Good Old Days 8/25/11

125 years ago

August 27, 1886

Fifty or sixty discharged railroaders congregated in this city last Saturday night and proceeded to run a portion of the town according to their own ideas, bidding defiance to the officers and nearly taking possession of the saloon.

At one time, while endeavoring to make an arrest, Marshal Lyle was obliged to floor a couple of the peace disturbers with his cane, when the mob drew pistols and he was forced to retreat.

At another, while on their way to jail with a prisoner, the marshal and his deputy were attacked by the mob and the prisoner released.

Believing this state of affairs had existed quite enough, the officers started for the engine house, intending to sound an alarm, but were headed off by the revelers, who afterward placed a guard over the bell to prevent the execution of such a design.

The mob finally succumbed to intoxication and sought repose in the alleys, where they could be seen Sunday morning three or four deep in places.

The majority of them went below on Monday’s train.

Good Riddance.

100 years ago

August 25, 1911

The citizens of Thornton were stirred to excitement by a fire in the Potlatch Lumber shed. Response was too late to save the shed or any lumber. Ed. Stout’s residence across the street was saved by the bucket brigade. Sparks set the grain field south of the Inland track on fire.

Early Thursday morning Mike Vinssa, a laborer walking in from a mile beyond the Crest, discovered the mangled remains of a man lying on the track at the top of the Crest grade. Coroner Bruning was notified and the remains were brought to the the Bruning undertaking parlors. There was nothing on the body to identify the unfortunate man. He had evidently fallen from the rods on the Soo train which went west shortly after midnight.

George Miller and Allen Jackson were arrested at St. John last Friday for holding up three men in daylight. Chief Cummings arrested the men in the “jungles” on the complaint of the men who had been relieved of their cash. The hold-up men pleaded not guilty and requested council.

The first complete carload of fruit wrapping paper ever received in the Palouse country was unloaded at Garfield last week.

75 years ago

August 21, 1936

The first of 14 local option petitions which ask the question of barring sale of beer and other alcoholic beverages be placed on the ballot at the general election was filed at the county auditor’s office by S.C. Roberts for Pullman.

Colfax school board authorized sale of $32,000 in bonds for improvements to the Community building housing the library and school gymnasium. Such bonds were voted in May, 1935.

Bert Curtis, 54, Steptoe, was brought to the St. Ignatius hospital here last Thursday with a broken left arm between the elbow and shoulder suffered when he was caught under a tractor on which he was riding while threshing on his farm.

Washington State Department of Health has put a quarantine on all mussels within the state. Mussels at this season of the year until the end of September develop a very poisonous substance.

50 years ago

August 24, 1961

Four additional pages and 80 new listings will be found in the 1961 Colfax telephone directory when the book is distributed to subscribers next week. Listings in the white pages numbered 1,978.

“Pretty good business “ was reported by Manager Marvin Ellis at the federal surplus food distribution center, which opened Monday morning in the Ellis bag co.

Rosalia has been granted $8,000 by the federal government to help finance a $30,000 sewage disposal project.

Nearly $10,000 worth of liquor was sold in Colfax during July.

25 years ago

August 21, 1986

A purchase of the Endicott branch of Rainier National Bank by the Bank of Whitman has been agreed to in principal. Bank of Whitman has operated an Endicott branch since April of 1985. Rainier has been in Endicott since 1963 when it purchased the Bank of Endicott.

Colfax Mayor Leonard Riedner told the Gazette Wednesday he has ordered police to close the section of Morton Street behind Jennings Elementary school. The street is open only to bus traffic.

A consortium which includes Washington state’s two major universities has been given a $3.74 million federal grant to build a telescope capable of seeing billions of light years into space.

10 years ago

August 23, 2001

It was reported that the Endicott pool suffered a break-in with money and music CDs stolen and damage from vandalism. Deputies, along with their K9, arrived at the pool to investigate. The dog, who sniffed the perimeter of the pool apparently assumed the float/buoy in the center separation line was a ‘reward ball’ and jumped into the pool. The pool, however, was still covered with the tarp, and the dog began to sink, tarp and all.

Head lifeguard Suzanna Storment quickly put into action her training and rescued the dog. Break-in suspects have been identified, and the missing CDs have been returned. The last day of open swim at the pool this season will be Aug. 31.