Wilson Creek history

The Rev. David H. Crawford compiled and published a history of

families in and surrounding Wilson Creek titled, "Family Memories

of Wilson Creek Area." The book was printed in 1978, which was the

75th anniversary of the town. David's son, John Crawford, has given

permission for those memories to be a part of this column.

Wilson Creek history

The Rev. David H. Crawford compiled and published a history of families in and surrounding Wilson Creek titled, "Family Memories of Wilson Creek Area." The book was printed in 1978, which was the 75th anniversary of the town. David's son, John Crawford, has given permission for those memories to be a part of this column.

Today we backtrack a bit and continue the story of Sam Gross, Jr. and his family:

About 1917 Claude built the dam. It took seven years to build it, all with horses.

Those horses sure were trained. One time we came to town and it was icy. One black horse fell down on the ice. The horse never struggled like a horse normally would. I couldn't figure it out, that horse just laid there, it wouldn't get up, just laid there. Ed Lindblad was in back of me.

"I got to get this horse up, it won't get up," I said.

"They are trained," he said. "On the dam whenever they got tangled up in the wire or anything they would wait for a command. You have to say 'get up.'"

I said, "Neeg, get up!", and she got up, right up. But those horses would lay there until you gave a command. A lot of well- trained horses. I got paid about $1.50 a day.

In 1932 I started farming for myself. In equipment I started with a wheel tractor from Ben Pugh, a 22-36 wheel tractor. It had iron wheels on it, International, paid $575 for it, used.

I borrowed a disc plow, before that I used a duck foot. When I worked for Schroeder, I used a duck foot, 12 horses on 9 feet.

E-mail from Cheryl

Facts from the past gleaned from the Moses Lake Herald, Columbia Basin Herald and The Neppel Record by Cheryl (Driggs) Elkins:

From the Columbia Basin Herald on Friday, Dec. 5, 1947:

High School news, by Helen Miller

Peters' dish it out

"It is Monday night at 8 o'clock and Peters' Ice Creamery is really in an uproar, dishes rattling, syrup squirting right and left. I'm actually getting sick watching those different fountain recipes.

"I see one fellow with scoops of vanilla, strawberry, chocolate and lemon ice cream topped with cherries, pineapple, chocolate syrup, marshmallow, strawberries sprinkled with green mint and chopped nuts and for last touches squirts of coke, root beer and just a little carbonated water.

"Believe it or not he is eating it too, but bite by bite he is turning green around the gills.

"Flash picture, juke box, laughing and joking, all this was a part of the 'eat night' given to the football players and yell leaders by Mr. and Mrs. L. George Peters in honor of their season's work through the Armistice Day game.

The Grant County Historical Society has compiled several volumes of Grant County history. The books are available for purchase at the Historical Society Museum gift shop in Ephrata.

I bought the series in 2009 and secured permission to relay some of the history through this column.

Memories of Grant County, compiled from taped interviews by the Grant County Historical Society.

Today we backtrack a bit and then continue the story of Coulee City, by Alfred Twining recorded July 30, 1975:

At 12, I took charge of most of the butcher shop and I remember that Harry Hutton used to come in every evening and say, "Give me four bits worth of slaughterhouse steak."

For four bits you'd get abut three pounds. It sold for 16 cents a pound, round steak sold for 15 cents; chuck for 12.5, roast for 10 and boiling meat for 8, and it was all cut by hand because we had no automatic saw or anything like that, we had no electricity.

My dad turned most of the business over to us kids, his health not being good. After my mother died he used to go to California on account of his asthma. He started going down in the winter in 1904 and he finally established a home down there out of Los Angeles about 10 miles and died there in 1916.

Then what property was left was divided up among the kids. This didn't leave too much for either one of them but they managed to make a living. Now, I guess I'd better start in to tell you about my dad's folks.

My father was born in Wale's. As a young man he was a hammer man in a tin mill and he spent about three years on a sail ship.

He went around Cape Horn and one time in a storm a sailor had to go up on the rigging to move some of the sails and the wind was blowing so hard he blew off. The storm was so strong they couldn't stop the ship without losing the whole crew, so they had to go on. That was the last of him. Then my dad went back to Wales again.

When he made it to the United States, he started out West across the country and landed in Illinois and stayed there about a year. Then he came West to Sprague, staying there about a year or so and then to Almira. He had a home stead in Almira and when my mother and father were married they lived in Almira for about a year and then he come down to McIntee.

We used to call it McIntee's crossing of Grand Coulee, but when Coulee City was established they eliminated the Crossing of the Coulee. They just called it plain McIntee.

My mother, I guess I told you before, came from Wales. There were five children born to Mr. and Mrs. Dan Twining. Thomas was born June 19, 1889 when Washington was still a territory. I was born on March 25, 1891 when Washington was a state. My brother, Dan, was born November 29, 1893. My sister, Gwendolyn Anne, was born in May 19, 1895. My youngest brother was born on July 3, 1897.

Wishing you and yours a Merry Christmas from me and my family.