From the Dayton Chronicle archives

Ten Years Ago

June 7, 2012

Fred Smith of Burke Street Advisors LLC of Portland sent word that the Dukes Resort LLC Best Western will officially break ground on June 16 at the site; the corner of north 5th and East Main Streets, for the new Best Western Inn and Suites.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

June 4, 1997

Dayton’s Athletes Yolanda Smith, Nathan Cummings, Steve Baxter, Tom Howard, Travis Herzog and Aaron Jones, place in the top 16 teams at the State track meet in Cheney.

Of the 150 runners at the Touchet River Run, Ed and Kathy Harri, a husband-and-wife team took first place, B.J. Himmelberger and Courtney Durkee were medal winners.

Sunday, May 25, a body was pulled from the water behind the Little Goose Dam. Prior to Sunday’s removal, two local fisherman Bodie Spalinger and Chris Smith reported seeing a body in the water near Texas Rapids above the dam. Further information could not be released other than it is thought to be an Asotin County resident.

Fifty Years Ago

June 8, 1972

Dayton Manor Completed; Senior Citizens Moving In. A 28-unit housing development for senior and disabled citizens, completed June 1, brought to reality a three-year project of Blue Mountain Aerie No. 2618, FOE. Total money allocation for the project was $322,000 with $245,000 used for actual construction. Each unit contains 600 square feet in three rooms and storage areas.

Swim Pool Opening Slated This Week, if maintenance and repair work can be completed. The first day swimming is free of charge.

Columbia County will lose the Huntsville voting precinct due to state-wide redistricting. County Auditor Vyrl McQuary, supervisor of elections, reported this week.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

June 5, 1947

County Enjoys $100,000 Rain. The county and surrounding neighbors have been praying for rain for a couple of weeks and their prayers were answered Saturday evening the powers that control such things really turned on the water and the growing crops got a soaking

The Northern Pacific train surprised us observers when it pulled into town with one of those diesel locomotives. It was a demonstrator being shown by the Baldwin Locomotive Works, with 1,500 horsepower. Roy Cahill and the editor have a romantic attachment for the old steam engine.

The Blue Mountain Canneries, Inc., ended its 1947 asparagus pack May 30, the earliest termination date for this crop since asparagus has been packed here. Hot weather brought on peas fast, damaging the Alaska’s severely and some damage to sweets. The H. Johnston place, Marjorie Donaldson place, George Price and C.J. Broughton places the peas were severely damaged.

A delegation appeared before the council urging a greater effort in getting the new swimming pool completed, reporting the kids are swimming in the river and the delegation fears a drowning or maybe an epidemic of typhoid fever occurs.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

June 3, 1922

A portion of the Inland Highway between Dodge Station and about two miles west of Pomeroy has been closed to traffic which will be under construction. Travel between Dayton and Pomeroy should be routed by way of Willow Creek, Delany and the Pataha Valley to Dodge, thence follow the Dodge-Central Ferry road to the Pomeroy detour sign following the ridge to Pomeroy.

The continued demand and the advance in prices for jute sacks may enable the state Department of Business Control to get rid of more the 900,000 sacks, stored at the state penitentiary.

Bingham Springs the finest summer Resort in the Blue Mountains, will be formally opened to the public this year on June 11.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

June 5, 1897

Denver; Cheyenne Indians have gone on the warpath and are said to have killed a dozen men including five United States soldiers. The Indians have no reservation, but make the Lame Deer agency their headquarters. A man named Hoover, a sheepherder, was recently shot by Indians, because he caught several of them killing sheep.