Good Old Days Jan. 19

In January 1902, five well-known citizens formed the Colfax Auditorium Company.

They purchased lots on the west side of Main between Rock and Brewery (Stevens) streets.

The building was dedicated on Aug. 22, 1902.

This new theater was named for Kate Hogan, a girl who had lived between Palouse and Colfax and had taken the stage name of Katherine Ridgeway.

On June 26, 1908, the Ridgeway burned.

It was rebuilt.

By 1912, the finances of the company were failing and many proposals were considered.

In Aug. 1915, the ground floor was turned into a garage and the show house and dance hall were left on the second floor.

On May 6, 1921, the building burned again.

Photo courtesy of the WSU collection, a sub set of the Whitman County Library Rural Heritage collection.

125 years ago

The Commoner

Jan. 15, 1892

Colfax suffered another disastrous visitation of flame at an early hour yesterday morning and 200 feet of frontage of stores and buildings on Main street, between Upton and Wall streets, was reduced to ashes. The fire broke out in the rear of the hayloft of Dunlap & Barr's livery stable and had gained fearful headway when the alarm was rung. The blaze was discovered at 12:25 o'clock and from that time it raged with terrible fury. For an hour it seemed as if all efforts would be unavailing to arrest the spreading element and that the whole block from the livery stable to the Collins hotel was doomed to destruction.

When the alarm was given, the rear of the hotel was ablaze with light and the guests, numbering about forty, were awakened with all possible speed. Men, women and children rushed frantically down the stairways and out into the snow. Many of them ran out in their night robes and bare feet and nobody stopped to complete his dress. People flocked from every direction to lend a helping hand and the portable furniture of the hotel was dragged out into the street, where trunks and bedding and hundreds of bundles and boxes were piled in confusion.

In the livery stable on the south was the old City Hall building containing a line of stores, saloons and offices. The part of the building nearest the stable was occupied as a saloon by Dan Burnes. His stock and fixtures were valued at $4,000 and they carried $2,000 insurance in the Hartford Insurance company. Only a small fraction of the stock was sold and thieves made off with considerable of the liquor.

Next came the Criterion restaurant, owned by Lucy & Pelander. It was soon enveloped in flame and $1,500 worth of furniture and goods was consumed. R. M. Lucy held an insurance of $200 on some furniture which was destroyed.

The fire department was forced to cut holes through the ice of the river to obtain a water supply and the streams were weak for a valuable space of time. The firemen exerted every effort to save property. At 1:30 o'clock the heat had become so powerful that spectators hurried away from the street directly in front of the fire.

Fraternity block stands opposite the site of the burnt district and that splendid structure was threatened so that streams were turned upon it and men with buckets stood upon the roof and in the windows to quench every outbreak of the flames.

The building smoked and the great plate glass windows on the lower floor were shattered by the heat.

The iron work was damaged considerably, but the building was saved.

The loss on this block is from $1,000 to $1,500, its red fangs were fastened on Daniel Frew's loan office, which was consumed in short order.

Then followed the Western Union telegraph office and the Pacific express office.

The fixtures, wires, instruments and packages were taken out and before 2:30 o'clock the old City Hall was a thing of history.

The old City Hall was owned by the firm of Livingston & Kuhn. It was a long two-story frame and was valued at about $2,000; insurance, $1,250.

South of the old City Hall the fire received a setback, for it ran against the brick building, occupied as a saloon by L. Benton. The stock was upset and many articles stolen, and $1,000 will barely cover Mr. Benton's loss. His saloon was insured for about $6,000. Liquor and cigars were stolen from that place in a considerable amount by hobos and toughs.

Just north of the livery stable proper was a one-story brick building, which was gutted and ruined. It had been used as an office for the livery stable. Thomas Baker had an insurance of $400 on the stock, hay and feed in his livery stable. The loss of the stables and contents was about $2,000.

Houses in the rear of the burning structures suffered materially, and the insurance companies will be liable in many particulars not known at present. The total loss of the fire is variously estimated at from $12,000 to $18,000.

The embers burned all day yesterday. Had it not been for the mantle of snow on the buildings south of the old city hall, the fire would have been more wide-reaching in its dire results.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

Jan. 19, 1917

Plans are being prepared by the Beezer Brothers of Seattle for the new addition to the St. Ignatius hospital in this city. The main building will be remodeled and another story added which will make the hospital a four-story building. This improvement together with the new $50,000 addition which is also included in the complete plans, will give Colfax one of the best arranged hospitals and one of the neatest buildings of its kind found outside of the three larger cities of the state.

More than six thousand dollars was collected by the Sisters this week to be applied toward the cost of the new building.

An additional amount of four thousand dollars has been subscribed and the Sisters are now collecting this money.

The greater part of the expense of erecting the hospital cannot be raised this spring but the work of erecting the new wing and remodeling the old building will not be delayed longer than this spring and work on the building will be started early in March.

The Sisters are depending upon the generous aid of the public in aiding them to erect this beautiful building and arrangements have been made for extending the payments of the cost of the building through a term of several years.

***

The residents of La Crosse are taking a keen interest in the coming city election which will be held on Tuesday, February the 6th, at which time they will vote on the question of incorporation of the city and at the same time register their choice for city officials.

At a mass meeting held in the Dunnigan hall this week, a decision was reached to nominate two tickets in order to give the people a choice in the election of city officials. T. H. Shobe, the original owner of the La Crosse townsite, was nominated to head one of the tickets and E. S. Knowlton was named as the opposing candidate for mayor.

A full set of councilmen were named for each of the two tickets which were designated as the Citizens ticket and the Taxpayers' ticket. Interest centers in the vote for incorporation and no campaign will be made by the candidates for votes. The election of either ticket will be satisfactory to the citizens, it is stated.

***

The German Lutheran church at Endicott is planning on a $15,000 church to replace the old one which will be moved to the rear of the lot. The building committee reported that a fund of $15,000 on hand and $5,000 more was voted. The new structure will be erected as soon as weather permits and it is to have a basement and all modern features.

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette Commoner

Jan. 16, 1942

Whitman County farmers responded to an appeal of County Agent A. F. Harms to register all horses and mules between the ages of three and 10 years.

A questionnaire was sent to nearly 2,100 farmers. By January 12, more than 1,000 of them had replied, affording the county agent's office the information that 714 farmers have 2,333 draft horses, 466 riding horses and 158 mules. Approximately two-thirds of the animals are needed by their owners while one-third are not.

The county agent's office is summarizing replies to the questionnaire according to color, age and sex of the animals reported and will forward the summary sheets to Lt. Colonel F. W. Koester, office in charge of the Western Remount service of the United States army at San Mateo, Calif.

The prompt manner in which the farmers responded to the questionnaire indicates their desire to do their bit in furthering the defense effort in the county. The farmers who have not replied should submit their horse and mule information at once.

***

The active cooperation of Whitman County rail shippers and consignees for the duration of the national emergency was the plea advanced by James W. Hodson, secretary of the Washington Railroad association, speaking before the chamber of commerce Wednesday noon. New equipment ordered for 1942 may relieve part of the burden, Hodson said, but efficient use of the present rolling stock will see us through, he indicated.

The railroads are now carrying 63 per cent of all freight moved in the United States, Hodson said, the volume of which has multiplied many times since America began an all-out war effort. He recalled the congestion and confusion of rail traffic during the last war, which ended in government management of the railroads, and suggested that the lessons learned from the period were chiefly responsible for the improved efficiency of present-day rail companies.

Hodson praised the work of the Shippers' Advisory board, whose quarterly report and estimate of transportation forms an invaluable guide for common carries, and is one of the best indices of national business volume. Through this board, shippers and receivers of freight cooperate to prevent tie-up of rolling stock as warehouses.

Delving into the history of government grants to railways, Hodson said that the value of the land retained by the government doubled in value as a result of railroad penetration, so that actually, the country lost nothing by granting the common carriers alternate sections of lands along their right-of-way. The railroads are now self-supporting, and in 1941 paid 550 million dollars in taxes, he said.

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Jan. 19, 1967

Final plans for the Whitman Community Hospital will be put on display at a public meeting next Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. in the new meeting room in the basement of the Whitman County library in Colfax, Chairman Dan Scheideman of the Whitman County Hospital Association said this week.

Architect Arnold Barton of Spokane will be at the meeting to explain the plans in detail and to answer questions and the hospital chairman is hoping for a large attendance.

“The 'stage three' drawings have been forwarded to the state health department in Olympia for final approval and we're still planning to call for bids sometime in February,” he said.

Final plans include about 30 alternates for bidding, Scheideman said. “These include items which we can add if we feel that we have sufficient money, or items that we can leave out if we find the bids a little on the high side.”

The alternates include 13 on equipment and construction, 8 in the electrical and 9 in the mechanical specifications.

The hospital association chairman said that a meeting had been scheduled in Olympia Feb. 2 to consider applications for additional federal funds for the local hospital and that he and possibly some other board members would attend.

“This is a public meeting of the Washington State Hospital and Medical Facilities advisory council and the public is welcome,” Scheideman said he had been told by the state health department. The council will consider 25 applications totaling more than $62 million in health construction facilities.

The Whitman County association will present its “case” for more funds at the meeting and the council will make its recommendations to the state director of health, who, in turn, will make his recommendations to the United States Surgeon General for the allocations.

***

Gov. Dan Evans' plans and pleas for an “urban society” tinkled their way into Whitman County this week via a financial table which promises $75,945 for the 16 incorporated towns in Whitman County and $83 for the one that just died.

High card holder for the 16 – or 17 – towns in Pullman which stands to get $60,620 – if the Governor's plan is accepted by the legislature. Low card holder is Elberton which has an $83 slice in the figures released last week by A. Ludlow Kramer, secretary of state. Elberton's residents voted to dissolved the town in last November's election.

With Elberton and Pullman out of the figures, the total county slice would be $15,325 or a little over a $1,000 per town.

“I'm not overwhelmed,” Councilman Don Deen said when he heard of the $4,828 proposed Colfax share of $12½ million which would come out of the state's general fund to support the cities and towns.

“Of course, Colfax doesn't have some of problems which larger cities have,” Deen said. “People here will vote in levies and take things upon themselves.”

The financial table was prepared by A. Ludlow Kramer, secretary of state and coordinator of urban affairs. The $12½ million fund, Kramer explains, was first segmented into quarters. The first quarter was disturbed among all towns in the state on the basis of population at $1.66 per head. The second quarter was divided among towns over 20,000 on the basis of their population and the third and fourth quarters were divided among towns having five or more full-time employees in both their fire and police departments.

Deen said the plan seems to benefit larger cities and larger population areas through sales tax payments.

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Jan. 16, 1992

The county turned over a segment of the Almota Road to the City of Colfax Monday. The county road will become a city street from radio station KCLX to a point just south of Whitman Hospital and Medical Center.

The city will take over maintenance of the road, explained Public Works Director Lon Pedersen. City council members last week approved annexation of the road segment. Property on each side of the road has already been added to the city and the easements along the road need to be owned by the city to pursue grants for improvement projects. A sidewalk is among the top requests for city additions to the road area.

***

County commissioners Monday approved more than $300,000 in 1992 road projects listed in the county's six-year road plan.

A five-mile stretch of the Belmont-Farmington Road will receive two to four inch asphalt overlay at a cost of $150,000.

The funding will have to be local, explained Public Works Director Lon Pedersen, since County Arterial Preservation Program (CAPP) money can only fund maintenance.

The major pre-leveling and overlay work required on that road is considered construction under the state guidelines, he said.

The results of pavement tests performed by Spokane County are due this week, Pedersen added. This should tell them exactly what needs done to the road.

A 1.2-mile section of Church Hill Road also will get paved, removing another “missing link” (oil to gravel back to oil) in the county road system.

The county also must use local funds on this project, Pedersen said, unless they want to resubmit it for RAPP consideration.

The problem is RAPP rated it very low, he explained. The only reason it is a priority for the county is because it is a missing link.

A 1.25-mile “missing link” on the Johnson-Colton Road also is due to be paved in 1992, according to the six-year road plan.

The county has almost finished “preliminary engineering” on the final 7.29 miles of the Dry Creek Road project. Right-of-way acquisition will begin this spring.

The project is scheduled for 1993-92 on the 1992-97 six-year road plan.

The project is the largest ever undertaken by the county. The five-mile Thorn Creek Road project was the largest before this one. The cost would be about $2.3 million for the 7.29 miles.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

Jan. 18, 2007

Issuance of a conditional use permit allowing James Toyota to develop a site along the Pullman-Moscow Highway has been challenged by the City of Moscow.

The city submitted comments on the development to Whitman County Planning officials last week, worrying the construction of the dealership so close to Paradise Creek would impair the already polluted waterway.

James, long-time Moscow automobile dealer, is looking to develop a 13.67-acre site in the corridor, one mile west of the state line. The plan includes a five-acre display lot.

Also among the city's concerns was the impact the development would have on the region's water supply.

Moscow also noted potentially increased peril the development would have on users of the Bill Chipman Memorial Trail and traffic on SR 270.

The Moscow comments go on to say the proposal “does not support the concept of orderly development as articulated in the Comprehensive Plan because it is nearly at the edge of Whitman County's jurisdiction and promotes the sprawl that Washington State law seeks to prevent.”

Moscow's comments on the James development come on the heels of the city's opposition to the SEPA determination for a proposed 600,000-square-foot retail development by Hawkins Companies, also in the stateline area of the Pullman-Moscow Corridor.

That has led Whitman County officials to question Moscow's motives.

“What disappoints me is we've taken an attitude not to interfere with their development,” said District 2 County Commissioner Jerry Finch. “They don't practice what they're preaching.”

Finch pointed out developments on the Moscow side of the state line.

“In the past ten years, up to that new Goodwill, if you look at the area, there's no water retention on those developments,” he said.

Both Finch and District 1 Commissioner Greg Partch said they made attempts to contact Moscow and Latah County while drawing up the Pullman-Moscow Corridor District.

“We've worked with Pullman every step of the way,” said Partch. “We tried to offer the same to Moscow, but their response has been 'we're going to fight this every step of the way.'”

Moscow Mayor Nancy Chaney was unavailable for comment as of press time, but in a letter to the Gazette this week she said the city's challenges should not be interpreted to mean they are “against our neighbors to the west.”

“We knew for a long time that road was coming and it had the potential to drive economic development,” said Partch. “We spent a year-and-a-half with planning and public works to get the corridor business friendly.”

Finch compared mutual benefits from the development of the corridor with the results of the family's grocery business decisions 40 years ago.

He noted that Dissmore's and Safeway in Pullman reaped rewards when the new Finch's grocery store opened.

“In February 1955, we opened Finch's,” he said. “And five years later, Dissmore's profits were higher than before we opened. We kept people in the area, and that benefited everyone.”

Finch said the same notion would help everyone in the area retain customers, and, noting the difference in minimum wages in Washington and Idaho, increase spending.

“This is something that will benefit the whole region,” said Finch. “Workers coming from Idaho for that extra $22.24 a day will help the economy of both towns with extra spending.”

Officials in the county's planning department said it would be inappropriate to address Moscow's concerns at this time, saying the department's response will be presented to the Board of Adjustment during the conditional use hearing.