Good old days

125 years ago

The Commoner

April 11, 1890

F.M. Ellsworth went up to Glenwood, the first station on the Union Pacific above Colfax, on Tuesday evening's train, his large drive of hogs having arrived at that point on the North Palouse, and demanding his attention. Mr. Ellsworth expects to have his entire drive of two million feet at his mill in this city within a week, and to begin operations as soon as some necessary machinery arrives and can be put in place.

A dozen suspicious looking characters, who had been hanging around town were arrested by Marshal Mackay on Wednesday evening and lodged in the city lockup. They were brought before Justice Pattison yesterday morning and advised to leave town. Accordingly the city officials escorted them out of town, they took their departure for some more congenial clime.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

April 9, 1915

William T. Tinnear was arrested Wednesday at Endicott and put in jail on the charge of stealing a team of horses from Frank McCroskey of Oakesdale Tuesday night. Tinnear worked for McCroskey a couple of years ago. He denies stealing the horses but says he was hired by a stranger at Steptoe to take the team to LaCrosse where men are buying for the French army. The sheriff of Spokane County reports that horse thieves are unusually busy this year on account of the foreign demand. The horses are loaded on the cars and shipped out of the country quickly and they are very difficult to trace.

A picture of the Hotel Colfax is featured on the front page. The hotel, which has been recently improved and enlarged until it would be a credit to a much larger city. Ten large modern rooms have been added to the completion of M.J. Maloney's new building.

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette Commoner

April 12, 1940

Farmers Union Warehouse of Glenwood plans to let a contract this week for the construction of an elevator at Glenwood on the site on which the old Pacific Coast Elevator company's warehouse is now standing. The new elevator will have a capacity of 100,000 bushels of bulk wheat.

Phyllis Hopkins of Eden Valley school placed first the rural school declamation contest held before the Colfax High School student body Wednesday afternoon under the direction of Mrs. Angeleta Sanders, Lancaster, president of the rural teachers division of the Whitman County Education Association.

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

April 15, 1965

The Whitman County Hospital Association site committee this week announced the former Hillcrest county nursing home location on the Almota Road as their No. 1 choice for site of the new hospital. The two-story antiquated brick nursing home structure is hidden by the tall evergreen trees in a picture on the front page.

Green Hollow club will sponsor a plant sale for the benefit of the hospital fund drive beginning at noon April 22 and continuing all day the next day. The sale will be at the old Richfield station on North Main. Any kinds of plants, house plants, garden plants, shrubs, trees, can be left at the station.

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

April 12, 1990

Port of Whitman staffers will visit county towns in the next two weeks to gather evidence on the community impact of the Union Pacific proposed abandonment, according to Jim Weddell, marketing director for the port. Union Pacific filed an application in January to abandon 60 miles of track between Colfax and Fairfield and Thornton and Seltice. An application filed in July was rejected on a technicality. The port will be looking at such things as bank loans and the local economy if growers have two percent less money coming in. It has been estimated that shipping their products by truck could cost area growers ten percent more for transportation costs.

A new version of an event of the Palouse country's past has been booked at the Palouse Empire Fairgrounds. A draft horse auction which will include buggies and tack has been booked for April 22 as part of the plowing bee weekend at the fairground. Stan Riebold of Colfax, president of the fair board, said up to 20 horses have been consigned to the auctioneer's gavel to date. Riebold said consignment fees, eight percent of the sale price, will be used to benefit the Palouse Empire Threshing Bee group which hosts the plowing bee and the Labor Day threshing bee.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

April 14, 2005

Last week Franklin Elementary fourth grade teacher Lisa Cartwright was in her classroom going about her daily routine. This week, after a whirlwind of activity, she is in Washington, D.C., being honored by the President himself. Cartwright is one of 95 elementary and middle school teachers nationwide named as recipients of the 2004 Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teaching. The award is the nation's highest honor for teaching in these fields. Cartwright is the only teacher in Washington to receive the award.

Washington State Patrol troopers responded to a call of a cougar hit by an automobile on Highway 195 near Plaza north of the county line last Wednesday night. The automobile was no longer on scene when troopers arrived, and the cat was hauled by troopers to the Spokane WSP detachment. The dead cougar was picked up by Fish and Game authorities Thursday morning.