Good old days

125 years ago

The Commoner

Dec. 7, 1888

A stray shot narrowly missed a deadly aim last Thursday afternoon. Mrs. Eliza Johnson had been visiting that day with her daughter, Mrs. William Webster, at the head of Canyon Street gulch, and about four o’clock in the afternoon stepped out on the porch of the house to return to her home, when a stray rifle ball came whizzing by, plowing itself through the fleshy part of one of the lady’s limbs, below the knee. The wound thus inflicted is not a serious one, but it might have been. It behooves all who discharge firearms in the vicinity of the city corporation, to look before they shoot, lest some fatal consequences may occur.

The large barn of E.C. Moys, who lives about five miles this side of Almota, was burned to the ground on Sunday evening last with all its contents, consisting of 20 to 30 tons of hay, a large amount of grain, harness, machinery, etc.

Mr. Moys went into the mow with a lantern, with the purpose of getting some hay, and while there stepped into a hole and came near falling.

In his endeavors to save himself the lantern was thrown from his hand and rolled down the hay several feet from him.

He jumped to recover it, but the oil running from it ignited and burned so rapidly that he was compelled to beat a hasty retreat to save himself from cremation.

The light of the fire was observed by several parties in this city.

100 years ago

The Colfax

Commoner

Dec. 5, 1913

Corn, about 4,000 ears of it, white, yellow, red, purple, spotted, dent, mammoth and dwarf corn, irrigated and non-irrigated, grown in the country between Spokane and Walla Walla, Lapwai, Idaho, and North Yakima, gladdened the eye of hundreds of visitors to the Idaho and Washington Corn Show held at the armory in this city.

At a meeting of the stockholders of the Moys Telephone Co., incorporated, was held last Saturday for the purpose of considering withdrawal from the Bell Telephone company and connection with the Inland system. It required a two-thirds vote to make this move, which was defeated by a vote of 17 to nine, and the Moys line will continue to get its service from the Bel

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Commoner

Dec. 2, 1938

Five men and their foreman, Bill Presnell, started work Monday to convert part of the basement in the Martha Washington school building into a music room, a WPA project involving a federal appropriation of $585 for labor and $203 in materials which are furnished by the school district and which include lumber from districts recently consolidated with Colfax. A dedication program for patrons and pupils of the school is contemplated by Principal R.E. Osborne when the room is finished.

That Colfax may be the choice for the location of an oil refinery is indicated by G.G. Moore, engineer and geologist of Kevin, Mont., who through Ben Aschenbrenner, local agent for the Grizzly Oil Company, this week requested Don Ross to bring up to date the abstract of title on approximately two-thirds of an acre of land. The ground for which Moore is apparently on a deal with Ross is located between the tracks of the Great Northern and the county bridge on the old fairgrounds road west of town. Aschenbrenner quoted Moore to say in a recent communication that instead of building a $75,000 refinery as originally planned, the cost of the project would reach $125,000.

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Dec. 5, 1963

Farmland transactions totaling nearly a third of a million dollars and involving property in the Oakesdale and Steptoe area were detailed this week by H.J. Jeff Riggs, Oakesdale realtor.

Colfax elementary school will put on the annual Colfax school district Christmas program this year with “Why the Chimes Rang.” More than 500 Colfax youngsters will participate in the program which will be under the direction of R. William Moss and Dallas Neal, with the help of all the elementary school teachers.

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Dec. 8, 1988

A Colfax city renovation project is underway that will include matting and framing historic pictures and city maps for a display in city hall, work on two small city parks, large lighted signs at each entrance to the city and a city brochure.

The 1989 Whitman County preliminary budget totals $15,092,620 up $769,502 from the 1988 budget. The commissioners have been meeting with department heads this week to find ways to pare the budget back before a final budget is prepared this month.

10 years ago

Whitman County

Gazette

Dec. 4, 2003

With San Francisco’s minimum wage reaching $8 an hour and California’s pollution regulations becoming even more stringent, smaller businesses in the state are being hit hard. The Port of Whitman County is working hard to try and woo some of those small businesses to the rolling hills of the Palouse, according to Jennifer Snead, Economic Coordinator for the port. Executive Director Joe Poire recently visited with two companies in the Golden State with an eye toward recruitment and more trips are planned in the future.

Richard Scheuerman of Endicott will give a presentation on his newest title, “Palouse Country: A Land and Its People,” and a book signing as part of the festivities of the Colfax Christmas Celebration at the library today. It will be in conjunction with the Colfax Chamber of Commerce Lighted Parade which will begin at 6 p.m. which features Santa Claus.