From the Files

125 Years Ago

Adams County News

May 31, 1899

Dying by the track

Ritzville, May 30. – With his right leg and right arm cut from his body, Alfred Barton was found alongside the Northern Pacific railroad track by a train crew about two miles west of Ritzville. The poor fellow was feebly waving a handkerchief to attract the attention of the men on the passenger train.

He had been attending school in Ellensburg. He says that he rode on the blind baggage from that place to Lind, where he got off and entered a box car, giving a brakeman 50 cents for the privilege of riding to Spokane. He had been in the car but a few moments when another brakeman appeared and ordered him to get out and onto a coal car, which he did, and from which he slipped beneath the wheels.

A heavy rain was falling, and as the accident occurred about one o'clock the unfortunate boy laid there for at least four hours drenched in rain. He died at 3:30 Monday and the body was taken home to his parents near Winlock, Tuesday morning.

100 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

May 29, 1924

Dedicate pool on July fourth

At the meeting of the Commercial Club yesterday noon it was voted to dedicate the swimming pool on the Fourth of July. The park is always the scene of family picnics on July 4th and this year with the pool there the attraction will be greater. The pool is now in use. Work on the bathhouses and plumbing will be pushed and should be finished in a short time.

75 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

May 31, 1951

Rats infest city, survey finds

Forty-two per cent of Ritzville's businesses have a "definite infestation" of rats, it was disclosed this week following a rat control survey by David Stockton, county sanitarian, and L.J. Hughes, rodent control expert for the U.S. Public Health Service. The door-to-door survey covering 98 businesses along the highway, downtown, and between the highway and downtown district showed 41 businesses with "definite rat infestations" and seven more offering possible "rat harborage."

Ceremony set at falls

south of Washtucna

Palouse Falls state park will be formally dedicated this Sunday afternoon with John R. Vanderzicht, director of state parks, as principal speaker. The dedication will bring to a close a campaign begun many years ago to have the thundering Palouse river waterfalls, plunging 198 feet into a deep gorge south of Washtucna, recognized as a major tourist attraction worth of being maintained as a state park.

At the Ritz:

"Three Guys Named Mike," starring Jane Wyman, Van Johnson, Howard Keel, and Barry Sullivan.

50 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

May 23, 1974

David Reeve is

injured in smash

David Reeve, 16, received lacerations and bruises when he and his 1970 motorcycle became involved in a 3-vehicle accident Tuesday evening at Sixth and Division about 8 o'clock. Reeve was following David Partlow, 16, driving a 1961 model sedan southbound on Division when Partlow apparently stopped in the traffic lane, according to City police officer James Kennedy who investigated. In attempting to stop, Reeve hit the left rear fender of the Partlow vehicle and was thrown over the fender onto the pavement. A third vehicle, a 1974 model sedan, was driven by Alvy Soden, 48, Anchorage, Alaska, and was coming down Division northbound. His vehicle struck Reeve's cycle.

25 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

June 3, 1999

Ayers wins first in two events

LaCrosse-Washtucna Tigercat Danielle Ayers captured two first place medals in last weekend's state track and field tournament at Eastern Washington University at Cheney. Ayers, a freshman, set a new state record in Friday's preliminary round of the 100 hurdles and came back Saturday to win the event with a time of 14.69. She also was first in the long jump with a leap of 17'8-3/4".

-The Journal