Good old days

125 years ago

The Commoner

April 19, 1889

Doctors Harvey and Pocock have made the final arrangements for the opening in the Watson House building on Mill Street, within a few days, of a hospital for the care of all sick and disabled who are in need of a comfortable place and good care during illness. Mrs. and Mrs. J.H. Leiter, both experienced nurses, have been engaged in that capacity and the patients will be under the personal supervision of the doctors. A first class hospital is a needed thing in Colfax, and this promises to fill the want.

D.F. Gibbons, agent for David, Rankin & Co. of Chicago, who erected the Colfax creamery, is in the city looking after the affairs of that institution. He states that no further trouble is anticipated in starting the concern to work, which he says will be done in a few days. It will, no doubt, be a profitable business; all others in adjacent cities are.

Justice Pattison had his first cases of hilarious drunkenness on Friday. The prisoners were walked before the bar of justice by Marshal Mackay where they plead guilty and were fined $1.00 and costs, amounting to $6.00 each.

Detective Frank Young made a haul of two stolen horses this week and restored them to their owner, a freighter named Miles, from whom they were stolen some time ago in Lincoln County. The thief, whose name is not yet given because he has not yet been arrested, disposed of one of them to a Mr. Wild of Pleasant Valley, for a cow and $15, selling the cow to the Central Meat Market in this city for beef. The other horse he sold at auction to Harry Hughes of near Palouse City, in Colfax Saturday for $57. Mr. Young traced them up and delivered them to Deputy Sheriff Conice of Lincoln County, who arrived on Tuesday to receive them.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

April 17, 1914

A section of state highway about four miles long which will close the gap between Thornton and Rosalia, is now being located by Engineer H.J. Doolittle. This piece of road will be the connecting link between permanent highway No. 5, leading south from Rosalia, and the Inland Empire highway leading north from Colfax. A petition for the building of the road is already on file.

A man convicted of petit larceny at Pullman was brought to the county jail Tuesday to serve 30 days on the rock pile. His stunt was theft of butter, milk and other edibles from back porch cupboards and refrigerators.

A feature of the teachers’ institute was the Uniontown school band which arrived in the city Tuesday noon and remained until Thursday morning. This is an organization of 30 members, all members of the Uniontown public school, ranging in age from 10 to 18 years, and is a bunch to be proud of.

Hugh Penn has been appointed manager of the twenty-first annual Elberton picnic and the dates fixed for June 17, 18 and 19. This has been an annual event in the Palouse country for 21 years and is looked forward to with interest by Whitman County citizens as the one place where they meet more old friends than any other gathering.

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette Commoner

April 21, 1939

In a photo, A.L. Wolf, Tekoa, is showing his brood sows and their spring litters and the boys are learning the importance of sanitation and the feeding of balanced rations in the hog raising industry. Hog judging and the visit to the Wolf farm were parts of the 4-H spring rally at Tekoa. Girls received instruction in home economics judging. Both boys and girls met together in the grade school gymnasium for community singing, demonstrations, entertainment numbers and a business meeting in the afternoon. With an attendance of 225, this was the first of four county-wide meetings to be held during the year.

Dr. and Mrs. R.J. Skaife plan early next week to start construction of a triplex apartment house on lots directly east of their home, S201 Mill Street, which they purchased more than 10 years ago from the Charles Kessler estate. The building, which will face on the Canyon Street hill, will have three apartments, two on the first floor and one in the basement. The structure will cost more than $12,000 and will replace the house which was razed last September.

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

April 16, 1964

The Most Rev. Bernard J. Topel, Roman Catholic Bishop of Spokane, will solemnly bless the new Holy Rosary church at Rosalia on Sunday. A special open house will be held at the church to which the public is invited since the new church was unfinished at the time of the diocesan-wide open house.

“Official opening” of the Colfax Elks golf course is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, April 20, Carl Akland of the Elks golf committee said. Tentative plans call for a breakfast to be followed by a match with golfers from the east side of Main Street playing those from the west side. Don Hamilton, former Colfax pro, has been contacted by the golf committee and is now looking for living quarters in Colfax with expectations of returning for the current season.

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

April 20, 1989

St. John and Endicott are each planning to add two families from the USSR in coming weeks. Members of both communities who will arrive through the World Relief Program. Trinity Lutheran Church in Endicott started on the project after an “overwhelming” positive vote, according to the Rev. Stan Jacobsen. At St. John the Christian Life Assembly plans to sponsor two families. The Rev. Ron Walker said preparations are in the preliminary stage there.

In a photo, city crew members last week put up a new sign at the highway 195 entry in north Colfax. Members of the crew were Stan McClintock, Bill Cavanaugh, Jim Thompson and Rod Wickizer. Jim Hedlund also helped install the sign which was designed by Dick Gebhardt of Colfax. The sign was donated by Whitman County Wheatgrowers and made note of the county’s wheat production fame. The entry sign which was formerly at the site will be moved to the Walla Walla highway entrance.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

April 15, 2004

After 50 years at Western Farm Service at St. John, Dan Weitz keeps going strong. The 78-year-old Endicott area resident started with the fertilizer company in 1954 and this is his 50th season of spring work. Dan Bonk, manager, said Weitz’s employee number is 15. Nationally, Western Farm Service employs about 4,000. “He can keep up with all these younger guys,” Bonk said. “He’s still a hell of a guy.” Weitz is more than 30 years older than the youngest employee at the St. John location.

Colfax City Council members toured the old Colfax depot Monday. The city council has not decided whether it will accept the vacant building from Palouse River & Coulee City Railroad.

With no substantial rainfall in Whitman County this month, the fate of the spring crop is up in the air. Weather forecasts predict showers during the week but with the quickly changing weather typical of the Palouse at this time, nothing is certain. Tuesday’s rain was sporadic across the county.