Coulee Recollections

Ten Years Ago

A woodpecker stuck its beak where it didn’t belong yesterday and set off a fire that brought several fire departments to put down the blaze.

A Grand Coulee Dam area party that’s for the birds could be coming this fall to celebrate the publication of a birding map that covers north central Washington.

Electric City council told Sunrise Disposal that they would allow garbage carts on a volunteer basis, but wanted some changes to the contract. Clerk Lori Hilton said the contract should allow the town to charge the user their present fee and Sunrise to charge the customer the cart’s additional fee.

A canoe more than a century old became the latest addition to the Colville Tribe Museum Sunday as it made the trip from Winthrop to Coulee Dam.

Twenty Years Ago

Most voters in Grant County will be asked this fall to okay a 0.4 percent addition to the sales tax to help fund a county-wide transit system.

For the month of July it has been an unseasonably wet summer. The area’s 30 year average for the month is only 0.57 inches. This year the total amount has been 2.95 inches.

Last weekend on a cliff high above Lake Roosevelt near Grand Coulee Dam, six young peregrine falcons found themselves free to soar away over the lake and surrounding countryside. The falcons were released by biologists from the National Park Service.

Thirty Years Ago

The Grand Coulee Volunteer Fire Department received delivery of a new ambulance. This marks the beginning of a new period in the emergency service offered by the Gand Coulee volunteers.

Taking the checkered flag for a second place in the Street Stock Main in Republic’s Eagle Trac Raceway was Ted Dittmer, Grand Coulee, driving Bud Sharr’s yellow Torino.

Jim Dotson has completed requirements for a private pilot’s license at Big Bend Community College, where he is enrolled in a commercial pilot training program.

Forty Years Ago

P.A. Sammon, local druggist at Russel Rexall Drug presented Mrs. John Shemorry of Elmer City with a 10-speed bike she won in national contest sponsored by Rexall.

Flodel Halsey retired from employment with the Bureau of Reclamation on July 20. She was presented with parting gifts and good wishes.

Construction work on the Third Powerhouse here was virtually shut down by the contractors because 160 ironworkers walked off the job due to failure of their union to reach a contract agreement covering the Northwest.

Fifty Years Ago

Mrs. Grace Potter, owner of Grayce’s, the ladies and children’s store in Grand Coulee, is celebrating 25 years of continuous business in this community.

Mr. and Mrs. Earl Brittain are inviting their friends and neighbors to an open house in honor of their 50th wedding anniversary.

Selected as rodeo royalty for Grand Coulee Dam Championship Rodeo include Janelle Thruston and Toni McGinnis.

Local students graduating from Eastern Washington State College include John A. Jordan, Coulee Dam, a master’s in education and Elizabeth A. Glick, Grand Coulee a bachelor of arts degree in education.

Sixty Years Ago

Ted Rice of the Rex District unloaded the first wheat to be brought to the new Howard Pryor Grain Elevator at Grand Coulee.

Increased hours and pay for uniformed personnel of the state patrol was announced. The increase will raise the base pay for patrolmen from $315 to $365 a month.

Five new names were added to complete the teaching staff of the Coulee Dam School System. New comers will be Royce Nesbitt, fifth grade; Esther Burns, fourth and fifth grades; Fran Pierce of Pasco seventh grade; Gary Hendrick and Gilbert Jordan high school English, band and chorus.