Good Old Days: August 15, 2019

125 years ago

The Commoner

August 17, 1894

The bureau of immigration at Spokane, says the Chronicle, is kept very busy now a days. Secretary Bolster answers, on an average, about 35 letters a day, from parties who desire information about the country, with a view to seeking homes in this state.

Many inquiries have come in recently from the farmers in the districts of Nebraska and Kansas, where their crops were destroyed by the hot winds and the drought.

The colony of farmers from Assinaboia which went down into the Palouse country, has been heard from. They are delighted with the country and have written to their friends to come to Washington.

***

In Monday evening’s serenade at the South End, the Colfax band displayed to advantage the remarkable proficiency it has attained under the able and competent leadership of Prof. Reed. The band no longer splits the air with a display of lung power. The members have been tutored by a master, and the playing has been smoothed and toned down, until all the delicate touches, sweet cadences and soul-filling swells of the composer’s art are brought out so clearly and effectively as to enrapture an audience with their poetic charms. The Colfax band has risen in rank, during the time of Prof. Reed’s leadership, until it gives promise of soon rivaling any band in EasternWashington.

***

Pullman has been “jobbed.” It now transpires that the gold discovery of last week was a fake of the worst kind, perpetrated by two Coeur d’Alene miners, who wanted to see a little sport and possible make a raise. King, of the Graphic, who gave authenticity to the discovery in an interview with the Commoner, acknowledges the corn in his paper of Saturday. According to the Graphic, the Coeur d’Alene fellows left town Friday, but not until they had boasted of how they had got the “horse laugh” on Pullman, and not until they had tried hard to make a raise on their salted well.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

August 8, 1919

The mayor of the city, Patrick Codd, and the members of the city council reached an agreement Monday to call for bids for the erection of a steel bridge across the river at Wall street. The cost of the bridge, together with the necessary work of constructing the approaches, has been estimated at about $3,000.

***

The Inland sub-station caught fire from some cause Sunday night and the fierce heat of the electric current melted the insulators off and they dripped to the floor like wax. The blaze was caused by the wires coming in contact, forming an arc light and the flames from this arc melted everything it reached.

The brilliant light in the sub-station caught the attention of A. H. Eldredge, who was passing the building and he immediately swung onto a car and rushed to the Inland station. There was no one present at the building and he broke a light in the window opposite the telegraph instrument and wired the dispatcher at Spokane to cut off the current as the sub-station was on fire. The current was shut off at Spokane and Mr. Eldredge went back to the sub-station to view the damage.

75 years ago

The Colfax Gazette-Commoner

August 11, 1944

Establishing headquarters here last week as state field supervisor in barbarry control was Allen Neumann, who arrived from Vancouver, Wash., where for two years he had been in the employ of the Southern Pacific railroad company.

He formerly had charge of the federal program in the eradication of barberry in North Dakota.

His first week here has been to start a three-week re-check of farmsteads where barbarry plants have been destroyed. This will be followed by a survey in the western part of Whitman County, where no thorough control has been inaugurated.

***

Completing reorganization plans for the Colfax school district as outlined by the county reorganization committee, created by legislative enactment in 1941, was the merging of most of the Jones district No. 146, ordered Friday by Ruth S. Timm, county school superintendent.

The southwest corner of the Jones district, comprising about one and a quarter sections of land and having an assessed valuation of $15,690 went to the Lacrosse district.

50 years ago

The Colfax Gazette

August 7 and 14, 1969

Plans are now underway to rebuild the large building which was destroyed by fire last Thursday morning. The fire destroyed the east end of the building which is located on the rear of the Standard Lumber Co. lot off Mill street. Total damages were estimated at $23,000.

James Hayes, manager of the Uni-Chem, said plans were now underway to rebuild the structure.

***

An attack on an aging fortress has been scheduled for Saturday as Colfax Rotarians, Kiwanis and Jaycees begin a general overhaul of the Schmuck park grandstand. The three clubs plan to go into operation at 1 p.m. for the fix up and paint up work.

Also, the Colfax school directors Monday night approved a plan to move part of the grandstand north, doubling the covered seating area along the football field. Director Wallace Nicley said the plan calls for cutting of 42 feet off the north wing of the grandstand and moving it to the north side of the present football grandstand.

***

Whitman County farmers weren’t surprised at the 12 per cent reduction in wheat allotments for 1970, announced Monday in Washington, D.C., but they are deeply concerned over the certain cut in farm income that will affect most residents of the Palouse country.

25 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

August 18, 1994

The Colfax Binnard Building controversy moved toward its final chapter Monday when crews moved onto the site to undertake asbestos removal. The project will precede a planned demolition of the building which has been condemned for the past year.

Meanwhile, members of the Binnard family have reported to the Gazette that they believe a time capsule of some type is contained in the 100-year-old building.

***

Hoping to make the best of what has been a bad situation, the operators of Diana Lee’s Restaurant are in the midst of remodeling parts of the restaurant during the time they are closed.

The Colfax restaurant was ordered closed for a second time by county health officials late last week. It had re-opened earlier in the week after county health officials had ordered it closed following a salmonella outbreak.

10 years ago

Whitman County Gazette

August 13, 2009

A manhunt that lasted over 12 hours around Colfax ended Monday at about 2:30 p.m. when Christopher Allen Davidson, 24, a fugitive from Oregon, was arrested on Railroad Ave., across the railroad tracks from the Perkins House in the Brown’s Addition section of Colfax.

Davidson, who fled from a vehicle on Highway 26 in north Colfax at about 2 a.m. Monday, had been spotted several times by officers and residents in the early morning hours. He then vanished for several hours during the morning and surfaced again at about 2 p.m.

***

Just in time for this year’s motorcycle rally, a Spokane family has opened up a grocery store in Rosalia.

Garth and Song Hill opened up the renovated Empire Foods Monday, giving Rosalia a grocery store for the first time since the previous owners shut it down in November.

***

Sean Lee of Lewiston, who was found tied up on Main Street in LaCrosse Friday night when deputies arrived at the scene to investigate an attempted robbery, was ordered Monday in a first court appearance to stay out of LaCrosse and not have contact with the LaCrosse residents who tied him up.