Good Old Days

125 years ago

April 1, 1887

Young ladies of Colfax have organized a baseball club and were out for practice Wednesday afternoon. They will appear in full uniform soon and after sufficient practice will challenge their brothers, cousins and sweethearts to a match game.

Deputy Sheriff Petty made his first haul, the culprit being J. Von Aspen, who, during the night of March 29, entered Geo. H. McGuire’s stable near Steptoe and laid a thief’s hands upon two work horses and a saddle, riding the animals away. He made his way into Garfield county, where he was overhauled and arrested. Brought to this city, he waived examination and is now lying in jail in default of $1,000 bail.

Mumps are raging on Tennessee Flat.

Johnny Deal won the first prize at the public school spelling match last Saturday evening. This is his second offense and there is talk of ruling him out.

On Sunday afternoon the brass band stationed itself on the bluff overlooking the South Palouse and made music which was much enjoyed by the south enders.

The telephone stutters when the wind blows.

100 years ago

March 29, 1912

Mayor Tifft has vetoed the Sunday closing ordinance. Councilman H.L. Plummer moved the ordinance be passed over the mayor’s veto, but no one seconded the motion.

A flexible frame oscilating section packer, an implement used in farming Palouse soil, is to be manufactured in this city. Carley Brothers have doubled the size of their foundry for the purpose of handling the business and will be turning out the packers next month.

Arthur Jensen, owner of the Colfax cab line, has decided to put on a taxicab next month. There will be no change in fares. The new vehicle is very up to date and will carry six passengers.

Burglars entered the store of Johnson & Rumburg at Malden one night last week and took a few cans of fruit. Entry was made by prying open a window.

Lamont has more handsome babies than any other town in Washington. Several have already been entered in the Borden baby contest.

75 years ago

March 26, 1937

Lee Russum, accused of grand larceny, has lost some of his privileges in the county jail. During monthly inspection of cells, Deputy Walt Nicley found under Russum’s bedding a rope made from strips of a blanket. The rope was strong enough to afford a necktie party or to bind an officer who might be taken at a disadvantage.

Horseshoe pitching fans gathered at the office of Carl G. Izett for the organzation of a club. Two additional courts and adequate lighting facilities are to be installed at Schmuck Park, it was decided.

One thousand Chinese pheasants were released this week under the direction of Gene Fennimore, state game protector. Eighty percent of the birds were hens.

50 years ago

March 29, 1962

Cutover to dial services for customers of the Lacrosse Telephone Co. may be delayed as much as a month. Bad weather has hampered crews installing lines in the Lacrosse-Endicott-Hooper areas and completion of the project in time for the original May 20 switchover will not be possible.

John Fowler and Ken Huber, young Colfax men, discovered accidentally the Palouse river isn’t quite yet warm enough for swimming. The pair decided to try the thrills of rafting the Palouse flood waters with a home-made platform constructed of timbers and barrels tied together with wire. Everything went well until they were about three miles west of Colfax when the barrels came apart. John was brushed off into the river when he hit a tree on the bank and Ken fell off a short distance downstream when the raft came apart.

Two Negro men questioned in Spokane by officials of the Whitman County sheriff’s office were not responsible for the five burglaries at LaCrosse in which some $3,000 was taken.

25 years ago

March 26, 1987

A plan to operate the city’s swim pool with a reduced staff and shorter season was presented to the city council Monday by the park board. The plan is designed to shave $8,000 of operation cost, which usually runs a $20,000 deficit in the city books.

Whitman County Hospital trustees voted unanimously to table the proposed conversion of the hospital’s former obstetrics wing to an extended care facility with 17 nursing beds. Close review of the project revealed it was not feasible financially because of conversion costs.

10 years ago

March 28, 2002

Whitman County commissioners told their .08 advisory committee they intend to immediately use a portion of the economic improvement funds to finance courthouse improvements. The move would reduce the funds that have been channeled to community projects in the county.

St. John/Endicott’s 2002 Junior Miss is Amy Kolb who was selected to represent the community at local fairs, parades and at the state Junior Miss competition next January in Pullman.

Gary Kendall, 65, Potlatch, was unhurt when his 1996 Pontiac Bonneville was struck by a horse one mile north of Garfield on Highway 27. The horse came onto the highway from the west side and ran into the passenger side of the car. Fate of the horse was not reported by the WSP.