Pine City receives a new welcome sign

PINE CITY - Pine City boasts a new welcome sign replacing the one that was burned in the 2020 Babb Fire.

According to Board Member of the Pine City Historical Society Teresa Brown, Jim and Sue Crutcher Rhodes, a generous couple who have never lived in Pine City, made the new sign possible.

Brown said that the Crutcher family does have ties to Pine City, going back to 1880 when Sue's great-grandfather, Sam Crutcher, first came to the area.

"Sam was born in Kentucky and served in the War of the Rebellion, enlisting in Missouri," Brown said, "After living in Nevada for several years, he came by wagon with his family to Whitman County."

Brown said that Sam was a farmer, orchardist and was active in politics being elected to legislature in 1885, prominent in the affairs of the county and state for many years.

"The colors orange and black, displayed on the sign and on the school sweaters and closing the board members are wearing, was chosen to honor Pine City High School," Brown said.

Closing in 1956, the high school consolidated with St. John, and the elementary followed in the fall of 1967, Brown explained.

Brown said during operation, the enrollment of Pine City High School was low. They took fourth in the state basketball tournament in 1940, a single classification year, beating Kelso, and again in 1949 a double classification year, topping White Swan.

"The school had athletes that would go on to play on a EWU Hall of Fame basketball team, were WIAA and NAIA Hall of Fame players and coaches were pro and semi-pro football, basketball, and baseball players," Brown said.

In 1948, Brown said, Pine City also sent a basketball team to the National A.A.U. tourney in Denver. "The Spokane Daily Chronicle called it 'a great day for the farmers,' Go Trojans," she added.