Good Old Days

125 years ago

The Commoner

Nov. 16, 1894

The campfire at Grand Army hall Saturday evening, under the auspices of Nathaniel Lyon Post, was well-attended and was an enjoyable affair. The old boys in blue were out in force with their families, and they had any amount of appetizing viands, and in addition to regulation coffee and army beans. There were speeches galore, and among the orators was that veteran soldier and printer, “Pschyangue” Hughes, of Palouse. “Pschyangue” is a smart old boy, and he knows how to make just the kind of speech with which to tickle his old army comrades. The campfire was a genuine old fashioned success from every point of view.

100 years ago

The Colfax Commoner

Nov. 7, 1919

The members of the entertainment committee and the festivity committee of the commercial club have arranged a program for Armistice day and from 10 o'clock in the morning until late Tuesday night there will be a continuous program provided for the entertainment of the farmers and the citizens of this city.

Tuesday morning a delegation of business men will meet the incoming trains and automobiles will be provided to bring the farmers and other visitors from the depots to the business section of the city.

The automobile committee is headed by T. A. Gallaugher, Chas F. Bensel and George L. Cornelius. These men have secured a sufficient number of cars and every visiting farmer will be brought direct from the train to their place of meeting.

Mayor Patrick Codd in company with R. F. Bigelow, president of the commercial club, will welcome the visiting farmers to the city. Both men will make short talks and the nature of the day's program will be outlined to the farmers so they can arrange their business session and at the same time enjoy the best part of the day's program. The Whitman County farmers are to hold a special meeting Tuesday and they will be invited to take part in the program as well as to attend the barbecue at noon.

75 years ago

The Colfax Gazette-Commoner

Nov. 10, 1944

A better natural ice skating pond than Colfax's younger element has ever known before has been made out of the old pond near the sewage disposal plant by the Mast Iron & Machine Works bulldozer which have been clearing the channels of the north and south branches of the Palouse river on they city's flood control project which ends this week.

The present bed of the pond has been scooped out and a driveway on which cars can park, has been laid from the disposal plant to carry water for flooding purposes and to keep the water in the pond at the desired level, according to Councilman Roy Endsley.

With the Mast equipment more than 1,000 yards of gravel were removed from a bar near Sixth street bridge and were stockpiled for the city on the river bank between the bridge and the entrance to Schmuck park.

50 years ago

The Colfax Gazette

Nov. 13, 1969

Colfax Grain Growers had their best year since 1960, President Paul Faires told members at the annual meeting last week in his report on the cooperative's finances for the year ending May 31, 1969.

The firm's net savings for the year were $160,000, of which $80,000 will be distributed in cash to members in December with the balance to be paid at a later date. Faires said 1969 was one of the company's six best years on record, due principally to extended storage of the 1968 crop.

Harold Stueckle was reelected to the board of directors and at a later session of the board was named president to succeed Paul Faires, who was retained on the board. Joe Hodge was elected vice president and the board voted to retain Larry Brownell as secretary-treasurer and manager.