FROM THE FILES

125 Years Ago

Adams County News

October 12, 1898

Benj. Martin returned Friday evening from Spokane. Mr. Martin has been in Spokane for some time taking a course of Turkish baths for his health.

E. D. Gilson had the misfortune to break his middle finger on his left hand last week while wrestling with a city drunk. The injury is quite painful and very annoying.

H. E. Gritman, the druggist, is painting the outside of his store and perfecting the appearance of one of the most up-to-date and attractive drug stores in the northwest.

What They Say

The best place in town to feed horses is at the Ritzville Feed Yard. Best care and lowest rates. J. C. Shorno.

100 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

October 11, 1923

Round-Up crowds break

all records

Night show draws crowds

The night shows this year drew larger crowds than ever. One thing the weather was not cold or windy, making the nights pleasant. Roman races, Bob Hall bulldogging steer from an automobile, vaudeville skits by the Palmers and various other numbers were put on. The Round-Up quartette and Miss Kathleen Hallin gave some fine numbers at the night shows. The amateur bucking contest afforded almost as much "kick" as the afternoon contests.

Reservoir for swimming pool

At a meeting of the commercial club Wednesday, the matter of a municipal swimming pool was brought up for consideration. This topic has been before the club for a long time, the problem to be solved being one of finance and location. It was proposed to have the city permit the old water reservoir, now unused, to be used for a swimming pool. The tourist camp could also be located at the old pump station.

Local Brevities

Extra work crews of the Northern Pacific are here and engaged in erecting a residence for the signal maintainer's house, also a concrete oil storage house just east of the Adams Street crossing.

75 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

October 7, 1948

Bill Pettijohn, oldest resident of Ritzville, dies after full life

Ritzville's oldest resident, W.T. (Bill) Pettijohn, died Friday morning. During his 97 years, he had fled the Minnesota Indian uprisings of 1862, rounded the Horn on a windjammer, and broken virgin soil in Kansas and Adams County. But though he lived for almost a century, his spirit never seemed to grow old. The day before he died, he made two trips to the new elementary school site to see what progress had been made.

Farmhand is returned

to face charge

A young transient farm worker who allegedly left Ritzville last September with $60 in FFA money has been returned to face trial on a charge of grand larceny. The worker is Murrel E. Jones, 24, who was employed last summer at Herman Heimbigner's farm near Ritzville. According to law officers, the Heimbigners left home one Saturday to see a high school round-robin football game in Spokane, and Jones allegedly seized the opportunity to take off with Heimbigner's 1939 one-ton International truck and $60 in FFA funds which Herman's daughter, Barbara, had been keeping in her room as treasurer of an FFA group.

At the Ritz

"Romance on the High Seas," starring Jack Carson, Janis Paige, Don DeFore and introducing Doris Day.

50 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

October 11, 1973

Sound control job

underway here

About half the job was done this week of applying sound control covering to the ceiling and two walls of the gymnasium at Ritzville High School. Being applied last week was a framework of light steel angle strips which will support the panels of acoustical tile. Each tile will be 2 x 4 feet, and some 980 tiles of that size will be required on the ceiling.

25 Years Ago

Ritzville-Journal Times

October 8, 1998

Gibler to fill term as hospital director

Paulette Gibler has been appointed to fill the unexpired term of Ed Denton as a board member for the East Adams Rural Hospital. Denton resigned when he moved from Ritzville. Dr. Marty Sackmann told the board at its Tuesday, September 29, meeting that improvements in the lab have taken a "huge step to increase confidence between the physicians and physician assistants and the lab." Sackmann cited the job that lab supervisor Ingred Hein has done to make improvements.

At the Ritz

Drew Barrymore and Anjelica Huston in "Ever After-A Cinderella Story"

- The Journal