The Times - Serving Waitsburg, Dayton and the Touchet Valley

Ten Years Ago

January 11, 2007

Councilwoman Markeeta Little Wolf has thrown her hat in the ring for the job of mayor of Waitsburg on the platform of keeping Waitsburg “in charge of Waitsburg.” “If we can’t govern ourselves, the City should be disbanded. That is where we have been headed and I want to turn that around,” she said.

Former Waitsburg resident Martin Huffman of Lyle, Wash., was presented the Lions Club International Foundation’s Melvin Jones Award last December. Huffman, the son of Doris Huffman of Waitsburg and the late Marvin Huffman, has served as president of the Lyle Lions Club the past three years and has been a member for 12.

A team of Waitsburg non-contact flag football players has been making a name for themselves the past several years. For the fourth year in a row, the eight-member Waitsburg Merchants flag football team has won the B division of the local league, a program of the Walla Walla Parks & Recreation Department, and advanced to the state playoffs.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

January 9, 1992

Waitsburg has a higher percentage of people over 50 years old than the county as a whole but recent population figures show the small city of about 1,000 people also has a higher percent of children under 14 than the county, a number suggesting growth.

With the announced retirement of City Clerk Joan Hays and her husband, city utility chief Elmer Hays later this year, the city will lose nearly a third of its workforce. The Hayses announced at the City Council meeting Jan. 2 that Dec. 31 will be their last day on the job, after a combined total of 43 years of city service.

Jean Miller, a past matron of the Waitsburg Chapter of Eastern Star, was given an appointment as the Grand Representative of Colorado, in a surprise visit of grand officers at the regular meeting of the chapter Monday night.

It would be hard to find more complete and up-to-date facilities for chemical containment and recycling than those of the McGregor Company’s Waitsburg plant. “It’s really state-of-the-art,” said Pat McConnell, manager of the Waitsburg McGregor, and the company’s satellite operations in Prescott and Walla Walla.

Fifty Years Ago

January 5, 1967

Myron Hamiker, 55, owner of the Wagon Wheel Café and Tavern, was charged with man slaughter Tuesday in the Monday night slaying of Luther Murphy, 41, Starbuck. Murphy was killed by a single shot from an M-1 rifl as he left the tavern at the edge of town following an altercation with Mrs. Hamiker.

The annual meeting of the Days of Real Sport, Inc. was held Tuesday night. President Kenny Smith presided, assisted by Secretary Herman Gohlman. The treasurer’s report showed the 1966 meet was a break-even affair. New members of the Race board were presented by the nominating committee. Named for new terms were Herman Gohlman and Joe McCown.

State Representative Vaughn Hubbard of Waitsburg this week joined with W. L. Minnick and H. H. Hahner of Walla Walla to form a partnership for the practice of law. The name of the new firm will be Minnick, Hahner & Hubbard.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

January 9, 1942

Master David McConnell caused quite a bit of excitement Saturday when he came riding into town in the nifty cutter his dad rigged up for the snow. With his jingling bells and spotted pony, David was the envy of all the kids in town including those who have stopped counting their birthdays.

Walla Walla County Tire Rationing Board has appointed Eric Aldrich of this city as the local examiner for the Waitsburg district, such appointment to be effective at once.

With weather as “unusual as in California,” our City has been deep in the throes of winter the past week. With roads of solid ice to roads piled high with genuine snow drifts, the Waitsburg district knows that winter is here.

One Hundred Years Ago

January 12, 1917

A record price was paid for brewing barley in Walla Walla last week whe 1437 tons were bought at $40 a ton.

Wheat of the Walla Walla Valley is now in Cincinnati, being transferred into “Matzos,” the unleavened bread of the Hebrews.

The A. B. C. Club met at the home of Mrs. Addie Bruce Tuesday evening for sewing and sociability. At ten o’clock the members spent a pleasant hour dancing, when refreshments were served.

Fred Bachmann and the Hinchliffe boys are plowing and Otto Alfort is seeding this week.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

January 15, 1892

Jan. 11, 1892 will never be forgotten by the people of Waitsburg so long as time with them shall last. On that day no less than 600 people congregated New School House to listen to and participate in the dedicatory exercises. We have the best school house for the money ($16,000) in the State of Washington.

The sleighing has been good this week, and the young people have enjoyed it immensely. The merry jingle of the sleigh bells have constantly filled the air – day and night.

Our bank began work as the First National Bank of Waitsburg on Thursday, Jan. 14, 1892.