Serving Whitman County since 1877

Good old days - Jan. 6, 2011

125 years ago, Jan. 8, 1886

On the 29th, the Journal’s Starbuck correspondent wrote as follows: numerous accidents have occurred to horses and cattle of late, along the Riparia road, by the trains running over and killing them. On the Pataha branch the two construction trains are kept running night and day with material for the front. The white (work) force has been reduced to the track layers, number 85. The Chinese still number 400. A gang of 60 of them have been on a strike the past few days, caused by the China company trying to extort three cents per diem from their wages. If no unforseen delay takes place, the rails will be laid to Pomeroy in fifteen days, though the road will then be far from completion.

The special attention of stock owners is called to the Gazette’s brand book offer in another column under the caption of “A Great Offer.” The book can be secured upon the most liberal terms and no stock owner should be without it.

100 years ago, Jan. 6, 1911

Miss Helen James and Miss Emma Kalisher leave today for Spokane to hear Madame Tetrazzini sing at the Auditorium Theater in that city this evening. This will undoubtedly be a rare treat for lovers of classical music given by a great artist.

Word was received in Colfax last week that cougars were much in evidence on the homestead of Clarence Bruning, three miles east of De Smet, on the Coeur D’Alene reservation. George Horton, with three dogs, left Saturday for the Bruning homestead, but at last accounts had not captured the varmints, although the dogs had struck the trail several times, showing that the felines were still there.

Prosecuting Attorney Chamberlin has exchanged 175 acres of land near Diamond for a two-story, four part, brick apartment house on Cannon Hill, Spokane.

The new year was ushered in with a decided change in the weather. Following the humid days that characterized the fall months, the sudden fall in temperature to near the zero mark was keenly relished, particularly by the small boy with his skates. The last day of the year was characterized by a light fall of snow, not enough for sleighing, just sufficient to spread a white mantle over mother earth. It turned cold during the night, the government thermometer showing 12 above zero Sunday morning, Jan. 1.

The atmosphere was clear, the sun shone bright, but it was frosty, snappy cold. Sidewalks creaked and groaned under the tread of pedestrians as much as to say, “get off my toes.”

75 years ago, Jan. 3, 1936

Pneumonia that developed following a fall from the porch at his home at Wawawaii and an enfeebled condition, caused the death at St. Ignatius Hospital here early Wednesday morning of John H. Kennedy, at the age of 81 years. Mr. Kennedy was a native of Illinois. The body was removed to a Pullman mortuary.

Fruit growers are advised by the state college department of horticulture to delay pruning as long as possible because of the uncertainty of the amount and kind of damage caused by the unprecedented fall freeze. Where some work must be done within the next few weeks, before the extent of damage is determined, the pruning done should be much less severe than usually practiced.

The next important artist’s colony will be established somewhere in the Inland Empire, predicts Worth. D. Griffin, head of the department of fine arts at Washington State College. Artists everywhere are beginning to realize that the Inland Empire has some of the most unusual and interesting landscape to be found anywhere in the U.S. In addition, there are numerous Indian tribes that offer an abundance of material in the matter of characters and color for the portrait painter.

50 years ago, Jan. 5, 1961

Only three rural traffic fatalities in Whitman County occurred in 1960 compared to nine rural fatalities in 1959, Sgt. Jack Todd of the Washington state patrol said today. He complimented drivers for safer driving in the past year but urged Whitman County drivers to set a record of no fatalities for 1961.

The county had no serious accidents over the New Years holiday. Sgt. Todd said the count did not include traffic deaths which took place in cities with populations of more than 2,500. One traffic fatality occurred in Colfax last year.

A WSU student on his way to visit a girl friend was treated for minor injuries at St. Ignatius hospital Friday morning which he received in a car-truck collision at the foot of Buck Canyon hill north of Colfax. James Kemmish, 19, Spokane, told Patrolman Ken Miller he was en route to Walla Walla to see a girlfriend when he applied his brakes for a slowing line of traffic and slid across the roadway, striking an oncoming truck and trailer. He hit the truck on the right side and went into the guard rails, Patrolman Miler reported.

25 years ago, Jan. 2, 1986

Stephen and Sally Bishop, residents of Garfield for almost 10 years, had a big change of pace this Christmas season with the addition of three daughters to their family. The Bishops returned to Garfield Dec. 19 from a trip to Cali, Colombia, with Jenny, 11, Claudia, 9, and Edilsa, 5.

“They’re really fascinated by the snow. It seems like they want to go sledding every day and it’s a little unusual when you consider they’ve come from an area where it never gets below 50 degrees,” Mrs. Bishop said.

The sisters have been in an orphanage at Cali since last March. The Bishops arranged for their adoption through International Children’s Services in Bellevue.

Mrs. Bishop said the girls are pretty well adjusted to modern-day U.S. life. They had a color television set at the orphanage and seem to have a working knowledge of the U.S. culture. They received Cabbage Patch dolls among their Christmas gifts and they knew what “that was all about,” she reported.

10 years ago, Jan. 4, 2001

While residents were making plans for their New Years celebration last weekend, a moveable feast was already underway on some of the neighborhood trees around Colfax. Flocks of birds were making the rounds, landing on Ash trees and feeding on the orange berries which are left hanging after the trees shed their leaves. The flocks descend on as single tree and strip off the berries within an hour’s time. The arrival of the Cedar Waxwings are reputed to gorge themselves on berries when available. The waxwings, which arrive in large flocks, are joined by robins and starlings on the berry raids.

After nearly a year of working out the details of a “business facilitator” position, Whitman County and Port of Whitman officials decided last Thursday to scrap what had been done so far and the start the process all over again in 2001. Newly elected county commissioners Jerry Finch and Greg Partch met with Port of Whitman officials in a one-hour meeting last Thursday morning at the port office in Colfax.

The group came to the conclusion the position as offered is under-funded. A base salary of $40,000 has been suggested, up from $30,000. The employee would work with existing county business and try to bring new businesses to the county.

 

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