This day in history: A devastating schoolhouse fire and a deed to… the entire world?

From 1976: An early-morning fire caused up to $1 million in damage to the combined elementary and high school building in the town of Palouse.

The fire was discovered at about 6:30 a.m. It possibly started in the roof near the chimney. Firefighters converged on the scene from Palouse, Pullman, Colfax, Potlatch and Washington State University.

They were able to extinguish the fire after a long fight, but the school’s original wing was gutted, and a new section housing four elementary grades was damaged.

School staff members were able to remove all school records and some equipment, but at a price. They inhaled some smoke, but did not require hospitalization. One firefighter was treated for smoke inhalation.

The school board held an hour-long meeting with Palouse citizens later in the day, and arrangements were made to hold classes in churches and some undamaged school rooms.

From 1926: The Spokane County auditor reported receiving “the strangest document ever presented here.”

A Canadian man asked the auditor to record his deed “for the entire world.” This was the result of a vision he had when he lived near Spokane. He said he stood on a magic rock at Clear Lake and, during that event, he received instructions from the voice of the “owner of the world to come. … Register everything to the land register.”

These weren’t the only odd instructions people had received while standing on that rock, said the letter-writer. One other person said a “two-headed hen spoke and told the man to eat the eggs and he would have great wisdom.” Another person stood on the rock and a talking apple told him to eat it “and get a new lease on life.”

The auditor confessed that he was at a complete loss about how to comply with this request.