Pomeroy Pioneer Portraits

Ten Years Ago

July 7, 2010

Beautiful summer weather, a parade, barbeque and other activities drew a large crowd to the Fourth of July Celebration in the Park sponsored by Garfield County Hospital District.

The 29th Walla Walla Community College Foundation summer musical, “Footloose”, explodes onto the stage at Fort Walla Walla Amphitheater this week.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

July 12, 1995

Pomeroy firefighters had a relatively light July 4 holiday, but Fire Chief Larry Bunch said that a dry season in the future combined with illegal fireworks could be a recipe for disaster and bring on a ban of all fireworks here.

A new scoreboard was installed last week at Lybecker Field with the help of the Pomeroy Warehouse & Feed crane and donations of $3,000 each from Bank of Whitman and Coca Cola toward the purchase cost.

Fifty Years Ago

July 9, 1970

The American Legion and Babe Ruth league summer baseball program was explained to Kiwanis club members by John Gates, the program’s only active worker at present, who says he enjoys the program but it would be better for both him and the boys if three or four other adult baseball enthusiasts were involved.

Predicted revenue loss because of new census figures, the worry of collecting water and sewer bills from renters, passing of a new dance ordinance and recommendation for an amusement machine tax were all included at the Pomeroy city council meeting.

A storm last Saturday mainly concentrated in the Big Butte area and breaks of the Grande Ronde Valley caused some work for the fire crew of the Pomeroy District of the Umatilla National Forest.

The Peola Picnic will be held this weekend at the Big Springs picnic grounds in the Blue Mountains.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

July 12, 1945

Tuesday’s temperature of the present heat wave registered 99 degrees. The extreme heat disrupted normal ripening of peas to such an extent that operation of Blue Mountain Canneries had to be closed down Monday, resuming operation again Wednesday. Unduly delayed planting because of the wet spring followed by lack of moisture caused many fields to mature with unfilled pods. 180 Mexicans arrived last week to work in the field and at the factory plant.

Pomeroy Grain Growers have purchased the largest fire insurance policy ever written in Garfield County, the amount being $1,850,000, as “blanket” coverage insuring all grain delivered to any of their elevators or warehouses. It is said that the Pomeroy chain of warehouses is known by insurance companies all over the country both from the standpoint of fire hazard and because such a large amount of grain is centered in one congested area.

One Hundred Years Ago

July 10, 1920

There were some people crowding ‘round. The hotels put ‘em in the corridors; the civic club ran out of safood; at the baseball games special rules were made when the crowds overflowed onto the field; the dance pavilion managers had to rule off the spectators to give room for the dancers, and “standing room only” signs were permanently fixed in front of the moving picture houses. Every once in a while a pedestrian could cross a street between the cars, and Shriners returned from Portland longed for the quiet of a national convention. Garfield County celebrated Independence days in Pomeroy Saturday, Sunday and Monday, shattering several honored local records. Fifteen hundred people saw the ballgame Monday. Receipts from concessions operated by the civic club amounted to more than $1700, and the pavilion dances during the three nights brought more than $750.00.

With the city facing an immediate water famine, new regulations immediately restrict the use of city water for sprinkling to two hours every other day. Street sprinkling will be entirely suspended during the shortage. Mayor Kuykendall stated so many houses have been connected during the last year that the sewer system is regularly taking half of the supply; last night there was but eight feet of water in the basin and by tonight the supply will be entirely exhausted.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

July 6, 1895

Two of the scorchers among the Pomeroy “bike” crowd, P.O. Seely and Bert Brady, made a trip on their bicycles to the Tukanon Sunday and returned to town the same day with baskets full of the speckled beauties.

Our Methodist friends recently completed moving their church and have placed it on the corner where Chards shop formerly stood. The move was five blocks and the creek had to be crossed. The whole job was done without breaking the bay windows, or cracking the chimney. When it came to crossing the creek quite a crowd assembled to see the church go over. The bridges were so strong and perfectly steady that the building went over with the least trouble. It was suggested when the back end of the church was over the channel that the building be stopped and a hole be cut in the floor, so as to let converts down into the creek for baptism, but those in charge did not seem to look upon the scheme favorably, notwithstanding the excellent facilities it would offer for immersion.