March 15, 2005 Looking Back is a regular feature of the Modoc County Record, a weekly newspaper, published in Alturas, CA. The following is transcribed from the March 2, 2005 issue. Looking Back 111 Years Ago 1894 THE PIT RIVER in Alturas is rising steadily. Yesterday a chicken house owned by J.T. Laird was washed away from its foundation and down under the bridge�. D.C. Berry of Davis Creek has returned to Modoc from Marysville and says if folks here think times are bad, they should go see how bad it is elsewhere in California 91 Years Ago � 1914 SPRING has arrived in Modoc. The grass is growing and horses and cattle have all been turned out to pasture�. A shoe tying contest will be held at the Orpheum for boys under 14 and all contestants will be admitted free to the moving picture. The winner will receive a shiny dollar�. The Wakefield passenger auto made a trip from Alturas to Cedarville. 71 Years Ago � 1934 THE GLOSTER dam above Alturas broke today and came to within a foot of flooding the town�. Little Sam Justis has established a �C� class high jump record at the grammar school with a leap of 4� 8��. The nice weather has allowed P.A. Sample, principal at the New Pine Creek High School, to lead his students on field trips. 51 Years Ago � 1954 THE WHITE Pine Lumber Company has announced it will shut down for ten days for repairs. That report was made on the heels of an announcement that the mill owner here, Mr. Jaksick, has suffered a severe stroke. The mill is averaging an employment of 138 men�. Lee Hyde is seeking candidates for the Alturas semi-pro baseball team. Sam Justis was one of the favorite citizens of Alturas, and continued his athletic capabilities through high school. I never saw him after I entered the army during WWII, and this little item reminded me of a good friend. P.A. Sample was sent to the Modoc Union High School upon the closure of the New Pine Creek High School around 1939 or 1940. He was a great addition to that staff. He was also a photographer and took most of the pictures for the 1941 and 1942 school annuals. (The annuals stopped during the war years, and the 1942 annual was the last published for several years). He was deaf and wore a hearing aid. The receiver was huge, attached to his undershirt. Occasionally, some of the boys would tease Pap by just mouthing their words. Mr. Sample would then become quite excited and frustrated and he would go through quite a rigmarole to increase the sound on his hearing aid. He taught drafting, journalism, etc., and I took every kind of class that he taught. We were quite sad when he wrecked his 1934 Chrysler Airflow automobile on the bridge in Likely, because he loved to take his students on little field trips in that auto. I miss him. Hope to see you all next week. Ron Morgan