Good Old Days: May 30, 2019

125 years ago

The Commoner, May 25, 1894

On Sunday morning Jacob Wolf, aged 55 years, was found dead on the floor in his cabin on Lower Meadow gulch in Garfield county 16 miles from Pomeroy. A coroner's inquest was held yesterday. A bottle of whiskey was standing on a table near him with a large quantity if undesolved strychnine in it. A post mortem examination showed strychnine in his stomach, and the coroner's jury found a verdict of death by poisoning, administered by parties to the jury unknown. The deceased was an old pioneer and well liked by her neighbors.

The Palouse country is apt to receive a large immigration from the midwestern states this summer, and the people who are coming are intending settlers with means to take advantage of the opportunities which this region affords.

W. D. Nicholas, a prominent business man of Beatrice, Nebraska, represents a large body of people who are deeply interested in this fertile land of the northwest. He has been n Colfax and vicinity for several days past, and has made excursions through the farm lands and orchard lands.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner, May 23, 1919

One of the largest road delegations that has visited the courthouse in several months were present at the Day-Schweiter road hearing which came before the board of county commissioners Monday afternoon. The road boosters began to arrive from Hay early in the morning and by noon when the leaders of the movement counted noses, practically every man living in the lower part of the county answered roll call.

***

Lin Holden, charged with stealing a car and who was nabbed by Idaho officers near his uncle's ranch, and who escaped at Colfax by cutting his chains loose, has not been found and all efforts to locate him have proven fruitless.

Lin Holden was found near the Washington-Canadian line by Lewiston officials. The boy was charged with stealing a car and was thrown into the car by the Idaho officials. The boys' relatives were not informed the boy was arrested and was being hurried out of the state . The officers chained the prisoner in the back seat of the car and permitted the prisoner to wrap himself in one of the wardrobes. It was while he was wrapped in the blanket that the prisoner cut his chains and dropped out of the back of the car.

75 years ago

The Colfax Gazette-Commoner, May 19, 1944

Contact with leaders of women's clubs and various granges throughout Whitman County had been made this week by Miss Maryann E.Reynolds, field representative of the Washington State Library, Olympia, and Mrs. Water Rayor.

***

The barberry eradication campaign for the prevention of stem rust in grain has come a long way, according to Paul Gimlin, county week control supervisor. Every farmstead in eastern Whitman County and all towns in the county have been survey for barberry.

50 years ago

The Colfax Gazette, May 15, 1969

Colfax city dads Monday night began action for finishing grounds around the new Colfax municipal pool. The pool, which will open May 19 for school physical education classes and is scheduled to open June 9 for the public, still requires ground work on areas outside the fence.

Mayor Donald Deen noted the city was “an hour late and a dollar short” in figuring the grounds work for the pool. After a session with his pencil, Deen figured the city had $9,050 left over from $119,000 bond sales for the pool.

***

Probably the biggest fold-up ammonia applicators ever built, the second of two mammoth 77-foot swath McGregor machines left Colfax Monday morning for delivery to the Schiebout Fertilizer Co., Barons, Alta. about 50 miles north of the border near Lethbridge.

The first of the two monster McGregor applicators was delivered to Barons about three weeks ago and has been fertilizing on the Canadian on a 24-hour a day basis since.

The machines are operated by the Schiebout on a custom basis with each applicator pulled by a 145-horsepower Versatile wheel tractor . which stops only to fill the applicator tank and to change drivers. Each machine can cover a maximum of 51 acres per hour.

25 years ago

Whitman County Gazette, May 26, 1994

Passenger trains will make a return engagement on the Palouse when a Portland, Ore., company stats running tours out of Moscow in June.

The ours is offer dinner and brunch cruises from Moscow to Colfax and all-day cruises from Moscow to St. John or Thornton.

The company will bring two fully refurbished and modernized 1939 Steamliner Aerocars for he cruises. They will be pulled by Palouse River Railroad engines on the former Union Pacific tracks.

***

Permits are expected to be issued this week for a huge plant and storage building which will be added to the north end of the Spokane Seed on clay Street in Colfax. The building will include space for expansion of processing at the Colfax plant in the future.

Jeff White, secretary-treasurer, said the immediate aim of the project is to add storage space and load-out facilities.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette, May 28, 2009

On a sticky Rosalia night, the air thick with mosquitos, the town council decided not to allow a fifth Rosalia Motorcycle Rally on its streets.

“We don't really want to see the motorcycle rally go away. We just can't be involved with it,” Mayor Ken Jacobs told the crowd gathered for Tuesdays's regular council session.

***

An afternoon fire destroyed the historic Wise Hardware building on Main street in LaCrosse. The fire, which as going through the roof by the time LaCrosse firefighters arrived on the scene, threatened other buildings in LaCrosse and scattered embers over town.