Pioneer Portraits - February 2, 2018

Ten Years Ago

February 7, 2008

Administrations at Waitsburg and Prescott school districts will now delve into the “nuts and bolts, the nitty-gritty” of combining middle and high school athletics between the two schools following approval by the Waitsburg Schools Board of Directors last week. Prescott’s Board unanimously approved the idea on January 24.

In the final game on Kison Court, Cardinals senior John Gertsch scorched the nets with seven treys and 25 points to lead the Waitsburg Cardinals to a 73-54 win over the Dayton Bulldogs. The win clinched Waitsburg’s championship of the Blue Mountain 2B Division. They are 7-1 in the 2B Division, 10-2 in the Blue Mountain League and 13-5 overall.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

February 4, 1993

Next time you are in downtown take a look up. You might not want to be driving when you do that, though. New “mini blinds” were installed last week over windows in Waitsburg’s City Hall, on the second floor. In all 11 windows got new coverings in City Hall, including the four upstairs windows on the west side of the building along Main Street. “Everybody has seen the new blinds upstairs at City Hall,” Mayor Roy Leid commented during the last council meeting. “It looks good.” City Clerk Ann McCambridge said that the old, tattered blinds were a source of complaints from residents who called the broken blinds “tacky.”

The Blue Mountain and Palouse River Railroad, a short-haul line that has taken over the Walla Walla to Dayton run, is trying to get a $1.2 million track improvement project going with the help of the Port of Walla Walla and the state and federal governments. The Blue Mountain line hauls grain and Green Giant-processed asparagus from Dayton through Waitsburg on tracks at the north end of town. In addition, the line pucks up wheat in Prescott and hauls it to Wallula for shipment in Union Pacific cars.

Fifty Years Ago

February 1, 1968

Waitsburg has fallen in love with Julie – and proved it with a joyful, tearful reunion last Sunday after she was named Washington State Junior Miss in Pullman on Saturday night, January 27. Julie Ann Stonecipher, daughter of Mr. and Mrs. James A. Stonecipher, capped two successful nights during the 3-day pageant by winning the coveted honor and an all-expense paid trip to Mobile, to enter the National Junior Miss Pageant in Mobile, Alabama.

The Annual Banquet of the Waitsburg Commercial Club will be held in the multi-purpose room ofthe Waitsburg School at 6:30 p.m., Tuesday, February 6. Master of Ceremonies at the banquet will be Larry Broom of Waitsburg. An added feature will be Julie Stonecipher, Washington’s Junior Miss, who will sing for the group.

The betting boot at the Days of Real Sport grounds in Waitsburg was a total loss as a result of a fire last Saturday at approximately 6:30 p.m. Officials said that some boys were playing in the booth and apparently a fire built to keep warm got out of hand. The rest of the building will have to be demolished. The Association carried no insurance on the structure.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

February 5, 1943

A house warming was given Mr. and Mrs. Edwin Lawrence on last Friday evening when sixteen friends surprised the young couple, who were married last fall and are living on the Frank Neace farm.

DeNova Club met with Mrs. Gail Talbott. Mrs. Jack Clodius gave a paper on “Cheese.”

Local farmers are signing AAA forms at the Touchet Valley Grain Growers office this week to comply with the 1943 Food for Victory program.

One Hundred Years Ago

February 8, 1918

Viola Longanbach, the young daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Longanbach of McKay Hollow, was thrown from her pony Monday and for a time it was feared the child was seriously injured. The little girl was on her way to school and upon meeting an automobile the horse whirled and ran.

Do not neglect the importance of full-blood roosters at the head of your flock. S.C. Rhode Island Reds for sale by Walter Price, Waitsburg.

C. B. Williams, while trying to make the turn around the dummy policeman at the intersection of Main and Second Streets, Friday, broke a front wheel off his car, when the machine skidded into the curb in front of the Model Bakery The car was moving at a low rate of speed but it simply refused to turn on the snow-covered pavement.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

February 10, 1893

A very pleasant sleighing party went out and spent Monday evening with Miss Jennie Roberts. A “delightful time” was the unanimous verdict of the guests.

While the present state of the weather, the extreme cold and deep snow are a little unpleasant we are all delighted with it because we know it is of untold benefit to us and our country in the future.

E. H. Allen this week put up ice a foot in thickness. The huge cakes were the flat lie thrown in the face of any who say that in this country we never have any cold weather. Change never to seldom and you’ll hit the nail on the head.