Good old days
February 29, 2012
125 years ago
March 4, 1887
Viewing the surroundings through a window last Friday, a little 3 year old girl living in the south end chanced to see a spot of earth laid bare by the chinook and immediately saluted it with, “Why, hello mud!” Many an older person felt the same way. Like meeting a long-lost friend.
The farm residence of Mrs. J.D. Mix at Uniotown was destroyed by fire last Saturday. No one was home, but Mrs. Mix lost her valuable wardrobe, household furniture, a Steinway piano, Judge Mix’s law library and a poodle dog. All fell prey to the angry flames. Cause: a defective flue; loss: $1500; no insurance. This loss is especially severe as Mrs. Mix has just enlisted in the large army of wheat growers, none of whom have grown rich.
The old engine house, landmark at the Wall Street bridge, has been torn down and removed by Jas. Cairns, to whom it was sold by the city for $52.25.
Farmington’s new bank, with a capital stock of $50,000, will begin business next Monday, March 7, with J.J. Humphrey of this city as cashier.
The trustees of Colfax College invite new proposals for construction of the building, in whole or in part, to comply with slightly revised specifications.
100 years ago
March 1, 1912
Gov. M.E. Hay will be the featured speaker at a two-day meeting to interest the Reclamation Service in a plan to conserve waters of the North Palouse River in reservoirs to insure a steady flow for power and irrigation purposes.
As a result of the farmers’ meeting at Garfield Tuesday the process of forming a county co-operative telephone company has advanced with bylaws prepared and sent for consideration to the 17 farmers’ telephone organizations of the county.
An organizer was in Tekoa last week organizing the Milwaukee carpenters, section foremen, bridge foremen and pumpers into a union. The aim is to eliminate foreign labor employed on the road.
Electric lights have been installed in the Malden Baptist Church.
75 years ago
February 26, 1937
On a tip from Spokane that the bandit who robbed a Spokane grocery store Wednesday was on a NP freight train due in Palouse that night, Deputy Sheriffs Walter Nicley and Ralph Waller looked over five men who were riding in the box cars. None answered to the description of the bandit. In “frisking” two of the fellows, it was found that each carried an imitation revolver in the form of a toy cap pistol, which probably would have served the purpose in a true holdup game. They were confiscated and brought to the sheriff’s office.
Making their first public appearance, the newly organized 21-piece community band of Steptoe played several selections at the box social at the Community church Monday. The social was held to raise funds for a drum with nearly $31 realized from proceeds.
A real treat for basketball fans was scheduled for Thursday evening at the Oakesdale High School gymnasium, when the All American Red-Heads, a world champion girls’ basketball club, was listed to play the Oakesdale Grange hoop team. Four members of the Red-Head team are six feet or over.
Of interest to golf fans will be the proposal that the city extend its water mains to join the water system of the city golf course thus ensuring a reliable and efficient watering method of keeping the local fairways and greens in excellent shape. The proposal will be presented to the council Monday.
50 years ago
March 1, 1962
A rightfully-happy group was the Endicott basketball squad, which copped the first place trophy at the county tournament last weekend at the Endicott gym by dumping St. John 54-46. A record 5,181 tickets were sold to the three-day meet for receipts of $3,922. That was about 1,000 more people and $730 more than last year’s tournament at Oakesdale.
Tekoa’s new pride and joy is its modern new post office which opened Feb. 9 with Postmaster Lloyd S. Hale at the helm. The 2,025-square-foot building has automatic oil heating equipment that can also provide refrigerated air conditioning in the summer. It has some 40 more postoffice boxes than the old facility. Dave Cohn had the distinction of being the first customer at the post office on opening day.
Establishing a school for retarded children at Steptoe came somewhat closer last week after three Whitman county school officials met with state administrators in Olympia.
25 years ago
February 26, 1987
The Korner Koffee Kup, the 50-year-old eatery on the north rim of Colfax, is undergoing a major facelift and its regulars are undergoing trauma. When the restaurant closed up two weeks ago, a whole following of KKK coffee drinkers was cast adrift. “The clan is like a bunch of lost sheep roaming around while it’s been closed. They can’t settle anywhere,” said Rolland Watts, a confessed clan member. Watts said one coffee drinker who regularly hits the 5 a.m. shift has been forced to stay home. His wife was surprised to discover her husband has a bad shoulder which apparently acts up when he first gets up in the morning. The remodeling took in the office and garage part of the service station and will increase seating from 31 to 53. The KKK has been the centerpiece of town gossip, as talk starts at the north end stop and filters south.
A brick-by-brick demolition of the former Belmont school has been underway this winter. The two-room school at one time housed eight grades with an enrollment of up to 90 pupils. The school consolidated with Oakesdale and Garfield districts in 1943. Bricks will probably be sold in California.
10 years ago
February 28, 2002
Palouse Empire Fair directors have authorized manager Bob Reynolds to pursue negotiations for a possible supercross motorcycle show at the fairground next summer. The event has been proposed by Doug Miller, promoter of similar events in the Lewiston-Clarkston area.
Tekoa City Council helped Harold Huff celebrate his retirement as chief of the Tekoa Fire Department and rural district No. 1 last Monday. Huff was a member of the department for 20 years.
