Good Old Days

125 years ago

The Commoner

June 13, 1890

Tekoa comes to the front with one of the most heroic acts only equaled by Grace Darling.

The heroine is a nine-year-old daughter of Cyrus Lake Esq., of Farmington.

Mr. Lake was engaged at Tekoa as a contractor in building the railroad hotel.

His wife and little daughters accompanied him.

As buildings were not to be had Mr. Lake and family raised a tent on the bank of the creek near the site of the hotel.

The Hangman creek at this point is, at this season of the year, a deep swift-running stream.

Across the stream, near the tent, Mr. Lake had, in order to obtain water from the spring on the opposite side of the creek, extended a plank 8 inches wide, to serve as a bridge.

Friday, during the absence of Mr. and Mrs. Lake from the scene, the younger child and a girl, the daugther of a neighbor, were crossing the creek on the plank, when a large dog came over from the opposite direction and in attempting to pass the childen, pushed both of them into the water.

At the place where they fell in the water was five feet deep and running swiftly.

The older child managed to scramble to shore, but little three-year-old Dora went to the bottom.

The older child shrieked out for assistance and our heroine, who was in the tent, ran to the spot just as her baby sister rose to view.

With a spirit of selfsacrificing devotion, not often found in grown people, this nine-year-old child plunged into the deep swift stream after her sister, who was being carried down by the current.

Under the flood at times and up again, she struggled on after the receding form of her sister.

Finally, half drowned and exhausted, she reached her and with a desperate effort landed the child apparently dead in her arms on the shore.

Kind hands came to her assistance and in a few hours, by dint of rubbing and rolling, the child was resuscitated.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

June 18, 1915

When a young man, who gave the name of James Whelan, entered the home of Mrs. Ely of Tekoa, he neglected to form the acquaintance of that lady and thereby courted disaster. Had he known Mrs. Ely, he would have selected some other home for Mrs. Ely possesses a goodly supply of muscle, courage and resource. When she found Whelan in her house in the alleged act of “kidnapping” some of her clothing, she didn’t scream, nor did she faint, but she laid hold of Whalen and held him until help arrived. Whalen is now in the county jail awaiting trial for burglary.

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette Commoner

June 14, 1940

Two University of Idaho students made the Colfax police force victims of a prank early Sunday morning, but it was the police officers who did most of the laughing.

The fun began about midnight when the two pranksters removed the rear license plate from the police car and sailed it into the shallow but muddy water of the South Palouse. The joke grew, for as they laughed over this twist in John Law’s tail, police nabbed them.

Over the bank and down into the muddy water went one jokester under orders to retrieve the plate. Police laughed this time as he waded about in the midnight air with his shoes and trousers piled on the bank. Finally he located the license, and clambered back to dry land and his pants. He and his partner were then locked in the city clink until six o’clock Sunday morning. They finally posted $10 bond apiece on a disorderly charge and were released.

But the joke wasn’t over. They trooped back to the police station and reported that in the interim their car, a 1937 Chevrolet green coupe, had been stolen.

The car was recovered Sunday evening out of gas on the Penawawa grade, and with both license plates off. The car was returned to the pranksters, who forfeited their $10 bonds Monday to the city. They gave their names as Gene Horney and George Knox.

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

June 17, 1965

One of the features of this year’s Slippery Gulch program July 3 will be a “bigger and better” Earl’s Girls variety show with two separate groups, Tom Dorsey of the publicity committee announced today.

The show, headed by Alzorah Carter as “Diamond Lil,” will also include “Lil’s Girls,” Marilyn Dorsey, Merle Stamback, Vi Kimball and Donna Gumm. The can can girls’ cast will include Betty McIrvin, Pat Primmer, Linda Gay, Claudia Heaton, Sharon Baughman and Marilyn Dorsey.

The double mixed quartet, which will provide another highlight of the show, will include Gordon Lederer, Rollin Suenkel, Charlotte Brown, Dolores Lehn, Marian Gossett, Don Ottesen, Wayne Hodges and Virginia Sieveke. They will be accompanied by the small combo group of Orville Gossett, Paula and Dan Folkins.

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

June 14, 1990

Resurfacing and safety improvement work will get underway next month on about 3.7 miles of Highway 195 north of Pullman. The State Department of Transportation awarded a $655,581 contract for the work to Central Washington Asphalt, Inc. of Moses Lake.

Work will start just east of the Armstrong Road intersection, proceed west for 3.3 miles, skip a 1.5 mile section, and end just west of the Albion Road intersection. The project includes upgrading guardrail, flattening slide slopes and paving with rubberized asphalt to extend the service life of the roadway.

During construction the highway will be reduced to one lane in daylight hours and reopened to unrestricted travel in the evening. Flaggers and pilot cars will direct motorists through the construction area.

The project is scheduled to be completed by the end of August.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

June 16, 2005

A ribbon cutting officially opened Palouse Cove Road last Thursday, ending a one-year upgrade project that gained momentum 10 years ago following a fatal accident of a Palouse resident on the same road.

Standing on the new asphalt with county commissioners and former Palouse police officer Lee Reed, Palouse Mayor Michael Echanove recounted efforts to move the road improvement, which finished about two weeks ago at $2.2 million, up the county’s priority list.

In June 1995, residents of Palouse, Oakesdale and Garfield filed 350 signatures with the county commissioners to move the project up on its priority list after the March 17, 1995, accident of Wendy Reamer.

Reamer, a 36-year-old Palouse resident and ranch and wildlife management student at Washington State University, lost control of her car near the intersection of Palouse Cove and Mader roads. The vehicle rolled and landed on its top in the northside ditch. She was found with her head submerged in about 8 inches of water, according to the sheriff’s office report.

Reed, now police chief of Asotin, was the first to respond to the accident.

“It’s still in my mind,” he said, following the ribbon cutting ceremony.

Reed said he had spoken with Reamer the same day of the accident about her spring break plans.

The improvement widened the road to 28 feet with 3-foot shoulders on each side for a total of 34 feet. Road crews installed additional guard rails, filled some shoulders and straightened out curves near Mader and McKenzie roads with about half a mile of new road.