Pomeroy Pioneer Portraits

Ten Years Ago

March 24, 2010

Sisters of Providence will travel from Spokane to Pomeroy on Palm Sunday to thank a dozen schoolchildren in Holy Rosary Parish for their donation of more than $1,300 to help children in earthquake-ravaged Haiti.

The annual Spring Farming Days will be held April 3 and 4 at the fairgrounds.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

March 29, 1995

Native willow and cottonwood cuttings from several areas on the Tucannon were gathered for the Pataha Creek Model Watershed project. The majority of these cuttings were sent to the WACD Nursery in Bow, Wash., where they will be planted and grown from 3 to 5 years. Cuttings from these will then be returned to the Pataha, Tucannon and Asotin watershed for planting along streams.

The illegal killing of a bighorn sheep two and a half years ago near the Tucannon River has turned into a $500 contribution to the sheep program in southeastern Washington, thanks to the efforts of local residents Steve and Holly Ledgerwood, and Gary Cole. After contacting Wildlife Agent Jim Nelson, they received permission to create a trophy display case for the skull and horns that sold at the annual Inland Empire Safari Club International fundraiser in Spokane.

Fifty Years Ago

March 26, 1970

Alvin Landkammer, long-time county road department employee, is in the hospital with injuries suffered in a rock-crusher accident. However, Landkammer considers himself pretty lucky because if his clothing had not torn he would have been crushed by a huge rotovater wheel.

According to the zoning ordinance, swine or goats cannot be legally kept within the city limits of Pomeroy. The health and sanitation department announced this week that the ruling would be enforced but that owners of such animals would be given a reasonable amount of time to dispose of their animals.

Eagles Lodge’s annual Easter egg hunt for all local children 12 and under will be held this Saturday on the grounds of O.M. Scott seed processing plant in Pomeroy.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

March 29, 1945

Bob McKeirnan of the Pomeroy High School boxing team won the state championship in the 155 pound class in the first annual Washington State prep boxing tournament held last Saturday in the Washington State College gymnasium at Pullman.

The annual Good Friday Union Service will be held at the Assembly of God church beginning at noon and continuing until 3 p.m with a short intermission between the messages of each minister of the community. The people of the community are urged to attend this service on this very special day of the church year. Business houses will remain closed during this three hour period.

One Hundred Years Ago

March 27, 1920

The three rodent pests which do the most damage in Garfield County are the sage rats, or common ground squirrels, which some years badly infest the grain fields in the western and northern parts of this county; the Columbian or red squirrels, which are found in large numbers every year along the timber’s edge on the mountains; and the pocket gopher, said Leo Couch of the Federal Biological Survey and County Agent Lewis at a demonstration on Saturday in the Rummens field below Pomeroy.

Another important business deal was closed this week when H.H. Hadley and D.L. Lewis of Dayton became the owners of the Pomeroy Garage, formerly owned by the McKeirnan brothers, and took over the Ford agency.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

March 23, 1895

The long looked-for and much-feared-it-wouldn’t-come, rain has got here and people are feeling better. The way the dust has been flying has been horrific, but the webfoot dew has arrived and farmers have a grin on as big as a pot lid. Let it come, we can stand lots more of it.

R.E. Allen’s spirited team became frightened the other day and came down Main street like John Stevenson’s trick horses on a fishing expedition. Bob had a lady passenger aboard who exhibited remarkable presence of mind, so it is said, for she didn’t scream even once. The horses were brought under control before any damage was done. The Brooks boys also had a runaway, in which a good hack was pretty badly demolished.

The boys made a dismal failure in the charivari of Charley Bishop and bride. They seemed to lack organization, coming in squads of half a dozen or more at various times and different nights. The crowd from Lynn Gulch were not to be outdone, however, but circled round the home of Tommy Dickson once firing their guns and then leaving.

A number of bicycle riders met at the law office M.F. Gose and organized the Pomeroy Cycle Club, fixing the membership fee at $5.00. Prior to this meeting some of our enthusiastic wheelmen had secured ground of E.M. Pomeroy in the lower part of town and graded a track. We understand that none but members of the club and their guests will be allowed the use of the track. It seems there has been some misunderstanding as to the general object of this organization by some of the wheelmen, viz: that it was an institution for sporting men mainly where betting and gambling would be the chief end in view. While it is not exactly a young mens’ Christian association, we are reliably informed that none but reputable characters will be admitted to membership.

The fire bell sounded the alarm Thursday night about 12 o’clock, and the citizens, such as heard, came rushing downtown pell-mell. After getting on Main Street, the bell again gave a short alarm and then once or twice more. Everybody was rushing around asking, “Where’s the fire?” and no fire was to be found. On examination it was found that the bell rope had got wet from the rain and this had tightened it so as to set the bell off. Some who came to see the fire threatened to never turn out again in case of alarm. It is far better that the alarm was false, and we all better turn out every time for the fire is coming almost surely some time. Better go a dozen false than to stay away when needed.