Pomeroy Pioneer Portraits

Ten years ago

September 12, 2012

The 2012 Garfield County Market Sale will showcase 67 exhibitors with market animals to sell. The 67 animals consist of four lambs, 23 steers, and 40 hogs. The sale begins a 4 p.m. on Saturday, September 15. Larry Ledgerwood of the market sale committee said these 4-H and FFA members "have worked over the summer to care for their animals and will work hard throughout the fair preparing and showing them prior to the sale." The market sale committee invites residents "to come and observe or participate in the sale," he said.

Rob McKenna, Washington's Republican candidate for governor, made a stop Friday in Pomeroy during a campaign swing through eastern Washington. McKenna, who now serves as state attorney general, had appointments in Clarkston, Pullman, Tekoa, and Spokane later in the day. The candidate laid claim to affinity for this part of the state, stating that he has made 100 trips to Spokane during his tenure as attorney general, including a couple trips to Pomeroy. Support for schools, job creation, and state government reform were his main campaign issues.

Twenty-five years ago

September 17, 1997

The educational booth created by the Garfield County Livestock 4-H Club was awarded the Black and White Ribbon by State Fair Commissioner Jack Crawford at the 1997 Garfield County Fair on Friday. The booth was at the west end of the 4-H and FFA beef barn. Club members created the posters and 4-H leader Debbie Waldher coordinated the display construction. Commissioner Crawford said he likes small fairs better than large ones. Both are evaluated using the same score sheet, and Crawford said he can enjoy a small fair while scoring.

Pomeroy Conservation District has been informed that producers who want to take "turf grass for seed production" out of production this fall and burn the residue should be aware of rules set by the Department of Ecology's agricultural burning task force. Producers are limited to the same rules for burning those take-out acres as if you were leaving those acres of grass in production. That rule for fall 1997 is a 33% burn of the base acres established May 31, 1996.

Fifty years ago

September 14, 1971

At least some construction work on the Garfield County Museum is to begin this month, according to a statement from the contractor at the Garfield County Historical Society meeting on September 7. Dwight St. Marie of the contracting firm of Don St. Marie and Sons of Lewiston told the some 20 present at the meeting at the courthouse that work would be started sometime during the week of September 18th. St. Marie said he had hoped work could get started sooner, but it has been hard to line up skilled workers. He noted, however, that the fall is a better time to do much of the masonry and concrete work, anyhow.

Construction on the new Christian Church in Pomeroy is scheduled to start soon, also by Don St. Marie & Sons. A number of church members attended a ground-breaking ceremony on August 26.

Seventy-five years ago

September 18, 1947

The Washington state game department expects to have a new $14,000 elk drift fence completed before winter comes to the Pataha area of Garfield County, Virgil Bennington, game commissioner from Walla Walla, reports. The fence, being constructed of woven wire eight feet high, will extend for 8 ½ miles. It will "tie onto" the Tucannon refuge and go east to the Asotin-Garfield County line. It will be a protection to farmers in the Scoggin Ridge-Pataha areas in that it will keep elk from getting into croplands, where they have been a menace to crops and hay stacks since their introduction to the region in 1912.

Midshipman Richard B. Hodson, who has been home for the past two weeks visiting his parents, Mr. and Mrs. E. Hodson, plans to return to Annapolis naval Academy Monday to resume his studies as a first classman or senior to complete his training. Just prior to coming west he returned from a summer cruise to Europe, visiting Scotland, England, Norway and Cuba.

One hundred years ago

September 16, 1922

A radio concert broadcasted from WSB, the transmitting station of the Atlanta Journal, a newspaper in Atlanta Georgia, was picked up by the receiving set at the Washingtonian office Monday evening. The concert, consisting of coal and instrumental music, news bulletins and telegrams, lasted more than an hour. Among those who listened in on the transmission were George Petrusky, W.B. Kuykendall, Alfred Obenland and R.L. Hickam. This established a new record for the Journal's long distance reception. The last was held by an amateur at Orange, California. Atlanta is about 2,000 miles away by air line.

A.J. Buchet, captain of the local team in the hunt for predatory birds and animals, announces that the big dinner, which will be given at the expense of the Asotin team, will be served in the park at Asotin at noon the 17th of September. The combined scores of Pomeroy and Asotin show that good results were obtained in the destruction of undesirable birds and animals and other pests. For instance, 336 rattlesnakes were killed, aiding materially in ridding the district of these dangerous serpents. Asotin has credit for removing 247 of this number.