Pioneer Portraits

Ten Years Ago-September 4, 2008

Progress on the “Paint the Town” Project has built some momentum with pledges of paint, discounts and cash. Project volunteers met with building owners to make color decisions this week, so painting can begin in earnest this weekend. Buildings that are planned for painting this weekend are the EZ Way, Farmers Café’, and the Weller Library. Prep work will be done on the Whoopem Up Hollow Café, jimgermanbar, AMO Art and the Cenex Station over the next week so they will be ready for painting the following weekend, Cunningham said.

A British professor who studies Flood Risk Management visited Waitsburg last week at the behest of Spring Rise Resortation, Tri-Cities consulting firm conducting a study of the Touchet River. Colin R. Thorne, PhD, spoke to an audience of some two dozen people at Y Town Hall, presenting a global view of future flood potential. Attending the meeting were Touchet River landowners and individuals who were involved in the flooding events of the 1990’s.

Twenty-Five Years Ago-August 26, 1993

As harvest winds down, growers for the most part have enjoyed high yields. Averages in the Waitsburg area have been 90-100 bushels per acre, up slightly from last year. That’s the good news. The bad news is there is a soilborne fungal disease called cephalosporium stripe that is threatening yields in the area.”Cephalosporium stripe has been a large yield robber this year in the higher rainfall areas, Pat McConnel, manager of McGregor’s Waitsburg plant, said.

Dayton High School has been awarded $5000 by Yamata High School to foster Asian students and cultural exchange over the next three years for Dayton students.

Punt, Pass, and Kick is back in Dayton. After more than a decade on the bench, the popular competition for boys and girls sponsored by the National Football League and Gatorade returns to Dayton Sept 18. The Jaycees of Dayton, as well as Jaycees statewide have joined to help organize the Punt, Kick, and Pass of Washington. In addition, the Seattle Seahawks is a sponsor of the Punt, Pass, and Kick.

Fifty Years Ago-August 29, 1968

Pictured are the new members of the Waitsburg School faculty-Janet Caldwell, Jr, High English-Betty Dorsey, Girls P. E. –Gary Ogden, Vo. Ag and Shop-Rich Ames, High School English-Walt Warehime, 6th Grade-Ben Brucker-5th Grade, Allen Mattison, Art-Mel Cox-Boys P. E.-Donnie Henderson, Home Ec-Ken Beasley, High School Science.

A coal-fired steam-electric generating plant may seem a bit old-fashioned at the dawn of the nuclear power age. But there are sound reasons for the decision by Portland’s Pacific Power & Light Co and the Washington Water Power Co to erect a $200 million, 1.4 million-kilowatt coal facility near Centralia, even as they join other utilities in long range planning for future nuclear plants.

Seventy-Five Years Ago-Sept 3, 1943

Funeral services were held for the late Benjamin I. Stimmel at Carrizago, N. M. on Monday Aug 30. Mr. Stimmel died early Saturday morning after an illness of about 4 years. Mrs. C. H. Easton of Waitsburg is a daughter.

Teachers in grade school include Henry Reimers, Principal and eight grade: Mrs. Daisy Wale, seventh, Mrs. Margaret Ward, sixth, Miss Mildred Minnick, fifth, Mrs. Gladys Williamson, fourth, Mrs. Gladys Keve, third, Miss Margaret Klingerman, second, and Mrs. Aleta Combs, first.

Mr. and Mrs. Carl Rediaczyk of Blythe, CA, were Saturday visitors to Waitsburg. Mrs. Radlaczyk will be remembered as Beulah Campbell.

One Hundred Years Ago-Sept 6, 1918

Among the rural schools in this locality we note that the school in District 16 will have Catherine Fitzgerald in charge, Dist 21, Margaret Taylor, Dist 44, Fleeta Kinder, Dist 52, Ethel French, Dist 72, Minnie Darance. Harry Conover will be principal of the Lowden School again this year.

James Shea, the well known farmer who has been running a big stationary threshing outfit this season, lost the separator by fire last Friday about noon.

While returning Sunday from an outing in the mountains above Dixe, J. B. Duncan and family were held up by a dozen or so punctures caused by running over a porcupine that attempted to cross the road in front of the auto. The porky filled the tires with quills and many of them punctured the inner tube.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

Sept 8, 1893

The ladies of the M. E. Church will give festival in the store building formerly in the store building formerly occupied by Macomber and McCann on Saturday afternoon, for the purpose of raising the wherewith to pay the balance on Rev. J. C. Warren’s salary.

Dr. J. H. Hudgin, John McArthur and Chas. Heckett left on Tuesday to hunt for the much-talked of but never seen “Lost Lake “which tradition says is hidden in some deep recess of the Blue Mountains. To break the monotony of the search, the hunters will occasionally kill a bear, deer, elk, etc, etc. They will be gone about three weeks.

Born near this city, Aug 25 to the wife of J. P. Buroker a son. We invoke blessings on the newcomer.

The authorities at Dayton made a run on the gambling houses up there on Monday, closed them all up and as a consequence of our town is over stocked with tin horns. Keep your eye on your purse string.