Traveling back in time: This date in Bonners Ferry history
History for June 16th, 2016
100 Year
The engine of the ill-fated Great Northern train which was recently wrecked by a rockslide east of Katka, was taken out of the Kootenai river last Sunday and hauled to Hillyard where it will be repaired. The engine was badly damaged. The wrecking crew did not find the bodies of the engineer and fireman. A $50 reward has been offered for the body of Engineer McGinn. It is said that the tender is buried in eight feet of mud and under 20 feet of water in the Kootenai river and that the Great Northern railway company will not try to remove it.
Yesterday morning Sheriff Worley destroyed a ten-gallon keg of Scotch whiskey, a variety of beer and wine which had been taken by him as evidence in various cases involving violations of the prohibition laws.
One day last week some miscreant treated W.H. Richardson’s auto to a dose of sand and dirt which was thrown into the gasoline tank and not content with this devilishness tampered with the storage battery. The car had been left on the north side of the river, traffic over the bridge being closed at the time while new planks were being laid.
Perry, the nine-year-old son of Mr. and Mrs. H.H. Halsley, underwent an operation at the Bonners Ferry hospital Monday for appendicitis. Dr. Faucett states that the operation was highly successful and the young patient is recovering nicely.
Mrs. W.B. Roberts and son, A.C. Roberts, were principals in a runaway accident Monday when the breaking of the buggy shaft startled the horse they were driving and it ran away, upsetting the buggy.
50 Year
County law enforcement officers are investigating a series of some 14 break-ins, robberies and acts of vandalism that have occurred throughout the county during the past six weeks, according to a report from Sheriff Earl Lane.
In a special election held last Friday, Boundary county voters rejected a $1,230,000 bond issue to finance construction of a combined elementary-senior high school. The vote was 575 for the bond and 415 against, for a total of 58.1 percent favoring the proposal while a two-thirds majority was necessary for approval. It is the third time in the past 18 months that voters have turned down bond issues for new school facilities.
Taft’s Variety store in downtown Bonners Ferry escaped serious fire damage Monday afternoon, thanks to some alert fire extinguisher work by owner Chris Taft. The fire broke out in the stock room, in the rear of the store, while city crews were hooking up new service wires leading into the store. Lack of a proper ground on the service entrance wiring was blamed for the “backup” of current which went into Taft’s store and overloaded the wiring system.
Forest Service Notes – On Tuesday, Foreman Bill Chappell and a seven-man crew planted the last of 140,000 trees, ending another spring planting program. Planting will resume this fall in high areas of Boundary creek and Trout creek.
15 Year
Bonners Ferry police had their hands full last week with two drug arrests involving juveniles as well as recovering over $10,000 worth of stolen property from a break-in at a South Hill business.
Burt Wells, lifetime Boundary County resident, is this year’s Kootenai River Parade Grand Marshall. Burt has been involved with horses and rodeos all his adult life. Burt joined the old Boundary County Sheriff’s posse in 1955. This group put on some of the first rodeos in the county, sometimes buying and furnishing their own rodeo stock. After the posse disbanded, Burt and his wife Kathleen, along with their sons Rob and Paul, joined the newly formed Selkirk Saddle Club in 1964.
Amidst moments of laughter and joy, bittersweet memories and a few tears, the class of 2001 tossed its caps skyward with cries of jubilation as 106 graduating seniors walked out of Bonners Ferry High School for the last time.
With a $1,452 check donated from Wells Fargo to the new Chuck Morgen Track being build at the high school this summer, Track 2000 has almost met its goal of raising $150,000.