Out of the Past

100 Years Ago—

Right of way for the Inland Empire Highway from Barstow to Kettle Falls bridge site has been secured by County Commissioner John F. May, who on Monday was accompanied over the project by District Engineer Guy Harvey of the State Highway Department.

The First Thought Mine near Orient has passed into new control. James E. Pickrell, well-known in Stevens County for many years, is now president of the company and has taken over the active management for the purpose of financing and operating the mine.

The Springdale Hotel is proving a popular place with Colville motorists, who find the half-way station between Colville and Spokane a popular place for lunch, under the management of Elizabeth Brooks and E.A. Barnett at the hotel.

75 Years Ago—    

The most recent change in automobile dealerships here was revealed this week when H.I. Minzel, a Ford dealer, announced his retirement from the automobile business. The name Minzel Motor Company, as it has been known for the past 25 years, has been changed to Colville Motors, and the new sign went up this week. Robert Anderson is the manager of the new company.

Group and committee meetings on the forthcoming new Mount Carmel Hospital were topped off with a pre-drive dinner meeting Thursday evening. Committee members throughout the county were guests of the Dominican Sisters at a dinner held in Our Lady of the Valley Convent last night at the Old Mission near Kettle Falls.

50 Years Ago—  

The 60-foot cross located atop Colville Mountain and overlooking the city, was the victim of high winds last Wednesday night. The winds, which continued through the night and into the next morning, were reported as reaching velocity of 50 miles per hour.

Colville’s parking commission will make a new proposal to the city council next Tuesday night on their planned acquisition of the Fogle property for off-street parking, stated Carl Walden, secretary of the commission.

At the regular Tuesday evening meeting of the Colville city council, Colville fire chief Bill Bronson presented a drawing of the proposed Colville Fire House, along with a fact sheet outlining the estimated costs of such a facility.

25 Years Ago—

Inchelium’s dramatic 34-30 thriller over Odessa for the 2000 B-8 Grid Classic title Saturday afternoon in the Tacoma Dome was about as good as it gets as far as prep football is concerned. The Hornets weren’t crowned champions until the game’s final play, when senior David Tonasket batted down an Odessa pass that brought the tiny Colville Indian Reservation school its third Class B-8 championship.

Glendine Leonard of Colville will show new and treasured Madonnas (mother and child) in the display case of the Colville Public Library during the month of December.

10 Years Ago—

The Colville Elks “Breakfast With Santa” will be held Dec. 12. This annual rite of the Christmas holiday season will start with a visit from Santa Claus to the Colville Municipal Airport that morning at 8 a.m.

Colville High School students and staff members gathered 3,380 pounds of food from their annual food drive and donated all of it to the Colville Food Bank on Nov. 20.