Good old days

125 years ago

The Commoner

Feb. 7, 1890

Spring Flat was on a rampage Monday and residents in town in its immediate vicinity viewed its turbulent waters with no little anxiety. It was higher than ever known before but only lasted for a few hours.

It is reported at Palouse City the wind which passed over this section of country on Monday afternoon reached something of hurricane proportions of that place lifting the M.E. church completely off its foundation, and knocking down two or three saw mill smoke stacks.

During the high wind which prevailed for about thirty minutes in this city, the smoke stack and roof of Ellsworth’s saw mill were lifted into the air and dropped to the ground, causing a damage of about $100.

Friday, February 14th, is St. Valentine’s Day. As yet the usual number of beautiful and grotesque valentines have failed to put in an appearance in the windows of our stationers.

The Palouse country will require double the number of work horses the coming season on account of the increased acreage of the crop.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

Feb. 5, 1915

Spring is due to arrive soon. The first robin was seen in Colfax Friday and the groundhog failed to get a glimpse of his shadow February 2nd.

B.S. Leonard, a farmer from near Pullman, was in our city last week. He reports that the farmers of his neighborhood have been engaged in hauling sand and gravel for road work since early in the fall.

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette Commoner

Feb. 9, 1940

The heavy rainfalls of Monday and Tuesday caused no damage to state or county highways, it was reported here. The only inconvenience suffered by motorists was of several hours duration on a short sector of the Malden-Pine City road which was inundated by sheet water which fell in the volume of a small cloudburst. The state office here reported all highways in the division in good condition considering the heavy run-off.

The Steptoe boys’ basketball team journeyed to St. John Saturday and were victorious 27 to 22. Although the Steptoe team was recovering from injuries and illness they played one of their best games of the season. The boys won a sure position in the county tournament by defeating Hay 55 to 25 here last Friday night. The boys are undefeated in their division. The girls played their last home game on the local floor last Friday night defeating Hay 33 to 25.

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Feb. 11, 1965

Washington’s 1965 “Teacher of the Year” - Anne Montgomery Stilson of Oakesdale - is just beginning to reap one of the finest rewards of a teaching career: the “thanks” that come from former students for the inspiration and knowledge imparted by their one-time English and speech teacher.

Mrs. LeRoy Utke, Colfax, was hospitalized Saturday for a neck injury when two Spokane youths, ages 13 and 14, were involved in a four-car collision which extended from the corner of Main and Upton streets nearly a block to the front of the Colfax Coffee Shop. The car, driven by the oldest youth, came down Main Street at speeds up to 80 miles per hour before colliding with the rear of the Utke vehicle at the corner, spinning the vehicle around and into the front of another car.

Winds estimated at 60 miles per hour Friday caused a feeder station to go out between Ewan and Diamond plunging several Whitman County communities into darkness and also caused damage to property throughout the county.

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Feb. 8, 1990

Fonk’s, a store which has been a fixture on the Main Street scene for 72 years, was slated to open again Wednesday after two weeks of remodeling. Customers will find Fonk’s with a new modern look that contrasts with the “old” Fonk’s.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

Feb. 10, 2005

The familiar face of Mildred Riley turned up at the Gazette office last week to claim her $1 prize for bringing in the first buttercup in the annual contest. The sure sign of spring was found on Feb. 1 near her home at Central Ferry.

A team from the Quad Cities Drug Task Force, assisted by other agencies, concluded tests Friday afternoon on the contents of a garage in Endicott suspected of being involved in methamphetamine production. The tests were conducted after two people were arrested following a warrant search of the residence.