Pioneer Portraits

Ten Years Ago

September 10, 2009

Historic Wait's Mill destroyed by spectacular Sunday morning fire. "The Waitsburg mill is on fire and is fully involved." Dayton Dispatch reported about ten minutes after 4 in the morning last Sunday...We may never know what sparked the fire that destroyed Wait's Mill. We do know an irreplaceable piece of Waitsburg's legacy was lost forever.

Another strong contingent of FFA and 4-H members will be showing their animal projects at the Columbia County Fair in Dayton this weekend. They're even showing Cats...the meowing kind...not the Broadway musical.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

September 1, 1994

Volunteers take a bite out of building budget. A group of volunteers led by Jim Leid of Waitsburg has saved the school district possibly $28,000 by ripping out walls and ceilings of venerable Preston Hall, the Waitsburg landmark being restored into a new junior high school.

Air search finds well-cared-for pot plants growing near Touchet River. One-hundred and eighty five marijuana plants, some as tall as 10 feet, were found in an aerial patrol by Walla Walla County sheriff's deputies last week.

German students Anne Dickoff, and Gerald Rebitzer, stopped in Waitsburg Aug 22 to "refuel" at Farmers Cafe. They are on tandem-bike trek from Montana to San Diego.

Fifty Years Ago

September 4, 1969

Dorthe Wright of Waitsburg enjoyed a short vacation about a month ago-that is until she returned home and discovered that someone had taken her large Alaskan fishing float from its position of prominence on her front porch.

Two head of cattle are said, Wednesday, to still be at large near the Wallula Junction. They are part of a two-decked truck load that turned over near the scale house last week.

Photo Caption: Waitsburg anglers have successful trip out of Westport. A most happy group of salmon fisherman gathered in the King Witt backyard last Friday morning to wash down and distribute their ocean prizes. Left to right: Roy Leid, Ivan Keve, Sam Hall, Gerry Vollmer, Neil Witt, Jack Otterson, Harry Timpy, Harold Bloor and King Witt.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

September 8, 1944

During the two-day race and rodeo held in Walla Walla last weekend, Miss Kathleen McCaw of Prescott was chosen as the "G I Girl of the West" by soldiers at the Walla Walla army air field.

A heavy hailstorm of short duration hit Eureka Saturday morning during which lightning hit the telephone line, blowing out fuses.

Cyril Long, age 13, son of Art Long, formerly of Waitsburg, was bucked off a horse two weeks ago at Enterprise, Ore. and was seriously injured internally.

In a setting of simplicity and beauty, Miss Patricia A. Hirsch, and Roy Leid, exchanged nuptial vows at 3 o'clock Sunday afternoon, Sept. 3 in the Presbyterian Church with Rev. Paul Roper officiating.

Mr. and Mrs. C. Bauer, of Ritzville were married August 24, in the Pioneer Methodist Church, Walla Walla the Rev. Alfred Carter of Kennewick, officiating.

One Hundred Years Ago

September 12, 1919

Born at the farm home in Wilson Hollow, Friday, Sept. 5th, 1919, to Mr. and Mrs. Fred Bachmann, a daughter.

J.H. Wardrip has sold his 9-acre tract known as the Rice Place, a short distance east of town to a Mr. Casey of Eureka, Wash. Consideration $5,500. There is a house and barn on the place and several acres of apple orchard.

J. L. Schultz has installed a new sorter at the packing house at his orchard and has a new truck for hauling his apple crop, which promises to be abundant this year.

Mr. and Mrs. O.M. Conover and Glenn Conover and wife of Spring Valley, left Saturday for Troy, Ore. to visit their daughter and sister. They are making the trip by auto and have their camping gear with them and expect to enjoy an outing as well as a visit. They will be gone a week or 10 days.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

September 7, 1894

"Whiskey and sugar are going up." So the market reports inform us. This is a reversal of the usual order of things.

W.B. Shaffer and family, A. L. Mathery and family, and J. C. Neace and family tumbled down from the mountains early Monday morning.

James Fudge left a couple of apples at this office that are certainly entitled to the blue ribbon for size and beauty.

While David Miller was threshing for Mr. Petre last Saturday afternoon fire was seen under the derrick table and, before it could be extinguished, the separator, derrick and a new wagon belonging to Mr. Miller, and four stacks of grain belonging to Mr. Petre were consumed. The fire was caused by the friction of the tumbling rod on a jack. As there was no insurance the loss falls heavily on Mr. Miller.