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This Day in Bonners Ferry History

| August 31, 2017 1:00 AM

100 Year

“The Bonner Supply company is going to go out of business” is the announcement made this week by the proprietors of one of Bonners Ferry’s largest business houses, W.L. Kinnear and W.F. Kinnear. The Messrs. Kinnear give no reason for taking the step and to date have made no announcement as to future plans.

Last week the Herald chronicled the arrival of a baby boy at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Breen of Addie. Mr. Breen writes the Herald this week that there is a mistake somewhere and that the stork did not visit his home a week ago Saturday. Also that the error has cost him a box of cigars.

Washington – War expenditures of the United States, including allied loans, have mounted during August to more than $24,000,000 every 24 hours. The figures minus $100,000,000 just loaned to Russia, are contained in a treasury statement Aug. 26. Two-thirds of the great sum is represented by advances to the allies. The United States has been spending daily during August for its own needs an average of $8,088,652. The United States has paid out for its own needs since it entered the war $776,990,086, of which $741,156,765 was spent in military, naval and administrative functions.

James Welch expects to harvest his wheat and oat crop this week. Mr. Welch has a fine stand of grain and it is estimated that his oat crop will be 100 bushels to the acre.

50 Year

A fire started along the Great Northern railroad tracks near Leonia late Tuesday morning was brought under control after four hours of fire fighting and confined to an area of five acres. The fire was discovered just west of Leonia, along the Kootenai river near the Idaho-Montana border. Within one-half hour, two loads of retardant were dropped on the blaze which was burning at the bottom of a slope in dense timer on extremely steep ground. A railroad fire team arrived with tankers, pumpers, mess and sleeping facilities to assist with the fighting.

Mr. and Mrs. Ralph Delfs and Mr. And Mrs. Bruce Frazier were badly shaken up and Mrs. Delfs suffered a broken collarbone Sunday evening when their car struck a Shetland pony on Highway 2-95 near Elmira. There was extensive damage to the Delfs’ car and the boat and trailer they were pulling.

Ober Byars of South Gate, Calif., doesn’t have to tell any fish stories these days but if he does he has a picture to prove that he caught a real “granddaddy” Rainbow trout out of the Moyie river last week. Byars hooked and landed a seven-pound, 29-inch Rainbow, undoubtedly one of the largest taken from the stream in many a year. Byars was using worms for bait, and had an eight-pound test line which he expertly handled to bring in the whopper after a 20-minutes workout.

The Trapper peak fire, northwest of Bonners Ferry, continues to burn out of control and by Wednesday had consumed more than 10,000 acres. Three large air force helicopters and a crew of 35 men arrived Sunday to assist in transporting men and supplies, and evacuate casualties from the fire area. Nearly 1600 men are now fighting the fire and control was not in sight as of Wednesday. The fire now covers a 50-mile perimeter.

15 Year

With a $900,000 federal grant awarded on Aug. 21, Boundary Regional Community Health Center, it is the only center in Idaho to currently receive this grant. Part of the criteria for the grant included rural or inner city areas where people had no health insurance or inadequate coverage to obtain needed treatment or services.

Black Mountain Lookout in Boundary County was vandalized in early August and more than two dozen large trees around the lookout were cut down. “Someone used a chainsaw to make cuts part way through a main crossbeam of the support structure and on sections of the hand rail on the tower,” stated Lynn Kaney, Acting District Ranger at the Bonners ferry Ranger District. The first report of the damage came from visitors who had rented the lookout for an overnight stay. Black Mountain and Deer Ridge lookouts were closed and reservations for the popular towers have been cancelled. Inspection of the two lookouts by the Forest Service safety officer and facility engineers revealed other safety concerns in addition to the saw cuts at Black Mountain.

A two--car accident Monday on the South Hill near Les Schwab’s tire center resulted in a knee injury for a U.S. Marine, who was transported to Boundary Community Hospital. Don Plumlee, who was driving a Ford pickup at the time, was not injured. Despite impact, police said none of the airbags on the Chevy suburban driven by the Marine deployed.