The Oroville weekly gazette. [volume] (Oroville, Wash.) 1905-19??, 1917-02-16
LOOKING BACKWARD.

LOOKING BACKWARD.
appenings When the Land Was
Young and Sparsely Settled.
(From the Loomis Prospector, Feb
hlary Is. 1881
Mr.. Fine, who has been cutting wood
winter, is opening claim south Of
bwn that he locared the first of tbs.
ear The surface shows some very
pod quartz. (The Mr. Fine was Fred
Fine, founder of the Gazette and
lie of the pioneer residents of the
ounty, now holding down state job
Is land cruiser and still largely in
Crested in this place and locality. In
arly days Mr.. Fine turned his hand
b about everything in which an honest
)enny could be raked off and the more
)ennles for the least eXertion the bet
er Mr.. Fine first located in the Me-
how valley further back than the
memory of nan runneth, anu from
here he worked his way to tn, north
part CT The county, making Loomia iis
Headquarters for some time, having
eharge of the Prospector for several
months. From LOomis MIR. Fine went
10 Chesaw, and when the railroad was
building into the valley he came to
Droville with the first steel, or in ad-
Vance of the first steel, and started the
Gazette Where he is best known, Mr..
Fine has more warm, personal friends
than about any man VINO has ever liv-
ed in the county. He still claims Oro-
willie as his home, and at some future
day will, in all likelihood be hack here
Ia permanent citizen, and everybody
Twill extend him hearty welcome
when he does Gomez
w. A. Barry was a passenger on the
outgoing stage Sunday for Spokane.
f(Mr. Barry located at Nighthawk at
4 the time of the building Of the rail-
broad and lived there for several years.
4 He wisely took unto himself wife,
gave up town life and settled on
ranch on Palmer mountain, where he
has raised stock, grain and children
very successfully and is on the road
to a competency for his old age)
Mention is made of visit from Mai.
f. b. Nash, of Waterville, who had
come in from the Big Bnd with a load
of produce. Maj. Nash was a fine old
gentleman whose later years were
broken with misfortune. He was one
OF the first settlers of Douglas county.
locating on Badger mountain, where
he had a beautifully situated ranch.
He conducted store at the ranch, and
afterwards opened a store at Water
Vile. He met with reverses ard finally
drifted up into Okanogan county and
here ran stage line for time. He
died number of years go.)
The following is a mild protest
against gun toting that appears in the
Prospector: "A young fellow was bub-
bling all over with impatience Monday
evening, on Main street, over the dila-
toriness of an individual he had in
vited out to take good humping, and
in his excitement discharged a revol-
yer. There is nothing attractive in a
gun to induce a man to come out from
cover to meet an adversary, and hence
the noise of the weapon was not i'm
mediately followed by the presence of
the other fellow. Guns are all right
over in Republic, where the climate
seems just suited for their indiscrim-
mate use, but they are not nice play
things, nor conductive to longevity.
and are out of place in Loomis."
In those days the unfortunate indi-
vidual who appeared in a new hat, a
new suit, or had an addition to the
family was expected to "set 'em up"
Indeed the custom of celebrating the
most trivial event kept some member
of the population furnishing throat
lubricant daily. The following item
from the Prospector is an illustration
OF the practice: 81. A. LOomis had the
hardwood to appear in stylish new
suit this week, and the boys were will
ing to congratulate. 1t Is question
whether the suit or congratulations
are the most expensive in this
country
February weather nineteen years
ago was almost identical to that Of
the present February and the follow
ing item in the Prospector at that
time fits the case today: 1T is with
fear and trembling that we touch upon
the subject of the weather. 1t is that
period in the year when a mistake can
ho aoI1 In, hon In
The indications of one day are not to
be relied upon as positive evidence as
to what the morrow will bring forth. 1t
Is a season when the clerk OF the
weather is as tickle as the office seek
er who Is ready to do the lightning
change act if place is to be the reward
of apostacy. 1t is hardly time to de-
clare that winter has adjourned sine
die with the first thaw. Still when the
softness continues a number of days
there is possibility of spring hanging
out just around the corner. Monday
may be balmy and pleasant, bringing
hopes of grass and flowers, and Tues
day come staggering in with wealth
of snow and icicles. IT Is uncomfort'
able to announce that spring Is here
and then when the paper Is out see
the fellows reading the statement
wrapped in fur overcoats and crowd
ms as near the stove as 1t is safe tc
get, while spring Is elsewhere. So fal
during the month there has been every
indication of break up, and only one
or two backslidings, when a frosty
change awakened suspicious that win
ter had not yet packed his blankets ant
hiked for Alaska. From the valley thu
snow has disappeared and the soutf
hill sides are bare and brown again