Good old days

125 years ago

The Commoner

Sept. 6, 1889

Every Saturday night the people of Colfax are treated with the nicest music that is written. We are not expatiating one iota when we say that Colfax has the best brass band in the territory. Let some of our neighbors in our sister towns think differently and then we will have a band contest which will satisfy all that we are right in our assertion.

Last Tuesday evening a party was given at the Opera house in honor of the departure of one of Colfax's most estimable young ladies, Miss Lillian Davis. Miss Davis goes to Tacoma in a few days to attend the Anna Wright Seminary where she will finish her education. Everyone present enjoyed themselves. The music was par excellence. Misses Mamie McDowell, Blanche Bellinger, Mamie Robbins and others decorated the hall and did everything to make those in attendance have a good time.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

Sept. 4, 1914

The wheat market has a strong upward tendency and the demand is good. Buyers are contracting for future delivery at prices that are far in advance of those paid earlier this season. The local market is firm with prices ranging much higher than they did two weeks ago, while the prices in Chicago, Portland, San Francisco and Liverpool are soaring and the market is feverish. Chicago May wheat sold for $1.25 and cash wheat brought $1.06 in Portland recently.

Harvest operation on the J.S. Adams farm south of Colfax were completed Monday evening and the outfit pulled in for the season. Mr. Adams had one explosion which occurred a short time after the outfit had started running but this was his only loss. The outfit ran 25 days with an average daily record of approximately 1,500 sacks.

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette Commoner

Sept. 1, 1939

A junior Chamber of Commerce committee is selling tickets for the chuck wagon feed which will be held at the rodeo grounds Saturday evening of this week beginning at 6 p.m. as a part of the publicity campaign in connection with the Colfax Roundup September 8, 9 and 10. After the chuck has been served cafeteria style by the Shamrock Cafe and put away, the crowd will be entertained with several bucking horse rides and a few exhibitions in calf riding, according to plans of the roundup's publicity committee.

Pictured with their horses are are all candidates for the Colfax Roundup Queen including Grace Brown, Colfax; Alice Hoffman, Albion; Hazel Klaveano, Endicott; Ruby Mabe, Colfax; Bernece Benton, Colfax; Joy Dean Benner, LaCrosse, and Marjorie Jordan, Winona.

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Sept. 3, 1964

Unless Whitman County is in for an extended period of fairly heavy rain, farmers of the Palouse country will probably look back on the 1964 "rainy season" merely as a nuisance. It would take quite an extended wet spell to cause much damage to the crops which remain unharvested, Manager Jack Hallett of the Colfax Grain Growers reported. Many old timers are looking back to 1957 and 1941 when harvesting was delayed into October by rain, and when the wheat crop was damaged because sprouting occurred in the heads of standing grain, Hallett commented.

New buildings, more box seats in the grandstands, new lighting and many new features promise to make this year's Palouse Empire Fair bigger and better than ever, Program Chairman Virginia Sanders announced today.

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Sept. 7, 1989

Well, they did a little better than the crew which went on the TV hunt for Al Capone's hidden treasure, but they didn't do much better. A black granite rock which has been at the corner of the Masonic building in downtown Colfax for 100 years was the target last week as a crew of volunteers launched another centennial exercise. The rock serves as the cornerstone to the largest Colfax building in the downtown drag. The block contained a Bible which appeared to be wrapped in newspaper, seven small coins, also wrapped in newspaper.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

Sept. 2, 2004

The Palouse Empire Threshing Association will harvest its wheat Monday with horse- and mule-drawn vintage equipment at its annual threshing bee. The threshing bee has been held traditionally on Labor Day and is the unofficial kickoff event for fair week.

Harvest will begin at around 9 a.m. and go until about 5 p.m. A harvest team will head the grain and bring it in loose, as opposed to bound, in wagons. Then the heads of wheat will be pitched into a 1920s-era, steam-powered stationary separator where the grain is threshed.