PIONEER PORTRAITS

Ten Years Ago

June 30, 2011

Waitsburg residents and visitors noticed several weeks ago how each of the entrances to town – eastbound Highway 124, northbound Highway 12 and westbound Highway 12 – got new welcoming banners with the words “Waitsburg A-Waits You,” a phrase coined by Mayor Walt Gobel to invite travelers to the downtown area one block off Highway 12. In addition to the six new banners at city entrances, the city also put up 10 new downtown banners on the streetlights to complement the existing 11, and mounted 44 hanging baskets with petunias to the poles.

Farmers in the Touchet Valley are predicting their harvest this year will be at least a week later than usual with fields in the Prescott and Waitsburg areas ready by the third week of July and Dayton by early August. “Almost every farmer coming in says they’ll be seven to ten days late,” said Matt Weber, an agronomist with the McGregor Co.’s Waitsburg branch, which supplies them with farm chemicals. Concerned at first with the possible spread of rust, growers now welcome the somewhat cooler June temperatures that allow the heads of the wheat plants to mature more slowly and fully, promising a strong 2011 yield.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

July 4, 1996

Roads washed out during the February flooding is blamed for the lack of Bigfoot evidence this spring, but we do have a report. This one came at a point a few miles above Dixie off the Dry Creek Road, according to Wes Sumerlin and Lane Savage, who made a trip to the area June 24. They were there in response to a report of the Friday before by Sumerlin’s son and daughter-in-law, John and Sally, who first had spotted the footprints.

Fifty Years Ago

July 1, 1971

“Hong Kong was the most interesting port we visited,” was the comment of Joe Roberts who is home on leave from the U.S. Navy. “Anything you can name may be purchased there – and for a price from one-half to one-third of what a similar item would cost in the United States.” Joe, a 1968 graduate of Waitsburg High School, enlisted in the Navy in November ’68, took his basic training in San Diego and was stationed at Lemore NAS near Fresno. From October 1970 to the present time, he has been stationed aboard the aircraft carrier U.S.S. Ranger, with visits made to Japan, Philippines, Hong Kong, Hawaii, and the Gulf of Tonkin.

Since the weather has been playing hob with pea harvest, some of the working immigrants from other states have a lot of time on their hands, and have been looking for ways to spend it. Some of the young men asked Miss Florence Rees if there is someplace where they could go to watch TV. If someone has an older set in working order that they can spare, we would suggest that the Youth Center look into the possibility of a TV drop in the building, and aiding these young men with some way to spend their spare time. We think it would be a fine community venture.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

July 5, 1946

A kitchen shower honoring Miss Helen Lloyd was held at the home of Mrs. Jack Wright last Friday with Mrs. Donald Harris assisting.

Mr. and Mrs. Jack Cushin entertained friends with an evening of cards Sunday. Among the guests were Mr. and Mrs. Frank Kinder of Seattle, Mrs. Humphreys of Yakima, as well as a number of local guests.

Warehouses of the Touchet Valley Grain Growers are being cleaned and repaired for the oncoming harvest. Assisting the regular warehouse crew is Henry Reeniers, principal of Central School.

One Hundred Years Ago

July 1, 1921

George Bateman who has been running the truck line between this city and Walla Walla for some time has sold his truck to J. H. Wardrip & Sons who will continue the truck line. Mr. Bateman has accepted a position in the grocery department of the Perrine-Jones Co.

Ernie Daniel, who was driving a binder for Tom Groom, Thursday suffered a serious injury by being thrown onto the binder tongue. A muscle of his right leg was deeply cut by the guard and he is quite badly lamed as a result of it.

An inter-city passenger airplane service out of Spokane is to be inaugurated within the next thirty days.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

July 3, 1896

I. A. Wilson, Jack Mullinix and Ide Wickershaw arrived home from their month’s outing last Saturday. They report a rather rough trip and were all very glad to return to this lovely Burg.

Mrs. J. D. Laidlaw is north of Snake River making final proof on her timber culture.

Miss Mattie Parton arrived in the city from San Jose Cal. on Wednesday and was warmly greeted by numerous friends. She will remain several weeks.

Frank Hooker of Pendleton Oregon has opened in the Royal Block the neatest saloon ever in this city and proposes to run a strictly first class house. The saloon was opened last night with an elegant lunch.