Serving Whitman County since 1877
Serving Whitman County since 1877
125 years ago
The Commoner
January 31, 1896
At the request of C.L. Webb, president of the State Immigration Association and chairman of the executive committee, Harry Cornwell, member of the executive committee, has just issued a call for a meeting to be held in this city on Saturday, February 8, at one o’clock p.m. for the purpose of organizing a county society which is to cooperate with the new State Immigration Association.
The formation of the proposed society will be of great benefit to the county, as it will be in a position to do much toward making known abroad the great resources of Whitman County and encouraging immigration to this section.
New immigrants will be instrumental in raising the price of property by making it scarcer, and in dividing our too extensive farms. They will introduce new and improved methods of farming; increase the wealth of the country at large; and increase the population. By so doing they will benefit every business and professional man, as well as every artisan and farmer in the county.
Charles Schmidt, generally known as “Dummy” because of his being deaf and dumb, who has for the past four months been employed at the O.K. barbershop as boot-black and office boy, took French leave last Wednesday night. Schmidt was considered strictly honest by his employers and the public in general.
When recently he canvassed the town with samples of rubber ware, mackintoshes, etc., he was very successful and no one thought when they paid him 25 per cent on the purchase value of what they bought that they were not doing a charitable deed. But his sudden departure makes it more than probable that he intended to keep all the money, and that he did not send in an order.
Before leaving he equipped himself with about ten razors, two hair clippers and a number of other articles from his employer, aggregating about $35 in value. It is thought that he beat the freight train to Spokane. No serious efforts will probably be made to apprehend the lad.
100 years ago
The Colfax Commoner
January 28, 1921
About one hundred club women met at a luncheon at Hotel Colfax Wednesday, given in honor of Mrs. R.C. MacCredie, of Sunnyside, president of the State Board of Health.
There were 14 clubs represented; Athenaeum, P.E.O., Goldenrod, Utopia, O.D.O. Washington Star, Altrua, Aloah, Pythian Palousers and B. C. B., of Colfax, and the following out-of-town clubs: Sunnyside Woman’s Club, Spokane Woman’s Club, Pullman Fortnightly and the Rural Uplift club.
After short talks by Mrs. Solon Shedd of Pullman, Mrs. Graybill of Spokane, Mrs. Worman of Albion, Mrs. Lafollette, Dr. Agee and Mrs. Hanna of Colfax, Mrs. MacCredie addressed the women in the subject of Social Hygiene and Child Welfare.
Mrs. MacCredie pointed out that investigation has shown that the greatest social menace today is the so-called social diseases, but which Mrs. MacCredie calls the great black plague.
In the forenoon Mrs. MacCredie addressed the high school girls on “The Americanization of the American Girl,” emphasizing the influence of women on men and mentioning the fact that 99 out of every 100 men who died during the war passed away with the name of some woman on their lips.
She declared that one of her greatest influences is in asserting her modesty before men.
She a gave a heart to heart talk on dress and complimented the Colfax girls on the way they were dressed, saying they were the only group of girls she had addressed where there was not a single undressed girl.
75 years ago
The Colfax Gazette-Commoner
January 25, 1946
Luke Gibney, laundry truck driver, forfeited a $10 bond in police court Wednesday. A warrant had been served on him Monday on a negligent driving complaint made by Lew Smawley, operator of Smawley’s trading post here. Smawley alleged that Gibney had passed him on the right side on Mill Street, barely squeezing by his car and the truck it was towing.
On a counter complaint made by Gibney, a warrant was issued charging Smawley with disorderly conduct.
The case was set for trial Wednesday afternoon but was continued to this Friday at 10 a.m. by Judge C.E. Lacey to give Smawley the opportunity to produce his witness, Roy Ensley. Gibney alleges that Smawley addressed him in unpleasant language in asking him to move the laundry truck which Smawley claimed was blocking the alley back of the Colfax Hotel, and through which Smawley wanted to pass with his car and truck.
50 years ago
January 28, 1971
Plans to introduce crew racing to the Snake River with headquarters at Almota are taking shape at Washington State University. Two former University of Washington crew members, now WSU staff members, are heading a project to place rowing shells on the river.
Kenneth Abbey, an assistant to the vice president for university development, said meetings have been held on the campus for interested students. Abbey and a former Stanford rower headed a program to introduce rowing to the University of Oregon.
A proposal for space to establish a building to hold the crew boats, or shells, was made at the last meeting of the Port of Whitman.
Abbey said designs for a “shell house” were being prepared by WSU architecture students. A house which could be moved upstream after the flooding of the Lower Granite Dam reservoir has been specified.
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