Good Old Days

125 Years Ago

Colfax Gazette

Friday, February 5, 1897

THE BREWERY BURNED

Fire Supposed to be Caused by Overheating Shafting

Shortly after seven o’clock Tuesday evening the Colfax Brewery, in the north end of the city, was discovered on fire and an alarm given. The fire department responded promptly, a line of hose stretched, and a stream of water was soon in use. The fire had gained such headway, however, that but little could be done, except to confine the fire to the brewery proper. The whole upper part of the brewery was destroyed, together with the stock of malt and hops, and the beer on hand, amounting to several hundred kegs. Noone was in the brewery when the fire broke out, but Alan Schmidt, the proprietor, states that he believes the fire was caused by overheated shafting. He was unable to estimate his loss nearer than between $7000 and $9000. There was $2000 insurance on the building and $1000 on the stock and contents. There are rumors that the fire was of incendiary origin, and several persons who came when the alarm was first sounded declare the smell of coal oil was very strong. There is no suspicion, even if it’s true that Mr. Schmidt is implicated.

100 Years Ago

Colfax Commoner

Colfax CLUB TEAM DEFEATS MALDEN

SCORE IS 28 TO 12 WITH FOUR SUBSTITUTES IN LINE UP-VISITORS OUTCLASSED

The Colfax American Legion Team won in a walk from the Malden Athletic club team last Thursday night at the community gymnasium. The visitors put up a good game in the first half, Kjack proving to be one of the fastest forwards that has been seen on the local floor and he was responsible for one half of the total scores made by his team. LaBlanc the other forward on the visitors team was so closely guarded that he never had a chance to score but the visitors two guards, Carlon and Cadjow both registered field goals. Carlon made four points for his team and Cadjow made two. Glover registered five field baskets and played one of his best games, Phillips, made three field in the second half and Saboe threw a field basket in the first half. Sampson played his usual star game and he converted the four fouls against the visitors into four points. In addition to this, he scored three field baskets. With the game tucked away four substitute players were rushed into the fray and they gave a good account of themselves. None of the substitutes scored but they prevented the visitors from scoring which amounted to the same thing.

75 Years Ago

From the Colfax Gazette Commoner

Colfax Gives $904 to the March of Dimes

The March of Dimes campaign which ended in Colfax last Friday netted $904.80, twice the amount raised last year, according to Rome Endsley, chairman in thanking all organizations, business houses and individuals who cooperated in the drive against infantile paralysis. Among the larger contributions was $75 from the Colfax Athletic Club; $45 from the Eagles lodge which gave a three-day payoff on slot machine jackpots, exclusive of taxes; $42 from the Martha Washington school ; $25.40 from the Hamilton school. The largest amount deposited on any coin container was $27.20 at the Korner Coffee Kup where last year’s record was also established. Jimmie McDonald, Vickey Casebolt and Kenneth Rouse collected approximately $51 in residential sections.

MEMORY OF HALL TO BE PRESERVED

Movement To Erect Shaft At Roadside In This County Started

A movement to erect a stone shaft on a public highway in Whitman County to perpetuate the memory of Oliver Hall, father of the roads system in Washington, was started by W. L. La Follete at Wednesday noon’s chamber of commerce meeting. The movement first gained impetus in Spokane where according to Mr. LaFolette, Dan Morgan, ex-state senator, and other of the late Senator Hall’s former legislative associates, blocked the plan to have the monument erected beside a Spokane County highway.

50 Years Ago

Colfax Gazette

February 3, 1972

First flood estimate: $636,200; emergency fund plans made

Initial estimate of flood damages in Whitman County was set at $636,200, according to Gov. Dan Evans’ request for funds through the office of emergency preparedness. Gov. Evans has asked President Nixon to declare Whitman County and seven other counties in the state as a disaster area and thus release emergency funds, according to Leonard Young, county civil defense director. Total damage estimate in the eight county area was $3,861,894. Whitman County ranked third in damage estimates. Cowlitz county sustained an estimated $1,020,000 damage and Lewis county sustained an estimated $841,000, the preliminary reports said.

Volunteers extend runway of Tekoa airport by 450 feet

Tekoa — Volunteer labor and equipment are working to extend the runway at Tekoa airport 450 feet on the west end to give a total of 2,350 feet of runway. Major contributors to the project were Jerry Squibb, Waldo Hay, Larry Heaton, Gordon Leonard, Norman Hansen, Kenny Nelson, E. C. Hay, Gene Rambo. Fuel was supplied by Standard Oil Co. at Tekoa. The City of Tekoa is presently seeking federal funds to help the city with its airport improvement program of runway extension and paving.

25 Years Ago

Whitman County Gazette

February 6, 1997

DOE flyover riles ag burning panel

Creation of the Whitman County Agricultural Burning Task Force last year supposedly put the reigns for burn permit control in the hands of local farmers. However, Washington State Department of Ecology seems reluctant to let go of it’s grip, second guessing the task force by identifying permitted local burn sites as “suspect.” DOE conducted an aerial flyover of the county Sept. 25 in which 50 agricultural burning sites were photographed. DOE found 23 of the burn areas to be suspect, citing inaccurate listing of section numbers on applications, variance in accuracy of site mapping, accidental harvest fires, that the site identified was within boundaries of an adjacent agricultural burn permitting authority, and that property ownership had been listed by landowners and corporations rather than the operators. The suspect areas led the local task force to reevaluate each of the sites only to find on Jan. 28 that there were “no significant inconsistencies with the suspect agricultural burns that would be considered out of compliance with Whitman County Agricultural Burning Permit Policies, “ Randy Suess of Colfax, burn task force member, told county commissioners Monday.

10 Years Ago

Whitman County Gazette

February 2, 2012

Port denied grant: Grain companies plan spring start for McCoy train loader

Construction of a high speed grain train loading facility at McCoy would get underway this spring. Sam White, chief operating officer for PNW Farmers’ Cooperative, told a lunchtime crowd at the Chamber of Commerce’s Farm City Day Tuesday that his firm expects to go “full speed ahead” with construction this spring. PNW, along with Rosalia-based Cooperative Agricultural Producers, plan to build a $16 million facility that would transfer grain trucks to tanks and into 110-car unit trains that would ship grain straight to Portland. White said a new rail yard at Portland has the capacity to unload eight 418,000-bushel trains at one time.

No sale on LaCrosse Whitman bank building

A public call for purchase bids on the former Bank of Whitman building at LaCrosse failed to result in a sale Wednesday. Chad Wendle, Pullman realtor who had been asked to conduct an auction for the building, said they netted one bid which had been turned down by officials for the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation. Wendle said the building will now be listed for potential buyers through a conventional sale process. Listed price for the building will be $58,900. The building also includes the Teapot Cafe in LaCrosse which continues to operate.