Good Old Days

Issue #1 of 1888 is unavailable

100 years ago

Jan. 3, 1913

A St. John farmer finds more profit in feeding wheat to hogs. That feeding wheat to hogs is profitable has again been demonstrated by Bert Wagner who early in the fall weighed in a bunch of porkers at his ranch, charging himself for them at the rate paid for hogs at that time. He then weighed all the wheat fed to them, charged himself for the wheat at the price then quoted and when marketed recently, found that his hogs had made him a profit of 22 cents per bushel on his wheat within 90 days, so that instead of marketing in the fall at 68 cents, he sold his hogs and realized 91 cents per bushel.

Mr. and Mrs. H.C. Hodgkins entertained a number of friends Tuesday night at a watch party. The evening was pleasantly spent with cards and social converse. Delicious refreshments were served as 1912 was being ushered out and the infant 1913 was born.

75 years ago

Jan. 7, 1938

Leading the race to date for prizes offered by Colfax merchants to the first baby born in Whitman County in 1938 is young Fred Charles, Jr. who arrived at the home of Mr. and Mrs. William Fred Charles in Pine City at 1:15 a.m. January 1. If no earlier arrivals are reported, Master Charles will be declared winner.

First infant to be born in Colfax was Jimmie Lee Benton to Mr. and Mrs. Sidney Benton at their home at 4 a.m. New Year’s Day. The young lad is a grandson of Chief of Police Thomas H. Benton.

More new homes were constructed in Colfax in 1937 than in 1935, although the total amount expended in building dropped below the figure for the previous year. Total spent during 1937 was over $60,000, while in 1936 the number amounted to more than $96,000.

Miss Irma Schmick of Thornton has accepted a secretarial position in the extension service office to replace Miss Helen Oaks, who left this week for Olympia to assume work in the state highway department office. Miss Schmick has nearly completed a secretarial science course at Washington State College.

In an advertisement: Public dance, Parvin Grange Hall, Saturday, January 15. Everybody welcome. Pine City Orchestra.

Only road delegation to confront the county commissioners at their meeting Monday was that from Dusty which asked for straightening the Little Alkali Road which runs through the Otto Brink and Hiram Brink farms. Such a change has been requested for the past 12 or 14 years, Chairman Ernest Huntley said.

50 years ago

Jan. 3, 1963

Gary Cook from the Dusty area, Greg Sayles from Winona and Ellen Schnauble from Endicott, recently participated in an accordion concert held at the Washington Water Power auditorium in Spokane.

Peggy DeVries, 17-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Adrian DeVries, Colfax, has been selected as Colfax’s candidate for the state Junior Miss Contest to be held in Pullman. She was one of four candidates who gave short talks and answered questions before a meeting of the Colfax Junior Chamber of Commerce.

Sherman McGregor, president of the McGregor Co., will leave for Phoenix, Ariz., where next week he will preside over the first convention of the Agricultural Ammonia Institute ever held in the West.

Businessmen will be able to send out more mailing of monthly statements at the old postal rate of four cents if they get them out before Jan. 7, Postmaster Kenneth McNeilly pointed out today.

W.J. Mahlik, Colfax High School math instructor, was presented with a tie clasp and cuff links by members of the math club at a recent meeting.

25 years ago

Jan. 7, 1988

Dr. Greg Morper of Denver will join Dr. Bob Closson’s medical practice in Colfax by July 1 and will replace Dr. Arthur Evans who recently retired. Dr. Morper has worked the past three years in the emergency room of a university-affiliated hospital in Denver.

A petition drive to put the county’s proposed half-cent sales tax hike on the ballot has collected more than 1,000 names by this week, according to Joe Henderson of Colfax, an organizer of the drive. The group has until Jan. 19 to collect names of 15 percent of the registered voters, about 3,000 names. Henderson said the petition drive was delayed by Christmas and New Year’s holidays but is moving along well.

Colfax High School “French Connection” will spend nine days in France during spring vacation under the auspices of the Cultural Heritage Alliance Program. The 11 students and teacher Melanie Heacock have sponsored fundraisers since last fall and plan at least two other major fundraisers.

Dan Boone of Pullman will serve as chairman of the board of county commissioners following an election. Boone told the Gazette the local economy will be the major concern in the coming year.

Councilwoman Dee Luft, one of the three newcomers on the city panel, was elected mayor pro-tem in the first split vote of the new council. Luft was elected over Councilman John Perry in a 4-3 vote which was made by roll call. Perry served as mayor pro-tem in the previous administration. Luft was nominated by Councilman Rolland Watts. He, Luft and Councilwomen Shannon Hall and Rhonda Cornilles, voted for her. Perry was nominated by Councilman Al Therien. He, Perry and Councilman Joel Crisp backed Perry. Mayor Carol Stueckle also appointed committees at the first meeting of her administration.

Eight Colfax Bulldogs were named for all-league honors in the Northeast-A football league. They are Koby Pennick, Frank Taylor, Andy Vantine, Allen Kackman, Troy Brost, Christopher Kachenko, Mike Jeremiah, Jeff Kneale and Tim Griffin.

10 years ago

Jan. 3, 2003

The purchase of Whitman County Gazette, Washington state’s senior community newspaper that was first published in 1877, was announced this week.

The announcement was made by longtime Gazette publisher Gordon Forgey, purchaser, and A.L. Alford Jr.

of Lewiston, president and owner of TPC Holdings, Inc., and editor and publisher of the Lewiston Morning Tribune.

“The Tribune organization has been a good steward of the Gazette, but this change will bring ownership of the Gazette back into the county where it belongs.

In the changing economies of the region, the purchase of the Gazette will help to tie it inextricably to the area it serves,” Forgey said.

He added the paper really belongs to Whitman County and its residents who rely upon the Gazette.

Snow early Sunday morning provided the first real winter scenes in Colfax. Spans on the railroad bridge across the South Fork of the Palouse River were highlighted by the new snow.

Prosecutor Jim Kaufman is moving out of a job he’s held for more than 18 years, the longest span ever for one person to serve as prosecutor in the county. During that time, he’s worked in front of three different Whitman County Superior Court judges and dealt with 11 different commissioners and an ever-lengthening line of criminal defendants.

Colfax wrestlers placed third among nine teams Saturday at the Pomeroy Invitational. The Bulldogs, who came home with three first-place titles, racked up 142 points.

Bob Bafus, retired Colfax basketball coach, was presented with a special section of the former wooden bleachers at the Colfax gym. The board segment was a piece Bafus kicked during his years as Colfax hoop coach between 1968 and 1997.