Good Ol' Days

125 Years Ago

From the Colfax Gazette, Friday, October 14, 1898

HIT BY AN ENGINE

An Old Man Receives Fatal Injuries Saturday Evening

H.C. Whittal, an aged man of nearly 70 years, was struck by an engine coming down the steep grade west of the depot, about 6 o’clock Saturday evening and is no doubt fatally injured. At time of going to press he was not expected to survive the night.

The blow was received upon the left breast. The breast bone was caved in, the shoulder dislocated and several ribs broken. He has since been suffering internal hemorrhages and it is not thought possible for him to recover.

The accident happened while Mr. Whittall was walking up the track on his way to the home of his son-in-law, Ed. Lloyd, near the fair grounds. He knew the engine was coming and stepped off the track to avoid it, but at this point the pathway beside the track was very narrow and he failed to get far enough out in the darkness and was struck a terrible blow, which threw him down a steep bank of rip-rap, narrowly escaping going into the river.

It was some time before aid reached him. Thos. Hamblen was in the vicinity and heard the cries of the injured man and went to his rescue some time after the accident.

100 Years Ago

From the Colfax Commoner, Friday, October 12, 1923

MORE FORD CARS ARRIVE IN COLFAX

Joseph Meilleur seels Ten Car-loads of Fords in the last three Months

Ten car loads of Ford carssold in three months, is a record that ought to satisfy any automobile dealer, but Joseph Mellieur says that he should have sold at least three car loads more if he could have supplied the cars just at the time they were needed.

Mr. Meilleur took over the Williams and Gallaugher agency in this city late in the summer. The company was selling very few cars and they had sold very few for a year or more. As soon as Mr. Meilleur took over the agency the Ford cars began to move. They moved faster than they could be received. Everyone seemed t o want to buy either a Ford Roadster, touring car or Sedan. In less than a week, a car load of Fords had been sold and from the day thata the agency was taken over until the present time, it has been a problem for Mr. Meilleur to secure enough cars to meet the demand.

The last car load arrived the first of the week and another car load is on the road.

75 Years Ago

From the Colfax Gazette-Commoner, Thursday, October 14, 1948

INTERNATIONAL CHAMP! Jack Bennett, Winona youth, and his father, J. W. Bennett are justifiably proud of “Collynie,” Aberdeen Angus steer raised in Whitman County which won the grand championship of the Pacific Internation Livestock Epxosition in Portland last week.

50 Years Ago

From the Colfax Gazette, Thursday, Oct. 11, 1973

The site’s ready—bring on the new bridge!

Construction of a new pre-stressed concrete bridge across Pine Creek just west of Malden is scheduled for completion this fall. The old steel bridge was torn out several weeks ago and abutments are now being built for the new span. Swenson Construction Co. of Moses Lake has a contract for a new bridge at Malden and a smiliar structure at Pine City for $185,829.

25 Years Ago

From the Whitman County Gazette, Thursday, October 15, 1998

Pullman-Albion Road gets speed increase to 60 mph

High speeds on Albion’s routes continue to raise residents’ ire as construction work on the Pullman-Albion Road comes to a close.

The four-mile road renovation and widening project should be completed by the end of the month, Dane Dunford, public works director said Monday.

“We should have it paved and open for the Arizona State game, Oct. 31,” Dunford said, noting that Washington State University plays the Wildcats on Halloween.

The extensive, $2.5 million project has created a commuting nightmare for Albion residents who have faced everything from 30-minute bumper-to-bumper delays to extreme speeds on rural routes.

High speeds will continue between the two cities as the limit on the Pullman-Albion Road is slated to increase from 50 mph to 60 mph at the conclusion of the project.

10 Years Ago

From the Whitman County Gazette, Thursday, October 10, 2013

Tekoa looks to improve Goldenrod Cemetery

By Garth Meyer

Gazette Reporter

Changes may be coming to the Goldenrod Cemetery in Tekoa.

In the past two months, discussion by Mayor John Jaeger and the city council has centered on bringing electricity to the hilltop property to allow for better access to water.

“We just have a hard time getting enough water on it to keep it green,” said Jaeger.

“It’s really important to have your cemetery looking really nice. It says something about your town.”

In August, Mike Jeffries B&B Sprinklers in Spokane gave an estimate of what it might cost to install electricity, largr water pipes and a wataer lift station, or booster pump, along with replacing sprinkler lines.

“Most of the challenge is getting the water up there,” Jeffries said, noting the particularly low water pressure at the 10-acre site.

“The minimum is 50 pounds,” Jeffries said. “That’s why it requires a booster pump.”