Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1909-04-23
| looking Backward

At the banquet of the CONNER
cial Club, given last week, Thomas
Neill, the we'll known attorney, re-
sponded to the toast Retrospect"
Mr.. Neill was the founder of the
Pullman Herald and his address will
be of interest to its many readers.
The address in full is here given:
1t will be twenty-one years next
August, since | first saw Pullman,
then village of $50 inhabitants.
| was attracted here by a write-up
of the Palouse country in the North
west Magazine and among the things
needed by Pullman it was stated that
newspaper would find here pro-
titable field, After a visit of about
week | agreed to have a newspaper
in Pullman on or before the first
of November, with the understand
ing that it would continue. as long
as it was patronized to the paying
point, and when it did not pay to
run it, then it would be moved to
another field.
The Herald was established and
the first issue was November 2.
1888, and from that day to the pre-
sent it received a liberal patronage,
and is now the largest and best
equipped printing plant south of
Spokane.
When looking over the field, dur
ing my first visit, | was shown the
foundation for a new school house
which was to be of frame, with eight
rooms, and it was explained to me
that they did not intend to finish
the second story, but they had built
it large enough to meet all the flu
ture requirements of the town.
In the winter of 1889 the first
commercial club was organized with
two sets of officers so that the two
factions of the town would be equal
ly honored and represented, but it
was not long until they were work
ing in harmony and within two years
Pullman was noted for it's pull to-
gether qualities" and a town that ac-
cOmplished results. In the spring
of 1889 the first boom edition of the
Herald was issued, and this matter
was also put into pamphlet form.
1t was stated therein that Pullman
had a population of 800 and would
have at least 500 A Conscientious
subscriber who had been sending the
Herald to a friend in the east came
in and stopped the eastern subscrip-
party TO such falsehood, for said
he, you know there arc not 500
people here and you know if you
know anything, that there never
will be 800 inhabitants in Pull
man" | tried to explain to him
| that the eastern readers would per-
| baps cut these estimates in two and
then they would have the thuth
but this explanation did not satisfy
him.
The first improvem ent of a public
nature was the straitening of the
channel of the South Palouse, along
the o. R. & n. track where it now
runs. Prior to this the channel
meandered through the fat east of
Alder street. The next improvement
was the construction of the SIDE
walk on the south side of Main
street east from Alder street, which
opened up the possibilities of east
Main stheet, and during the same
year the Herald block, (now the
| farmers hoteD was built for the
Herald, and a furniture store.
NJ. c. True who owned the Palace
hotel, which stood on the corner
of Alder and Paradise, where
Drinkwater's blacksmith shop now
stands, was induced by the CONNER
eial culb, to move his hotel on Main
street. the club paying the cost of
moving, and when moved it was en-
larged.