Coulee Recollections

10 Years Ago

Proctor wins: Shane Proctor’s “Number 7” provided him with all the luck needed Saturday night as he battled his way to the “Toughest Cowboy” championship and the deed to the Jager ranch. The final event of the season was played out in the Columbus, Ohio, Nationwide Arena, and came down to points in the bull riding event to decide the championship and the title to the 38-acre ranch.

20 Years Ago

Texaco upgrades: Work began on a major upgrade to Tim’s Texaco at the 4-Corners in Grand Coulee. Owners Tim and Michele Arrants are adding a 3,400 square foot mini-mart, a quick service restaurant, a Laser 4000 car wash and truck and RV fuel island.

Scholar researches Indian spirituality: Terry Kawakami, a professor of religion at the Tezukayama Gakuin University in Japan, went to a sweathouse with Tim Brooks, now a staff assistant at the tribal museum. Kawakami says both Shinto, the primary Japanese religion, and the basic ideas of most Indian tribes, are the same. "We believe that there are spirits in the rocks, the earth, the streams, the trees," he says. "Indian tribes I know have the same beliefs. They are closer to nature and know that the earth should be respected, that it has something to offer, that it is worth preserving.

Dam to be named a landmark: Grand Coulee Dam will finally join the big boys. The Inland Empire Section of the American Society of Civil Engineers announced Tuesday that it will recognize the dam as a National Historic Civil Engineering Landmark.

Library books it on internet: It’s pretty much a given. Reading a book with digital pages flashing down your computer screen is nothing like sitting back in your best chair, lost in the novel words of an author. But there is a happy synergy between the two - ordering books online. The Grand Coulee Library is just now getting used to the idea via its new Macintosh PowerPC 8500 and the North Central Regional Library homepage.

30 Years Ago

Okanogan County gets “nuke free” status: In line with a 1986 voters advisory, the Okanogan County Commissioners took action last week to declare their county a Nuclear Free Zone.

Grand Coulee’s oldest store closing its doors for good: After 55 years, Rawe and Rauch’s Hardware Store has announced it is closing its doors.