Pomeroy Pioneer Portraits

Ten Years Ago

April 14, 2010

Garfield County Memorial Hospital is facing mounting pressure from the state electrical inspector to modernize the existing building to meet current code requirements. The building is safe and has been well maintained; however, a building built in 1948 is not going to meet today’s more stringent standards for hospital grade construction. The concern is not just the electrical systems, but also asbestos, plumbing, air quality, lighting, radon gases, and substandard patient rooms. State agencies won’t allow the hospital to continue to operate without an acceptable plan to improve the facility.

The two-month roof, drain pans and downspouts installation project on the Seeley Theatre has been completed, made possible by a $5,000 Shepherd Foundation and $9,000 Blue Mountain Community Foundation grants awarded in 2009. A balance of $5,800, remains to be paid off with fundraising activities.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

April 19, 1995

Pomeroy Junior-Senior High School students will observe a disaster drill next week of a mock crash based on a scenario of drinking and driving by high school students. County emergency personnel will respond as they would in a real situation and is part of the ongoing Substance Abuse Prevention program in the county.

Other activities in Pomeroy during the final week of Drug-free Washington Month include tying red ribbons on car antennas, a poster contest, decorating grocery sacks and painting sidewalks with drug-free slogans, and a parade.

Fifty Years Ago

April 16, 1970

Natural basalt rock formations along the Hastings Hill access road to Little Goose pool, are receiving quite a bit of attention from passing motorists. The rock layers or “columns” were twisted into unusual shapes by movements of the earth.

Several persons were on hand Monday at a county commissioners’ meeting to protest the proposed closing the road upriver from Wawawai grade.

The proposed $130,000 special school levy for the Pomeroy district was given a resounding 686 to 172 defeat Tuesday by a heavy turnout of voters.

Several persons saw a flare gun being shot toward the hill behind the New Moon trailer court in east Pomeroy last Wednesday afternoon just before a grass fire was spotted on the hill.

A total of 18,000 legal size Rainbow trout 8 to 12 inches have been planted in the eight Tucannon lakes in time for the opening of fishing season on April 19. Alpowa, Deadman and Pataha creeks will also open, but the Tucannon river does not until May 24. Scheduled for planting a few weeks later in the season are Baker’s pond and Pataha creek.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

April 19, 1945

Garfield County Pioneer Association decided to go ahead with the annual Pioneer Day meeting in spite of war conditions, in view of the prospect that the European phase of the war might be over by that time, and the hope that gasoline regulations might be liberalized as a result.

Charles McBride, athletic coach for Pomeroy high school for the past year yesterday signed a contract with Highline school district Seattle, and will take over as athletic coach there this coming fall.

One Hundred Years Ago

April 17, 1920

A large crowd is assured for the opening game in Pomeroy of the Tri-County League baseball, as more interest and enthusiasm are manifested in the National game this year than at any time since the beginning of the war. On Sunday Waitsburg will meet Pomeroy and Dayton will play Prescott.

The death of Ludwig Koenig at his home in Pomeroy last Sunday, closed the longest continuous business career of any merchant in Garfield County. Mr. Koenig arrived here in October 1885 and became associated with a general store at Pataha City which at that time was about as large as Pomeroy.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

April 13, 1895

The street sprinkler started up this morning with Mr. Moses on the tank, and is doing good work.

Thursday, after a tussle of nearly month’s duration, John Fitzsimmons shook off the grip and came to town. John looks a little pale but says he could eat snakes.

Sheriff Baldwin left for the reform school at Chehalis Friday, having in charge a 10-year-old girl who had stolen several articles of wearing apparel from the Hart household. She was committed by Court Commissioner Brown, upon complaint of Wm. Hart.

The police of Victoria, B.C., have decided that bloomers are not suitable for ladies’ street wear, even when worn as a bicycle costume, and have taken steps to enforce this decision.

Ben Webster, who lives on Meadow Gulch, had the misfortune to lose his stable and three horses by fire during the heavy windstorm Tuesday night. The barn caught fire and three of the four horses it contained, were burned. He also lost his harness and other things of value about the barn. The loss falls heavily upon Mr. Webster who is a poor man.

Mr. H.W. Kimbrough says the heavy windstorm a few days ago unroofed his barn and picked up a straw stack bodily and carried it a distance of 300 yards. Several teams were caused to run away in that vicinity.

Mrs. Wm. Shonkwiler is suffering from a very painful injury of the hand. About four months ago, while sewing, the point of the needle in some manner penetrated the palm of her hand to a considerable dept and was broken off, where it remained causing but little pain until recently. Now the needle is making its way through to the back off the hand and the injury is becoming exceedingly painful.

Doc. Shaw won a Crescent bicycle at a raffle this week, and Harry Kimbrough drew the lucky number for a 95 model Imperial. The Crescent was won on a 6 cent ticket and 8 cents captured the Imperial.