Good Old Days: April 12, 2018

School photo, Colfax or Pine City?

This school class photo dates to 1893-95. It is not known what class is depicted, but Colfax and Pine City are a couple of the stronger possibilities. The girl in the back row, sixth from left, is Ida Starkey (married name Pasold.) She was born in 1879 and immigrated to the U.S. from Switzerland in 1888 with her widowed mother, Rosina,

and several older siblings. Some of Ida’s siblings lived in the Pine City area, but Rosina and her daughter, Pauline, both worked for James A. Perkins in Colfax where Rosina lived with a sister, Eliza Maurer. If you have additional information about this photo, please contact Terri Brown via email: [email protected]

125 years ago

The Commoner

March 31, 1893

The greatest excitement prevailed in Chinatown at about noon Saturday. The South Palouse has been running very high for two days previous and the underpinning of the frail Chinese shanties that overhang the river off Main street has been rocking to and fro as the waves wash around the supports.

“Old Jim” is a well known laundryman who has lived in Colfax for nearly a dozen years. His laundry is the third house from the Island Street bridge. The rear part, or wash room, of the laundry is directly above the water. He has been doing a land office business of late and as a consequence, the rear room has been taxed to its utmost with tubs and bundles of clothes and additional hired help. At noon the celestials at work in the rear heard timbers crack and, without losing a moment, they sprang into the front room. Their action completed the work begun by the waters, and the shed tottered and fell into the water.

***

Henry Spaulding brought to Colfax the news Monday that the body of Harvey Williams, the young Englishman who, with three companions, was drowned in the Snake River near Lewiston last Thanksgiving day, was recovered near Almota Sunday evening, having floated down the river with the rising waters.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

March 29, 1918

The daylight savings law goes into effect at two o'clock Sunday morning. Every one in the state is expected to turn the watch ahead one hour before going to bed instead of waiting until 2 o'clock in the morning to do so. Every clock in the city will gain one hour of time between Saturday and Sunday morning.

***

A committee of citizens has placed itself at the disposal of the county superintendent and stands willing to do anything that will promote the success of the Whitman County Teacher's Institute which will open in Colfax Monday morning. Citizens of the city have gladly opened their homes for the visiting teachers, and the Boy Scouts have volunteered their services to show the visitors to the homes assigned to them by the committee.

75 years ago

The Colfax Gazette-Commoner

March 26, 1943

Since Monday, three cases strongly suspected of being scarlet fever have been isolated and quarantined in the Onecho district. Several others have been quarantined pending investigation and new cases are being sought. The school at Onecho and the transportation of pupils from that area to the Colfax schools was temporarily discontinued Tuesday to permit health authorities to appraise the extent and severity of the situation.

***

Robert E. Osborne, for many years principal of the Martha Washington Grade School, has been elected superintendent of schools for the Colfax consolidated district.

50 years ago

The Colfax Gazette

March 28, 1968

Mrs. John Henning, affectionately known as “Aunt Lou” by dozens of nieces, nephews and friends in the St. John-Sunset area, began a new hobby four years ago at a time in life when most people would be giving up any hobbies they had left. Mrs. Henning's “new” hobby is crocheting afghans, and to prove that she is an “ardent hobbyist,” she's completed 96 of the six-foot by eight-foot wool covers in the four years and is working on the 97th.

Crocheting provides the 84-year-old pioneer with “relaxation” and she gives the blankets to friends and relatives.

She has never made one for money and doesn't intend to.

Many of the friends for whom she has made afghans have provided her with the yarn, and on one occasion several dollar bills dropped out of the yarn, she recalled, but she doesn't pursue the hobby for “pin money.”

***

A 75,000 bushel crib elevator owned by Earl Pierson was reported still smoldering after catching fire last Thursday. The elevator is located at Pierson Siding between Hay and Riparia. The fire was discovered by one of the elevator crews.

“When they start at the top, about all you can do is watch it burn.” Pierson said. The wooden elevator was about half full of grain when the fire started, Pierson said. He reported that he was “still figuring” the amount of loss.

25 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

April 1, 1993

As owner of Dale's Flying Service in Palouse, Dale Schoepflin's main line of business is “crop dusting.” That comes as no surprise to anyone familiar with the Palouse economy, but his sideline operation in amphibious planes is unusual. The purchase of a Lake amphibious aircraft in 1980 fulfilled a life-long dream for him. Schoepflin said that his aspiration to buy an amphibious aircraft stemmed from the simple fact that two-thirds of the world is covered by water.

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Colfax City Council announced it is considering entering into a sister city agreement with Mu-chwing (pronounced moo-shwing) in the Ling Mao province of southeast China.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

March 27, 2008

Ag pilot Patrick Amundsen escaped injury Saturday morning when he crashed landed a Grumman AgCat at the Palouse Empire Fairground. According to the report from the sheriff's office, Amundsen had taken off from the Colfax airport but the loaded AgCat lost lift as it headed northwest. The plane hit Avista and Inland Electric power lines along Highway 26, hit the top of the fairground perimeter fence and collided with a light pole. It went into a rotational skid and came to a halt with the front of the plane facing the highway.

***

After training horses for more than 20 years, Keith Danielson of Hooper has taken on a new challenge. Danielson was one of 34 horsemen selected by the Mustang Heritage Foundation to train a wild mustang as part of the Western States Mustang Challenge.