The Colfax gazette. [volume] (Colfax, Wash.) 1893-1932, 1911-08-11
new LODGE HALL
BUILT At ALBION
ENTERPRISING SPIRIT and LOVE
OF HOME MAKES The TOWN
AN IDEAL PLACE.

"Albion is a school, church and
lodge town. We are particularly
proud of the fact that il is good
place 10 raise our children-a good
clean town." said one of the leading
business men to Gazette represen-
tative few days ago. You can
judge something of its importance as
a business point from the fact that
the Albion State bank handled more
than million dollars worth Of busi-
ness in the last year"
Walking up from the O.-W. r. &
N. depot the visitor to the town for
the first time is favorably impressed
with the excellent sidewalks Few
towns of its size anywhere can boast
of anything as good. From the depot
to the pOstoffice and on many of the
side streets are six-fOOt plank walks
more than a mile of them in all.
The first marked step of progress
after the Incorporation of the town
a year ago last February was the
construction of the sidewalks. The
second year saw the completion of
the town hall, a building 24X34 feet.
1t is a one-stoTy frame building suit
ed for general town purposes and
provided with a Jail Town improve
ments are going on under the admin
istration of Mayor 0. d. Crawford {;
Councilmen u. w. Gates, E. P. Deer
ing, J. H. Stover, T. NJ. Farnsworth
and Writ Willoughby; Clerk ]. G.
McCune and Treasurer A. r. Nicolas
key.
Like most other western towns
with inadequate water supply, the
fire demon has collected his toll at
different times. The last row of un-
slightly shacks, has disappeared, wip-
ed out by the flames year ago.
Now every business enterprise of the
little city is housed in comfortable
quarters and we'll scattered 10 reduce
the fire risk TO the minimum.
Edwards College, under the au-
spices OF the United Brethren church,
gave instruction to 90 students last
year. The college is an old institu-
tion which has had its ups and downs
but since its reorganization TWO or
three years ago has been steadily
growing. There are four teachers in
the college with Professor ". H
Davis at the head. Instruction is
= given in a classical college course
and course preparatory for the min
istry. Students are registered from
all the northwestern states.
The support of the town comes
from the large farming community
tributary 10 it. Wheat and oats are
the principal crops but as one man
said, we are getting enthused over
diversified farming" One man has
35 acres of potatoes, another g acres
and another u. Last year about go
car loads of spuds were shipped out
The grain shipments were over 20U
car loads while $50 more car loads
were billed from Albion but were
loaded al Armstrong and Shawnee
the two nearest sidings.
Three warehouse companies han
die the grain business. F. 3. Peter
son is local agent for the Interior
Warehouse company. 0. .. Craw-
ford is agent for the Pacific Coast
Elevator company and is also in
charge of the warehouses al Shaw
nee and Armstrong. George Howell
is agent for the Guy Farmers ALI
ance Warehouse company, a com
pany formed by the farmers of that
vicinity many years ago and which is
an important factor in the grain bus
mess. All around Albion wheat is
yielding 40 and As bushels.
Rev. A. J. Ware came from Oregon
to take charge of the United Breth.
ren church. The society has a neat
lS+fla .I, h,r;1Ii,or -
crete blocks, that is a credit to the
town. 1t was dedicated last fall
Rev. T. c. Mountain is pastor of the
Methodist church. The Christian
church is being supplied by Rev. ]
H. McWhirter, a travelling evange-
list, who will remain until September
when he will resume his regular
work.
For a town of only a few hundred
inhabitants an unusual interest is
taken in fraternal organizations. The
different lodges represented are the
Masons, Eastern Star, knights of Ply
thias, Pythian Sisters, Modern Wood.
men, Patrons of Husbandry and
Farmers Union. There are many Ode
Fellows in the town and vicinity and
it is probable that a lodge will be in
stituted in the near future.
Not long ago a stock company was
formed for the purpose of building 6
lodge hall Every stockholder in the
company is a member of Reynolds
Lodge No. ia, F. & A. NJ. and the
building, which is now complete, is
known as Masonic Hall The build
ing committee consisted of ]. c. Farr
A. R. McClaskey, ]. D. Carnegie, Ed
Kelso and c. E. Hoag The building
which is result of their labors, is
something of which every Mason and
enterprising citizen of the community
may we'll be proud. 1t is 2Sx60 feei
and two stories high. The lodge
rooms are on the second floor and the
first floor has been finished for hal
which is for rent for any legitimate
purpose. The lodge room is finished
in Oregon fir and is being furnished
in the same kind of wood. The fur.
niture is being made by members oi
the lodge. One man makes the pieces
another stains them and a third puts
on the varnish. The Masonic lodge
has 40 active members who are plan
ming to give a housewarming after