PIONEER PORTRAITS

Ten Years Ago July 12, 2001 Five-year-old Kimmie Hamann joins a long line of grandchildren of Waitsburg's Jan Cronkhite who have performed in WWCC Foundation summer musicals. Waitsburg resident Janice Cook is the stage manager for "State Fair" which begins its three-week run tonight. Sixty years ago, American tree fanciers spent considerable energy finding the biggest trees of every species in the nation and compiled a list. In the National Register of Big Trees, Waitsburg is listed as home of the "largest common pear tree." Times intern Brad Green set out to find this tree. After calling local land owners, authors and tree experts from Salem to Seattle, Mr. Green found the Largest Common Pear Tree -in Lowden. Passers-by may view the tree from Highway 12 at mile marker 327. It was part of a fruit orchard planted about 150 years ago. However, Walla Walla has 66 largest species in the United States, according to Green's article.

Twenty-Five Years Ago July 12, 1986 A hot and dry spell accelerated the pea pack in this region this year, and yes folks, it's over. Smith Canning and Freezing Co. in Waitsburg completed the pea pack Monday evening, July 7. Since Greg Zuger was apparently the first local farmer in the field for the 1986 harvest, he was the first to have a grain fire on Monday evening. About three acres of barley was consumed by the blaze. Painted signs were put on the sidewalks of downtown Waitsburg to keep young people from riding on them, a practice which has proved to be very dangerous to pedestrians.

Fifty Years Ago July 14, 1961 Mr. & Mrs. Ray Gardner announce the engagement of their daughter Laura Faye, to James Young, son of Mrs. Luther Carver of Walla Walla. The damage by the rust to the wheat crop is as much or more than was expected. June heat caused shriveled heads in the wheat crops, also tending to lessen yields. In town this week are Brenda, Bob and Mike Sharp of Salmon, Idaho, former residents and students here. They visited with relatives and friends.

Seventy-five Years Ago July 17, 1936 The Mill Stream Dairy is the name given to the new and modern plant just completed by Kenneth Bickelhaupt, and which is to be ready for business on Saturday, Aug. 1. Oscar Abbey completed Wednesday the harvesting of 300 acres of triplet wheat on his farm 7 miles below Walla Walla, near Whitman Station. The grain yielded a little better than 20 bushels per acre. Joe Mount and Miss Marion Kingsman have returned from Coeur d'Alene where they attended the Episcopalian Camp.

One Hundred Years Ago July 14, 1911 J.L. Harper, of the Preston-Shaffer Milling Co. is just completing the erection of a beautiful farm home on his ranch 3 miles northeast of this city - which is farmed by James Kinder. At a regular meeting of the City council Wednesday evening it was decided to hire a man and time to devote his entire time to doing the sprinkling on Main Street and in the residential district during the rest of the season. An enthusiastic gathering of poultry raisers was held Saturday at the Commercial Club rooms at Dayton and preliminary steps were taken in the formation of the Touchet Valley Poultry Raising Association.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago July 9, 1886 We learn that a number of cowboys attempted to capture the celebration at Dixie last Saturday but were soon persuaded to abandon their purpose. Wednesday was a very hot day followed by the hottest night of the season. H.A. Fisher is building a very substantial warehouse by Prescott. It is 49 by 76 feet by 14 ½ feet high. An appointment of the school fund of this county was made last week. The amount apportioned was 50 cents to each child between 5 and 21 years of age.