From the Dayton Chronicle archives

Ten Years Ago

October 17, 2012

Preliminary landscaping is currently under construction with native plants and grasses, evergreens, boulders and river rock. Landmark Landscape & Design, LLC, of Kennewick, was the lowest qualified bidder and is constructing the landscape project.

Members of the 2012 Homecoming Court were Chelsea Wooldridge, Alex Naylor, McKayla Bickelhaupt, Malia Frame, Chris Conley, Kenndra Haney, Isaiah Lambert, Sierra Smith, Kane Hackett, Queen Jessica Tate, Mr. Football Wyatt Frame, Jonathan Sanchez, Samantha Harting and Dakota Hayes.

Twenty-Five Years Ago

October 18, 1997

Eagle’s Board member Gene Krause proudly presented $500 Aerie #2618 scholarship and an additional $500 membership award money to Melanie Maxwell. Melanie, who is Krause’s niece, will soon be graduating from Walla Walla Community College and transferring to a four-year college next fall.

Fifty Years Ago

October 19, 1972

Mickey J. Gibson, son of Mr. and Mrs. Bill Gibson, has passed all his entrance qualifications and has been accepted by United Electronics Institute for electronics training, and will be entering at the Portland Training Center. Gibson is a graduate of Dayton High School with the class of 1972.

Doug and Connie McKinley and Mrs. Golby Maxwell will be honored as 1972 Conservation Farmers in Columbia County, at the annual Conservation Day Luncheon Dayton Kiwanis Club, co-sponsoring the event will be supervisors of Columbia County Soil & Water Conservation District.

Seventy-Five Years Ago

October 16, 1947

Marilyn McKinley was rated heroine for alertness, coolness and devotion to duty, when a fire developed from a power line which dropped onto a telephone cable four blocks from the building of the Pacific Telephone & Telegraph company on East Clay Street at 3:30 a.m. Sunday. The mishap disrupted local service. Comparatively a new night operator and daughter of Mrs. Fern McKinley, Marilyn noticed unusual noises coming from the basement and lights flashing on the switchboard. She called “Trouble Shooter” Roy McGee, combination maintenance man and a volunteer fireman, who put out the blaze and helped restore the service.

Stanley Neal, flying one of the Touchet Valley Flying Service planes, north of Prescott where the hills are steep and close together, flew over one hill on the contour but he failed to get enough altitude to clear the next one and crashed into its side. Guy Fine, a neighbor saw Stanley fly out of sight over the hill but when he didn’t hear the roar of the motor climbing up again, he climbed on his horse and found Stanley crawling away from the wreck with a broken ankle.

One Hundred Years Ago

October 14, 1922

FINE COLUMBIA COUNTY POTATOES. Potatoes from six hills sufficient to fill 100 pound sacks, is the record yield harvested from a large field belonging to John Ahern near Dayton. Being exceptionally large and fine quality for commercial potatoes, practically all of the potatoes harvested were smooth and symmetrical.

Charles Dodge is making preparations to bring out his sheep from summer pasture in the Idaho Mountains near St. Maries. He expects to load 1,300 lambs at Moscow. E. R. Lewis sold to the Baird company of Spokane, 74 lambs at 6 ½¢, and 62 ewes at 4¢ a pound.

One Hundred Twenty-Five Years Ago

October 16, 1897

Monday night, Oct. 18, the famous Orphean Stars will appear at the opera house for two nights in the roaring farce comedy the Wiggles Family including high-class vaudeville. The company comes direct here from Spokane, and we thank Manager Fouts of the opera house for bringing this good company here, giving theatre goers a royal treat.

Dr. M. Pietrzycki purchased a band of sheep and has leased the school section on which Hompegg Falls is located. The doctor will make a fine summer resort at the falls and run his sheep in the mountains above. The citizens of Dayton should contribute towards building a good road to the falls.

Prof. J. M. Garrison, of Forest Grove, Oregon, a very thorough writing master and has 25 years’ experience, has started a writing school in this city with 10 pupils.