Pioneer Portraits - August 24, 2017

Ten Years Ago

August 30, 2007

The City of Waitsburg’s official flag has been flying beneath the stars and stripes on the downtown flagpole for the past week or so. The City Council approved of the design in early June and accepted the offer of reimbursement for the flags from Bettie Chase, Bert Baxter and Mayor Markeeta Little Wolf.

When the gun goes off to start the 2007 Cross Country season, Waitsburg High School looks to be a favorite to earn a berth in the State Meet later this fall. Maya Garcia, now a sophomore, is favored to be in the thick of the competition for a repeat appearance at Pasco in November.

…Second-year Head Coach Tracy Barron believes the plethora of talent in the junior class combined with the leadership of the team’s two seniors, Shawny Ingle and Felicia Brown, may possibly carry the team to one of three berths to state.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

August 27, 1992

Jim Wilson of Waitsburg has been riding seriously for about six months. Now, the member of the Walla Walla Wheatlands bicycle club is taking on one of the most challenging courses in the state – the Courage Classic – a grueling 195-mile bike ride from North Bend to Cle Elum and on to Leavenworth and over the 4,061-foot elevation Stevens Pass to Skylomish and Monroe. And it’s all for charity.

Waitsburg’s “black” cougar has been seen again. Logger Jerry Harshman says he saw a black cougar along Payne Hollow Road, 12 miles east and south of Waitsburg, while driving at about 8 a.m. in early August. “It was jet black,” said Harshman, 48, owner of J-Har Logging in Waitsburg. “It was not brown, “he said. “I got a good look at it. It was absolutely a cougar.”

Was the City Council going batty? During the City Council meeting last Wednesday, Aug. 19, a bat flew into the entry of Ye Towne Hall, coming close to the City Council’s room just off the entry. Councilman Bill Thompson came to the rescue. He rolled up into a sword a stack of memos he had gotten from City Attorney Bill Bloor and like a swashbuckler of yore, he stabbed, poked and prodded at the bat, saying “shoo” more than once.

Jim Young was the incentive for a community potluck held in Ye Towne Hall Sunday evening, following his retirement from the Waitsburg School District after 25 years of mending buses and sweeping floors. Over a 100 were on hand for the event.

Fifty Years Ago

August 24, 1967

Delivery of the 1967 Walla Walla telephone directory begins next week (August 30.) Customers in Walla Walla, Touchet, Eureka, Waitsburg, and Milton-Freewater will be receiving some 20,535 new books by mail according to R. A. Tarver, manager for Pacific Northwest Bell.

Mrs. Goldie Carroll has been confined to her home for the past two weeks with an infection. As she will be bedfast for some time to come, she would appreciate visitors.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

August 28, 1942

Following the enlistment of Ernest Kison in the Specialty Corps of the United States Army the first of the week, the announcement was made that K & K Jewelers will necessarily close for the duration.

Acting manager for the Bailey Furniture and Undertaking will be Eugene R. Ray who has been associated with the work for the past seven years.

Another Waitsburg Future Farmer of America has gone to work. Don Gagnon who graduated from high school this spring has rented 160 acres of land which he will farm this coming year. With the land, Gagnon also purchased 135 head of sheep.

Samuel Harrison Wills, son of Mrs. Lillian A. Wills, has been classified as a mechanic in the army at Fort Douglas, Utah.

One Hundred Years Ago

August 31, 1917

Destruction of the O W R & N Railroad bridge at Alto was narrowly averted Friday night when the armed guard drove away 2 men who had brought a dozen sticks of dynamite to the foot of the trestle with the obvious intention of blowing up the structure.

Lawrence Weller this week enlisted in the Quartermaster Corps of the Army and was assigned to duty at Spokane, to which place he went Tuesday night.

Fine harvest weather prevails. We would not mind to see a little rain to settle the dust but fear that when it does begin to rain it will keep it up so we would rather it stayed clear until harvest is over.

William Hawks is giving the inside of the Spring Valley school house a coat of paint.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

Sept. 2, 1892

The tax levy for Waitsburg this year is 3 ½ mills. In Dayton it is 15 mills.

The wind blows and the air is heavily laden with Washington real estate.

Born in Lahania, Hawaiian Islands, Aug. 6, to J. L. Dumas and wife, a son.

The 7th year of Waitsburg Academy will begin Monday, Sept. 12 at 9 a.m. as announced in our catalogue.