Good Old Days

125 years ago

March 11, 1887

At the last session of the county commissioners an order was made offering a bounty of five cents each for squirrel scalps. When scalps are presented to the auditor, they must be accompanied by an affidavit to the effect that the squirrels were killed in Whitman County, when certificates will be issued, which will be audited with other bills against the county and paid in warrants. Persons claiming a bounty for killing squirrels are expected to take the scalps, with both ears, to the auditor. It is not necessary to bring them in after they have commenced to decay and are filled with maggots. Auditor Turner prefers handling clean scalps.

A party of railroad surveyors, some twenty in number, under Engineer McClelland, are running a preliminary survey from the top of the hill west of Colfax up into the Genessee country. They are very reticent as to the intentions of the copmany, but the general impression is that the O.R. & N. Co. propose building along the route to gain an advantage over the N.P.

The necessary switch boards, wire, etc., for a telephone exhcange in Colfax has been ordered and the familiar “hello” will be sounding in all quarters of town within the next six weeks.

S.J. Chadwick, the popular young attorney of this city, and Miss Emma Plummer of Portland were married at the latter place March 3.

We are gratified to note the appearance of Mr. James Woodley upon the streets last Monday. Jim has had a hard tussel with congestion of the bowels, but bids fair to soon recover his usual health.

The Uniontown post office dog is branded “U.S.,” guards the money order department, chews tobacco and drinks beer.

Rosalia now has two grocery and dry goods stores, two blacksmith shops, one hardware store almost finished and two more to be built immediately, a splendid depot building and two warehouses for storage of grain.

100 years ago

March 8, 1912

Sunday theater going and Sunday pool playing is to be tabooed in Colfax. By a vote of five to two, the city council instructed City Attorney J.M. McCroskey to draft an ordinance providing for the closure of all picture shows, theaters and pool and billiard halls on Sunday.

A long stride was taken in securing government aid for the Palouse project which, when completed, will be of untold value to the people of Whitman, Adams and Franklin counties.

Governor Hay, J.C. Lawrence and Otto A. Chase, all candidates for governor of this state, were in attendance at a meeting in this city last Friday and Saturday.

The Palouse Project consists in building a series of storage reservoirs along the North Palouse river between Elberton and its source in the mountains of Idaho to conserve spring waters for use in an immense area of arid lands in southern Adams and Franklin counties for irrigation purposes, using the water for power purposes in Whitman County as it is carried to the lower country.

Burglars entered the store of Davis & Johnson at Oakesdale Friday night and stole an Iver Johnson revolver and four complete outfits of clothing. It is believed that four men were in the gang. No trace of them has been secured.

A fire in the backroom of the Berger Butcher shop at LaCrosse made a lively time Monday afternoon. It was soon checked and only slight damage resulted.

Baseball fans are beginning to wake up and Malden has a good chance for having a live team on the field this season.

The business men of Lamont are agitating a plan for a sales and market day similar to those held in Rosalia.

75 years ago

March 5, 1937

Theft of 25 sacks of wheat from a cooperative warehouse at Chambers was discovered Monday night by deputy sheriffs Walter Nicley and Ralph Waller as the bags were being unloaded in a private garage at Uniontown, resulting in the arrest of _____. A Uniontown transfer company had hauled the wheat to the garage of Nick Damon, declared by officers to have been an innocent purchaser.

A delegation of eight farmers asked the county commissioners Monday to build a three-mile road where none now exists which would take off on Little Penawawa creek at the Doc Parnell place and follow a water grade to Big Penawawa creek at the old Canutt place.

On complaint of the mayor, councilmen and police of LaCrosse that she had annoyed residnets there by insisting that she be employed in their homes, Miss Hula Jessula, 40, was brought to the county jail here Sunday. She was taken to Spokane and put on a train to Seattle. The mayor said she had been in LaCrosse about a month.

Presentation of a deed giving title to the city of lots 1,2,3,4 and 5 in Perkin’s and Prescott’s Riverside addition by Dr. and Mrs. F.A. Bryant was announced Monday night to the city council. The lots comprise a three-cornered piece of ground located to the left of the Schmuck park entrance pillars, extending to the river. The land will be turned into a parking lot to accomodate 250 cars.

Everett Kroll, 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. E.W. Kroll, Wilcox, and Bill Baber, 17, son of Mr. and MR.s B.D. Baber, were injured late Sunday afternoon when the motorcycle on which they were riding crashed into a telephone pole in front of the Methodist Church after Baber, the driver, hit a stop button at the intersection of Mill and Canyon street. Kroll broke his leg and left elbow. Baber chipped his right ankle bone.

50 years ago

March 8, 1962

Phyllis J. Van Tine, 33, Garfield, suffered burns and the station wagon she was driving received $300 damage in an accident five miles east of Colfax. Mrs. Van Tine had a bowl of gravy on the seat beside her and when it started to slide as she rounded a curve the driver reached for it. The car ran off the highway and into a ditch on the right side. Gravy was strewn over the interior of the machine.

A happy bunch was the St. John basketball team following their victory over Garifeld in the district tournament Friday night at Endicott.

Colfax Grain Growers has contracted for a $125,000, 70 x 120-foot flathouse and a 60-foot high processing mill to handle peas and grain at Steptoe, with construction expected to be underway as soon as weather clears.

If the number or persons in county households changes from the total listed on the emergency ration cards mailed to more than 6,000 families last week, the cards are not to be returned for correction.

25 years ago

March 5, 1987

The roof of the fairgrounds grandstand resembled the hull of a sinking ship last week when Ron Miller and his crew pulled it down. The roof segment had vanished early this week as the structure vanished from the scene after approximately 35 years. The fair is expected to use temporary bleachers for the next year.

Whitman County Health Department formally celebrated its Pullman satellite office Thursday afternoon at an open house.

Whitman Community Hospital has been granted a state DSHS certificate of need to remodel the former obstetrics wing into a 17-bed skilled nursing facility.

A proposal to stage jeep drag races at the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds was made at the Feb. 23 fair board meeting by members of the Mud Clutchers jeep club. The event would probably bring about 50 jeeps and other four-wheel-drive vehicles for the weekend after Fourth of July during Concrete River Days.

10 years ago

March 7, 2002

Colfax girls put the clamps on a string of four state foes at the SunDome in Yakima last week to collect the school’s first state A basketball trohpy for girls. The Bulldogs took their first title globe after 14 entries in the state event, most of any team still on the roster of contenders at state.

A commercial sign owned by Tom and Cheryl Kammerzell was hit a minimum of 13 times by 12 gauge shotgun rounds at the intersection of Sommer and Kammerzell roads southwest of Colfax. The sign was for the family’s business, Maple K Farms.

St. John Playground equipment committee will sponsor a walk-a-thon for all school children next Friday at the football field. All proceeds will go toward the purchase of new playground equipment. The fund curently has over $19,000 collected of its $25,000 goal.