Good Old Days: March 22, 2018

125 years ago

The Commoner

March 10, 1893

One day last week, Ben F. Manchester, a prominent member of the Protective Stock association living on Rebel Flat, turned eight of his horses into a pasture field and on the following day every animal of the eight was lying dead in the field. The animals were all good work horses. The cause of the wholesale destruction is a mystery to Mr. Manchester, who is unable to assign a reason to the death of the horses. The matter will be carefully investigated.

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Laura E. Gibbons tells a tale of marital misery in a complaint against her husband, Edwin A. Gibbons, for divorce. The couple married in the county October 17, 1886, and last year Edwin deserted his spouse, and she and her little ones have been forced to live on the charity of friends.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

March 8, 1918

A settlement was made Monday by the commissioners with John Wilton in regard to a right-of-way for the Godfrew-Horn Road. The right-of-way across the John Wilton property took an acre of land but the new road cut the place up and made it inconvenient to farm. The commissioner's offer of $116 and their agreement to place suitable ditches along the side of the road so that no overflow would cut across the farm land was agreeable to Mr. Wilton and the settlement was made.

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Ray Hickman has a petition signed by a majority of the farmers living along the Spring Flat-Almota Road requesting the commissioners to establish a 12 highway between Almota and Spring Flat and this petition will go before the board at its next meeting.

75 years ago

The Colfax Gazette-Commoner

March 5, 1943

His chest crushed, an arm, shoulder and leg badly mangled, Charles H. Cornover, 50, farmer three miles southeast of Ewan, died instantly Thursday evening last week when the car he was driving was in a collision with a truck driven by S. A. (Bert) Woods on the St. John highway about two miles west of Steptoe.

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Although the orders amount to but one-twelfth of their output, Lester and Flay Hill of the Colfax Creamery will soon be supplying 1,600 pounds of butter a week to men training for the navy and flying cadets.

50 years

The Colfax Gazette

March 7, 1968

Construction of the new Colfax swimming pool will begin Tuesday following a Monday construction meeting, according to Buford C. Neal of Neal Construction Inc., Clarkston.

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Colfax's Chamber of Commerce has been asked to investigate the amount of interest in a nine-month, privately-operated kindergarten, Chairman Al Dunn of the special committee said this week.

25 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

March 11, 1993

When Q6 News decided to do an hour-long special following two basketball teams through the 1992-93 season, they immediately looked to Whitman County. According to community affairs producer Paula Salzano, the Q6 producers knew Whitman County had a strong basketball league when they sat down last summer to decide which boy's team they would like to follow for their upcoming television special. The choices came down to Tekoa/Oakesdale, Garfield/Palouse and LaCrosse/Washtucna. The news team asked Tekoa Coach Ron Cox last September if they could document the team's season, and he gave them the thumbs up.

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The county has opened requests for qualifications and proposals (RFQP) for the hauling and disposal of Whitman County's solid waste when the Spring Flat landfill closes next June.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

March 6, 2008

A fire late Friday afternoon destroyed a house and garage on Carothers Road south of Colfax near the county landfill. The house was the home of Pat and Coleen Crook, who were in the Lewiston area at the time of the fire. Firefighters were called to the scene at about 5:50 p.m. Friday. Crews from the neighboring Albion Fire Department were first on the scene. The house was engulfed in flames when crews arrived, and fire fighting efforts were directed at keeping the fire from spreading to other structures.