Good old days

125 years ago

Aug. 24, 1888

Grain buyers and shippers of Colfax have opened the wheat market this week from 53 cents to 55 cents per bushel for good marketable wheat, sacked. Our grain dealers express themselves that with an even show as regards freight rates, they will bid as high as they possibly can for the handling of a good share of the present crop in the Palouse country.

A representative of The Commoner was out on a tour of inspection of the north portion of the county during the past week.

He came back filled with glowing accounts of the golden harvest now being gathered.

The acreage this year is fully one-fifth greater than any preceding year, as correctly as could be observed by riding through the hills.

Not one field of poor grain was seen and the yield promises to average up exceedingly well.

Farmers are in good spirits so far as a realization of an expected full harvest is concerned, but the price of grain sacks dampens their ardor somewhat as they begin to consider the probable net price which they will receive for their wheat, barley and oats, sold in sacks.

Our representative took in Oakesdale, Belmont, Farmington and Garfield.

Contracts have been awarded by the board of county commissioners to the Pacific Bridge company, they being the lowest bidders, for the construction of eight county bridges. They are to be built at the following places: One on Horlacher Road; one on Main Street, Colfax; one across Union Flat creek at O’Dell’s; one on Wall Street, Colfax; one across South Palouse at Stonebarger’s; one at Branham’s; one at Garwood Green’s; one at Elberton. The total contract price for the eight bridges is $6,800.

100 years ago

Aug. 22, 1913

For the third season in the 21 years he has operated a thresher in the same part of Whitman County, James S. Adams of Colfax, made a record run on the Rosedale farm, owned by J.M. East and located five miles west of Colfax. The run was made this week when Mr. Adams threshed 2,240 sacks of wheat in two hours less than one day. Last year, Mr. Adams made his best day’s run of this season on this farm, when he threshed 2,200 sacks of wheat in one day. The grain was headed and yielded well. Mr. Adams has a large machine and for 21 consecutive seasons he has threshed in the same sections of Whitman County and has threshed for a number of farmers 21 years in succession.

Charles L. MacKenzie, the Colfax banker and democratic politician, is now suggested by the Colfax Commoner for United States senator to succeed Wesley L. Jones. We have not yet seen any vigorous denial from the gentleman, or anything to indicate he takes the suggestions as an insult. All of which might be taken to indicate that his hat is in the ring.

75 years ago

Aug. 19, 1938

Giving nearly as good service as ever to the Colfax farmer who lives two miles south on the Almota Road is the mill purchased for $50 from the pioneer implement dealers, L.D. Woodward and H.M. Moffatt when Mr. Fry arrived here from Illinois 35 years ago. Finding the mill in operation recently, John Youngman, Washington Water Power company employee, got Victor Vasebolt to take still and moving pictures of it. The first moving pictures ever to be seen by Mr. Fry will be those of himself, his mill and his horse.

The life of six-year-old Norman Day, son of Mrs. Wanda Day, was saved Monday afternoon when Bob Stotler, son of Mr. and Mrs. F.L. Stotler, and Colfax High School junior, dived into the South Palouse River between the south Main Street bridge and the railroad trestle to rescue the lad who had fallen from a raft and who could not swim.

Stotler, who had received his Red Cross senior life saving certificate but a week previous, was summoned from the street near his home where he was polishing his car, by Mrs. Ivor Wilson, who was near the bridge and who saw the boy fall and go down twice.

When he failed to come up again, Mrs. Wilson screamed to Stotler, who dashed to the bank, pulled off his heavy boots and duck-dived into a hole about in the middle of the river where it bends.

He went down twice before he could locate the lad.

50 years ago

Aug. 22, 1963

Nearly 240 students registered for the new year at Colfax High School, Principal William Heath announced. The total of 233 compares with the 305 enrollment level at the end of school last year. Heath said that he expects the total to go over 300 by the time school opens Sept. 3, with 70 or 80 late registrations. The senior class is expected to be the smallest with only 38 students registering to date. Approximately 20 more are expected to sign up by the time school starts, which would leave the total short of the 74 seniors registered last year. Other enrollments include 65 juniors, 70 sophomores and 64 freshmen.

Bobby Slind, 19-year-old son of Dr. and Mrs. Ole Slind, is making a good recovery at St. Ignatius hospital from a broken collar bone, cuts and bruises received when the combine he was piloting on the Jake Ottmar ranch rolled about 175 feet backward down a steep slope, turned sideways, struck a deep rut and flipped over on its side, pinning Bob underneath. He was trapped almost an hour before fellow workers dug him out and rushed him to St. Ignatius hospital in the Colfax ambulance. The combine was loaded with about 50 bushels of wheat. Ottmar escaped injury in a similar mishap about two weeks ago two miles south of this mishap.

25 years ago

Aug. 25, 1988

Fonks’s store in Colfax will celebrate its 60th anniversary next week with a new manager and an old but refurbished store sign. Though he may be the new manager, David Ledbetter is married to the founder’s granddaughter so the store’s management is still in the same family. Fonk’s owner Chic Johnson said the new management is ideal. He can be at the store or not, as he pleases. He still does the books and keeps his hand in, but he is free to take off when he wishes.

A field fire Thursday destroyed a grain truck and its load on the John Sieveke ranch north of Tekoa. The fire started off the truck and destroyed approximately 70 acres of standing grain on the Sieveke ranch and two neighboring fields.

Kamiak Butte park has been closed to the public due to extreme fire danger, according to Mike Werner, parks department director. The dry condition of the park was the main factor in the decision. The park will stay closed until the area has had enough moisture to reduce the fire hazard.

10 years ago

Aug. 21, 2003

A well-known Palouse landmark will be getting a facelift. The 1935 dairy barn surrounded by a fence of wheels from old farm equipment in Uniontown has been featured nationwide in magazine and photographs.

The barn is being donated by owners Steve Junette Dahmen to the Uniontown Community Development Association.

The Association’s most recent success was the renovation of the old Jacob Brewery building into the Sage Bakery.

The association is still in the process of developing a plan for the barn but ideas have surfaced and are being looked into.

The Dahmens moved into the home in 1952.

Steve’s uncle, Jack Dahmen, built the barn to be used as a dairy.

Steve added the wheel fence which draws so much attention from visitors and passersby.

Uniontown was overrun with visitors Saturday for their annual Flea Market. Organizer Joyce Mayer estimates there may have been as many as 4,000 people from across the northwest walking the streets trying to find that special something. With nearly 60 vendors spread from the community building to the park, there were plenty of opportunities for everyone to locate some kind of treasure.