Good old days - March 17, 2011

125 years ago, March 19, 1886

In declining to give space to an anonymous communication we take this occasion to state that the columns of the Gazette can not be used by correspondents for the purpose of personal abuse.

Within the past ten days over 200 head of good horses have been driven from this section to points on the N.P. for shipment east, most of them destined for the Dakota market.

A man in Palouse City owned a dog and amicable relations existed until the faithful canine, annoyed his superstitious owner by setting up an unearthly mournful howling at night.

Coaxing and threats failing to silence him, the fellow took his gun and dropped the offender.

He then dragged the body to the river and consigned it to the weird, wild, wailing, woeful, whirling, weeping, whelming, watery, warmless, wallowing, wrathful, wrestling waves.

With visions of a peaceful repose, he started for home, but before arriving there, was horrified to see Towser come trotting along behind.

His fright was not allayed until he found that the shot had only stunned the animal, the water soon restoring it to life.

He now declares a dog has as many lives as a cat.

The amount of taxes assessed in Whitman County for 1885 foot up $64,426.66.

Surveyors are laying out the Shawnee town site.

Notwithstanding the fact that squirrel season had hardly opened, scalps are coming in at the rate of over a hundred a day. They come high, but we have to have ‘em.

Outside of the hotel

100 years ago, March 17, 1911

The building erected by James S. (Cashup) Davis in July, 1889, on top of Steptoe Butte, an historic landmark, went up in fire and smoke Wednesday night between 9 and 10 o’clock. The fire must have been of incendiary origin as the building has not been occupied for years. It was the dream of Davis to make the 3800-feet high butte a great summer resort. A $12,000 road was first made, winding up the south side of the mountain. The building was next constructed, costing $10,000.

James S. (Cashup) Davis

The first automobile to appear on the streets of Colfax this season was seen Tuesday. We salute the auto and greet the other blessings of spring life.

The city council last week declared its intent to improve Main Street by creating two improvement districts, one from Island street north to the O.W.R.&N. depot, the other from Island south to Cooper lake bridge. The last named district includes the principal business houses of Colfax.

An average estimate for the last six years shows 40 carloads of farm implements and machinery are being shipped to Rosalia annually. They come direct to farmers or are handled by local dealers.

75 years ago, March 13, 1936

Aubrey White, writer on gardens and landscapes for a Spokane newspaper, was in Colfax last Thursday with the satisfying information that the Works Progress Administration had agreed to build a road to the top of Steptoe Butte if right-of-way was obtained.

Alleged to have gone on a spree and to have threatened his family with a gun belonging to his son, Ed, at the family home near Ewan Tuesday, Gus Nelson, 61, was brought to the county jail by Officers Ora J. Rees and R.L. Waller, and so was the gun. Nelson was given 20 days in jail after pleading guilty to drunkenness.

For the third consecutive year Wheatland Grange of St. John won the grange basketball championship of the state Saturday by defeating Goshen grange of Bellingham on the St. John floor by a score of 41 to 29.

50 years ago, March 16, 1961

St. John basketball players couldn’t find room in the trophy case for the big traveling trophy which they won in the state B basketball tournament last Saturday in Spokane.

Friday was kite flying day at the Pine City school as they got ready for the annual kite contest that will be held later this month.

Lamont’s seventh and eighth graders recently spent time in Olympia where they visited Gov. Albert Rosellini.

25 years ago, March 13, 1986

Whitman Community Hospital board of directors voted to form a hospital district due to losses in operations. A special levy could be required to properly fund the hospital. The matter first needs to get on the November ballot.

Service station proprietors in Colfax say they are as mystified as anyone about what to expect in gasoline prices. Regular sells for between $1.02 and $1.27, including both self-serve and full-serve pumps. Regular gas was available in Seattle last week for 89 cents. Local owners say their suppliers give them no clue what gas prices will do.

Directors of the Bank of Whitman declared a $2.50 dividend at its ninth annual meeting. It is the second consecutive dividend to be paid stockholders. Currently outstanding are 62,997 shares.

The year-old Lamont-Revere Archery Club is organizing their first annual Rock Creek shoot to be at Revere next month.

There haven’t been lines, but farmers interested in bidding land into the new Conservation Reserve Program provided “steady business” last week for the SCS. Friday is the last day for farmers to submit bids to the government to put highly erodible land into grass or trees on long-term contracts.

10 years ago, March 15, 2001

Crews for the Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad Tuesday were busy cleaning up after five cars derailed and tipped over along the line between Colfax and Pullman on the south side of the S. Palouse River about two miles east of Colfax.

Whitman County commissioners voted Monday to continue the Jan. 8 emergency moratorium placed on applications for land use permits for cell phone towers.

A motorcycle was reported stolen at Steptoe Monday and mail was called in as stolen on the rural route just south of Colfax.