Out of the Past: 07/23/2025

100 Years Ago—

Careful watching and hard fighting on the part of the patrolmen and the forest fire fighting organizations in Stevens County have kept the forest fires from destroying or doing damage to a large amount of property. Every day calls have been coming to the office of Supervisor J. Nugent in the Lane building of new fires, but the patrolmen are put on the job at once and the fires are put out before great headway has been made.

Earl Broderick, driver of a truck for the Fred Draper Lumber Company, was given a fine of $25 with $10 of the fine suspended on order of the court by Justice A. L. Knapp on Monday. He was picked up by Mr. Renne, state highway officer, and charged with overloading his truck.

75 Years Ago—    

Kettle Falls and Northport will go after the Colville Valley Baseball Championship at the fairgrounds here Sunday.

It’s against the law to fire BB guns in the city. City police warned this week that they would confiscate guns of youths found firing the guns in the city.

Attempts to use Grand Coulee Dam for flood control are costing the Inland Empire logging industry thousands of dollars in lost time, in the opinion of J.M. Aston, president of the Roosevelt Log Owners Association.

RICE—A new mercantile store at Rice is now assured. The buildings were destroyed by fire last January while owned by Claire Bryan. Dave Olson of Kettle Falls has purchased the former site from Bryan and is now putting in the foundation.

50 Years Ago—  

Although the recession had a strong impact in Stevens County in the past year, as it did everywhere else, its effect on business was less severe than in many other communities.

George Cloakey, 40, of Waterville, has been named new basketball coach at Colville High School, Don Munson, superintendent of schools, announced Wednesday.

Upon receiving a certificate of need from the Washington State Department of Social and Health Services and approval from the Washington State Hospital Commission, Mount Carmel Hospital in Colville is proceeding immediately with a $204,000 project to renovate its plumbing and heating system and to install air conditioning.

25 Years Ago—

One of Colville’s most popular mayors, Helen White, was honored last Friday in downtown Colville. “Helen White Day” gave the retired mayor and local businesswomen an opportunity to be chauffeured by another popular former local mayor, Duane Scott.

Greenwood Grange is ready to celebrate their 90^th anniversary. The Grange held meetings in various members’ homes or in the Meyers Falls Town Hall – what is now the Union Hall in Kettle Falls.

10 Years Ago—

After several years of hope and planning, the Kettle Falls Library is expanding. A groundbreaking ceremony was held last Wednesday at the empty lot adjacent to the building on Meyers Street.

Drought conditions are prompting state officials to prohibit or limit fishing on more than 30 rivers across Washington to help protect fish. Rivers included are sections of the Kettle River.