PIONEER PORTRAITS

Ten Years Ago August 8, 2002

The Waitsburg Blockwatch is gaining momentum, if turnout at last Tuesday's barbecue in Preston Park is any indication. An estimated 175 people - young, old, tall, short - turned as another stepping stone to getting a Blockwatch program established. On display were several vehicles from the sheriff's office, the Waits- burg Ambulance Service, Walla Walla County Joint Fire District No. 2 and Waitsburg Fire Department, the Walla Walla Joint Emergency Services Unit (also known as SWAT) and others. Several WWSO patrol cars were there along with bicycle patrol and sheriff's vehicles pulling WWSO personal watercraft and jet boat, both used for marine patrols during summer. The Blue Mountain Safe Kids Coalition was fitting and dis- tributing to young bicycle riders free helmets.

Twenty-Five Years Ago July 30, 1987

No citizens turned out for the special city council meeting to consider a tax levy for a Municipal Capital Improvements Fund. The measure, Ordinance No. 626, is for the purpose of imposing a tax of 0.0025 on the selling price of any real property in the city. Another Ordinance, No. 627, establishes the Municipal Capital Improvements Fund. Since no one appeared to speak for or against these measures, council passed both unanimously. The ordinances had to be in place by Aug. 1 for the city to be eligible to apply for a Public Works Trust Fund Loan from the State of Washington. The loan from the state is for the purpose of making mandated improvements at the city sewage disposal plant.

Fifty Years Ago August 3, 1962

Seven carloads of Little League baseball players from the Waitsburg and Green Giant teams were taken to Spokane last Tuesday by Bob Sickles, Carl Henze, Gerald Maib, Delbert Mock, Harvey Estes, Ivan Keve and Dr. A.S. Pearson. Boy Scouts planning to attend Camp Wallowa are Dick Baker, Gary Baum, Dave Baum, Joe Cyr, Dave Hevel, Mike Hubbard, JK Keve, Robert Maib, Stan Pearson, John Payne and Pete Ro- hde. The whistle blew at the Green Giant Company at 11 p.m. Saturday, July 28 to signal to Waitsburg residents that the 1962 pea canning season was over. The45-day pack was the longest in recent years.

Seventy-Five Years Ago August 6, 1937

The huckleberries in the lower country are now ripe. Several camps of berry pickers have been observed in the different berry fields. J.V. Glover says there is get- ting to be so many auto accidents on Sundays that it looks like a fellow will have to go to church for safety's sake.

Cal Malone, Will Keve, Johnnie Buroker, Jimmie Abbey and Earl Gillmore were in Bellingham last week playing with the Elks Band from Walla Walla. The band won first prize over eight other bands. Mr. and Mrs. Clarence Burch and children have arrived home from several days at Lake Chelan. On the way home they stopped at Soap Lake and visited the fac- tory there.

One Hundred Years Ago August 2, 1912

John Meinberg is erecting a large and conveniently arranged barn on his place south of town. D.C. Eaton has completed the threshing of his 200 acres of barley on the Neace place just southwest of town. The yield was a little better than 60 bushels per acre. The wind shattered the grain considerably which affected the yield somewhat. C.J. Witt and wife, who have been spending the past month with their sons, King And Bert Witt and their families near Alto, have returned to their home at Walla Walla.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago July 29, 1887

The new brick block will be completed in another month, and then Walla Walla can feel proud of possess- ing the most substantial main street in the Washington territory. Mr. Philip Ritz of Walla Walla estimates the wheat surplus of the Columbia River basin this season at 17,000,000 bushels.

A heavy frost last week turned the beautiful green of the potato tops and corn to a sickly yellow in the country around Colfax.

"Why is it there are so many old maids among school teachers?" asked our reporter of a Walla Walla school official recently. "Because teachers, as a rule, are women of sense, and decline to give up a $60 posi- tion for a $10 man," was the reply. From all directions come reports of fine grain yields, some fields making over 50 bushels of wheat per acre.