New Ephrata Post Office planned in 1941

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 Moses Lake Herald on Aug. 7, 1941:

Permit issued for post office

The Ephrata City Council granted a building permit to Paul Patrick, contractor for the Columbia Basin Finance Company, to erect a $10,000, 26 by 82 feet brick building to be used for the post office.

Construction work will start next week on the new building, which will be located on Pacific Avenue. The building is expected to be ready for occupancy by October first, Patrick said today.

The postal department, which has leased the building for 10 years, will install new equipment for handling the mails. The Ephrata Post Office has recently been elevated to second class.

Dennis note: This is a confusing news story. Ephrata is going to build a new post office building, but two paragraphs later it is indicated the building has been leased for 10 years. Are they going to build a new building or remodel an old building?

Local boys inducted

Numbered among the young men who left Grant County last Monday for the Tacoma induction station to serve their training period were Harold Bluhm, Moses Lake, Ray Diveti, Wilson Creek, Ervven Seibert and Don N. Williams, Grand Coulee.

Moses Lake represented at meeting

Headed by Fire Chief George Hockstatter, 10 members of the local fire department went to Ephrata last Friday to attend the school of instruction which was to have been put on by Fire Chief Bryson of Wenatchee. He was unable to come, however, and Capt. Cook, of the Seattle Fire Department, took over.

Capt. Cook has been with the Seattle Fire Department for 36 years. He has a year’s leave of absence and is spending time traveling over the state visiting the different fire departments, instructing them in the various phases of fire fighting. Those who attended are enthusiastic and feel that they received a great deal of benefit and knowledge from the instruction and demonstrations given by the captain.

Those who went from here are: Fire Chief George Hockstatter, William Graier, Howard Roberts, Eric Peterson, Marshall Burress, Mr. Wilmot, Chas. Abel, Chas. Olsen, E.E. Laing and John Powers and Albert Estes.

Grant defense group named

John White, county chairman of the Washington State Defense Council, reports the following general chairmen have been appointed for Grant County: Campaigns and drives, J.P. Simpson, Ephrata; Labor, Robert White, Soap Lake; industry, Allan Spratlin, Grand Coulee; agriculture, Dr. E.I. Evans, Hartline; health and welfare, Mrs. Marshall Burress, Moses Lake; housing, Tom Martin, Quincy; transportation and communication, Chris Larsen, Wilson Creek; natural resources, Tom Twining, Coulee City and hazard prevention, Mrs. W.D. Beck, Warden.

Ellensburg to have airport

CAA engineers started surveying last Monday at Ellensburg for the improved airport to be constructed at a cost of $321,000 according to word received from civil aeronautics authority officials.

Othello News

-Floyd Reynolds is spending a few days at the Milo daughters home in Longview.

-Mr. and Mrs. John Kelly have purchased the Thomas Lowe house and are planning to move into it in the near future.

-Walter Meyer and Ted Bank of Ritzville spent several days of this week in Othello. They are taking inventory of the Washington Water Power Lines.

-Mrs. Clarence Gordon is reported doing nicely after an operation in the St. Lukes hospital in Spokane.

-Mrs. Don Fox of Lind was an Othello visitor on Friday.

-Mrs. Martha Hodson of Moses Lake visited in Othello on Friday.

-Mr. and Mrs. C.C. Jenkins spent Friday in Spokane.

-Mrs. Edwin Haase is enjoying a week’s vacation in Seattle.

-Mr. W.D. Simmons and F.M. Veatch of Tacoma were guests at the Hotel Hubbard on Thursday and Friday of last week. These gentlemen are connected with the Bureau of Reclamation.

-Mrs. Chas. Lee and children, Richard and Nancy, of Yakima, are spending the weekend at the A.O. Lee home.

-William May Jr., has returned to his home in Priest Rapids, after spending a week’s vacation at the home of his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J.W. May.

-Frank Bagwell and wife have returned to Othello from a two-week’s trip to Crater Lake, Ore. They accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Chas. Schoonover of Tacoma.

-Mr. and Mrs. Maron Shafstal and daughter of Priest Rapids, were weekend visitors in Othello.

-Mrs. Herert Micrel and Mrs. J.B. Wilson were Ellensburg visitors on Saturday.

-The Pollyannas of the Christian Church met at the home of Mrs. Morgan on Thursday of last week. The club decided to hold an ice cream social and supper in their chub rooms at the Commercial Hotel on Saturday afternoon and evening of this week.

Suds from Soap Lake

VFW news

-Mr. and Mrs. Claude Long of Seattle spent the weekend at their cabins here.

-Elmer Crane accompanied his brother in law to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, to visit his sister and mother, Rudolph Fallis and son.

-Mrs. Emmet Norris of Bellingham, Wash., who had the misfortune to fall from a scaffold at their new cabins near the west campground, running a piece of lumber thru her ankle, died Saturday from tetanus at McKay.

VFW News

-Frank Fitzgerald accompanied Ed Skinner to Seattle for a week’s visit with relatives and friends.

-The carnival at Lund’s Beach, sponsored by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 2900, is drawing a sizeable crowd. Especially are the children enjoying the rides and various attractions. This will be here for several days more.

-Richard Bonthius has returned from Seattle to await the call for his entering the Navy. He is the first recruit from here to enter the Veterans unit. He is to become a mechanic’s helper in the airplane field.

-Mrs. Lydia Thompson has been appointed hospital chairman for McKay Memorial Hospital.

-Veterans and auxiliary to Post No. 2900 have their regular meeting Thursday, Aug. 7.

-Mr. and Mrs. John Dollarhide and sons have gone to Seattle and other coast points for two weeks.

-Thelma Johnson spent the weekend with her parents, Mr. and Mrs. F.W. Johnston, returning to her work in Spokane Monday.

-Mrs. Kate Thompson was a business visitor in Spokane Friday.

Moses Lake Store

Dennis note: The Moses Lake Store was located near Frank’s Market. The building is still standing. It is the two-story building facing the side street. Originally the door was on the end, facing Nelson Road. The original Moses Lake Post Office was in this building. When Neppel became Moses Lake, the area around the building was referred to as Old Moses Lake and the area downtown was known as New Moses Lake. The MacDonald house is the two-story building to the east of where the MacDonald Store was located. Read on.

-Mr. and Mrs. J.A. Inglis from Marguerite, stopped in to see MacDonald Bros. and sisters on their way home from Idaho where they had visited his brother, Finlay W. Inglis and family from Boumont. From there visited his niece, Mrs. Francis Coy and her father, Mr. and Mrs. R.P. Penhallick.

-Mrs. John Ewald has been staying with Mrs. Laing for a few weeks. She came up Sunday and is at MacDonald’s.

-Mrs. O.D. McCoy, Mrs. J. B. McGrath and Dorris Lowe called on Mrs. John Ewald Sunday also at MacDonald’s.

-Donald L. Ewald is hauling grain to Warden for George During. Mr. During has finished cutting. F.A. MacDonald was helping him.

-James LaMunjon of Benton Harbor, Mich. Called at F.A. MacDonald Tuesday.

Thru A Knot Hole

Dennis note: This is presented as written. The short descriptions are unique to Moses Lake in 1941. The people must have been well known to the local people as not much other than a brief indication of what had happened is written. Read on.

Mrs. Roberts making the windshields shine…Chuck Able and G. Arnold cussing and discussing the large press…Mary Weir making future plans…

Vern Johnson turning cowboy, cantering down Main Street…on horseback… Dave Hamburg taking a few minutes off from the spuds to train his dogs…Bruce Drinkard and Scotty Wallace in town visiting with friends…Mayor Peterson mowing the lawn…Louie Geersdorf riding through town…Nolan Bagwell doing his shopping in town last Wednesday…Hodson and Jay Webbly trying out Louie Geersdorf’s new saddle…Sager Larson taking measurements for a door for the Richfield station…Mr. and Mrs. Peters looking at their new home…Ann back on the night shift…Bonnie cleaning windows…Tony back from hospital.