Good Old Days
February 15, 2012
125 years ago
February 18, 1887
Conditions are favorable for very high water in this city when a thaw occurs, and to lessen the possibility of damage to property therefrom, the dam at the lower end of the lake should be removed without delay. Old settlers agree that a flood was never more imminent. We are of the opinion that damage will be prevented by allowing the South Palouse to run un-vexed through the city during the coming freshet. What say the citizens?
The stage line between Garfield and Belmont is well patronized, nearly all the travel between Spokane Falls and Colfax coming via Garfield. This is one reason why another hotel is needed as travelers will be compelled to lay over there one night when the S&P railroad is completed as far as Garfield.
Beebe & Taft, proprietors of the Palouse Bottling Works of this city, have purchased the necessary apparatus and made arrangements for opening a branch establishment at Wardner, the growing town at the Couer d’Alene mines.
Hay sells for $18 a ton hereabouts.
On Friday evening, Feb. 11, the Colton cornet band, improving wonderfully under the direction of Frank Hooper, gave a masquerade ball, which was a very enjoyable affair, netting the boys $30.50. Mr. Hooper has also organized a vocal class of 36 which is a decided success.
100 years ago
February 16, 1912
The schools and all church meetings have been closed at Elberton by order of the Board of Health on account of the prevalence of scarlet fever. Four families are quarantined. All the cases are children.
The farmhouse on the Broadview Dairy farm burned last week near Rosalia. The building and contents were insured. A large house with 30 or 40 rooms for employees of the dairy farm will be erected next summer or fall.
Poles have arrived at Lamont to begin construction on the telephone line to St. John. Arrangements have also been made to construct a long distance line to Spokane at an early date.
75 years ago
February 12, 1937
Students of the Hamilton grade school have adopted a new wrinkle to the customary “valentine box” tradition this year. Instead of bringing their valentines to be placed in boxes for distribution, each student will bring the nominal sum ordinarily spent for a valentine, to be placed in a fund for the relief of the Ohio Valley flood sufferers.
At a meeting of committeemen of the Whitman Rural Electric Cooperative at the courthouse Saturday noon, a committee of farmers was named to represent the group at a conference with Spokane county representatives to consolidate the organizations into one group, which has been requested by officials of the Rural Electrification Administration in Washington, D.C.
An icy likeness of Abraham Lincoln appeared at the home of Fred Slate, who submitted a photograph of the bust designed by his father-in-law, Ogden Carey.
Closed since Jan. 26, the public schools of Colfax re-opened Wednesday morning after an enforced vacation of 11 school days caused by snow-blockaded roads.
50 years ago
February 15, 1962
Endicott’s new high school gymnasium will get a “county wide christening” next week – not with a bottle of champagne, but with about 100 rubber-soled feet – as the three-day 1962 county basketball tournament, held for the first time in the new unit, kicks off.
Moves to dissolve the Thornton school district were quashed at a school board meeting last Thursday night, when directors heard arguments for and against continuing to operate the grade school for the 13 pupils enrolled.
The annual county ping pong tournament will get underway Thursday at Endicott with all county schools invited to take part. The contest will feature boys and girls singles and doubles and mixed doubles and will be staged in the old gymnasium.
Connie Atwater, the former Connie Sullivan, is stationed in Tokyo with her husband in the Air Force, and has organized a baton drill team called the Jetettes which has become well-known in Japan for its performances.
25 years ago
February 12, 1987
Perry & Lee men’s clothing store will close up shop after 65 years of operating under that name on Main Street in Colfax.
Purchase of two portable computers for the Sheriff’s department, about $6,000 total, was approved by the county commissioners Monday morning. Sheriff Steve Tomson said the computers will be used on a trial basis to log evidence gathered by officers.
Albion town council held a special meeting to appoint Councilman Craig Whitney as mayor to replace Everett Hope who after two terms has resigned.
10 years ago
February 14, 2002
Mildred Riley of Central Ferry appeared at the office of the Gazette last Wednesday, Feb. 6, to claim the prize for the annual first buttercup contest. After conducting the first butterscup contest for decades, the Gazette for the first time is able to print the winner in color. It is yellow. Despite this upgrade in technology, the Gazette’s prize committee has again decided to hold the line on the annual prize. Mrs. Riley received $1.
The Seattle driver of a pickup truck which crashed into the flood control channel of Spring Flat Creek escaped uninjured. The truck nosed into the flood channel after taking out guardrails on both sides of the bridge where Poplar Street intersects with Highway 195 in south Colfax. The truck stopped in a vertical position and the driver, Cesar A. Alba-Ferreyos, managed to crawl out the back window of the cab and up a ladder.
Wildlife officials in an airplane counted 175 deer on the Snake River breaks between Wawawai Canyon and the Idaho state line. The count was conducted in response to farmer complaints of deer damaging legume crops and was lower than expected.
