Pomeroy Pioneer Portraits

Ten Years Ago

March 30, 2011

A group of agriculturalists from Finland spent Sunday in Garfield County, touring the Eastern Washington Agricultural Museum and Pataha Flour Mills.

The fourth grade class held a “potlatch” last week demonstrating history, culture, traditions, and geography of various Native America tribes they have been studying and writing about for the past month.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

April 3, 1996

County voters, for the second time, failed to pass the hospital district’s request for a $495,000 capital improvement bond, 446 yes to 348 no votes meant the 56.17% didn’t meet the required 60%.

Old six-inch sewer pipe, which had been plugged by huge root balls, is being replaced by new eight-inch pipe.

Fifty Years Ago

April 1, 1971

Seven babies were born in Garfield County Memorial Hospital during March. The total for the entire year 1970 was 11. No babies were born in the hospital in January and February either year.

Tom McDowell, Pomeroy Collision & Glass, and Ray McKeirnan, McKeirnan Hardware & Implement Co., have been representing Pomeroy this season at stock car races. Lee Lacey, Up & Up Tavern, competes in motorcycle racing.

Contractor Steelman-Duff presently has 42 employees working on the 3.2 mile section U.S. Highway 12 being rebuilt from the Garfield County line to Alpowa creek.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

March 28, 1946

A Hereford owned and raised by the Hannas brothers placed first in the senior yearling female class at the Spokane Livestock Show and sale and is the highest-priced heifer from Garfield County ever to be sold in the auction ring, selling for $1,500.

A three-way automobile accident occurred on Main street when a truck driven by Francis Morgan pulled away from the curb, not noticing an approaching oil truck driven by Harry Ruark. Morgan ran into the tanker, forcing it into the curb and hitting a large, unoccupied coupe owned by James Scoggin. All three vehicles were damaged, with the Scoggin coupe receiving the greatest amount.

“Pep Parade,” the local talent play sponsored by the Junior Chamber of Commerce for the benefit of the county cancer drive, will be presented in the high school auditorium.

Blue Mountain Canneries crew of men will begin seeding the first of 2,700 acres of Green Giant peas to be processed in the local plant this year.

James Keeth of Spokane sold a 2,100 acre farm 12 miles northwest of Pomeroy to Charles Finucane of Spokane at a reported cash consideration of $95,000.

One Hundred Years Ago

April 2, 1921

What may be accomplished by community effort in road repair work was again demonstrated when the “Blind” grade was given a thorough overhauling by the combined forces of the Pomeroy Commercial Club and the Tucannon farmers. The job was well done, the road experts say. Men with picks and shovels removed rocks too large to be taken out by the grader and leveled and smoothed the surface. H.H. Hadley and D.L. Lewis followed behind and gave the work a finishing touch. Neighborhood women did their full part by serving a splendid meal, according to everyone who was so fortunate as to partake of it.

E.C. Fanning is building three-seated bodies for Ford cars, which some users claim are much better than the bodies that come with the machines.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

March 28, 1896

The M.E. Congregation adjourned for Sunday morning to attend the Baptist dedication.

We learn that our old friend W.P. McKey was married in Salem on the 18th of last month. Mr. McKey is past 73 years old, but evidently expects to renew his youth.

A small blaze caused by the upsetting of a lamp in Central Drug Store did considerable damage to the contents of the building before the flames could be extinguished.

If the fire boys would turn the hose onto the fellow who goes to the fires and “shoots off his mouth,” it might have a salutary effect. When he opens the cavity in his face just throw in a barrel or two of water. It will keep him quiet for a few minutes, at least.

W.J. Rummens and Amos Vallen have taken a contract to furnish the workmen on the Asotin ditch with pork and beef. It is estimated that the force will consume about three beeves per week.

Mr. Haworth, of Asotin, was in Pataha Tuesday. Seems like a terrible distance to go to mill, but Pataha flour is what it takes.

D.E. Smith and Pete Weller sold their steers to Mr. Courtney, of Seattle, receiving for them 2¾ ¢ per pound—the finest lot of steers that ever left Garfield County.

Henry, the eldest son of Mr. and Mrs. J. Linville, got hold of some concentrated lye the other day, and being very anxious to know how it would taste, put some in his mouth, which resulted in a very sore tongue. Little H. is five years old.

John Rockhill was hunting salmon on the Tukanon Sunday, but we don’t think he caught a hack load of them for they are getting mighty scarce.