PIONEER PORTRAITS

Ten Years Ago August 23, 2001

The Washington State Patrol presented Pat Mohney of Waitsburg with an Award of Merit Tuesday in Walla Walla, recognizing him for his role in fending off dogs attacking three-year-old Alexis Nordman and her mother Terrie outside of Waitsburg last April.

Waitsburg's Angela Smith, queen of the 2001 Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days, with princesses' Candice Denton and Katie Marun, will join concertgoers enjoying "Lonestar", one of country music's hottest groups on stage Wednesday, Aug. 29. Angela is the daughter of Glen and Adelle (Ford) Smith of Waitsburg.

Ribbons were garnered by a local brother and sister team at a Yakima horse show. Sarah and Isaac Huether brought home numerous ribbons from the Washington State Junior Horse Show August 10-12.

Twenty-Five Years Ago August 21, 1986

Woody Epp is ready to serve customers needing his skills in the fabrication and repair of upholstery, leather and canvas materials and items. Epp recently opened the shop in the old Odd Fellows building on Main.

A new storage shed is up and in use at the County Barn located at First and Main. The steel structure will close in the south side of the storage yard and provide protection from the elements to several of the county's pieces of equipment.

J.C. Picton, 10, son of Margaret Nettles Picton of Waitsburg, was flown to the burn center at Harborview Hospital on Tuesday as the result of burns suffered in an accident while visiting his grandmother's home.

Fifty Years Ago August 25, 1961

Ed Bird and Mike White have returned from a vacation to Los Angeles, Calif.

J.B. Duncan of Portland, brother of the late Mrs. Myrtie Wheeler, has sent The Times office an old scrapbook which had been kept by the former publisher and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. E.L. Wheeler.

Laura Faye Gardner and Thomas James Young were married August 20 at the country home of her parents, Mr. and Mrs. Ray Gardner. Rev. L.R. Phillips of the Methodist Church officiated.

Seventy-Five Years Ago August 28, 1936

Mr. and Mrs. H.W. Beckley who have been visiting in Benge with relatives enjoyed a week's family reunion at Heritage resort on the Little Coeur d'Alene Lake last week.

Mr. and Mrs. George Samuel and daughter Frances spent Sunday at White Bluffs, Wash., attending the annual regatta on the Columbia River. There were about twenty boats in the contest.

Chas E. Packard, vocational teacher, with Bob Brown, Lee Hamby, Morris Ganguet, Jerry Vollmer, Virgil Winnett and Orval Hays, members of the Ag class, are visiting Walla Walla, Dayton and Prescott schools, where they are trying out their knowledge of beef cattle. The three best of the group will be selected as a stock judging team at the county fair.

One Hundred Years Ago August 25, 1911

Miss Lois Conover and Mrs. Frank Kinder were quietly married last Saturday evening, August 19, at the Christian Church parsonage, Rev. W.H. Harris performing the ceremony.

The Park Committee of the City Council cleared and leveled 300 yards of ground at Preston Park which the Paving Companies covered with "binder" and asphalt, which was then rallied down to make a smooth surface and a "dandy" tennis court.

Saturday morning Mrs. N.B. Atkinson was presented with a fine new buggy by friends and businessmen to replace the one burned with the barn Saturday night.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago August 20, 1886

Joaquin Miller has become editor of the Golden Era magazine in San Francisco.

Our city street commissioner, whoever he is, had better take his little hatchet and drive down the nails in the sidewalks about town, especially Main Street. Some places are dangerous on account of protruding nails.

A.C. Dickinson threshed from one field of 150 acres on his Spring Valley farm some 5,150 bushels of wheat, or an average of 35 bushels per acre. The remainder of his farm did not turn out quite so well, varying from 20 to 30 bushels per acre. His entire crop will be around 10,000 bushels.

Mr. Lewis Neace will move his family shortly into Waitsburg to get the benefit of the new Academy.

Twenty-two detectives of the Pinkerton & Theil (Denver) detective agencies have been posted at "the front" on the Cascade branch, under the deputy marshal commissions, to aid in averting trouble between the white and Chinese hands.

This Week in Washington history

It was the frontier movement toward settlement of the Oregon Question that brought the issue to a head. These pioneers were so essential in securing title to their lands, be extended to the Northwest Territory. They demanded the termination of the joint occupation agreement between Great Britain and the United States which had been made primarily for the trapper and trader, and was not applicable to the settlers.

Father Pierre Jean DeSmet, first Catholic bishop in Oregon, summed it up in his report of August 17, 1945:

"In the Oregon question, 'John Bull' without much to talk, attains his end and secures the most important part of the country; whereas 'Uncle Sam', displodes a volley of words, inveighs and storms! Many years have passed in debates and useless contention, without one single practical effort to secure real or pretend rights."