Good Old Days: Oct. 12, 2017

125 Years Ago

The Commoner

October 14, 1892

The Canadian Pacific Navigation company’s steamer Premier was struck by the steam collier Willamette in a dense fog off Whidbey island, about 10 miles this side Port Townsend, at about 2 o’clock Saturday afternoon. Four killed, one drowned and 17 badly wounded.

100 Years Ago

The Colfax Commoner

October 12, 1917

The new St. Ignatius hospital is nearly completed and the Sisters announce that patients are being received at the institution. The third story of the new building is nearly completed, and the workmen are at work on the two lower stories.

75 Years Ago

The Colfax Gazette-Commoner

October 9, 1942

From four families in this community a total of 14 boys are in the armed forces of their country. Mrs. Lillie Wallace has four sons in the service, as also have Mr. and Mrs. John Tennel, while the John Repp and John Campbell families have each have three boys serving.

Gene Autrey stars in Bells of Capistrano at the Rose Theater.

50 Years Ago

The Colfax Gazette

October 12, 1967

July, August and September combined this year to produce the driest three months on record at the Colfax weather station. Records go back to 1892. Only .29 inches of precipitation was recorded. The second driest was 1929 with .40 inches recorded.

Pullman, Palouse, Diamond, Albion and rural areas were without power for about 20 minutes after a Spokane construction worker sheared off a pole supporting the 110,000-volt feeder line from the Colfax sub station to Pullman just beyond the top of “cemetery hill.”

_____ ______formerly of Oakesdale was sentenced to six months in jail for writing a $10 check to Tekoa Bakery knowing he did not have the funds in the bank to cover it.

Douglas Ritt, three-year old son of Mr. and Mrs. Earl Ritt sustained a broken wrist, cracked collarbone and scratched chest when he was kicked by a horse about 11 am Monday after he crawled through a fence and into a pasture adjoining the farm home where his parents lived. He is recovering at St. Ignatius hospital.

25 Years Ago

The Colfax Gazette

October 15, 1992

Traffic is expected to swamp Colfax as followers of UCLA and WSU (5-0) drive to the 2 p.m. Saturday game. Added to the crush is the construction project at the south end of town. “We are expecting some real problems” said Chief of Police Barney Buckley.

The body of Steven R. Nelson, 25, Garfield resident who was lost in a boating accident on the Snake River near Wawawai Sept 26, was found Friday morning. Rita Konzal, chief civil deputy, said a fisherman spotted Nelson’s body and secured it to the Garfield county side of the river before calling the sheriff’s office at 8:26 am. Nelson was last seen the afternoon of Sept. 26 when he and two others were thrown into the river after their small boat capsized during a hunting trip. Mr. Nelson was found two miles downstream from where he was last seen in the river. His body was taken to Kimball’s Funeral Home in Pullman.

10 Years Ago

Whitman County Gazette

October 11, 2007

A suspect package discovered at the Bank of Whitman late Friday afternoon led officer’s to block off a two block area of downtown Colfax and call in a Spokane County bomb squad. The package, which had been moved to the top of a dumpster in the east alley behind the bank, was determined to contain a portable DVD player. Members of the bomb squad arrived from Spokane at about 7:50 p.m. Friday and determined that the package was harmless after an hour long investigation to conclude the episode after close to five hours.

David Buri, Ninth District Representative announced he will be leaving the legislature to take a job as a lobbyist for Eastern Washington University

Miller Land Co asked county commissioners for a third extension on a Planned Residential Development Designation on a 815 acre parcel of land. The Millers have a potential buyer for the land looking to site a resort there overlooking Rock Lake.

The Coeur d’Alene tribe has requested that the “squaw” moniker should be removed from Squaw Creek. Squaw Canyon has already been re-designated as Awtskin Canyon. The decision has been delayed in light of a possible compromise.

Frederick Russell has been moved to Cowlitz County in preparation for his trial there. He has been in the Whitman County jail for 11 months since he was brought back from Ireland.