whether they had locked the door, Forrest Scharvat and Dick Rash, who had been making sausage, apprehended three of the Imhoff brothers looting the place. The brothers evaded capture by rushing out of the front door which they had entered by breaking the glass. Only five cans of beans were found taken. The brothers were held in jail in lieu of $1,500 bonds.

Residents of Park Street asked the council to improve their street with oil, stating their willingness to stand part of the expense. Street chairman George Riplya said Clay and Park streets had been neglected only because the city did not have the money with which to bear its part of the costs.

50 years ago

Earl Church, Steptoe restaurateur, will open his new Wheel Inn cafe at the junction of the Spokane and St. John highways. Designed for the “space age” in honor of Seattle’s upcoming Century 21 exposition, the new building is unusually modernistic. The exterior combines hues of turquoise and coral with the soft fawn shades of the rock work that forms planters under the front window. The rock came from Steptoe Butte. A neon sign will be erected in a few weeks. Specialty of the house will be sizzling steak.

The grasshopper infestation in Whitman County is the worst in many years. The voracious insects are presently chewing up rangeland in the county and have started moving into cropland.

Dr. and Mrs. Hans Gahler of St. John really celebrated over the Fourth of July weekend. They climbed Mt. Rainier, all 14,410 feet of it, Delores said, feeling achy and tired but thrilled from the adventure.

Excavation began this week on a foundation for the new $150,000 building to house the Colfax branch of Lincoln First Federal Savings & Loan.

25 years ago

A toll-free telephone line to offer information and assistance to farmers who are experiencing the stresses of the farm economy will be installed in Whitman County for a six-month trial period. The service will be run by Crisis Line staff.

Colfax volunteer firemen Monday night were instructed to avoid using a new $30,000 siren alarm system after residents of Thorn Street Hill complained about the noise.

A resolution upholding the constitutional rights of individuals with the purpose of discouraging neo-Nazi type activity in the northwest was signed Monday by Whitman County commissioners.

Adventure Land Video in Colfax was purchased from the Bob Stockwell family the last week of June by George Brown of Deer Park, owner of Excell Foods in Colfax. The video store will be moved into Excell when remodeling of the building is completed.

10 years ago

Garfield/Palouse Vikings, who have established themselves as a powerhouse in Whitman County and state B athletics, may well be facing their toughest opponent yet - budget cuts. Parents have been asked their views on a potential policy of “pay-to-play” as an effort to offset budget cuts.

The Palouse hills are now officially scenic. Whitman County has received a grant to promote a scenic heritage by-way.

Martin Steen of Colfax was the winner of the Summer Festival Duck Race and took home a gas grill. Steen’s number 29 duck topped a field of about 210 in the water race. They were dumped in the center of the South Fork and raced to the Island Street bridge next to the Port of Whitman.