Pomeroy Pioneer Portraits

Ten years ago

September 19, 2012

Delbert Niebel retired from bringing bids at Fair market sale. He received a plaque from the Garfield County Market Sale Committee recognizing the auctioneer’s 30 years of service to the Fair’s livestock market sale. After calling the first Grand Champion of the sale, Delbert was brought into the arena that is named after him and honored by the Market Sale Committee and an appreciative audience. He then took a seat in the stands, winding up three decades behind the market sale microphone.

Garfield County became the 26th county visited by retiring Washington Secretary of State Sam Reed since he announced his plans in June, 2011, to leave his office at the end of this year, after serving three terms. Reed arrived in Pomeroy last week Wednesday on a tour of eastern Washington that included a stop in Asotin County earlier in the week, and appointment in Columbia County and Walla Walla County later that day.

Twenty-five years ago

September 24, 1997

As part of Washington State Archaeology Week observations, Pomeroy Ranger District invited residents to a slide show on the crash of a Navy fighter plane in the Blue Mountains during World War II. A Navy F6F-3 Hellcat crashed in the Blue Mountains south of Pomeroy during the war and the presentation will provide information on the pilot, the Hellcat aircraft, Grumman Aircraft corporation, Pasco Naval Air Station and the role its VF-24 squadron played in the battle for Okinawa in 1945.

Monte Fujishin, the new ranger for the Pomeroy Ranger District of the Umatilla National Forest, sees public relations duties as a top priority of his job. Fujishin started in the Pomeroy office Aug. 18 after transferring from his previous position as district ranger for the Chantham Area of the Tongass National Forest in Yakutat, Alaska.

Fifty years ago

September 21, 1972

Garfield County Fair Saturday drew one of the better attendances in recent years, with cars being parked in the overflow field next to the fairgrounds entrance for the stage and arena show Saturday afternoon. Pomeroy race car drivers Larry Scoggin, Tom McDowell and Ray McKeirnan started off the show with a roar, and Larry Scoggin showed he had the fastest pit crew, but needed to take a short cut to beat out Tom McDowell in the overall race, which included some laps on the slippery grass track, the pit stop to change tires, and more laps. McDowell was the only one of the three who did not spin out and came in second as Scoggin cut inside of him. McKeirnan, who was the top driver at Umatilla this season, came in third.

Faced with an unknown delay of Governor Dan Evans, school children awaiting his arrival last week weren’t able to see him since the school buses had to depart and Governor Evans had not yet arrived. It was later learned that Evans and his wife had been running 45 minutes late all day because of a dead battery in the helicopter in Spokane, where they had started the seven-county helicopter tour.

Seventy-five years ago

September 25, 1947

A healthy and robust baby boy was born to Mrs. Eddie Leaverton of Sunnyside, in Dr. J.W. Sherfey’s automobile at 11 o’clock Monday evening, Sept. 22, while being rushed to St. Joseph’s hospital in Lewiston. Mr. Stork overtook Dr. Sherfey and the expectant mother near the Alpowa Creek bridge. The mother, the former Betty Price, wife of Eddie Leaverton, Sunnyside, and daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Harold Price, and the newborn baby were then rushed to the Lewiston hospital. Reports are that both mother and baby are doing nicely. Dr. Sherfey stated that in all of his 43 years of practice, this is the first time the stork has ever come out as a winner.

The officials of the Blue Mountain Canneries, Inc., announced that effective Sept. 15, the merger of the Blue Mountain Canneries and the Minnesota Valley Canning company were completed. Hereafter the company will be referred to as Blue Mountain Canneries Division of Minnesota Valley Canning company.

One hundred years ago

September 23, 1922

The board of county commissioners met Monday, September 11. Present were E.D. Malone, chairman, John Folmsbe, and R.D. Williams, commissioners, and Myrtle Osterhout, auditor and ex-officio clerk of the board. On the presentation of petition and application made by A.L. Cabbage, J.T. Ledgerwood and W.D. Rickman, for a franchise to construct and operate telephone lines over certain public highways, the same was granted.

Rev. W.W. Duff, fresh from overseas, told the truth plainly about Ireland, his native land, as he sees it, to a large audience in the Methodist church Monday evening. Mr. Duff has been a large manufacturer of linen goods in Ireland in a factory established by his father, and incidentally explained the superiority of the hand loomed product to that of the power loom. He said there was a Pomeroy in County Tyrone, and therefore he did not feel badly lost in this northwest city of the same name. He showed the difference between the customs and religions of the peoples of south and north Ireland, and claimed that the recent movement for a parliament of the north would be a potent fact in settling disturbances that have rocked the country.