Good Old Days Dec. 22

Overman Howell, owner of the Howell Implement store in St. John, watches as a train clears the railroad tracks with a rotary snow plow in St. John. Circa 1937. Photo contributed by Becky Dickerson and courtesy of the Whitman County Library Rural Heritage collection. Howell Implement began business in 1928 and eventually became St. John Hardware & Implement.

125 years ago

The Commoner

Dec. 18, 1891

When a reporter stepped into the sheriff’s office yesterday morning to see what news the office might afford, he found that the office deputy was attending a trial in justice’s court; court bailiff was out after an insane man; jailer had gone to Palouse City on official business; Deputies Spencer and Young were both in the country on business pertaining to the office; and the head of the office was court bailiff, jailer, office deputy and all the rest in himself alone. And so it had been all the week through. Yet some few people think the sheriff’s office has too many deputies. Anyone who will go and see the way the force of the office is worked can’t helping knowing better.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

Dec. 22, 1916

A report from Washington announces that the government officials have agreed to purchase the property of H. M. Little, which is located on the corner of Main and Brewery street for a post office site. This property will cost the government $7000 and it was selected in preference to other sites which were offered to the government.

The site which has been selected by the officials will place the post office on the principal street of the city and its location meets with favor from a large majority of the citizens of Colfax.

The location which was offered on Mill street did not meet with favor from the government officials owing to its location which was without side streets. Those instructed with the location of Government buildings insist that they be constructed in that part of the city which can be easily reached by the people and there must be a street on two sides of the building. It was for this reason that the Little location was selected.

75 years ago

Colfax Gazette Commoner

Dec. 19, 1941

Pending further information, Joe Short, civilian defense commissioner for Colfax, asks the heads of all business houses to make arrangements for extinguishing night lights in the event of a real or test blackout.

When the warning signal sounds, traffic should be limited to cars in official use. All other motorists will be expected to pull to the side of the road or up to the curb, avoiding intersections and fire plugs, put out all car lights and all passengers remain in the car until the all-clear signal is given, said Commissioner Short.

The warning signal to be used here has not been decided upon, but it will probably be one in uniformity with the one expected to be adopted for this region, the commissioner said. Until a signal has been adopted, any unusual sounding of the fire siren or the siren at the state highway shop will constitute an alert alarm. An exceptionally long blast will be the all-clear signal, said Mr. Short.

Other suggestions made by Commissioner Short are:

“If you should be awakened during the night by an alarm, do not turn on the light until you are certain it is not a blackout alarm.

“Windows and doors of one room in the house should be so protected that no light would be visible on the outside.

“In each hotel or apartment building there should be one person responsible for the lights.

“By staying at home during blackouts much confusion will be avoided. It is possible some action will be taken whereby it will be unlawful for persons, except those on official duty, to be on the streets during an alarm.

“In the event of a practice blackout, the public will be notified in ample time to prepare for it.”

50 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Dec. 22, 1966

With the announcement by Treasurer S. H. Butler that the goal of $150,000 has been reached, Whitman County Hospital association directors Tuesday night turned their attention to details of getting construction underway.

Chairman Dan Scheideman cautiously predicted that a call for bids could be issued Feb. 1 “if everything goes according to schedule.” The chairman said that his prediction was based on a promise by the state health department that it would take 30 days or less to give final approval to the plans and specifications.

On the advice of Architect Arnold Barton, who attended Tuesday’s meeting, the directors voted to accept bids from “all interested contractors who could post sufficient bid bonds and prove their responsibility to handle a contract of that size.”

The directors still have no word on the date for a meeting with the Hill-Harris committee on the association’s application for additional federal funds. However, Barton said the revised application for funds had been approved by the state health department and the U.S. public health service.

The architect said he had been informed that Colfax was high on the priority list and need not worry about getting additional federal funds to match the added amount raised by the community. The total cost of the hospital has now been placed at $1,437,000 as compared to $1.2 million previously.

Construction of the new hospital will take approximately one year, Barton told hospital directors. Asked if the association could place a time limit on the contractor with a penalty for delay, the architect advised them that they would probably have the be prepared to offer the contractor a “bonus” for early completion if they expected a penalty for delayed completion.

25 years ago

Colfax Gazette

Dec. 19, 1991

Two shoreline operators are still in the running to lease 111 miles of rail line in west county and 94 miles in the Walla Walla area, according to Union Pacific spokesman John Bromley of Omaha.

They are still reviewing the offers but hope to finish in January, he said, adding things have slowed down due to the holidays.

Montana Rail Link reportedly is one of the two companies still in the running but officials from both companies refuse to comment.

Union Pacific received 35 offers from shoreline operators after announcing in July it wanted to lease the 205 miles of track.

The 94-mile section runs along Highway 12 through Walla Walla, Dayton and Wallula.

The 111-mile section runs in two segments. The first goes from UP’s main line at Hooper through Colfax and Pullman to Moscow. The second segment runs from LaCrosse through Lancaster to Thornton.

The lines are the lone rail service to LaCrosse Grain Growers, Wheat Growers of Endicott, and St. John Grain Growers. The grain cooperatives all use the UP links which feed into Hooper.

The lines also provide the only means for coal shipments to the WSU Physical Plant which provides heating for buildings on campus.

The segments of line in Whitman County amount to the “other half” of the UP loop system which remained after the east county lines were abandoned earlier this year.