Good old days

125 years ago

Dec. 2, 1887

At Endicott, Nov. 26, 1887, by Rev. Geo. E. Wilcox, C.E. Walmer and Miss Mary Irwin, both of this county, were married. The bride is the daughter of Edward Irwin, one of Whitman County’s representatives in the territorial legislature, and both of the contracting parties are well known in this vicinity. The ceremony occurred in the school house, after a concert, followed by a bountiful repast.

In the Hooper news: This corner of the county does not seem to be very well represented in the county papers.

We do not make any showing by way of a town at our station or siding, but we are looking up and fairly prosperous.

A great many homesteads and timber culture claims have been taken near here in the last three years, and a trim little home is to be found in many an unexpected nook.

The land raises all kinds of vegetables that are planted on it; we raise grain only for hay.

Bunchgrass flourishes and all kinds of stock are doing well.

It is from stock mainly that our revenues are derived.

The first of a proposed series of social parties came off last Tuesday night at the home of James M. Kennedy, an aforetime bachelor establishment, but enlarged and revised since the coming of his widowed sister and her family from the east to permanently remain.

Deputy Sheriff Cailison came down from Palouse City Wednesday evening having in charge one Nicholas Murphy, who was given quarters in the county jail, where he will cogitate over the evils of petty larceny for the ensuing thirty days.

Edward Johnson, residing near Almota, raised this year about 900 bushels of the famous blue stem wheat, which variety sold in the lower country this season for from three to five cents per bushel more than any other. It is the best for milling purposes and does not smut. Mr. Johnson has 800 acres seeded with blue stem for next season and anticipates a bountiful harvest.

Bleeker, Hoare & Spencer are pushing work on the waterworks supply well on the North Palouse. Two days were spent bailing it out prepatory to resuming operations and on Wednesday the great hole was sunk eight feet. They apprehend no difficulty in securing the stipulated supply of 3,000 gallons of water an hour.

100 years ago

Nov. 29, 1912

The basketball season in the Colfax High School opened auspiciously Saturday evening when the visiting team from the Endicott High School was defeated by a score of 32 to 9. Colfax outclassed Endicott at every point of the game. The home boys were faster and their height and long reach permitted them to play over the visitors.

Up-to-date club rooms will be opened in this city by Colfax Lodge No. 691, Loyal Order of Moose.

The entire second floor of the new Walker building has been leased for the purpose and the work of fitting up the rooms will begin at once.

The building committee plans to have the new lodge home ready for occupancy by the first of the year.

One of the best lodge halls in Colfax is being planned by the Moose.

The two front rooms of the building will be used as club rooms, and the other room will be used for a reception room.

The floor of the lodge hall will be waxed and suitable for dancing at any time.

Although the Moose lodge has been established in this city less than 15 months, it already has a membership of over 150 and is steadily growing.

Ten sharpshooters including Dr. McBride of Moscow and Fred Berger and Ray Stansbury of Spokane were engaged in a rifle match at the fairgrounds Tuesday. R.W. Phipps of Colfax carried off the honors.

Mr. and Mrs. Thomas Keyes of Sunset have gone to southern California for the winter. Mr. Keyes says, “We will be back with the geese.”

The Pastime is showing, tonight, one of the latest and best pictures ever shown in Colfax, entitled, “Frenzied Finance.” It is a Pathe 3-reel feature, full of action, of a reckless gambler, of his rise and fall. This picture has only been released three weeks.

When the next legislature meets, it will be marked by many big peculiar things, among which may be numbered that it will be the 13th legislature and that it will meet on January 13, 1913. Furthermore, it will be the first state legislature of Washington in which there will be women members, and the first one in which the socialists will have a representative.

Farmers of Alkali and Union flats and businessmen of Colfax will meet in Barroll’s hall in this city Saturday, December 7, at 1 p.m. with representatives of different railroads. The farmers are determined to have better railroad facilities and are willing to furnish right of way free to the company which will give them the right kind of service. Every farmer interested in having the road built is urged to be in attendance at the meeting for the railroad men must be shown that the Whitman County people are in earnest.

Turkeys, geese, ducks and chickens are all cheaper in the Colfax market this year than last year at Thanksgiving time. Turkeys sold for 22 and 25 cents this year while they brought 28 and 30 cents last year. Ducks were 20 cents this year compared with 22 cents last year. Geese dropped five cents and sold for 15 cents this year against 20 cents a year ago. The same prices apply to chickens which sold for 15 cents this year and 20 cents a year ago.

75 years ago

Nov. 26, 1937

All children who are in Colfax or who come to Colfax on Saturday, December 4, will be guests of local merchants at a free Mickey Mouse show, to be shown at both Rose and Roxy theatres to accommodate the expected crowd, according to Ferald Dill, chairman of the Colfax Advertising club. Santa Claus will greet the youngsters at the Rose theatre from 11:30 until 12:15, immediately after the show will begin. Attendance will be limited to grade school children. The picture will consist of the Walt Disney cartoons which won for him the Academy award.

The Rev. H.L. Rudy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Phillip Rudy, Penawawa, arrived with his family at Thornton recently to visit his brother, P.J. Rudy, before spending a few days with his parents and John Rudy, Penawawa. H.L. Rudy has resided in Calgary, during the past 18 months. It will be recalled that Rev. Rudy and his family returned to Colfax in 1936 from Europe where they had resided in various countries for more than 10 years.

With half of the deck completed with the last pouring of concrete Saturday on the new bridge over the Palouse river on the Mockonema cutoff, work was called off for the winter by H.S. Steffenson, contractor. In the spring, the approaches, rails and sidewalks will be constructed. The bridge parallels the Great Northern track a short distance west of town.

Fender and radiator damage was suffered by the car driven Saturday afternoon by Mrs. C.A. Bruning when it tore out two guardrail posts on the Buck Canyon grade north of Colfax. The cable kept the car from going over an embankment. Mrs. Bruning drove onto a soft shoulder of the road when she momentarily lost control of the wheel after going around a truck.

Annual senior ball of Colfax High School was scheduled for Wednesday evening of this week in the new gymnasium. High school students, faculty members and a number of guests were to dance to the music of Hank Shinkoskey and his orchestra from Spokane. Heads of committees for the affair were Bob Preucel, decorations; LaVonne McSweeney, advertising; Dorothy Elliott, business manager; Mary Jane Elliott, invitations. Patrons and patronesses were to be Mr. and Mrs. S.E. Perkins, Mr. and Mrs. R.L. Wilkinson, Mr. and Mrs. Chester Christopher, Mr. and Mrs. J.E. Miller, Mr. and Mrs. O.H. Elliott, and Dr. and Mrs. P.O. Weisman.

Wheat descended in price during the past week as much as it had gained during the previous week, the current decline being from 70 cents to 65 cents for western and soft white. Western red was quoted at 66 and a half cents and hard winter at 67 and a half cents per bushel. Oats were worth $18.50 and barley, $21.50.

50 years ago

Nov. 29, 1962

Larry Kirkpatrick, Colfax, is one of 12 candidates for a team of five students from WSU to compete on the College Bowl television show in New York City Jan. 6. A junior, Larry is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Kirkpatrick of Colfax and spent last year attending college in Germany. The 12 students are currently appearing on simulated College Bowl broadcasts. Four team members and an alternate will be picked on the basis of their television performances this week.

Peter Kiewit Sons’ Co. work force on the Colfax flood control project has been reduced to about 60 and will probably be cut even further before favorable weather next spring or early summer. Workmen returned to the river bottom for only a short time this week after high water had receded and officials were hopeful that work could be resumed full scale on excavation beneath the bridges and for walls along the river banks, but new rains in the Palouse basin in Idaho brought a new surge of high water. Preparations of the southeast bank of the river between the 6th street and Twin bridges is continuing and officials hope it may be possible to pour concrete in that area within several weeks.

Colfax will be host to one of Whitman County’s most exciting and colorful spectacles Saturday when the seventh annual Whitman County Basketball Jamboree is held in the high school gymnasium. More than 100 basketball players and coaches from the county’s 12 high schools and several thousand rooters are expected to fill the stands in Colfax’s spacious gym for the festivities. Sponsored by the Whitman County Shrine Club, the jamboree is the club’s means of raising funds for the Shrine Hospital for Crippled Children in Spokane.

“Now I know just how an astronaut feels in orbit.” That was the brisk comment of lanky Colfax photographer Bill Walters after he made a brief trip through space recently when his foreign compact car struck a rain slick spot and somersaulted once on the Palouse-Colfax highway near the bottom of the Clear Creek hill about five miles east of Colfax. The wheels of the car were damaged when it lit rightside up with considerable force, but it was otherwise undamaged. Walters was not injured.

25 years ago

Nov. 26, 1987

Colfax gridders celebrate Friday night after stopping Cle Elum’s Warriors in the quarter-final round of the state playoffs. Colfax advances to the semi-final Friday at the Kibbie Dome.

Rick Fisher of Garfield and Keith Leifer of St. John are concentrating on different levels of football right now but over the summer the two former Whitman County foes were part of a basketball team that toured Australia. They were on a team that rolled up a 19-1 record against a variety of squads. The tour started in Sydney and included stops in about 10 cities and towns before concluding at Melborne.

Insta-Wheat, a “fast food” processed wheat that’s ready for snacking or eating in pilafs, casseroles or salads has been invented by Anna Lee Morris who with husband, Charlie, farms north of Colfax. The new instant or fast food product takes the place of cooked wheat kernels in recipes that once began with several hours of cooking the wheat, or by retrieving previously cooked wheat from the freezer. It’s ready after being soaked in water for 15 minutes. Soft white wheat of a specified protein content makes the best product.

Officers elected at the first meeting of Whitman County Cattlewomen, formerly the Cowbelles, are Bonnie Holliday, president; Leslie Lamb, vice president; and Eileen Getz, secretary-treasurer. They discussed the Cattlemen’s banquet which will be at the Colfax Elks Club. Club members will make table decorations, auction items and door prizes.

10 years ago

Nov. 28, 2002

Palouse Elementary students had themselves to thank for a bountiful Thanksgiving feast. On Monday, grades one through five spent 40 minutes making bread. On Tuesday, each student peeled vegetables and fruit for fruit salad and stew. On Wednesday, they sat down to eat. After the kitchen staff washed the fruit and vegetables, and the children prepared them, the staff mixed it together in large simmering pots. In fact, other than the juice and pies donated by parents, students had a hand in each part of the meal.

Officers early Tuesday afternoon rolled to the Johnson area south of Pullman after a couple reported they had been attacked and robbed. They reported a man and a woman entered their home armed with a gun and knife. The intruders tied them up and left them in a bedroom. The husband was pistol whipped and cut on the hand with a knife during the robbery. Several items were taken from the home including a hand gun.

Delegates to the Washington Farm Bureau annual meeting unanimously elected Steve Appel, a wheat and barley grower from Whitman County, to a ninth consecutive one-year term as president.

The Rosalia horticulture class has been busy this fall working on their poinsettias. The poinsettias arrive in late July as cuttings and are planted into six-inch pots. The plants will be for sale the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Tekoa High School senior Jason Small is a state finalist in the Wendy’s High School Heisman Award. Jason serves as Tekoa’s ASB president and plays on the football and basketball teams.

The Bethlehem Revisited project, an interactive Christmas program, will be performed and sponsored by First Baptist Church in Colfax. The program will provide attendees with first-hand experiences of what it may have been like to live in Bible times.

Onecho Bible Church will present a Christmas Cantata, “Welcome to Our World,” by Claire Cloninger and Robert Sterling.