Good Old Days May 26

125 years ago

The Commoner

May 22, 1891

The charges have been made, at Pullman and at other places, that Colfax was the instigator of the contest now begun against the location of the agricultural college at Pullman, and was abetting North Yakima in the suit.

These are not true, at least so far as can be ascertained among the leading citizens of Colfax, who confess utter ignorance of anything which would lead to the circulation of such reports.

If there is any ground for such charges it must be attributed to the utterances of “several unprincipled boys, who should have known better,” who have declared their open hostility to Pullman, and should not be accepted as a sentiment of Colfax, as only the kindliest feeling is exhibited by the business men and citizens in general for our successful rival.

***

The little city of Oakesdale was the scene of great excitement on Wednesday last. The immediate cause of the trouble was the attempt on the part of city officials to enforce a city ordinance requiring saloons to close at 11 o'clock p.m.

It seems that early in the present month W. H. Howard, a saloon-keeper, of that city, was arrested for violating the city ordinance, convicted and fined $25 and costs, he refusing to pay his fine. Again on Tuesday evening the city marshal, William Largent, waited upon him with an order from the police judge to have Howard put under bonds to keep the law. Mr. George Comezya, who was present, took the responsibility to advise Howard to resist arrest on the ground that the ordinance was abortive and the officer not a qualified official.

***

The agricultural college building will be quite an extensive structure, says the Herald.

Architect Preusse, of Spokane, was instructed to prepare plans for the new college and submit them with estimates at the next meeting of the board, which will be on the 22nd at Pullman.

The main building will be 416 feet long.

The central portion of the building with an immense dome and small towers, is 89x128 feet.

It will contain the offices of the president, steward and registrar of the college.

On the ground floor of this portion of the building will be located the spacious library rooms, and above the library, the auditorium.

Solid fire walls will separate the central portion from the wings, which will be fitted up as recitation rooms.

The building, exclusive of the central portion, will be three stories high, with a basement, and the wings will be 51x83 feet.

The heating apparatus will be separated from the building to insure safety, and plans for a power house will soon be submitted.

A fourth story is designated to be set apart for the geological, botanical and zoological museums.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

May 26, 1916

The automobile dealers of this city met last week at the Armory at which time steps were taken to organize a permanent association.

The auto dealers met to discuss plans for their own and the public's protection. The decision was reached to form a Whitman County Dealer's Association and extend an invitation to all dealers to join the association.

***

The contract for the construction of a new Northern Pacific depot at Pullman has been let to the Sound Construction company of Seattle. The construction company is composed of Messrs. Hasty and Dugan, contractors who have constructed several buildings on the college grounds two years ago.

It was estimated that the new depot will cost $40,000 and work will start in a few months. The new depot will be constructed on the site of the old one and a number of necessary alterations will be found to accommodate the public in the meantime.

***

County Commissioner B. T. Manchester stated after inspecting the road between Endicott and Winona he had reached a decision that the two old wooden bridges that are located between these two towns must be replaced this summer. He stated that it would be cheaper in the long run for the county to replace these bridges with concrete and that bids would be called for soon to do this work. The bridges span a drain ditch and the moisture and wash caused by these drains makes the life of a wooden bridge short. By putting in a concrete bridge with wings to protect the fill, the future expense to the county will be eliminated, said the commissioner.

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette Commoner

May 23, 1941

Evacuation work for the Bonneville Power Administration's $46,000 sub-station on the William Kramlich farm on top of the east hill near the cemetery was started last week by a crew of four men under N. P. Nelson of Vancouver, Wash.

A temporary telephone line was built to the site from the main line on the county road, for which one pole was set up and insulators installed on fence posts.

The huge transformer which was unloaded here some time ago is still awaiting removal to the substation site, but it has virtually been decided to relocate the Kramlich private road before the attempt is made.

Two weeks ago the transformer, which weighs 25 tons as it now stands stripped of its bushings, oil and cooling tanks, was loaded on a trailer preparatory to moving it from the railroad siding near First and Third streets, but the Kramlich road was found to be too narrow and otherwise unsatisfactory for carrying the equipment, so it was unloaded.

The Bonneville administration has purchased for $1,250 4.42 acres from Mr. Kramlich who is waiting to convey the deed until a report is made by Bonneville legal division on the title examination.

***

Landowners in northern Whitman County will vote on the formation of the proposed Pine City Soil Conservation District at a referendum to be held in Oakesdale and Rosalia May 31.

The referendum has been called in response to favorable action taken by the state soil conservation committee at the district hearing in Oakesdale last Friday.

Both landlords and tenants expressed themselves as favoring the district, indicating their belief that the district could help to solve serious erosion problems on a community basis.

It was explained by the state committee that through district action the group could request assistance from state and federal agencies in solving problems relating to soil and water conservation.

It was pointed out that help available through the soil conservation service would provide a means through which farmers might learn how to control their erosion problems and that they would use their own initiative in carrying out the major practices. The district, if organized, will have no tax levying powers.

The referendum will give all persons owning land in the district an opportunity to vote whether or not the district should be formed. A majority must be favorable before the district can be formed.

District boundaries as approved by the State Committee would include all land draining into Pine and Thorn creeks in Whitman County, as well as the Cottonwood creek drainage adjacent to Steptoe butte.

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

May 26, 1966

Consolidation of the Thornton and Rosalia school districts was approved by voters in both areas Tuesday, but the proposed Ewan-St. John school merger was defeated by patrons of the Ewan district.

A near-record turnout in Thornton favored consolidation with Rosalia by a vote of 62 to 50, while Rosalia voters extended a unanimous invitation to merge with 159 yes votes and no opposition.

Sixty-two per cent of the 85 voters that went to the polls in Ewan said no to the plans for consolidation with St. John; the tally was 53 no and 32 yes. In St. John, the vote was 132 in favor of merger and 11 opposed.

Too few absentee ballots were cast to affect the outcome of the election since only a simple majority was required.

Commenting on the election, Orville Widman, county superintendent of schools, said he didn't believe the consolidation issue in Ewan had the intensity that it did in Thornton.

“There was a situation in Ewan where there was some agitation for a vote and the board decided to feel out the district,” Widman said.

Yes votes were cast by all of the patrons who took out absentee ballots in the four districts involved in the two proposals, County Auditor Pauline H. Lust, supervisor of elections, said to-day.

***

The office of Sen. Warren G. Magnuson in Washington, D.C., will be the setting for a meeting June 2 to discuss means of getting action on the relocation of the Camas Prairie railroad line along the Snake river, Manager Neal Klemgard of the Port of Whitman said today.

Offices of the Union Pacific railway have scheduled the meeting with the senator and letters and wires from Whitman County residents urging support of the port district's stand in favor of relocating the railroad are desired, Klemgard said.

W. V. Kee, assistant traffic manager for the Union Pacific at Portland, and L. Earl Donahue, general freight agent from Spokane, recently participated in a conference on relocation and urged local support of their efforts to retain their railroad line.

***

Palouse Producers, Inc., have opened their Colfax plant on the Walla Walla highway, although the office building and warehouse will not be completed until later in the year, Manager Ron Wachter announced this week.

“We have erected a temporary office with a telephone to give better service in the Colfax area, and will rush work on our permanent facilities as much as possible,” Wachter said.

Under construction is a 60 by 90 steel warehouse an a 20 by 30 office.

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

May 23, 1991

Colfax City Council Monday night approved purchases for equipment which will provide a 911 emergency call system through the fire department. The 911 number will be available to all area residents on the 397 Colfax prefix.

Purchase of the equipment ends a drive which was coordinated by LeRae Templeton of Colfax. She pointed out the need to have the 911 call system which is easy to use for youngsters, senior citizens and all residents who are under the stress of an emergency.

***

The county commissioners voted to extend the contract of Northwest Architectural Co. of Spokane to study redesigning of the downstairs of the Public Service Building.

The county wants to consolidate the Pullman and Colfax district court offices and move them into the space occupied by the extension service on the Public Service Building's first floor. The extension office would move upstairs.

The remodeling of the downstairs is in conjunction with the project to remodel the now unused upstairs and move all five divisions of public works department up there.

Under the remodeling plan the Palouse Empire Fair office would move to the U.S. Bank office, where other offices of the parks department are located.

The weed office would move to the fair site for the summer and then to the county engineer building across Inland Street from the courthouse.

County bridge crews already have prepared some of the space in the upper level of the Public Service Building.

The structure once housed Jones Truck and Implement, which moved to the Walla Walla Highway.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

May 25, 2006

Washington's Department of Transportation is preparing to replace about 25,000 feet of guard rail along the Almota Grade down to the river. DOT spokesman Al Gilson said the current guard rail doesn't meet current safety specifications as a barrier between the winding road and the canyons below it.

Gilson was unsure when the current guard rail was put in place, but it went in when the road was originally paved.

The road was transferred from Whitman County to the state in 1991, under a bill passed that year which allowed for jurisdictional transfers when it benefits the safety of traffic on roadways.

***

After the county's second budget amendment, the current expense budget moved further into the black with a surplus of about a quarter million dollars. The surplus began at about $98,000 at the beginning of the year.

Sharon Cunningham, director of administrative services, reported interest revenue on county investments is up.

The amendment added about $1.7 million to the overall $43.3 million budget, mainly to account for grant receipts and related expenses.

The cost of the computer upgrades to the assessor's officer and treasurer's office accounting system have not been added, and union employee contracts are still unresolved.