Good Old Days Sept. 8

The Colfax Extension Office was located on the corner of Upton and Main Street on the east side of the street.

Today the office is located in the Public Service Building one block to the north.

To the right of the County Extension building was the Colfax Gazette-Commoner newpaper office.

The Gazette was started in 1877.

Tens years later the Commoner started.

Both papers published until the Gazette bought the Commoner, consolidating both papers in January of 1933.

Papers were published under the combined name until 1958 when the Commoner part of the title was dropped.

Today the paper continues to publish as the Whitman County Gazette.

To the right of the newspaper office is the 1893 Waite building.

125 years ago

The Commoner

Sept. 4, 1891

The neighboring city of Oakesdale had a destructive fire early Tuesday morning.

About 1 o’clock the alarm of fire was sounded.

The hook and ladder company responded promptly and worked vigorously, but the fire was in the upper story of a wooden building and had such headway as to baffle all efforts to quench it.

A light breeze was blowing.

The Wolever building on the corner of First and Steptoe, and a Chinese laundry building adjoining, were consumed.

The Wolever building was occupied by J. W. Strange as residence and the office of the Plaindealer was in the building.

Whether the paper’s plant was saved or not, has not been learned.

The first issue of the paper was to have appeared this week.

The entire loss is placed at $3000, with little insurance.

The fire is believed to have been of incendiary origin.

***

There has been a destructive fire in the edge of the town of Farmington on Saturday. It was on Mr. Stonebreaker’s place. A threshing outfit with engine had just pulled into the field. As the engine passed the barn filled with hay, sparks ignited the hay and the entire structure was consumed. When first seen the fire was bursting into a blaze; and so rapidly did it burn that a horse and calf, beside twenty tons of new hay, were destroyed. The loss was heavy.

Just a few minutes previous the engine had set fire to a field of grain. This had been extinguished when the same engine set fire to the barn as above stated. The danger from engines seems to be great, and increasing. Only the utmost care can render their use in harvest fields safe.

***

High Manning, long time resident here, has removed to Tekoa, where he opened up a bakery business. Many friends regret to see Mr. Manning and family leave the city. Tekoa is to be congratulated on securing another thorough-going business man. The Commoner wishes him success in his new surroundings.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

Sept. 8, 1916

Guy Hughes, former editor of the Winona News, decided to re-enter the newspaper game and accordingly purchased the Pine Valley Herald at Halfway, Oregon. He will take up his residence at that place this week and take charge of the paper on the first of October.

***

City clerk T. J. Welty presented his estimate of expenses to the members of the city council at their meeting Monday evening and the total amount required to conduct the business affairs of Colfax next year has been set at $30,337.56. According to the estimate which was adopted by the council, $8,142.16 will go to pay off the indebtedness which was outstanding against the city on the first day of June. To raise this sum it will require a six mill tax on the total assessed valuation of Colfax which is estimated at $1,357,027. To pay the interest on the outstanding bonds will take $4,071. This will require a three mill levy.

Mr. Welty estimated that the city would collect $1,120 in fines and licenses next year but a number of the councilmen doubted whether or not this amount would be raised from this source.

The receipts from the city water system is estimated at $14,000. Fifty per cent of this amount must be set aside to pay off the special warrants and interest. Another $2,500 of this amount is set aside to pay indebtedness and interest on indebtedness that existed prior to the date that the $70,000 bond issue was authorized. This leaves only a revenue of $4,500 to maintain the system, employ the superintendent and maintain the expense of the power plant.

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette Commoner

Sept. 5, 1941

A more liberal interpretation of the law regulating distribution of the gasoline tax is seen by the city administration in the assertion of a traveling auditor for the state highway department that money spent on street projects, in or out of the highway system, may be reimbursed to the extent of the city’s share of the tax.

From what the auditor told Street Supt. H. W. Chase last week, reimbursement could be obtained out of the estimated $15,489 gas tax revenue for the biennium beginning April 1, this year, on such proposed projects as the widening of Mill street, the grading of streets, the filling of the Park street slide and street construction in the new Casebolt addition.

Heretofore the city has been required to spend 70 per cent of its annual gas tax receipts on streets which form a part of the state system of highways, and in certain cases some of the remaining 30 per cent has gone into these streets. Mr. Chase reported to the council Monday evening that between April 1 and June 1 the city had spent $555 which was reimbursable. He did not have the figure up to September 1.

Questioned after the meeting adjourned, Mr. Chase said that the widening of Mill street, if undertaken, would probably be on both sides between James street and the south city boundary line, or to St. Ignatius hospital. The purpose of widening the street would be to better accommodate motor traffic to and from the clinic and hospital.

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Sept. 8, 1966

The future of Penawawa as a grain terminal will be discussed tonight at a joint meeting of the county commissioners, port district commissioners and the directors of the Colfax Grain Growers.

The present 225,000-bushel storage plant of the Colfax Grain Growers at Penawawa will have to be removed before completion of Little Goose dam since the site will be inundated by the backwaters, but Manager Bob Patton is hoping that the facility can be used for at least one and possibly two more harvest seasons.

Definite location for a new elevator at Penawawa will be delayed until the corps of engineers decides on final details of relocation of the Camas Prairie railroad tracks, and on agreement between the corps, the county commissioners and the port commissioners on the relocation of the county road from Penawawa up the Horton grade to serve farmers in the area south and southwest of Dusty.

Col. Frank D. McElwee, chief of the Walla Walla district, told the county commissioners last week that the corps’ studies indicated “some possibility of being able to justify this particular road relocation … on the basis of proposed usage.”

The corps would need assurance that the county would reconstruct the Horton grade to “minimum county standards” and that the Port of Whitman would construct grain handling facilities with a minimum annual handling capacity of two and one-half million bushels at a site along the road.

Chairman Ralph Henning of the county commissioners told the Gazette that the estimated cost of reconstructing Horton grade would be “over $100,000” and that the corps of engineers had estimated that the cost of relocating the road from Penawawa to the foot of the Horton grade would be “over $100,000” so that the “deal” offered by the corps to the county is not an out-and-out replacement of the existing road without cost to the county.

***

Two large colored artist’s sketches of the new Whitman Community hospital will be on display at the Palouse Empire Fair, Chairman Dan Scheideman of the board of directors announced this week.

The sketches were completed this week on the basis of the architect’s drawings. One is a view of the entire hospital complex of three buildings joined by covered arcades, and the second is a close-up sketch of the entrance.

“I’m sure the public will be favorably impressed by these fine drawings, and I hope as many people as possible will see them at the fair,” Scheideman said.

A public meeting at which the drawings can be viewed and discussed is planned for later this month.

***

Bids will be opened in Olympia Sept. 27 on widening of highway 195 from the Twin Bridges up Buck Canyon grade to provide a third lane for slow traffic, State Rep. Robert F. Goldsworthy told the Gazette this week.

The contract will include demolition of the two buildings remaining in the path of the new road – the old Freshlaid Farms hatchery building, owned in recent years by R. T. Jones, and the Payless gas station, operated until several weeks ago by Jay Havens.

Four houses formerly in the path of the new road have been moved to new locations and a house on Cedar street has been moved to the rear part of the lot to provide room for the access road from the North Flat to the Sixth street bridge.

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Sept. 8, 1991

The Taco Time building on Main Street in Colfax is “coming along well,” according to owner Bernie Tyacke.

“We have had our delays but we are still shooting for the original Sept. 30 opening date,” Tyacke declared. “It’s tough to say until then.”

They are putting the sheet rock up on the inside now and hope to sheet rock the outside by Sept. 15, he said. Then the tile floor needs to be laid down.

The restaurant will have seating for 48 people in the “generic” Taco Time design.

Tyacke said he has interviewed 20 people for jobs and has at least seven more to go. Ads have run in area newspapers for several weeks.

“There’s a couple more to be turned in. I know there’s a lot of applications out there.”

A number of high school students have applied, he said, and he expects that number to increase as harvest winds down.

Tyacke announced in May he had bought a Taco Time franchise, ending two years of rumors. Taco Time International operates over 300 stores.

***

The Colfax Codger pole came up from behind the scaffolding Wednesday when a volunteer crew removed the 60-foot perch which served as a platform for carver Jonathan LaBenne for the past three months. The pole now will await the Codgers’ official dedication ceremony in two weeks, Sept. 15.

Bob Clegg, local spokesman for the operation, said landscaping and other work around the pole will get underway after the Sept. 15 dedication ceremony.

Brick work and placement of a circular walkway will be placed at the scene before the Codgers close the site for the year.

John Lothspeich, Spokane member of the Codgers who operated a landscape business with his son after retirement, has been heading plans to finish the Codger project. Lothspeich said he has been approaching Spokane businesses and groups for contributions to the project.

Largest commitment so far has been made by the Bricklayers & Allied Craftsmen No. 3 of Spokane who will arrive Sept. 21 for an all-day session of placing bricks for the pole. Lothspeich said he has been working with Max Balley, business manager for the firm.

He is also approaching suppliers for other possible contributions.

“If you priced this out it would probably come to around $15,000,” Lothspeich said.

Actually, the Codger fund is close to depleted and most of the project will be done with donated materials and labor.

The basic plan for the Codger pole stems from a viewing circle which will have a 60-foot diameter. This will provide the proper spacing, 30 feet back, for the perspective intended with the sizing of the Codger faces which get smaller on lower positions on the pole.

Lothspiech said the bricklayers will construct a four-tiered planter wall on three sides of the pole. The viewing circle, which will have an outer diameter of 65 feet, will go inside the tiers of the planter wall.

Inside the circle will be an elevated planting around the pole. Lothspeich hopes to plant hundreds of tulip bulbs around the base. Plantings of geraniums will take over blooming after the tulips make their debut.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

Sept. 7, 2006

Pen or pencil. It doesn’t matter.

Despite the discrepancy in voting instructions with mailed ballots, elections staff said voters may use either pen or pencil to mark their ballots.

More than 18,000 went in the mail Friday for the Sept. 19 primary, the county’s first all-mail election, which has more than doubled the number of ballots in the mail. Many voters in the county received their ballots Saturday.

Tuesday Elections Supervisor Debbie Hooper said staff has fielded between 20 and 30 inquiries related to the different voting instructions.

On the actual ballots, the instructions tell voters to make their choices in blue or black ink, while the white security envelopes instructs voters to use pencil.

Hooper explained the old ballot tabulating machines accepted only pencil marks, but the new ones purchases currently can read both most inks and graphite.

“All of the above will work,” Auditor Eunice Coker said.

The machines will not read red or green ink.

Staff had a year’s supply of security envelopes before the new machines were ordered, so staff continued using the existing envelopes in order to save money, Coker said. Voters place marked ballots inside the security envelopes before inserting those envelopes into the ballot return envelopes.

***

Colfax City Council members Tuesday night opted to check out a reported deadlock on providing road access to the newly annexed McDonald land. The road link would be on the east side of the North Fork of the Palouse River across from the golf course.

The link on the former Union Pacific railroad right-of-way would be the lone access to that part of the McDonald annexation which is being considered for real estate development.

Council members learned Tuesday night that a local developer is considering a project on that part of the McDonald property. A road link would be required in advance of the development plan

City Attorney Bruce Ensley said a segment of the former railroad right-of-way belongs to the David Repps, who resides on rural property adjoining the city on that side of the river.

Plans for development of the area call for the McDonald family to turn the former railroad property over to the city for development of a road into the area. However, the Repps own a segment of the former railroad property between Schmuck Park and the McDonald property.

Ensley said the realtor attempting to sell the property has requested city help in obtaining the linkup, but city council members Tuesday suggested city officials talk with the Repps to determine their outlook.

Ensley said he brought the topic to the council to determine their feeling on possibly initiating a condemnation action to acquire the property. He pointed out condemnation would be a long, drawn out process with an appraisal of the value, negotiations and a petition to court.

***

Fire crews Saturday and Sunday were called to extinguish flare-ups at the Risbeck Elevator fire site. Crews rolled out just before midnight Sunday and spent about 30 minutes at the scene.

A flare-up report was also called in Saturday at 10:08 p.m. Two trucks were at the scene for close to an hour.

The combination of burning timbers and gases from the wet grain caused combustion at the elevator site. The elevator burned last Aug. 23 as part of the S. Palouse River fire.

A three-member crew and truck from the Bureau of Land Management out of Spokane was assigned to do mop up work along the S. Palouse River fire zone last week. The crew checked the area for hot spots in stumps and downed timber. They were dispatched from Spokane and have been assigned here through Saturday.