Pomeroy Pioneer Portraits

Ten Years Ago

January 12, 2011

Work on a new recreational vehicle park south of the Pomeroy Ranger District offices is scheduled to start March 1. The park will cover just over two acres and will offer 32 spaces. A gazebo, picnic and playground areas, restrooms, showers and laundry facilities are planned for the future, as are a small store and permanent office in the one of the former Green Giant cannery buildings.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

January 17, 1996

Pomeroy city council voted at its meeting last week to apply to the Department of Wildlife for a hydrolic permit to perform clearing of Pataha Creek between 15th and 18th streets. After a photo of trapper Ed McDowell with a beaver he had caught appeared in the East Washington, questions arose about who had control over what was done in the creek.

Pomeroy High School’s wrestling team won all three of its dual meets last week, defeating Columbia-Burbank 46-27, Riverview 50-17, and Colfax 60-0.

Fifty Years Ago

January 14, 1969

Flood damage estimated at $1,000,000 resulted when Pataha, Meadow, Deadman and other creeks swollen from melting snow waters, overflowed as heavy rains hit the county early Saturday morning. The football field and the new cinder track suffered severe damage.

Garfield County Memorial will not perform abortions under the more liberalized guidelines approved in the November general election. The principal reason for the hospital board’s decision was because Garfield County voters rejected the measure although it passed statewide.

County Commissioners passed an ordinance limiting and controlling outdoor musical shows, specifically “hard rock” concerts.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

January 10, 1946

After many months of anxiety and waiting for news of Donley Dean Chard and John Martin, word was received this week by their wives that these two men lost their lives on Wake Island with 96 other fellow Americans, in a mass murder committed by the Japanese on October 7, 1943.

The Junior Chamber of Commerce basketball team will play against the nationally-known House of David team Monday evening in the high school gym. Regardless of who wins or loses it should prove to be an interesting game to all lovers of this sport. Two other games to be played against professional casaba throwers will take place against the Kansas City All-Stars and the Harlem Globetrotters.

A large oil tanker and trailer that skidded on ice and snow across the state highway on the Alpowa grade Saturday afternoon tied up traffic for several hours before the mammoth equipment could be straightened out to proceed on down the grade. It is reported that before the road was cleared to traffic 46 cars traveling west and 17 cars traveling east were tied up all the way from a few minutes to several hours.

One Hundred Years Ago

January 15, 1921

160,000 domestic sacks for next year’s harvest were purchased from the Pacific Grain Co. The price amounted from 7 3/8 to 8 cents a sack, delivered in Pomeroy next July. Last year’s price averaged more than 20 cents. It is estimated that a normal crop in Garfield County requires about a half million bags.

The annual Knights of Pythias ball drew about 100 couples to the Seeley Hall, which was decorated in the lodge colors and Indian blankets, with novel use made of Knights of Pythias uniforms for ornamentation.

L.W. Smawley and W.J. Nicholson have leased the meat market in the Wenning building and are stocking up with Walla Walla cured hams and bacon, fresh meats and lunch goods. They intend to do a strictly cash business and have adopted the motto, “The best is none too good for Pomeroy.”

The local high school five added another victory to their string by defeating Dayton 61 to 8, on the home floor Friday evening.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

January 11, 1896

Denny Ashby left last Saturday for Moscow to attend college. Denny is a bright young man, and we predict he will be heard of in the future.

Ed. Strain captured one of the two prizes given for best dressed gentlemen at the mask ball at Dayton New Year’s night.

We notice that Uncle Rufus Philips, near the Scoggins school house, is covering his house, which he commenced to build some months ago. Girls, old maids and widows be on your guard.

The hard winds have blown out four of the windows of the Chapel on Pataha Flat, demonstrating that the glass are too large for the windy hill, without shutters.

John Will Summerville says he is going to petition the council with a view of getting a permit to stay in town two or three hours when he comes down from his farm on the Mts.

Robt. Childers, near the Cox schoolhouse, had the misfortune to get his smoke-house, wood-house and tool-house destroyed by fire New Year’s night.

Mr. John Linville and family spent Xmas at Columbia Center. We think Mr. L. ought to have the button as he killed and bagged twenty-one chickens before dinner. He did not kill them with a “shot-gun” either.

Bob says there will be some dog get it “where the chicken got the ax” if he catches them after his sheep again.