First 4-H club in Ephrata focused on sewing

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 continue the story of Ephrata by Thelma Billngsley Nicks:

I belonged to the first 4-H club in Ephrata. It was a sewing club. Mrs. Art Chase and Mrs. Claypool were our leaders.

I also belonged to the first Girl Scout troop in Ephrata too. Mrs. Jimmy Griffith was our leader. We went on camping trips up the Entiat River and learned many things for badges.

In 1924 a big rodeo was put on and held across the railroad tracks where the Junior High grounds are. They made a big circle ond had the cars line this circle to watch it. They had concession stands and an open air dance hall built where they held their dance. This was on 1st NW.

In 1922 the Washington Water Power brought 24 hour electricity to Ephrata. They also had a big celebration for that. They had speeches on the court house steps with people sitting in front. They also had concession stands and another dance hall. The girl scouts had one booth where we had a wheel of fortune and people would spin the wheel to win the kewpie dolls. We had bright colored feathers to trim them.

In those days open air dance halls were the kind that were built when there was a celebration. They had a big one that they used year round at Soap Lake that was built on the lake

The man that ran it would get big name bands from Seattle to come play. People came from all over to attend these dances and they were a lot of fun.

We also had dances at the country school houses as well as box and pie socials. There was usually one of the fellows who played a fiddle or some other instrument, along with some piano player and a drummer to make the music.

I took music lessons from several teachers and used to play for different programs and also some for church. After I graduated from high school in 1926 I played at the Kam Theatre. The theatre was named after a man by the name of Kamenski.

Tubby Harris ran it then. He was a brother-in-law of Mar?garet Harris. He was almost deaf. We enjoyed work?ing for him. Gordon at that time ran the projector for the pictures. That was during the silent picture days. We would be given one line music scores to tell what music to play for different scenes.

E-mail from Cheryl

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

From the CBH on Thursday, July 16, 1953:

Play day Sunday by riding club

A play day for youngsters and their horses is scheduled for Sunday at the Grant County Fair Grounds, sponsored by the Moses Lake Riding Club. First event begins at 10 a.m., according to Connie Cupp, a club officer.

Events will include pole bending, musical chairs, sack game and potato, cow hide, egg and spoon, obstacle, stack, wheelbarrow and relay races.

Dennis note: OK, would someone please explain the events and how they were play/accomplished.

Wilson Creek area 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 continue the R.H. Lee, C.W. Davis and George Lee history by Macil Lee:

Then George and I were married. George had lots of jobs in those days, he worked for Allens and Rosenbergs, herding sheep, drove school bus and worked on the ranch for the Schroeders.

We also raised lots of brown beans and popcorn. When the beans were ready to harvest, George began to wonder how he was going to shell them. He was always very resourceful, so he got an old fashioned clothes wringer, fastened it on the side of a wash tub, connected a small electric motor to the wringer and then he would run the vines through the wringer. The beans fell in the tub and the vines flattened out and went on through the wringer. We sold the beans and popcorn to the Safeway Stores in Spokane and Wenatchee in 100 pound bags.

I worked for Mr. Lee in the Post Office a couple of hours a day while he took the mail to the trains. Mr. Lee passed away suddenly in October 1937. I was appointed acting postmaster, then I took the Civil Service Examination and received my appoint?ment in February 1938.

When I took over the post office, we had five mails arriving each day and we sent mail out four times a day. In those days the mail came by train. There were operators on duty 24 hours at the Depot and at night they would hang the mail pouch on the mail crane and the mail messenger in the rail car grabbed them off with a long iron arm as they went by. Very few times they missed or lost the mail pouch.

In 1943 George had to go to the Army.

In 1946 we tore down the old Post Office building and built a new building, which is still being used. During the building time, we rented the grange hall, which we used for the post office. It was a two story building located where the present grange hall is.

We used the first floor for the post office and the grange held their meetings upstairs. Mary Christ Colouzis was working as clerk then.

When George came home from the Army, he worked for the State Highway Department and then went to work at the post office in Ephrata. Later he quit, as Mr. Schroeder was Mayor of the town and he asked George to be his city clerk, and water and street superin?tendent. He also played for dances every Saturday night and sometimes in the middle of the week. He played the drums with Stanley's Orchestra.